Oddity Archive: Episode 249 - The Phantom of the Archive (Halloween Special 2022)

[@zeekyboogydoog46]

A Special Weather Statement advertising a sale on cheese balls might actually be the darkest thing KLAK has aired to date.

[@bree9272]

The beginning with you and Craig arguing, and then continuing over the credits, was great. Also, you apply makeup better than me.

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

See Gerry G Bishop, the granddaddy that set the bar high for everyone coming after.

[@imrustyokay]

Another classic. I love the send-ups to Local 58 and analog horror in general, it's quite refreshing, and again, you pull off drag well, I'm actually impressed.

[@toratio8547]

The Local 58 homages are always so on point, especially where so many sub-par imitations and parodies exist on KZbin.

[@IntrepidIanRinon]

@@toratio8547 there are good international versions of "Contingency", specificaly from Chile, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.

[@brianhebert6152]

Nice to see that Ben brought back the goth vampire look for his second EAS voice-requested Halloween sacrifice/TV party

[@rabbitsrefuse]

Damn. That complementary baked potato bar is sounding pretty good right about now. Thanks for yet another fantastic Halloween special!

[@Mistertbones]

These Halloween specials are always fun, and this should be no exception.

[@d3v1lsummoner]

1:18 I'm DYING to read Bones to Pick myself! (lowest of the low hanging fruit) I either forgot the old Halloween specials or this one was more of a fever dream than usual.

[@TiggiTheWillful]

Your name checks out

[@OddityArchive]

My Halloween episodes are always fever dreams.

[@michaelcarpenter2498]

Liked this one better than last year. The way you scared off the bot this year was great. Makeup was better. You put a lot of work on fhis one. Weather Station 1000 has to come back. And more Craig!

[@Jared_Wignall]

Phantom of the Opera is an amazing film. Great Halloween special Ben, keep up the great work and take care!

[@keomeow1936]

This is the first video I've seen from this channel and I'm so confused and intrigued?? The level of dedication is amazing

[@OddityArchive]

It's hardly representative though. Just one of those periodic attempts at breaking the formula.

[@plawson8577]

Benny been doing this for 10 years!!!

[@walkingonneedles]

@@OddityArchive your chaos is wonderful however.

[@nazznomad]

Now this is the great Halloween episode I was hoping for. The work put in really shows. Fantastic episode.

[@BertLensch]

Absolutely digging the instrumentals you play in the video!

[@joyk727]

I always look forward to these Halloween specials. So much fun to watch! Great job Benny boy!

[@GatorGirl]

I watched this when it came out, but I wanted to see it again on the real Halloween day. It's a lot of fun! And I was digging the music - looking forward to hearing more of it. :)

[@IntrepidIanRinon]

Been subscribed to this channel for a while now, and I have to say the Local 58 references are so subtle no one would notice, except those who know their analogue horror. A breath of fresh (albeit meaty) air from Archiveland, Ben...

[@soonerterp]

Happy Halloween, Ben. Gotta say Goth Bauhaus Ben is a rather good look!

[@rareblues78daddy]

Thanks for entertaining me. Happy Halloween, Ben.

[@bradmad8346]

Very nice, and no mention of "family jewels" during a robbery.

[@brianhebert6152]

1:51 I hope their baked potatoes come with an option of either bacon and/or sour cream as the only other topping(s) aside from butter and salt 2:34 "Scare Factor: The chipmunk complaining about the logo maker screwing up can surprise some people" 3:07 Memey Nintendo-licensed games not included 4:58 Great, now even NWR reports have product placement. And those cheese balls better be Planters Cheese Balls...

[@progrocker666]

Goth "Vampess" Ben is almost a dead-ringer for Crispin Glover, voice included! Also: your "Weather Station" score is absolutely brilliant. It's like a nice middle point between Pink Floyd's "Terminal Frost" and most Vaporwave. Definitely gonna need a copy of that one!

[@OddityArchive]

You've probably seen it already, but it's been posted to Bandcamp. benminnotte.bandcamp.com/track/weather-station

[@progrocker666]

@@OddityArchive I did, but I very much appreciate your sharing the link here on my comment. Any future projects with Nick and Hugo on the horizon? You three have a great chemistry!

[@OddityArchive]

I guess you could say Nick has been my longest serving "collaborator" at this point (2020-present--far longer than anyone else I've ever worked with). I keep asking him to handle drum duties and he always says "yes"--guess I can't be too awful to work with. As for Hugo, this was my first outing with him, but it's been ok so far--I don't really intend sax to become a regular thing with me, depends on if I have any appropriate material. I largely brought on the sax this time because I thought it'd be novel to hand the solo off to someone else for a change.

[@progrocker666]

@@OddityArchive Well, for what it's worth, you and Hugo had great interplay. Perhaps a one-off record with this newfound trio is order some day. If not, then at least you have a steady drummer to call upon while you manage the rest, which is still great on your part (I love that descending guitar line you did). Nevertheless, keep on keepin' on, mate!

[@ViewpointProd]

nice to finally see the lost lantern man audio was finally found

[@bakonfreek]

Hang on, I gotta drive on out to Archiveland and break into Benards to get those 5lb things of cheese balls! Also, when's that book Bones to Pick supposed to drop? All one of the book stores in hell are promoting it back from death. Holiday special to end all holiday specials two years running.

[@imal25]

GREAT HALLOWEEN EPISODE.

[@iainlaurence]

I’d totally watch a livestream of the KLAK firecast

[@carlklitzke9455]

Awesome video. Also great job on makeup.

[@nintendolunchbox]

Very well done. You could make this a weekly show on a pbs station and people would dig the shit out of it.

[@OddityArchive]

More Public Access than PBS, I think.

[@mightyfilm]

See? You had the power to defeat the Bot all along. Just had to remind it that you have a budget.

[@OddityArchive]

More like the bot didn't wanna drain Stan's bank account. That would not end well.

[@ZachHighwind]

I might have come up with a name for Ben in drag, either Bena or Benita. And since the character is supposed to be like a certain mistress of the dark, for the archive she can be called Mistress of the Analog

[@Aeduo]

The crispy quality of this unironically reminds me of a couple DVD discs I recorded off the TV as a teenager that I have from when I'd heavily time-shift stuff that was on too late. One's a DVD+R recorded off a pirate MTV2 station from rock countdown in like 2005 or something. Another is DVD-RAM of a bunch of simpsons and south park episodes recorded off FOX in around 2006 or 2007 or something.

[@brianhebert6152]

I think you may have recorded the MTV2 DVD-R off one of the over-the-air MTV2 stations that were the result of Viacom buying The Box Music Network (Ben discussed this in the Jukebox Network episode)

[@Aeduo]

@@brianhebert6152 sometimes the channel would go out, and eventually went out for months, displaying a dish network error screen, so I think it was just someone's video distribution system.

[@brianhebert6152]

@@Aeduo Well, apparently those over-the-air affiliates of MTV2 would use DirecTV or Dish Network to receive the network's feed, from what I've read.

[@Aeduo]

@@brianhebert6152 ah ok. I just figured since there were a bunch of bars nearby, it would've been something like that but I guess it could be some local affiliate thing.

[@ZCount]

This is unhinged and I love it.

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

Great show. Wish your drag persona had been able to continue to live her life outside the box.

[@OddityArchive]

Not really a persona when I'm still very much ol' Benny-boy.

[@plawson8577]

His Goth Persona feels and appears like that of a Gentleman Version of Marylin Manson. The type that would be a Chick magnet and would make Goth Girls and D&D Ladies Swoon!!!

[@plawson8577]

@@OddityArchive You actually look fantastic in Goth attire Ben! It feels like you could Easily attract Goth ladies and D&D playing Women. Face it Benny Boy, you’re a Emo guy deep down!

[@dorourke105]

"You're high on the smell of your own farts aren't you?" just like san fransisco *crowd booing* yeah i said it come on fight me i can take all you on!

[@imal25]

LETS DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR.

[@ChrisKewl]

Another banger this Halloween. Give my regards to Stan!

[@luisreyes1963]

Not on the same level as a Svengoolie (let alone a Ghoulardi), but still a THRILLER. Happy Halloween, Benny! 👻

[@johnsmithson]

It's a skeleton crew of a operation, live at benny's boys show! :^3

[@spiderlime]

hello ben, happy halloween! please do a presentation on the lost world of `1925.

[@rwdplz1]

Great now I have a craving for cheese balls. 9:53 I love that stupid voice :D

[@brianknoblock8873]

More Weatherstation 1000 (tm)!

[@GabrielleCenter2000]

Happy Oddity Thursday. 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

[@plawson8577]

10 years of the Archive!

[@GabrielleCenter2000]

@@plawson8577 yep, I've been watching his videos since 2019. 😀

[@plawson8577]

@@GabrielleCenter2000 I’ve been watching him and Musical Hell since 2014. Although I started watching Illuminaughi last summer, I consider Ben to be a far superior TED Talk Instructor and host than Blair. He’s 5 years older than her, much more experienced and adroit. Blair’s TED Talk feels more like a High School Teacher, although she’s incredibly informative and charismatic, Ben is like a College Instructor. So Meticulous, so methodical! Illuminaughi/Blair is very enjoyable and intelligent , but Ben is just more thought provoking, wise and educational.

[@GabrielleCenter2000]

@@plawson8577 I don't know Blair or Musical hell, but yeah Ben has lots of good stuff and information too. ☺

[@plawson8577]

@@GabrielleCenter2000 Musical Hell is a Musical Review Channel that teaches music and explains how Musicals are made. It’s hosted by Performing Arts Teacher and Xennial Christina “Diva” Esterli (Née Kuhl). She too debuted in 2012 on the last throughs of BlipTV. Illuminaughi is a Grievance Ted Talk Channel. Hosted by Blair Zon Howerton, a early 30 something millennial and Dog Mom. She generally uses a research team to help her record content and topics. She launched her Channel in 2019.

[@toratio8547]

Amazing. The OA Halloween special is always worth the wait. Even if Ben was distractingly attractive with all that makeup 😍

[@ScottGrammer]

I can tell this is gonna be great, but I think I'll wait until Halloween to watch it.

[@plushifoxed]

did you pick up something that can do old-school character generation? i noticed some of the cut-ins (like the initial date and time, the "x minutes later" and the credits/endcard) were in a different typeface than your usual style (as seen on the "weather station 1000" for instance). maybe i just missed it in earlier videos, but it's neat to see! anyway, the halloween special this year was great! good to see your vampy alter ego make an appearance again! and the new song "weather station" was lovely, really felt just right for a weather channel-y track! great work all round!

[@OddityArchive]

A Videonics Titlemaker 3000 did that. I used it last year too.

[@mycollectibles]

These Halloween episodes are fun. As with the other videos.

[@tex1138]

Does this mean that my Svenards Slightly Larger Than Average Card is no good anymore?

[@OddityArchive]

Yes. You’ll need to apply for a Benard’s Slightly Smaller Than Average Card. There may be a bit of a processing delay.

[@pipedonetimes]

2 years in a row, eh? Do I hear egg cracking sounds?

[@OddityArchive]

I fell off the wall years ago.

[@nobodyyouknow1065]

1:40 Look at all the shameless nepotism in these credits. Disgraceful.

[@OddityArchive]

The intended reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_H._Ince Ince had a habit of doing a ton of work, but also giving himself a running line of separate self-credits.

[@nobodyyouknow1065]

@@OddityArchive I had no idea. Thank you, Ben.

[@jasonhaman4670]

So first things first, especially on the anniversary of Thereminiature/Pavanned 6.66's release... I spy new Benny-boy music here... just got on Bandcamp, nothing new. So... will you be putting the new stuff up for sale on Bandcamp? (As well as anything else you've done since then - I think I recall hearing new music in another OA video in the past year?) I remember last year's Halloween OA being a classic, and this one is at least as good. Same as last year, I watched it during lunch break the night after you posted it (night-shifter here). Commenting later on, now that I have time to attempt to do it justice. SO many little comedic gold nuggets in the Weather Station 1000. As soon as it popped up on screen, I had an immediate 'Oh wow that is a memory straight out of my child/teenhood', straight to the core of OA's raison d'etre. Then every screen with brilliant little comedic bits all over, in the best tradition of Airplane. Absolutely brilliant, a master-class. Seriously, not exaggerating - every bit as funny as Airplane. Aside from the Weather Station 1000, "I'm a chipmunk, damn it" really stands out - I literally LOL'ed. OH, and the Archive Plaza bit, and Sibilant Sound, also exquisite. Yeah... this episode deserves an award. You should be particularly proud of this one. I think this OA episode is a masterpiece the same way Theraminiature/Pavanned 6.66 is a masterpiece. Bravo!

[@OddityArchive]

First off, thanks for joining the Patreon! I'm sure you've seen that the two new songs in this episode are Patreon-exclusive right now. "Weather Station" will go public (and get posted to Bandcamp) on Monday. "A Fool There Was" may just get held back--I hope to get an OA soundtrack album out the door in the next year or two and I don't want EVERYTHING to have already been out as a "single". We'll see if I'm having a bad week and need the extra material.

[@Tornado1994]

@@OddityArchive Ben "Christine" Minnotte, the Next EDM star??kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O2ZXqfZt6SpMU (Caution: Heavy Profanity in the video, but the Music is so abstract and sorta Anachronistic at the same time, it could make for some Brilliant Inspiration Ben!)

[@holderbee7811]

When I see Public Domain I think, "C'mon 3 Stooges"

[@redlion517]

$1299 for a Phillips CD-i, you say? For that price it better come with those crappy Nintendo games. That meme magic ain't cheap.

[@daniell8387]

Oh Ben you're so pretty ;)

[@plawson8577]

He’s a Chick magnet when he’s Emo!

[@realjameset5425]

Ben, is this version of Phantom of the Opera on VHS, or DVD? lol.

[@OddityArchive]

Madacy VHS (circa 1994).

[@marcycollignon6313]

Do I hear an egg cracking?

[@anotherguy2741]

Ben, if you really want to make it weird put the channel on 37, the channel That is reserved for alien contact. 😁

[@OddityArchive]

There's already a channel on YT that does the "Channel 37" shtick.

[@VictorCowo]

love the work this year...i honestly wish i could have a real baked potato right now...now the only thing left for you to do is to make that goth vampire onlyfans i mention on facebook

[@OddityArchive]

I'm cheap, but not that cheap. :D

[@VictorCowo]

@@OddityArchive sure you aren't CHRISTINE!!!

[@plawson8577]

Onlyfans is generally XXX, I’m pretty sure Ben isn’t a prude and would never stoop that low. Come on man!😅

[@VictorCowo]

@@plawson8577 well Beta Max tapes aren't cheap lol

[@CommodoreFan64]

YUMMMM Baked Potato Bar!!!! 🤤

[@Parakinese]

It would be possible to create a digital model of Ben's face from the parts U get over the vids!

[@plawson8577]

Check out last year’s Halloween special, Ben Does show his face in the Goth makeup several times!