The first of UPC's big acts for the month of April brought big laughs as Tim and Eric rolled onto the Plains Monday night.
The stars of Adult Swim's "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" and "Tom Goes to the Mayor," as well as various cult-favorite Internet shorts, brought their off-the-wall humor to a packed Student Act Auditorium.
The team is comprised of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, former film students who initially worked from their Web site, but soon began working with former "Saturday Night Live" writer and "Mr. Show" co-creator Bob Odenkirk to develop projects for Cartoon Network's late night schedule.
As with "Awesome Show," most of the live act parodies cheaply made cable access TV channels in characters such as "Casey and his Brother," a send-up of telethon entertainment involving a 17-year-old singer with a skin condition and crippling stage fright, and the "Channel 5 Kid Break," in which Heidecker and Wareheim play two young children who rap about conserving toilet paper and their dads' dirty socks.
The duo also lampoons timeshare conferences as they attempt to earn a commission by selling the audience hot tubs.
Opening for Tim and Eric was Dan Mintz, a comedian whose deadpan delivery and array of one-liners has seen him on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and landed him a 30-minute special on Comedy Central.
Filling in during Tim and Eric's costume changes was a DJ who crafted remixes of random bits of dialogue that ranged from scrap gold commercials to the Sham-Wow guy.
"I thought that the Tim and Eric show was completely wacky and unique," said Alisa Courtney, a freshman in exercise science. "I like their humor because it's completely their own.
"They haven't conformed to any stereotypes, and you never know what they are going to do next. You can't help but enjoy watching two best friends having the time of their lives."
This show represents a continuous effort by UPC since the fall to produce mainstream acts for the spring semester.
"I love Tim and Eric," said Sidney Simmons, a freshman in wireless software engineering. "I watch their show all the time, and it was great that we got the opportunity to see them in Auburn for free. I'd easily drive to Atlanta or something and pay to see them again."
UPC continues its lineup of spring entertainment tonight with the showing of "The Dark Knight" in Jordan-Hare Stadium at 8 p.m.
UPC's efforts will culminate when Ben Harper and the Relentless Seven perform with Citizen Cope at Beard Eaves Memorial Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 29. Free tickets are available through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Student Center.
"Ben Harper is fantastic," Courtney said. "I think the UPC is doing a great job of attracting a diverse crowd of people toward Auburn events. They have shows for different genres of people and tastes. Plus, they were super organized, getting the word out there fast and in everyone's hands."
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