WFMU's The Best Show host Tom Scharpling told Time Out New York before the Very Special Hurricane Benefit Show he put on with fellow Jerseyan Ted Leo and comedy producer Marianne Ways that they wanted to produce the sort of event “people had never seen before.”
He'd be right even if he were only talking about the fast-paced montage of hard-core porn that Jon Benjamin had flashing on the screen while he announced that the benefit was ostensibly helping a gay porn star called Sandy Hurricane. Beyond this eyeful of action, the three hours were, in fact, packed with an incredible diversity of acts: explosive sets from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Titus Andronicus, a story of New Jersey oddities from improv comic and storyteller Chris Gethard, an interview between Scharpling character Gary the Squirrel and Julie Klausner, a chat with Brooke Shields, an obsessive dissection of The Godfather Part III from Chris Elliott and Adam Resnick, several segments of an auction with auctioneer John Hodgman and lovely assistant Kristen Schaal, and a joyous closing performance from Andrew W.K.
A Very Special Hurricane Benefit Show at the Bell House (SLIDE SHOW)
WFMU's Tom Scharpling and rocker Ted Leo bring together an all-star cast and raise $30,000 to aid Sandy charities.
Discover Time Out original video