Tim and Eric Celebrate Chrimbus on the Road and on TV

"Here are the keys to good comedy: catchy song, ridiculous idea done in a unique style," said Eric Wareheim, one half of the comedy duo Tim and Eric. He said this in reference to "Petite Feet," a particularly popular bit from the series Awesome Show, Great Job! where the duo, wearing cowboy hats and hanging out in a pool hall, burst into song when they confuse the light footsteps of a man for those of a woman.

"When I watched it, I was like, we hit on all three cylinders on that," Wareheim continued. "Some bits we don't. They're stink bombs. But, you aren't always going to get a hit, just like with a band."

If you've ever seen the "Petite Feet" sketch, you know that it can be difficult to get the song out of your head. On November 6, at Club Nokia, where Wareheim and comedy partner Tim Heidecker performed it with their band Pusswhip Banggang, it was one of the highlights of the night, a tune we could still hear people singing (and sang ourselves) as we walked to our cars at the end of the night.

Right now, Tim and Eric are touring the U.S. with this year's Awesome Tour, Great Job! serving as a lead-in of sorts for the Chrimbus Special, set to air on Adult Swim on December 5. The live show mixes sketch comedy and rock performance, with Pusswhip Bangang taking over the second half of their set.

"It's a little bit of a con job because Eric and I get to pretend that we're rock stars and play for thousands of people every night when we don't really deserve it," said Heidecker when we met at Tim & Eric HQ for an interview shortly before they left for tour.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Because we're not a real band," he answered.

We got into a brief discussion over what makes a "real" band. Heidecker finally conceded, "We are a real band, but this band would not be playing Nokia Live. They would be playing Dusty's Blues Bar or some shithole in Canoga Park."

Liz Ohanesian

Tim Heidecker live with Pusswhip Banggang at Club Nokia

Heidecker and Wareheim used to play in bands back when they were in college. Now, when you see them on stage, you can tell that they know what they're doing. It's comedy for sure, but comedy done by people who have seen enough concerts in their lives where they can mimic rock star poses and arena show stage banter better than many who make their living solely from playing music.

"Music was always a part of our comedy at the beginning," said Wareheim.