John Hodgman in BBtv's SPAMasterpiece Theater.

BBtv is launching a series of episodes featuring author, PC, and minor television personality John Hodgman, as the world waits breathlessly for the launch of his new book, MORE INFORMATION THAN YOU REQUIRE . We have read it, dear viewer, and it is splendid.

Today, the debut installment of Boing Boing tv's SPAMASTERPIECE THEATER, which Hodgman himself describes as the dramatization of "true tale[s] of romance, adventure, infamy, and low-cost prescription drugs, all culled from the reams of actual, unsolicited emails, received here by us and people like you -- what we call SPAM."

We'll be releasing more of these in the coming weeks. Each one is composed exclusively of actual, unadulterated, unsolicited email. Like virtual raw foodists, we would not think of cooking perfect fruit that falls so gracefully from the internet's tree of life.

We hope you enjoy. { fade to black, fade in Hodgman in the library chair, surrounded by spam ephemera }

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Link to Boing Boing tv blog post with downloadable video and instructions on how to subscribe to our daily video podcast, which you really ought to do.

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A note from our musical director: The adaptation of Jean-Joseph Mouret's "Rondeau: Fanfare" (1735) which opens today's episode was remixed in flagrante 8-bit by Hamhocks Buttermilk Johnson.

• [RedShirt77]

  Thanks XJ

  Interesting

• [Dangerpants]

  ~30 seconds in: whose bong?

• [macrumpton]

  The mysterious dada haiku beauty of spam often seems to contain wisdom far beyond solutions to my inadequacies.

  More SPAMasterpiece please.

• [RedShirt77]

  “and minor internet personality John Hodgman”

  Why the slight against hodgman. Isn’t he a commercial and TV personality form MAC commercials and The Daily Show.

  Also why do spam messages contain random peotry like ramblings. I once got one for cheap mortgages which had text about someone wanting to kill themselves. They must have seen our current crisis coming.

  Are they random because they are written by people that don’t speak English?

  Are they written to get me to look at them?

  To get past spam filters?

  Or because the poor soul sending them out is so sick of writing you about cheap prescription drugs that they start having a free thought session and just send it all along.

  • [Xeni Jardin]

    @RedShirt77,

    Why the slight against hodgman.

    “minor TELEVISION personality” is a phrase Mr. Hodgman uses to describe himself — even on the cover of his new and excellent book.

    Also why do spam messages contain random peotry like ramblings.

    It’s called word salad, and it’s used to bypass certain forms of spam detection software because it more closely resembles a legitimate message.

    XJ

• [mrutter]

  I think I need to start reading my spam mail.

• [krebscout]

  Those are Michael Sowa’s paintings, aren’t they? The same guy that did the paintings in Amelie’s apartment?

  • [Xeni Jardin]

    @krebscout, indeed, they are! The set was designed by our series producer Dana Devonshire, and I believe she had prints of some of Sowa’s paintings in her home. She’s a big fan. For the uninitiated, here is background on this wonderful artist’s work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Sowa

• [Anonymous]

  I had to check my spam after seeing this. I am inspired.

  Subject:

  Redundant problems will fly away together with extra weight

  Body:

  Solution to your most secret male trouble.

• [Anonymous]

  Suggestion for name change: The title “SPAMasterpiece” is a bit like a joke that’s been overly explained, where the punchline is repeated.

  “SPAMterpiece” would have sufficed, IMHO.

  (FYI, intitially, I wasn’t going to comment on this, but as I lay in bed, the title bothered me more and more, so I got up and “contributed” here.)

• [Anonymous]

  That’s pretty neat!
  please more of SPAMasterpiece Theater!!
  :)

• [techdeviant]

  reminds me of spamusement.com, but with moving pictures!

• [GeekDadCanada]

  For some bizarre reason, this reminds me of The Librarian from Hilarious House of Frightenstein.

  Ok, I need to up my medications, I know.

  • [Xeni Jardin]

    I can dig it, GeekDadCanada. I am also fairly certain that this episode proves john hodgman is so awesome that he makes ANYTHING HE TOUCHES turn awesome. He is literally reading junk mail and makes it captivating and funny. HE IS THAT GREAT.