Kinda breaks my heart that as far as I know, no one on tumblr has talked about Programme 4. It's very much a tumblr thing! It's all alternate universe commercials and TV show openings from the days when you had TV ads for cigarettes. it's essentially media liminal spaces, as if someone did Goncharov style worldbuilding. It hearkens back to a specific time so well that even though I didn't live in that time I can feel its authenticity. It's well written enough to introduce and illustrate characters purely in the vibes of a unique name and context. It's funny without getting the specific things it parodies - I'd never seen The Prisoner and I was still obsessed with Be Seeing You. I don't know who Marianne Faithfull is, but lines from the Mandrax Tampons ad have still irrevocably altered my vocabulary. It has those Neil Cicierega/Lemon Demon vibes of something weird (complimentary) executed to perfection. It's made by one of the people that sometimes contributed to Liartown and the artist behind Liartown contributed to it.
Watch Programme 4. Even if you end up doing weird tumblr stuff to it. "Murray Paramor and Joyce Van are exes." Sure, whatever. You do you. It just deserves more love.
I'll see you all at Jimmy Klonk's Reef 'n' Beef.
You are watching Programme 4
