And Beardo Was His Name-o

When Pitchfork.tv was announced in March, it promised a broad array of music-related video content. We expected documentaries, music videos and concert footage. Not sitcoms.

But leave it to Les Savy Fav's frontman Tim Harrington to expand the boundaries of the website. His new show Beardo, which premiered today on Pitchfork.tv, shows the eccentric frontman in an acting role. Unlike the more stream-of-consciouness style that characterizes LSF shows, Beardo is a straight-forward scripted piece of sketch comedy. It might not be suited for Must-See TV, but this is not the usual post-modern RISD alum LSF fans are accustomed to.

Just in time for Halloween, the premiere episodes Harrington as a pseudo-vampire trying to bite Flight of the Concord's Kristin Schaal's neck. Harrington's rubber teeth can't penetrate his date's neck, and awkwardness ensues. It's kind of funny, and Schaal's final line is a winner, but one cannot help but question whether LSF's more recent notoriety has harmed the band.

Much like LSF's live record, Harrington on-tape lacks the same appeal as Harrington live. Beardo puts forth a more subdued but generally typical Harrington. When I spoke to LSF's drummer Harrison Haynes this past June, he mentioned that it was becoming difficult for the band to maintain its element of surprise. Concert footage and YouTube videos have ruined the element of surprise for the band, making it difficult for Harrington especially to keep the live show fresh. In fact, media and fans want so much from Harrington that his act is almost built up as gimmick rather than art. I'll stick around for more episodes of Beardo, but my preference is still LSF's music.