Comics and Their Genitals

The comics: sketch comedy/fake rap group The Lonely Island

The genital reference: Starting with the hardcore rap template they’re so fond of, Andy, Jorma, and Akiva replace the usual sexual braggadocio with emphatic derision of their own penises. Then it gets kind of weird.

What it tells us about this group: There’s no shortage of immature penis humor in the world — in fact, there are large deposits that are hard to get rid of, like nuclear waste — but most of it doesn’t commit to the concept nearly as much as The Lonely Island. There’s a fine line between “dumb on purpose” and merely dumb, but it turns out that if you cross that line without a second thought and keep going, you will eventually reach “majestic”.

Flaccid penis similes: pillow; melted stick of butter; smashed-up Rugby player; steak fat; shrimp

The comic: gen-X alternative comedy legend and spectacle trendsetter Janeane Garofalo.

The genital reference: Hand sanitizer and Spanx don’t mix.

What it tells us about this comic: Janeane scrupulously avoids any explicit language; it’s unclear if this is driven by prudishness, although it’s still a joke about the interaction between hand sanitizer and genitals, a theme as old as time. Regardless of the motivation, it’s much funnier to say “I did not take hand sanitizer and touch… me; I touched m’Spanx!” than a more prosaic version, and it allows Janeane to riff for four joke-dense minutes. “Ow, I burned my genitals” doesn’t leave any room for a Tesla coil reference.

Vocabulary words: indelicate; gusset; deflagration; reciprocity; Crazy Leg Syndrome