Danton’s Top Ten 30MOM Skits

By Dan Augustine. | February 12th, 2024

Hey! Dan here. The guys here all call me Danton. You can call me Zoom or you can call me Cookie Cutter. Oh no wait——that’s Joe! Danton will suffice. I became a part of the LF Productions crew somewhere around 1991 or 1992. At first I just wanted to make flyers for the guys, but eventually appeared in some skits. I got involved other ways as well——like some writing, some brainstorming, hanging out at the studio, plus other things too. Anyway this is my Top Ten list. Most of these are in here because of the fun we had making them. You might think the choices aren’t that great, but I like ‘em cuz of the good memories that come flooding back as I reflected on them.

This one is like an old public service announcement they would have shown on TV years ago. A real good example of improvisation. Especially like it when Wade gets the cameraman (Jerry) to start laughing. Wade gets an impish grin on his face and tries to stay in character at the same time. He then swats at the camera and it’s like “take 2.” Good editing at this part.
Appeared on episode 11.

Jerry thinks this one is depressing and I can see that because it was filmed just before the crew fell apart. I just like the honesty of it. It captures a real zeitgeist or maybe it’s more of a poltergeist. There’s a scene where he’s filming me using a computer and I was clearly annoyed with it. Don’t like people seeing myself this way, but hey…it was real! More real than The Real World. This short film also features the last appearance of Collin Reeves. Oh, he’s still around, no one knows where he is though! The part of this that really struck me though was the scene where Jerry, Joe, and Jessey are throwing wreaths in a dumpster and saying “Christmas is in the garbage!” What I found amusing about this is it’s the only time in the history of motion pictures someone bothered to film three guys throwing wreaths in a dumpster!
From the LF Vault.

This one was filmed at the house I grew up in. I believe it was shot in the wee hours of the morning. Like 1 AM or later. Just crazy simple times when you could stay up that late and your troubles were so minor. Simple happy-go-lucky times. Everyone laughing and having a good time! No idea where my mom was when this was shot, but I remember my brother coming home while we were shooting it and he had a laugh at us as we laughed at/with him.
Appeared on episode 11.

Another one shot at the house where I grew up. I believe I’m credited as one of the writers on this one? I know I’m credited somehow. And although it was a collaboration between me, Jerry, and Jessey, I felt like the three of us were on the same wavelength. Although there were three, it was actually one. I also see this one as the way I would do skits if I ran a TV show. I’ve always had a fascination with the macabre and hideous, awful things. Creepy, crawly and all that, but never in a “goth” way but rather a fun way like Hammer Films, Universal Monsters, Poe, Halloween, cheesy ’80s slasher flicks…stuff like that. Never took any of it seriously, just had fun with it and I feel that’s what we captured here.
Appeared on episode 10.

This was an ongoing talk show series that appeared on episodes of the 30MOM sister show, Bizarre Brick Walls From Outer Space. For me it all blends in though and some footage appeared on both shows, so I’m sticking with my choice. Bob Hugh Jass was a character played by Phil Holt who had guests who disrespected him or generally gave him a hard time. The best one was where Jerry imitates everything Phil says and Phil has to call for security to remove him from the set!
Appeared on BBWFOS episode 2.

This skit stars Kelly Mynes, who is a great character actor. He cracks me up! Probably one of the funniest guys I know! I don’t hang out with him too often, but when I do it’s a laugh-a-minute. His facial expressions, body language and acting is awesome in this skit! He gives it his all and doesn’t give a rip what he has to do to get a laugh!
Appeared on episode 15.

A character Joe came up with who is in several skits that run throughout episode 8. Basically he shows up, pretends to be a friend, then suddenly slaps the person around and then leaves with the other person in the skit looking bewildered. As he exits, Joe says “I’ll see you around, man!”. I just think it’s funny! Plain and simple! Each skit has a moment I really like. The one with Tim where he makes the horrible pun “I’ve got the jitters” (because it was shot outside of Jitters Coffeehouse! Oh puhleez Tim!). Or the one with Collin and Eric talking about virtual sex…the one with Wade has the “See You ‘Round Man” on a scooter wearing a helmet! So on and so forth. But the one I like best is the one with Jerry. Love the ending when the See You ‘Round Man walks towards the camera and draws a circle in the air with his fingers as he says, “I’ll see you around like a circle!”
Appeared on episode 8.

This skit was an obsession of Joe and it really shows off his creativity.
Appeared on episode 12.

Really stupid acting was a hallmark of the 30 Minute of Madness crew…using props…just because! Why is Amber holding an Ernie doll? Just because! Why am I using a cane and wearing a fireman’s helmet? Just because! Why is Jerry’s face covered in Vaseline? Just because! What are Jessey and Mike talking about? Who knows! As Jerry says, it’s the “Joe Hornacek school of acting”——grab any random object and use it, hold it or wear it in a skit! The obscurity of this is what makes it great public access fodder! My over-the-top bad acting also wasn’t too hard for me to pull off! Haha!
Appeared on episode 14.

Another great example of the happy-go-lucky carefree days of youth! So much fun filming this! Jerry had everyone rolling on the floor with his completely improvised, inspirational speech! Some weird moments in this one, like when Jerry says something about a dick made out of clay that was suppose to be in the original King Kong (“Originally it was gonna be uh ug, actually, like a porno film”) and then he shows a shot of Molly with a smirk on her face…it was weird ‘cuz she was still a high school student! Or the part where I tore off my shirt and stood on a table that collapses (Carefree days indeed! Wouldn’t think of doing that now!) And just odd shots of other people there. Just brief moments like Shane wearing weird sunglasses like it’s just a normal part of his life, or Kelly with a silly grin on his face. To me the skit is trying to show how silly “seriousness” can be!
Appeared on episode 13.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Stuff left on the cutting room floor, like Joe pranking a comic book store guy or John hanging out with a couple nerds wailing in a tunnel or under a bridge or something like that! However…I know Jerry wants this to just be a Top Ten of skits, so I’d have to say it was the Motivational Speaker Part 2 skit we shot at the arcade in Mt. Pleasant, MI. Just like part one filmed at Oakland University, Jerry is giving an improvised speech, but this one he’s like a stoner who suddenly has a memory lapse. Everyone is going nuts in this skit and it ends with everyone holding onto each other’s hips and doing a cha-cha dance while Jerry sings a silly rap song. Another fun skit to be involved with and the fact I was surrounded by ’80s video games made it just that much more fun for me!