It was around 6 o’clock in the evening in the parking lot of the Dallas Aquarium as people lined up for Adult Swim’s Drive-In Tour. The weather was perfect as dusk settled in and the lot came alive. Music played through speakers overhead as the line shuffled forward, I came to work with an iPad in hand. They asked my name for the RSVP and that’s when they said I wasn’t on the list. Like a boss, I pulled out my phone, flashed an email, signed non-disclosure paperwork, and like that, I was in. It was then that the drugs kicked in. Just kidding, the drugs kicked in on the drive over.
Adult Swim’s Drive-In wasn’t at all what I expected, attendees pretty much went straight to waiting in another line after getting in thanks to the free meal vouchers for the food trucks and the assorted vendors who were giving out more free stuff. Trivia questions, mostly about cats were asked, prizes were given out, like PS4 consoles and a dude from Cricket Wireless giving out wrist bands to the VIP viewing area.
The lights dimmed down and the screenings began. First up was the season premier of Squidbillies set to air in early 2016. The episode proved the series still is fresh with laughs. Squidbillies is probably my least favorite show on Adult Swim’s line up but if the season is as funny as its opener, I will definitely be watching it.
The second was an unaired pilot called World Peace, and I don’t know how to describe it other than just plain shitty. I thought Axe Cop was the worst show I’ve seen but World Peace really takes the cake. Think Tim and Eric-esque but not funny, like at all, and if you hate Tim and Eric then think worse than that. The crowd clapped after every screening except World Peace and remember I was high as shit (and I’m willing to bet others in the crowd were as well), so it should have been easy to entertain us, but not a single clap was heard after this, only the sound of planes overhead filled the void. I never thought I would use a phrase immature in a negative way to describe a show, so I guess thanks for that World Peace?
Moving forward, the rest of the screenings were hilarious, with a great job by Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories, pun intended. Another unaired pilot was Dream Corp LLC that was both stylish and comical. It had the A Scanner Darkly cell shade look to it and I hope we are able to see it on TV later on down the line. Jon Gries, Stephen Merchant and Artemis Pebdani are just some of the people who star in it, and it really felt unique compared to any other Adult Swim show I’ve seen.
Jon Glaser’s Neon Joe: Werewolf Hunter was also shown, and boy did it live up to the hype and then some. Glaser plays the titular character Neon Joe who comes to the aid of a small town plagued by werewolves. The town has some dark secrets of its own and the screening has me all kinds of excited for it when it airs.
The night was wrapped up by Mike Tyson Mysteries and admittedly the show is hit and miss for me from time to time, but this episode had me bursting with laughter and makes me excited for the shows coming this season.
Though Adult Swim’s Drive-In wasn’t what I expected, that didn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable. It was truly a night of fun under the stars filled with laughs, and if you get the chance you should attend an Adult Swim Drive-In at least once for it is a one-of-a-kind experience. Outside, with pillows and blankets, surrounded by other fans of adult animation gathered to have a great time. If there is anything I would suggest, it would be that you go with a group of people so you can have people waiting in multiple lines, the loot they raffle is worth entering considering they gave out PS4 consoles. Its like a mini festival for Adult Swim, and you don’t have to be on drugs to say it was a rad time, keeping all brain cells intact depending on your poison. I was completely joking about being high so much as I wanted to make a reference to the founder of Gonzo style (Or am I? No I am) and Adult Swim wants everyone to have a safe, weird and fun time. Oh and probably the best reason you should go is because its free!
