John Lurie knows absolutely nothing about fishing, but that doesn't stop him from undertaking the adventure of a lifetime on Fishing With John. Traveling with his special guests to the most exotic and dangerous places on e... more »arth, John Lurie battles sharks with Jim Jarmusch off the tip of Long Island, goes ice fishing with Willem Dafoe at Maine's northernmost point, braves the Costa Rican jungle with Matt Dillon, takes Tom Waits to Jamaica, and searches for the elusive giant squid with Dennis Hopper in Thailand.« less
"Wow - well, having all the episodes on one DVD is helpful as it gives you a chance to really study them. John Lurie's unique, subtle, sophisticated, and nearly indescribable brand of humour is present in each one. The convenience of DVD, combined with crisp sound and image quality and the completeness of this package are easily enough to justify this purchase alone. What really made it for me though, was having a separate audio track of Lurie's own commentary through each episode. I found myself watching an episode and then watching the same one again immediately following, this time while listening to Lurie. His commentary is often humorous, but at times often revealing of himself as an artist and person, not to mention the technical insights of the production of the show - its as if he's sitting in the room with you while you watch it. The disc closes with Lurie's fabulous "Big Heart" video with the Lounge Lizards which I hadn't seen since VH1's old "New Visions" show in the late 80's.
John Lurie is surely one of the most gifted, and soulful artists of the 80's and 90's. Thank you John, for sharing your humour and perspective with all of us...please do more episodes..."
Are you kidding me?
Snookfish | Seattle, Washington | 08/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just have to say that this DVD may be the funniest thing I have ever seen in my entire life! If you aren't into creative humor, or you are looking for a real fishing documentary then forget it. If you appreciate the unusual however, go for it. Just make sure you have a couple of hours to devote to floor-rolling laughter. When you are done watching it, invite some friends over and watch it again! It's even better the second time around."
A rare treat . . .
Billy Pilgrim | A terrarium on the planet Tralfamadore | 06/22/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
". . . that is both stupid as hell and screamingly funny. The Dennis Hopper episodes are the best.
In actual fact, whether or not Fishing With John is really funny at all, life is beautiful."
Funniest television show EVER.
aitapata | Florida | 03/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I caught one episode of this show yeeeeeeeears ago on Bravo. Didn't realize it was regular program. Just thought it was one of those offbeat Bravo things. Only saw about 20 minutes of it, but it was so freaking ODD that I remembered it. Years later, I was at my library and saw the vhs tapes for the series as I was browsing the shelves. Took them home and thoroughly enjoyed them. John Lurie is an excellent host and he picked superb guests and the vistas are incredible. And the guy who does the voiceovers? Insane. Positively insane. "Oogly boogly" is now in my permanent vocabulary.
THEN, just a few years ago, I saw them on dvd and bought the set. The commentary had me CRYING with laughter. I hadn't thought the shows could be improved upon. They can. They were.
This is the most hilariously twisted show I've ever seen."
Fishing With John
Alex Cope | Russellville, AR | 08/13/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Fishing With John" makes fun of fishing shows while still actually being a fishing show. It mocks itself as much as it does the form. It is aimless and yet knows full well what it is doing. It is brilliant in that it never really tries to be. These contrasts are just a few reasons why "Fishing With John" is such a great watch. Six episodes may not seem like much, but really it's just enough, and at any rate, the price is certainly right."