When we were down in Austin for the South By Southwest music festival in March, one of the preliminary sessions we were trying to make happen was a massive gathering of comedy greatness that just never materialized for various logistical reasons. The idea was to bring Jon Wurster (best known as the drummer for Superchunk and in Texas that week as the touring stick man for The Mountain Goats) in for a comedy session that would involve a bunch of buddies such as David Cross, Eugene Mirman and Zach Galifianakis riffing on the obnoxiousness of a music conference that’s grown into a silly, institutionalized monster. The subject matter would have been ripe, so ripe. Wurster would have concocted a swell persona to best parody the shenanigans and disgusting fawning and hoopla. Alas, nothing came of it, but Wurster and WFMU DJ Tom Scharpling have been churning out disablingly funny radio programs for years and this spring the duo released a charitably lengthy, three-disc set that’s their fourth volume of interview-ish, call-in show material. The set features the “epic two-part saga” of a bumbling local musician who takes himself too seriously, thinks he’s more famous than he is and attempts to climb Mt. Everest to play a show on its peak. The story, already far-fetched in its principle becomes a hilarious tall tale of proportions that can only be reached when two men realize that there are no borderlines and most people are easy prey, not in a hurtful way, but in the way that EVERYONE takes themselves or what they do too seriously. It’s as common of a sickness as a running nose/head cold. And if everyone takes themselves too seriously for undue reasons, rock and roll musicians take the cake. Wurster obviously knows people and when he continually escalates the severity of the delusion, that’s when it becomes life-like for a lot of people. When Corey Harris attempts to take his band Mother 13 to the top of one of the deadliest mountains in the world, it gets bonkers when Scharpling learns that Harris and his band aren’t going alone. Along for the trip are Travis Barker, Buddy Guy, The Polyphonic Spree and almost 80 others. Wurster escalates the absurdity and highlights the extremes in personalities, making a wonderland of duhs and dumb asses. They aren’t really dumb, just oblivious and those are the types of characters that we can listen to for hours on end. – Sean Moeller

”(NOTE: NEWBRIDGE, NJ IS THE FICTITIOUS TOWN IN WHICH MOST OF SCHARPLING AND WURSTER’S CHARACTERS LIVE”:http://www.myspace.com/newbridge)

FIVE THINGS TO CHECK OUT WHEN VISITING NEWBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY
THE SINKHOLE (214-312 Lowlander) – Newbridge has what will soon be declared the biggest sinkhole in the US. Right now there’s one in El Paso, TX that’s eleven square feet wider, but thanks to the Weider Barbell Company’s recent move to 276 Lowlander, the Newbridge sinkhole is accelerating at such a rate that it’ll be #1 by 2009! City officials hope to turn the sinkhole into a major tourist attraction – initial plans call for a childrens museum, some outlet shops, and the world’s heaviest roller coaster.

THE ALL YOU CAN EAT DONUT BUFFET AT CAPTAINS DONUTS (corner of Fox and Albacorf) — By far the best pastry buffet in town (although Schutyer’s Cake Hole in Newbridge Commons comes close). One tip: make sure to remind Captain to wash BOTH of his hands (especially the fake one) before making one of his famed donut omelettes. The buffet is $22.99. There are only three stools, so you’ll want to make a reservation.

THE BILL COSBY STATUE (Zilfel Park) – A fourteen-foot high bronze statue of Bill Cosby just showed up one night about three years ago. It depicts “Cos” sitting in a director’s chair during a break filming the movie California Suite. Nobody knows where it came from. Nobody actually wants it, especially after a local vandal spray-painted the words “SUCK MY PUDDING POP” across Cosby’s tennis shorts. Do you want it?

THE CD SUBMARINE (51 Bloztzer Highway) – The final outpost of the failed CD Submarine franchise. Apparently the nautical theme, portholes and periscopes were a turnoff for music shoppers at the other 212 locations. But somehow the CD Submarine in Newbridge continues to thrive (Bruce Springsteen and New Jersey Nets forward Bostjan Nachbar are regular customers). Bring a fish sandwich on “New Release Tuesday” and receive a five percent discount on any poster!

MUFFLER ROW –There’s a reason Newbridge is known as “the muffler capital of the Northeast.” Located on the upper southwest side of town (where the old Newbridge Fudge Foundry was, before it evaporated), historic Muffler Row’s thirty-seven shops cater to the needs of even the most discriminating muffler buyer. This year’s “Muffler Days” celebration (June 23-25) promises to be the best ever. In addition to the usual activities (the Muffler Olympics, the telling of olde tyme muffler lore, the burning of the giant wicker muffler), there will also be a concert featuring musician Henry Rollins. Be sure to stay for the crowning of Mrs. Teen Muffler 2007.