If you're a fan of TV shows that feature comedic-singing-silly duos (see Flight of the Conchords), you're in luck. The underplayed genre has just added another pairing: Garfunkel and Oates , comprised of Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci. The show premieres on IFC Thursday and if you think these two ladies look familiar — it's because they are. The tall, blonde, guitar-playing one of the twosome is Lindhome and the girl gets around. Professionally speaking.
Before diving into the other roles Lindhome has taken on, you may actually recognize the fast-talking, unison-singing Garfunkel and Oates. As they showed in a full-length preview episode of Garfunkel & Oates, people may know them from their music videos on YouTube and Funny or Die. Or maybe you sent one of their “brutally honest" v-cards to one of your friends (and now blame/thank them for no longer being friends with said person).
So you may know of them, but where'd the genius name come from? Well, Lindhome explained the phenomenon to The Wall Street Journal:
I went to see Hall and Oates at the Hollywood Bowl ... Hall had his own closeups, and there was Oates and the band. It was just Hall and then Oates and everyone else. It just made me laugh so much. We thought about other duos where that might happen. You know, the silver medalists of two bands we really liked.
(Garfunkel and Oates's quirky forefathers Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords also recognized the second banana Art Garfunkel in an episode of their HBO show.) Though their name may derive from the "silver medalists," these women are comedy gold when it comes to their quick-paced, hilarious, and spot-on pop culture references as shown in "This Party Took a Turn for the Douche."
Although now it will be rare to see the partners separated, Garfunkel/Lindhome has branched out and done some of her own TV and movie work in the past.
She's Been Musical Before
For her TV resume, Lindhome has done shows reminiscent of Garfunkel and Oates. On the light-hearted, musical side, she had a stint on Pushing Daisies.
She Visited the Land of Bazinga!
And on the comedy side (if that's your type of comedy), she was on The Big Bang Theory. Of course, I shouldn't have spoken too soon about her doing her own thing — Micucci also had an arc on the show.
Million Dollar... Supporting Role That Didn't Quite Nab An Oscar
But Lindhome isn't scared to show her dark side when it comes to movies. She portrayed Hilary Swank's sister in Million Dollar Baby.
Making The Rounds... All The Way to Angelina
And director Clint Eastwood must have liked her so much as a not-so-nice person that he also cast her as a nurse in a psychiatric ward opposite Angelina Jolie in Changeling.
OK, Seriously. Who Hasn't She Worked With?
She was part of an evil crew in the The Last House on the Left. And yes, that's our favorite recovered drug addict (Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul) and our favorite wacky grandpa (Raising Hope's almost unrecognizable Garret Dillahunt) next to her.
Weirdly enough, Micucci was also on Raising Hope . These two must get separation anxiety or something.
She Even Does Shakespeare
Most recently, to round out her being cast as a villain, Lindhome was one of the bad guys in the fantastic Joss Whedon's version of Much Ado About Nothing.
It's interesting that someone considered a comedian has played a decent amount of the "bad guy" in film. Lindhome being a straight-talking, sassy, intelligent woman might make her a villain to some people — but we know better. Her hilarity, versatility, and wit should be rewarded. And luckily, it has! Now that Garfunkel and Oates is a TV show, the pair's popularity is sure to rise. Time to step into the spotlight and get those closeups, Garfunkel!
Images: Darren Michaels/IFC; justintherroux/Tumblr; danyhaim/Tumblr; ethan/Tumblr
