What’s a vox pop? You’ve seen a million of them but probably didn’t know they had a name — they’re the segments in news programs and documentaries where lots of different people are interviewed on the street and all asked the same question, and the program cuts fairly quickly between the various talking heads to give a general overview of “what people think.” The voice of the people, as it were.
Here’s a really standard vox pop (featuring some fun weirdos), just in case you have no idea what I’m talking about.
Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie had a faux vox pop segment on their show for years, with predictably hilarious results. In this clip, various people on the street (played by Laurie and Fry) are asked what they think of wines.
But my absolute favorite twist on the vox pop (that I’ve seen recently, at least), is the music video for the band Cake’s hit song “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” in which they go around California asking people to listen to the song and give their opinions, which are classic.
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Okay, that Short Skirt/Long Jacket one was hilarious. :D
posted by Heather on 8-27-2010 at 8:42 am
Nice! If his wife had been more like the song, he might’ve stayed with her. Has to be one of the all-time best lines ever! Hope it makes it into the liner notes at some point.
posted by Roger on 8-27-2010 at 9:27 am
Steve Allen had some great vox pop (Man on the Street) skits on his TV show. You can check out a sample here on YouTube.
posted by Gordon Daily on 8-27-2010 at 9:56 am
Glad to see I’m not the only one who knows of Steve Allen, was the first thing I thought of…
posted by Wayne on 8-27-2010 at 11:12 am
My favorite vox pop segment – a news program interviewed a guy in his late teens/early 20s at the convenience store (I think) where he worked. When he was done with the interview, he asked if he could say hi to his mom. The reporter said sure, so the guy turned to a woman standing about six feet away and said, “Hi, Mom!”
posted by Jenn on 8-27-2010 at 12:06 pm
At the risk of offending some and entertaining others, I suggest checking out a program called “Talking to Americans” hosted by Rick Mercer (a Canadian comedian).
posted by Bert on 8-27-2010 at 1:01 pm
You might have mentioned that “vox pop” is a shortened version of the Latin “vox populi” — voice of the people.
Lots of radio/TV stations do this. It’s cheap; all you need is a guy with a microphone and a tape recorder, or (for TV) a second guy with a video camera. Plus, people like to see themselves on TV, so it’s a good way to attract/retain viewers….that’s why it’s usually at the very tail-end of the newscast — so that they have to watch through the whole thing to see themselves.
posted by Bicycle Bill on 8-27-2010 at 1:39 pm
All I can say is Ba Ba Boey!!!
posted by jbus on 8-27-2010 at 1:49 pm
Thank you, thank you, thank you for including “A Bit of Fry and Laurie” in this!
posted by Grobanite33 on 8-27-2010 at 2:18 pm
fiftypeopleonequestion.com/ is a great website for this. They ask some very good questions.
posted by Paisley on 8-28-2010 at 2:55 pm