Things aren’t going well. The Earth is, like, 199 degrees and unlikely to cool off any time soon—let alone, in the most optimistic of outcomes, four years from now. The news can be crushing, reading about all the horrors that await, all the horrors that will be ignored, and all the people who seemingly invited them. Believe us, climate change will take us all hot to go. Yet, the desire to have a good time persists. When humans aren’t inflicting self-interested pain and cruelty on their families, friends, and communities, they like to smile and laugh, don’t we, folks? Why can only a few do the latter without the former? We don’t know. But Weird Al and Will Forte can, so they performed Chappell Roans’ “Hot To Go!” at THUNDERGONG! 2024.
This isn’t a parody. It was just a full-throated performance of the Midwest Princess’ smash hit, and we realize that videos like these likely led to such a disastrous present. And we don’t care. The desire to watch Weird Al and Forte snap and clap and touch their toes, raise their hands, now body roll is the opiate of the masses, lulling us into celebrity-induced hypnosis. At the same time, it’s friendly and fun to see two funny guys sing a pop song and be silly, allowing for one moment of respite from the unending nightmare that we’ve created for ourselves.
For those wondering, THUNDERGONG! was a charity event held last night in Kansas City, MO, by the Steps of Faith Foundation. Steps of Faith is a secular nonprofit charity offering amputees prosthetic limbs, which is something the U.S. government could do but isn’t and, now, will likely do much more infrequently. The video shows the entertainment people could use as they brace for the wave of despair crashing upon their psyches. Please enjoy this video—enjoy it twice. It might be the only happiness we eke out for a while.
