The curious connection between ‘I Think You Should Leave’ and hardcore punk
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (ITYSL) has quickly cemented itself as a cult comedy classic in recent years. Often seen as our generation’s answer to The Young Ones or other alternative comedy staples, the cringe-inducing sketch show resonates with many Millennials and Gen Z’ers thanks to its madcap energy, stellar cast, and uplifting theme tune, all perfectly capturing the cultural zeitgeist. Another area it has ventured into is hardcore punk, further enhancing its contemporary appeal and solidifying its connection to modern subcultures.
While Tim Robinson first gained recognition as a writer and performer on NBC’s sketch comedy flagship Saturday Night Live between 2012 and 2016, he rose to greater prominence in 2017 as the co-creator, writer, and star of the cult hit Detroiters. Alongside ITYSL co-stars Sam Richardson and Zach Kanin, Robinson brought Detroiters to life, and though Comedy Central cancelled the show after two seasons, it laid the groundwork for the eccentric humour and offbeat charm that would later define I Think You Should Leave.
Over three seasons, ITYSL has gradually amassed a dedicated following, becoming a staple of contemporary internet and meme culture. Robinson’s expressive face and propensity to yell inexplicably are known to those unfamiliar with the show itself.
There are many highlights in the hit Netflix show that have become iconic, with a couple that have also reflected how hardcore punk is enjoying more mainstream success than it has perhaps ever done, earning fans who have not been lifelong adherents to the scene. The first of these appears in season two, episode four, ‘Everyone just needs to be more in the moment’.
In the utterly bizarre sketch featuring ‘Calico Cut Pants’, a fictional pair of pants with tiny dots in the crotch area, the absurdity unfolds as a parody of real-life fashion trends, particularly targeting brands like Supreme. The pants, meant as a user-funded solution to disguise real-life urine patches, spiral into a hilarious and surreal situation. As the tension escalates, Mike O’Brien’s character becomes increasingly unnerved by Robinson’s character’s obsessive commitment to the scheme. At the height of this chaos, O’Brien’s character receives an email with a mysterious attachment, pushing the scene into even more mind-boggling territory.
In the sketch, O’Brien’s character is told that the attachment isn’t loud, but it turns out to be a video of wrestler Mike ‘The Rock’ Davis, angrily telling viewers that if they use calicocutpants.com without paying the subscription, “you’re the problem”. He eventually erupts into pained yells. The actor playing Davis is Brody King, AEW wrestler and frontman of the hardcore band God’s Hate, one of the hardest bands around.
As a lifelong skateboarder and wrestling fan, it’s fitting that Robinson is into hardcore punk, a genre that aligns with skate culture and has a strong following in the wrestling community. There’s significant crossover between the two worlds—WWE legend CM Punk, famously straight-edged, even influenced Brody King’s entry into wrestling. Other wrestlers, such as Kevin Nash, Ryan Nemeth, Erick Rowan, and Aron Stevens, also make appearances on I Think You Should Leave, further highlighting the connection between wrestling, punk, and the show’s quirky humour.
The next subtle nod to hardcore appears in season three, episode four, featuring Robinson and the iconic Biff Wiff, who plays Santa Claus and Detective Crashmore elsewhere in the series and is best known for his role as Rick in Everything Everywhere All at Once. In this sketch, they play the “shirt brothers”, both wearing the same shirt to a fourth-grade concert. At one point, Wiff’s character pulls Robinson’s character aside, admitting he needs help after trashing a classroom under the influence of a new song by “a band I’ve never heard of before,” who says there are “no rules”. He then plays the track, a comically pop-punk song titled ‘Listening’ by The Everything-You-Knows. In reality, the song is performed by Turnstile, a Baltimore band leading the charge in hardcore and making a significant impact on the mainstream over the past few years.
There’s yet another recent connection between ITYSL and hardcore punk. In the surreal, weed-laced video for Drug Church’s lead single ‘Demolition Man’ from their forthcoming album Prude, none other than Biff Wiff makes a surprise appearance. His role adds a welcome twist to the hilarious and brilliantly crafted video. This cameo highlights not only how deeply Tim Robinson’s show has permeated alternative culture, but also how closely it remains tied to the hardcore scene.
