Shannon Neu
   A&E Editor

The popular video blogging performance collective Everything is Terrible! will grace audiences on Nov. 4 at Geeksboro Coffeehouse and Cinema with their distinctive comedy and bizarre videos during their live show, “Everything is Terrible! The Legends.”

Since the introduction of the DVD, VHS tapes have been thrown to the side and forgotten about. As they gathered dust in dark corners of thrift shops, it seemed as though the days of VHS glory were over. However, in 2007, members of Everything is Terrible!, including Commodore Gilgamesh and Ghoul Skool, banded together to restore them to their former magnificence.

Everything is Terrible! scours through the world of the forgotten VHS tapes for the worst videos from the 1970s through the 1990s. They conveniently edit the videos down to their most cringe-worthy moments. Though these videos were unintentionally funny, the gems Everything is Terrible! finds and posts onto their website, http://www.everythingisterrible.com, feature amusing characteristics such as “hip” music and dancing, bad acting and old school special effects. Everything is Terrible! discovers, edits and posts everything terrible from old public access television, forgotten movies, homemade instructional videos, commercials and creepy children’s shows.

“For 8 years, every day of the week, EIT! has posted a re-edited VHS videos onto the world wide web,” Commodore Gilgamesh explained. “Out of these humble roots of wanting to manipulate footage and share it with our friends, our empire was born! We’ve since made 6 features. We tour the world constantly with our ever-evolving full scale live experience. We’ve organized festivals, done large scale installations and so much more! And we’re always getting new members to the collective! It is a truly ‘magickal’ time to be alive!”

Videos such as “Singing Babies!” “Yellow Dino: Pedo Hunter,” and “DUANE!!!” are some of Everything is Terrible!’s most popular works. The Late Show with David Letterman even featured Maryjean Ballner, the star of Everything is Terrible!’s hit video, “So Your Cat Wants a Massage?” in 2009.

“The year was 1999,” Commodore Gilgamesh said as he reflected on Everything is Terrible!’s origin story. “A single ‘Jerry Maguire’ VHS tape was buried in the great American desert. From that spot, there grew a mighty oak tree. In a matter of weeks, it grew to be hundreds of feet in height! At the top of this tree is where we were raised! We were taught basic skills such as video editing, thrift store shopping, sewing and projecting our voices without doing permanent damage to our vocal parts! Anyway, we had a great time growing up together. Then 2001 happened, we all moved away, drifted, had some adventures and then in 2007 we were all brought back together through a glorious invention called YouTube!”

Members of Everything is Terrible! often find their videos through browsing thrift shops. They also encourage suggestions and donations from fans.

“We all do it differently, but I go to a thrift store and stare at VHS tapes until my eyes burn and my stomach fills with bile,” Commodore Gilgamesh said as he explained his video-searching process. “I use probably 90% of the tapes that I buy, but sometimes they sit for a few years on my shelf until they are aged to perfection! Otherwise it is totally random. I buy totally unlabeled tapes often! I buy tapes that have covers that I love! I buy tapes that have covers that I hate! Then we just play!”

Commodore Gilgamesh is passionate about his work. “I love them all as if they were my fur babies!” Gilgamesh said. “Each new one I love more than the last and for each one that ages a day my love grows deeper and darker. I do love that BBQ guru though! Man, that dude can BBQ!”

When it comes to choosing his favorite genre of terrible videos, Gilgamesh explained that his “tastes change at least twice daily.”

“Lately I’ve been very into early 2000s Christian computer animation for kidz!” he added.

Everything is Terrible! members launched their live tour on Oct. 25. They will perform in cities throughout North America until Nov. 14.

“I promise there will never be, and never has been, an experience like this to transpire in your fine community,” Commodore Gilgamesh said. “Expect to see nearly a thousand of the most insane clips that you’ve never imagined! Expect to have complete control of what you see, as this is a ‘Choose Your Own Destiny’ live show!”

“Most importantly, expect the unexpected!” he added.

While Commodore Gilgamesh is dedicated to his work with videos, he particularly loves performing live shows.

“Doing the live shows is by far the greatest thing for me about doing EIT!,” Commodore Gilgamesh explained. “It is so amazing to fill a room with people who have chosen to be there with you and your creation. They could go anywhere in the world at that time, but they choose to come to an Everything Is Terrible! experience! What an amazingly touching gesture of humanity and of civilization! It is one thing to click like, that’s easy, but my god, it is so hard to actually go to a place with other people. I sincerely love it more than any other thing in life, even more than petting my dog!”

Everything is Terrible! is also known for their insanely large collection of “Jerry Maguire” tapes. Members of the group began collecting copies of the Tom Cruise film in 2008. They also started taking donations from fans, and now Everything is Terrible! owns almost 11,000 copies.

Everything is Terrible! aspires to own all of the “Jerry Maguire” tapes in existence. Commodore Gilgamesh encourages those who plan on attending the live shows to bring as many copies of the film as possible.

“Don’t wait until the stores are all picked over at the last minute!” Gilgamesh implored. “We need them all!”