Could this be you as you prepare for your next trip? You’d better hope not.
Dave Foley has always been the perfect everyman. Whether it was through his relatable characters in the beloved, influential Canadian sketch troupe “Kids in the Hall” or his put-upon news director Dave Nelson in NBC’s long-running sitcom “NewsRadio,” Foley has had a knack for turning deadpan, nice-guy delivery and an absurdist sense of humor into the deadliest of comedic weapons.
In addition to nearly half a dozen new films in various stages of production, Foley recently released five episodes of his new web series on Babelgum, “The Sensible Traveler with Bobby Fargo,”, a short-form sketch show that finds Foley in a series of increasingly ridiculous situations (hazmat suits on the beach, anyone?)
We recently spoke with Foley about the show, its inspiration, the value of hostels and why blackmail came in handy while filming the episodes.
Did the idea for this series or character come from a specific source, or is it more of an general parody of North Americans’ paranoid, clueless view of the world?
The series was inspired by Steven Hibbert — who co-wrote the show. He’s one of those clueless North American travelers. Wearing a fanny pack and white “comfortable” shoes, he shouts loudly in chic restaurants and refuses to learn foreign languages. He knows nothing about other cultures and is afraid of any new experience. I one heard him say he’d “done Italy and didn’t really like it.” As it turns out though he did a week on a bus tour…
Did any of your own travel experiences come into play?
Now that you mention it I did have a very pleasant experience in a hostel in Amsterdam.
The short-form structure of web videos seems to be more akin to sketch than sitcoms or films. Do you prefer one over the other, since you have experience in each of those? Or is it a case-by-case basis depending on the idea?
The format depends on the idea. It’s like being with a woman — short-form is a fling. Easy, fun, and over quickly. A feature is like a long term thing… you can go deeper and really discover not only all the fun things but the insane and annoying things too.
Do you see character-based comedy going in more of that bite-sized direction, familiar to fans of Adult Swim and FunnyorDie.com? Or has comedy always been that way to an extent?
I don’t think technology is forcing comedy in one direction. Technology and particularly sites like Babelgum are helping to expand the opportunities comedians (professional and non) have to deliver content and with that comes more experimentation. That can only ever lead to bigger, better, brighter comedic horizons.
Do you have a favorite episode or one you thought turned our particularly well?
We film documentary style so each one has been quite fun. In packing I got to do a whole lotta blow and in backpacking I had a very pleasant encounter with two cute backpackers… being detained by the LAPD was not as fun, but gotta take the good with the bad.
How did you choose the guest stars for each episode?
It was anyone I had dirt on and so could blackmail.
Watch all episodes of Foley’s “The Sensible Traveler with Bobby Fargo” for free on Babelgum’s Dave Foley channel.
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