Here’s one thing about COVID-19: at least it brought The State back together, kind of.
The beloved ‘90s sketch troupe regrouped via the internet to whip up a quarantine version of one of their most fondly remembered works: the all-singin’, all-dancin’ laff riot that is “Porcupine Racetrack.” This pitch perfect parody of classic Hollywood musicals crams what could’ve been about six different show-stoppers into a single medley, with every member of The State getting a chance to shine. The original sketch is hard to watch in its original form today—you can find things on YouTube if you don’t mind a cropped image—so in a way The State is doing the world a favor during these trying times. And although the production values obviously can’t match up to that mighty MTV budget they were working with in 1995, but the home-made quality adds a certain charm to an already charmingly absurd song.
If you aren’t familiar with The State, they were an 11 member group who had a classic sketch comedy show on MTV from 1993 to 1995. Many of the members went on to have a major impact on comedy in the decades since, with most of them involved with the cult hit Wet Hot American Summer and its Netflix sequels. You might not have seen their show—despite a DVD release in 2009 it’s been hard to come by since the ‘90s—but you’ll probably recognize people like Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Thomas Lennon, Michael Ian Black, and Michael Showalter—who together make up less than half the group. The State was great and full of excellent comedians, and although this new video can’t be seen as a harbinger of anything else to come, it’s still cool to see them working together again.
Check it out below.