The late 1990s were a very different time for entertainment. It was a time when MTV played music videos most of the time, and when they didn’t, it was usually so they could show you something that you couldn’t find anywhere else. It was a time before Family Guy, Adult Swim, or YouTube. It was a time when shows like Sifl and Olly could really stand out. Sadly, standing out isn’t always good for your ratings.
As an former cast member of Road Rules (one of MTV’s first reality shows), I’ll always feel partially responsible for the cancellation of Sifl and Olly. Without meaning to, I helped transform MTV from a home for new music and surreal comedy, to a haven for horrid soap operas and reality television. That feeling of responsibility has only been amplified by the fact that I really like Liam Lynch, the creator of the show. I met him at the MTV VMAs back in 1998, and he was totally humble and shy. He spent most of the time talking about how lucky he was to be there, how his show was born from missing his best friend (who had moved to England), and how Björk and Winona Ryder are the two greatest people on the planet.
After Sifl and Olly came to an end, Liam would go on to get famous for The United States of Whatever, and strike out with the commercially unsuccessful film Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny. Now he’s come full circle, bringing Sifl and Olly back to the world of the living… as videogame reviewers. Is it just me, or does it feel like they could hit it big this time? Either way, I’m just glad I have the opportunity to try to help the show succeed. Consider it a penance, Liam. Fourteen years late is better than never, right?
Mother F*cking Pie.
