New York City-based comedian Mike Feeney made a little video about St. Louis recently, and it hit all of our major cultural talking points.
In the video, part of a series of short "Welcome To" videos assessing various cities around the country, Feeney plays the part of two different guys having a conversation about St. Louis. One of them is a curious visitor and the other is a die-hard STL supporter, who says things like, “We’re more proud than Andy Cohen at a Cardinals game during Pride Month.”
The two characters talk about St. Louis things like Provel and Imo’s and having your catalytic converter stolen. Feeney even gets in a mention of Stan Kroenke and a little bit of “What high school did you go to?”
From the dialogue to the outfits to the decorations on the wall, this video is so St. Louis that an extended version would probably show Feeney complaining about the Loop Trolley. As Feeney concludes, thanks to our infamous crime rate coupled with our penchant for local boosterism, St. Louis is the “friendliest place to get murdered.”
Feeney isn’t from here , so we wondered how he got all of this insight into our local culture.
RFT editor Rosalind Early asked Feeney some questions to find out:
Early: So how did you find out so much about St. Louis?
Feeney: I am a touring stand-up comedian so I am on the road and in new cities all the time. All of my friends are also touring comedians, a couple of whom are from St. Louis. So there’s a lot of information/experience at my disposal.
Do you crowdsource ideas?
Even if I’ve been to the city, I like to always talk to a friend from there to ensure what I’m saying rings true. For instance, my friend and fellow stand-up comedian Ryan Beck is from St. Louis. He told me, “You gotta ask what high school they went to.” I love little details like that, as does the audience, because it really helps elevate the sketch. Case in point: The comment I received more than any other on this video were people relating to the “What high school did you go to?” line.
What made you start doing the "Welcome To" shorts?
I have been making the “Welcome To” videos since April and they have really taken off. I think because everyone touts how great their city/state is, yet complain about it, incessantly. That dichotomy was always hilarious to me and the reason I started making the series. The first one I made was Los Angeles. I was waiting for an Uber and had just paid $30 for a salad and I was furious. So I made a quick video trashing LA and people really loved it. The next video I did was Florida and it went viral (12+ million views at the time of writing this) and the rest is history.
Was the St. Louis one pretty easy to do?
It was and it wasn’t. Usually, when I talk to people from a city/state, I ask them what their least favorite thing about living there is. People are always quick to give me dozens of complaints and problems. With St. Louis however, they were quick to defend their city. Everything had qualifiers. “The crime numbers look awful BUT it’s not that bad! The numbers are skewed because it’s 99 different municipalities.” “We love St. Louis Style pizza. It’s not as bad as people say it is. We love it!”., etc.
That was when I noticed a pattern that even in the face of objective negative truth, they would still say “… but it’s not that bad! Everyone loves it.” So I made the decision to take the character in that direction. Judging by the reaction, it was the right choice!
Any fun St. Louis fact or joke that you left on the cutting room floor?
Check the comments and you’ll see hundreds of people furious at me for leaving out Gooey Butter Cake and the phrase “Farty-Four”. That happens with every video though. “HE FORGOT ___!!!” I didn’t forget, I promise. I only have one minute to sum up an entire city or state. Not everything makes the cut.
Anything you want to add?
The reception to the St. Louis video has been awesome. The people of the city really seem to have embraced it while being able to laugh at themselves (a quality not every city/state has, trust me on that!). I’m glad people are digging them. I’ve just been focusing on making them as funny as I can. The rest is up to the audience.
You can follow Feeney on TikTok and Instagram @IAmMikeFeeney
