Flashback: Watch Porcupine Racetrack, the State’s Own ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
We’re only one day away from The State‘s long-awaited reunion performance at Festival Supreme in Los Angeles. The schedule is up and they’re doing 40 minutes on the Franken Stage between 10:15 and 10:55 p.m. All 11 original members will be there, even Todd Holoubek, who flew in all the way from South Korea for the occasion. When the lights dim and “Boys and Girls – Action” begins blasting out, the intensity of the 1990s nostalgia might be almost too much to bear and dudes in their mid-30s might start passing out like Michael Jackson fans at one of his shows in Bucharest.
The comedy troupe last played together at the 2009 San Francisco Sketchfest. Their set featured almost entirely all new material, though they did wrap up with “Porcupine Racetrack.” In many ways, the Broadway spoof is their “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It’s insanely ambitious, over-the-top dramatic, divided into multiple parts, unlike anything else in their repertoire and destined to be discovered and cherished by future generations. Check out a video of the legendary skit right here.
In a 2009 New York Times oral history of the sketch, David Wain revealed that it was conceived by Thomas Lennon, best known now as Lt. Dangle from Reno 911. “[He] pitched it exactly as it ran,” said Wain. “It never got revised. He basically took out a scratched out piece of paper and started singing, ‘Porcupine, porcupine, porcupine racetrack.’ All the way to the end.”
Picking an all-time great State skit is very tough, but Porcupine Racetrack is right up there along with The Bearded Men of Space Station 11, Taco Mailman, Blueberry Johnson, Louie and The Last Supper, The Pope-A’s Visit and The Jew, The Italian and the Red Head Gay. Hopefully they’ll break out some of those on Saturday, and hopefully they’ll do a show on the East Coast at some point.