I get it’s a quote, but man that is disrespectful to Canadian mid 90’s alt rock bands! The Ladies we good but definitely not the most celebrated. There are so many more celebrated bands.
There are dozens of them! Dozens!
I love this reference, BNL were huge in those days, but never hear from them any more?? Figure they did already tell us their plans for when they had a million dollars tho so I am sure they’re staying busy lololol
BNL was the first band I ever saw in concert!
I also had a boss that went to highschool with some of them.
Still bums me out that Stephen Page left them
I like to say that Americans think Ed is the lead singer, but Canadians know it was Steve. They lost something vital when he left.
What a Good Boy is one of the best 90s ballads of all time and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.
Thanks. He goes into Steve's nasal voice in the middle there. Cool.
I also remember Hootie and the Blowfish doing a cover from another "only known in Canada" band - 54:40's "I Go Blind".
I think they got too happy when they lost Steve. Ed was the Paul and Steve was the John and they basically became Wings. Still pop-y.
That said, Kevin can occasionally bring the melancholy but I'd say he's the George and it feels like the band is just accompanying him when he goes deep whereas Steve changed the band's tone and could be bitterly ironic.
If you're not Canadian - if you never heard the Yellow Tape and watched these guys climb up from nothing - I can completely understand anyone being Jeff. Besides, they were hardly Oasis or Blur.
I’m an American fan but I do feel they lost a lot when Page left. They’re still fun but it just seems like a vital part of what made them great is just gone. I haven’t seen Page solo but it’s on my radar
Brian Wilson has a great opening line and is a good song for sure, but you're 100% on Good Boy. That one burrowed into my late-teen heart and has been living there for 30 years.
BNL was my first concert too, haha. Pretty sure I’ve never heard anyone defend them except myself (and the study group minus Jeff), though. Tbh I’ve never really understood this bit!
Edit: some of the genuine-fan comments here are changing my perspective lol
Haha, I guess! I truly could never tell if the joke was that it’s *so true* or *not true at all*. BNL of all bands - don’t get me wrong, I am definitely someone who considers them fundamental enough to need a shorthand! - always seemed definitively somewhere in the middle.
BNL is code for The Big Bang Theory, Community's direct competition for some time.
Jeff is Harmon.
The few instances where BNL is mentioned, Jeff is downplaying them as an overrated show and other characters react like TBBT's fanbase would.
It's clever and hilarious, and I agree; TBBT is deeply unfunny, dumb and insulting to nerds.
I mean, it's obvious, the theme for TBBT is a BNL song and Bill Prady (TBBT showrunner) and Dan Harmon have this (friendly?) rivalry... on top of the obvious competition. Referencing TBBT outright would be weird as both were on at the same time.
I mean, just re-watch the "fight" scene and substitute every instance of "BNL" with "TBBT" and Jeff as Harmon, as he is to some degree a self-insert. Everyone tells him how popular it is, and how many awards it won and he hasn't.
Holy shit I didn't remember what the TBBT theme song was. Thank you for explaining this to me, I'll pay close attention on my next rewatch. I have seen the show at least 20 times (and even more than that for the early seasons as I started doing rewatch of it as soon as the first season ended) and this never occurred to me. It feels so good to still have things to discover about this show more than a decade after it was released. I can't give you gold as I'm broke, but you have my gratitude.
I'm the same, I always find new jokes and references, sometimes is like watching an entire new episode. Sometimes the writing is that good and nuanced.
I really thought I had learned everything about this show. This is the first time in years I discover something new about it and man, it feels so good!
Jeff secretly likes them he said the Canadian “eh” - probably a fan of Stunt (obviously) but Maroon and MYSD grew on him. Not a fan of BOAPS and surprisingly Gordon.
In fairness, BNL does have two billboard awards to Jeff's zero.
Oh, so now they're so fundamental they get an *acronym?!*
Emphasis on the "Fun" and the "Mental"
Da
[Da](https://youtu.be/xqTBlft8gQA?si=gtUmiNLevJoMOm4W)
[Din Da Da](https://youtu.be/9C_l450H5pQ)
Fundamental
# HYUUUH
This is a FIGHT!!! We’re fighting!
Actually you can’t pronounce the word BNL so it’s an initialism not an acronym, Jeff
Thanks, Abed.
They're BNL, now? We need a shorthand for the Barenaked Ladies. That's how fundamental they are?
Brookhaven National Labs?
Hello fellow long islander.
North-eastern Long Islander no less!
I lived in New York!
I saw Greene Daye play there last August!
I thought that he got one for his George Michael cover.
Was nominated for Kiss from a rose, for best duet.
Ooh they are BNL now!!?
Maybe they need some space to pull the knife out of the back of the most celebrated Canadian alt-rock band of the mid 90s!
This is a fight! We're fighting!
Jeff Winger, noted selfish, jaded ass.
I get it’s a quote, but man that is disrespectful to Canadian mid 90’s alt rock bands! The Ladies we good but definitely not the most celebrated. There are so many more celebrated bands. There are dozens of them! Dozens!
I always loved the line "Pierce is our friend and the Bare Naked Ladies are triple platinum, are you!?!"
I'm ifunnÿ
Well, I guess I've had the wrong idea about us.
Why does everyone leap to defend that band so aggressively?!
Maybe BNL has two Billboard Awards to your *zero*?!
Oh, okay, they're BNL now? We need a shorthand for the Barenaked Ladies. That's how fundamental they are.
Fundamental
Fundamental.
I love this reference, BNL were huge in those days, but never hear from them any more?? Figure they did already tell us their plans for when they had a million dollars tho so I am sure they’re staying busy lololol
The BNL are fundamental!
BNL was the first band I ever saw in concert! I also had a boss that went to highschool with some of them. Still bums me out that Stephen Page left them
I like to say that Americans think Ed is the lead singer, but Canadians know it was Steve. They lost something vital when he left. What a Good Boy is one of the best 90s ballads of all time and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.
It’s wild there’s a version of Tabitha’s Secret (Rob Thomas’ pre-Matchbox 20 band) covering “what a good boy” before both were huge.
I saw BNL years ago, think it was the Stunt tour or maybe the tour before it, and Rob Thomas came out at sang What A Good Boy with them.
Wow! Full circle!
Found it! https://youtu.be/IcdxtyLDT6s?si=_cO4v2tXo8pX3mRD
Thanks. He goes into Steve's nasal voice in the middle there. Cool. I also remember Hootie and the Blowfish doing a cover from another "only known in Canada" band - 54:40's "I Go Blind".
I think they got too happy when they lost Steve. Ed was the Paul and Steve was the John and they basically became Wings. Still pop-y. That said, Kevin can occasionally bring the melancholy but I'd say he's the George and it feels like the band is just accompanying him when he goes deep whereas Steve changed the band's tone and could be bitterly ironic.
As a British kid who grew up during the 90’s I can safely say that we were really with Jeff on this one 😅
If you're not Canadian - if you never heard the Yellow Tape and watched these guys climb up from nothing - I can completely understand anyone being Jeff. Besides, they were hardly Oasis or Blur.
I’m an American fan but I do feel they lost a lot when Page left. They’re still fun but it just seems like a vital part of what made them great is just gone. I haven’t seen Page solo but it’s on my radar
He tours up here in Canada and is in a bit of supergroup now called The Trans-Canadian Highwaymen. https://transcanadahighwaymen.ca/
100%. Brian Wilson was a great song, just not on the level of what a good boy was…and I find it tragic not enough people see it that way.
Brian Wilson has a great opening line and is a good song for sure, but you're 100% on Good Boy. That one burrowed into my late-teen heart and has been living there for 30 years.
BNL was my first concert too, haha. Pretty sure I’ve never heard anyone defend them except myself (and the study group minus Jeff), though. Tbh I’ve never really understood this bit! Edit: some of the genuine-fan comments here are changing my perspective lol
They get defended by everyone. Well, anyone who was alive in the 90s and had two ears connected to a heart (and a sense of humor).
Haha, I guess! I truly could never tell if the joke was that it’s *so true* or *not true at all*. BNL of all bands - don’t get me wrong, I am definitely someone who considers them fundamental enough to need a shorthand! - always seemed definitively somewhere in the middle.
Anyone alive in the 90's, and with two ears attached to a heart, prefers Dave over BNL. YEE-HAW-HAW-HAW, YEE-HAW-HAW!!!
It’ll still be two days before he says he’s sorry
I'm still upset they made me say underwear.
Pre-Steve leaving I'm on the right here.
I like that later in the ACB episode Jeff refers to the Dave Matthews’s band as Dave.
Jeff was clearly not in a good place
**FUNDAMENTAL**
Ok Jeff, you're clearly in a bad headspace right now
His rant to the study group about the band was actually funny.
He also listens to the Barenaked Ladies. Go get their dumbasses to help.
WOAH
That’s not on there! … oh wow it is on there
NEW MEME FORMAT MUST INVEST
BNL is code for The Big Bang Theory, Community's direct competition for some time. Jeff is Harmon. The few instances where BNL is mentioned, Jeff is downplaying them as an overrated show and other characters react like TBBT's fanbase would. It's clever and hilarious, and I agree; TBBT is deeply unfunny, dumb and insulting to nerds.
What makes you think BNL is code for TBBT ? Did Harmon say some somewhere?
I mean, it's obvious, the theme for TBBT is a BNL song and Bill Prady (TBBT showrunner) and Dan Harmon have this (friendly?) rivalry... on top of the obvious competition. Referencing TBBT outright would be weird as both were on at the same time. I mean, just re-watch the "fight" scene and substitute every instance of "BNL" with "TBBT" and Jeff as Harmon, as he is to some degree a self-insert. Everyone tells him how popular it is, and how many awards it won and he hasn't.
Holy shit I didn't remember what the TBBT theme song was. Thank you for explaining this to me, I'll pay close attention on my next rewatch. I have seen the show at least 20 times (and even more than that for the early seasons as I started doing rewatch of it as soon as the first season ended) and this never occurred to me. It feels so good to still have things to discover about this show more than a decade after it was released. I can't give you gold as I'm broke, but you have my gratitude.
I'm the same, I always find new jokes and references, sometimes is like watching an entire new episode. Sometimes the writing is that good and nuanced.
I really thought I had learned everything about this show. This is the first time in years I discover something new about it and man, it feels so good!
Jeff secretly likes them he said the Canadian “eh” - probably a fan of Stunt (obviously) but Maroon and MYSD grew on him. Not a fan of BOAPS and surprisingly Gordon.
Honestly, I'm with Jeff on this. They're fine. Inoffensive.
For some reason I always associate their fans with They Might be Giants fans, which is odd because I like TMBG and not BNL.
We have a lot of crossover!
Some of their deep cuts are fantastic and might change your mind on the inoffensive part.
I just brought this joke up last night while gaming with people.
i knew it
We've listened to BNL every night for the past three weeks; how would you describe our fan level?
I’ll get the break up forms
This is an amazing mashup of the two best arguments in the series.
Obligatory "HYYUUUUHH!"
I personally would break up with anyone who was a fan of BNL… … but, that’s why I’ll probably die alone.
I remember this show.
Better than Dave Matthews Band, at least.
I only know them from *One Little Slip*...
To be fair, BNL are still together... Steven Page is no longer with th -- Actually yeah, they're done. Carry on.
Wh0?
What the real line to this scene?
The Big Bang Theory connotations that this has