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Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Volume Two
Warner Bros. // Unrated // November 16, 2004
List Price: $29.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Show
Despite the fact that we are constantly getting new entries in the format, the television talk show hasn't changed much over the year. Every time a fresh program comes to TV (usually featuring a celebrity from another medium), we are told that it's going to be groundbreaking, but it's often the same old schtick: celebrity interviews, house band, monologues, live audience, etc. The enduring sameness of talk shows is what made Space Ghost: Coast to Coast such a novel idea in the first place. This animated take on the talk show contained all of the requisite trappings of the medium, but everything was much more insane than the average show. But, as Volume Two of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast shows us, even a show which spoofs a standard format can become redundant.
The Space Ghost: Coast to Coast: Volume Two contains 14 episodes of the show, which aired from February 1996 to December 1996. The episodes contained herein are:
1. "$20.01" -- guests Penn & Teller, Joel Hodgson
2. "Lovesick" -- guests Carrot Top, Star Lady
3. "Transcript" -- guest Jonathan Richman
4. "Sharrock" -- guest Thurston Moore
5. "Boo" -- guests Michael Norman, Bill Nye
6. "Freak Show" -- guest Bill Manspeaker
7. "Switcheroo" -- guests Susan Olsen, Elvira
8. "Surprise" -- guests Juliana Hatfield, Ben Folds, Judy Tenuta, Method Man, Bobcat Goldthwait
9. "Glen Campbell" -- guest Matt Groening
10. "Jacksonville" -- guests James Hetfiled, Kirk Hammett
11. "Late Show" -- guests Janeane Garofalo, Dave Grohl, Flip Orley, John Popper
12. "Cookout" -- guests Emeril Lagasse, Nathalie Dupree, Martin Yan
13. "Art Show" -- guests Laurie Anderson, Stomp
14. "Woody Allen's Fall Project" -- no guests
OK, so Space Ghost: Coast to Coast is such an oddball show that my saying that it had grown "stale" was probably a bit too much. But, it must be said that the show had gotten a bit too comfortable with its formula by this time. The show is essentially made up of two parts; Space Ghost (voiced by George Lowe) interviews guests, while band-leader Zorak (voiced by C. Martin Croker) and technician Moltar (Croker again) create havoc behind-the-scenes. In the first round of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast episodes, there was somewhat of a balance between the interviews and the on-set shenanigans and their intermingling lead to some classic moments. However, with Volume Two, the bulk of the material leans more towards the adventures of Space Ghost, Zorak, and Moltar, and the interviews appear to be more of a afterthought. While the side-stories are often quite funny, something must be said for Space Ghost's bizarre interviews, and cutting back on these takes something away from the show.
In addition, the guest line-up for Volume Two isn't as impressive as that of Volume One, which seems quite odd. Shouldn't the guests get better as the show progresses? Not that the guest list for Volume Two is full of nobodies, there are some good names here, but the "How did they get (fill in the blank) to be on the show?" factor is somewhat reduced here. Come on, it's not all that surprising to see the likes of Bobcat Goldthwait and Elvira on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.
Video
Space Ghost: Coast to Coast: Volume Two comes to DVD courtesy of Warner Home Video. This two-disc set contains 14 episodes of the show. The episodes are all presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. Overall, the shows look good on this DVD presentation. The images are sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects from the source material. The colors are notably good, as each character has their signature color. The faux 3-D look of the Space Ghost: Coast to Coast set looks fine here. However, there are some minor problems with the video presentation. There is noticeable video noise at times and some artifacting is evident. Still, the picture looks good and certainly rivals digital broadcast quality.
Audio
The Space Ghost: Coast to Coast:Volume Two DVD features a Dolby 2.0 stereo audio track. This track provides clear dialogue and music, which is fairly well-balanced, although the music is sometimes louder than the speaking voices. There is a slight amount of hiss on the track. The most notable thing about this audio track is the incredible amount of bass action from the front speakers. There is a low-frequency rumble throughout the show (presumably from the "Ghost Planet") which certainly makes its presence known and is actually distracting at times.
Extras
Given the overall odd nature of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, it's not surprising that there are some strange extras on this DVD set. Disc 1 features the "Matt Groening Raw Interview" (16 minutes), which is simply the full, uncut chat with the creator of The Simpsons. "Thurston Moore Performance" is a 7-minute piece from the Sonic Youth guitarist which is labeled as an "Unaired Sonny Sharrock Tribute Performance" (Sharrock did the theme to the show.) This is simply a long, psychedelic guitar solo with backing drums. What's even odder is the optional commentary, which is simply another guitar solo. (!?) The extras on Disc 2 are kicked off by "Andy's Pilot" (3 minutes), which is the "Original Space Ghost: Coast to Coast 'Andy Pilot' April 1993". This is simply footage from the original Space Ghost show with newly dubbed dialogue in which Space Ghost interviews a mystery guest (supposedly an Oscar winning actor). The extras on Disc 2 are rounded out with a 1 minute black & white animated "1993 Pencil Test" and a Sonny Sharrock bio.
The DVD set also offers audio commentaries for each episode, although this isn't listed anywhere on the packaging. The commentary participants are as follows (as each person had many jobs on each show, I'll forego listing their positions):
"20.01" -- Keith Crofford, Evan Dorkin, Sara Dyer, guest Joel Hodgson
"Lovesick" -- Tom Roche, Clay Croker, Keith Crofford, Matt Harrigan, Dave Willis, Mike Lazzo, Jay Edwards
"Transcript" -- Matt Harrigan, Roy Clements, Keith Crofford, Dave Willis, Mike Lazzo
"Sharrock" -- Mike Lazzo, Keith Crofford, Eddie Horst
"Boo" -- Andy Merrill, Matt Harrigan, Clay Croker, Dave Willis
"Freak Show" -- Dave Willis, George Lowe, Clay Croker, Andy Merrill
"Switcheroo" -- Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Keith Crofford
"Surprise" -- Brak, Zorak, Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force
"Glen Campbell" -- Jay Edwards, Matt Harrigan, Dave Willis, Roy Clement, George Lowe, Clay Croker
"Jacksonville" -- Dave Willis, Andy Merrill, guest James Hetfield
"Late Show" -- Keith Crofford, Spike Forston, Steve O'Donnell, guest Janeane Garofalo
"Cookout" -- Keith Crofford, Sarah Dyer, Evan Dorkin, Matt Harrigan, Dave Willis, Jay Edwards
"Art Show' -- Tom Roche, Jay Edwards, Mike Cahill
"Woody Allen's Fall Project" -- Andy Merrill, Jay Edwards, Martin Croker, Dave Willis, Vishal Roney, Tom Roche
These commentaries are interesting and truly entertaining as the speakers often spend a few minutes trying to decide who did what on each show. They then attempt to describe where some of the show ideas came from and they comment on how crappy the animation is at times. As one would expect from watching the show, the commentaries imply that those who worked behind the scenes of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast were having a lot of fun.
Space Ghost: Coast to Coast was a great example of what can be done when creative minds combine old animation with new craziness. The show helped to lay the envelope-pushing groundwork for Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" show. While the episodes on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast: Volume Two aren't as good as those on "Volume One" they are still unlike anything that you'll find anywhere else.
Despite the fact that we are constantly getting new entries in the format, the television talk show hasn't changed much over the year. Every time a fresh program comes to TV (usually featuring a celebrity from another medium), we are told that it's going to be groundbreaking, but it's often the same old schtick: celebrity interviews, house band, monologues, live audience, etc. The enduring sameness of talk shows is what made Space Ghost: Coast to Coast such a novel idea in the first place. This animated take on the talk show contained all of the requisite trappings of the medium, but everything was much more insane than the average show. But, as Volume Two of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast shows us, even a show which spoofs a standard format can become redundant.
The Space Ghost: Coast to Coast: Volume Two contains 14 episodes of the show, which aired from February 1996 to December 1996. The episodes contained herein are:
1. "$20.01" -- guests Penn & Teller, Joel Hodgson
2. "Lovesick" -- guests Carrot Top, Star Lady
3. "Transcript" -- guest Jonathan Richman
4. "Sharrock" -- guest Thurston Moore
5. "Boo" -- guests Michael Norman, Bill Nye
6. "Freak Show" -- guest Bill Manspeaker
7. "Switcheroo" -- guests Susan Olsen, Elvira
8. "Surprise" -- guests Juliana Hatfield, Ben Folds, Judy Tenuta, Method Man, Bobcat Goldthwait
9. "Glen Campbell" -- guest Matt Groening
10. "Jacksonville" -- guests James Hetfiled, Kirk Hammett
11. "Late Show" -- guests Janeane Garofalo, Dave Grohl, Flip Orley, John Popper
12. "Cookout" -- guests Emeril Lagasse, Nathalie Dupree, Martin Yan
13. "Art Show" -- guests Laurie Anderson, Stomp
14. "Woody Allen's Fall Project" -- no guests
OK, so Space Ghost: Coast to Coast is such an oddball show that my saying that it had grown "stale" was probably a bit too much. But, it must be said that the show had gotten a bit too comfortable with its formula by this time. The show is essentially made up of two parts; Space Ghost (voiced by George Lowe) interviews guests, while band-leader Zorak (voiced by C. Martin Croker) and technician Moltar (Croker again) create havoc behind-the-scenes. In the first round of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast episodes, there was somewhat of a balance between the interviews and the on-set shenanigans and their intermingling lead to some classic moments. However, with Volume Two, the bulk of the material leans more towards the adventures of Space Ghost, Zorak, and Moltar, and the interviews appear to be more of a afterthought. While the side-stories are often quite funny, something must be said for Space Ghost's bizarre interviews, and cutting back on these takes something away from the show.
In addition, the guest line-up for Volume Two isn't as impressive as that of Volume One, which seems quite odd. Shouldn't the guests get better as the show progresses? Not that the guest list for Volume Two is full of nobodies, there are some good names here, but the "How did they get (fill in the blank) to be on the show?" factor is somewhat reduced here. Come on, it's not all that surprising to see the likes of Bobcat Goldthwait and Elvira on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.
Video
Space Ghost: Coast to Coast: Volume Two comes to DVD courtesy of Warner Home Video. This two-disc set contains 14 episodes of the show. The episodes are all presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. Overall, the shows look good on this DVD presentation. The images are sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects from the source material. The colors are notably good, as each character has their signature color. The faux 3-D look of the Space Ghost: Coast to Coast set looks fine here. However, there are some minor problems with the video presentation. There is noticeable video noise at times and some artifacting is evident. Still, the picture looks good and certainly rivals digital broadcast quality.
Audio
The Space Ghost: Coast to Coast:Volume Two DVD features a Dolby 2.0 stereo audio track. This track provides clear dialogue and music, which is fairly well-balanced, although the music is sometimes louder than the speaking voices. There is a slight amount of hiss on the track. The most notable thing about this audio track is the incredible amount of bass action from the front speakers. There is a low-frequency rumble throughout the show (presumably from the "Ghost Planet") which certainly makes its presence known and is actually distracting at times.
Extras
Given the overall odd nature of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, it's not surprising that there are some strange extras on this DVD set. Disc 1 features the "Matt Groening Raw Interview" (16 minutes), which is simply the full, uncut chat with the creator of The Simpsons. "Thurston Moore Performance" is a 7-minute piece from the Sonic Youth guitarist which is labeled as an "Unaired Sonny Sharrock Tribute Performance" (Sharrock did the theme to the show.) This is simply a long, psychedelic guitar solo with backing drums. What's even odder is the optional commentary, which is simply another guitar solo. (!?) The extras on Disc 2 are kicked off by "Andy's Pilot" (3 minutes), which is the "Original Space Ghost: Coast to Coast 'Andy Pilot' April 1993". This is simply footage from the original Space Ghost show with newly dubbed dialogue in which Space Ghost interviews a mystery guest (supposedly an Oscar winning actor). The extras on Disc 2 are rounded out with a 1 minute black & white animated "1993 Pencil Test" and a Sonny Sharrock bio.
The DVD set also offers audio commentaries for each episode, although this isn't listed anywhere on the packaging. The commentary participants are as follows (as each person had many jobs on each show, I'll forego listing their positions):
"20.01" -- Keith Crofford, Evan Dorkin, Sara Dyer, guest Joel Hodgson
"Lovesick" -- Tom Roche, Clay Croker, Keith Crofford, Matt Harrigan, Dave Willis, Mike Lazzo, Jay Edwards
"Transcript" -- Matt Harrigan, Roy Clements, Keith Crofford, Dave Willis, Mike Lazzo
"Sharrock" -- Mike Lazzo, Keith Crofford, Eddie Horst
"Boo" -- Andy Merrill, Matt Harrigan, Clay Croker, Dave Willis
"Freak Show" -- Dave Willis, George Lowe, Clay Croker, Andy Merrill
"Switcheroo" -- Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Keith Crofford
"Surprise" -- Brak, Zorak, Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force
"Glen Campbell" -- Jay Edwards, Matt Harrigan, Dave Willis, Roy Clement, George Lowe, Clay Croker
"Jacksonville" -- Dave Willis, Andy Merrill, guest James Hetfield
"Late Show" -- Keith Crofford, Spike Forston, Steve O'Donnell, guest Janeane Garofalo
"Cookout" -- Keith Crofford, Sarah Dyer, Evan Dorkin, Matt Harrigan, Dave Willis, Jay Edwards
"Art Show' -- Tom Roche, Jay Edwards, Mike Cahill
"Woody Allen's Fall Project" -- Andy Merrill, Jay Edwards, Martin Croker, Dave Willis, Vishal Roney, Tom Roche
These commentaries are interesting and truly entertaining as the speakers often spend a few minutes trying to decide who did what on each show. They then attempt to describe where some of the show ideas came from and they comment on how crappy the animation is at times. As one would expect from watching the show, the commentaries imply that those who worked behind the scenes of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast were having a lot of fun.
Space Ghost: Coast to Coast was a great example of what can be done when creative minds combine old animation with new craziness. The show helped to lay the envelope-pushing groundwork for Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" show. While the episodes on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast: Volume Two aren't as good as those on "Volume One" they are still unlike anything that you'll find anywhere else.
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