No, not that Nirvana.
Not Nirvana with Kurt Cobain. This is Nirvana the Band, with Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol. More recently, it goes by Nirvanna the Band, with two “Ns.”
It’s complicated. Let me explain.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is out in Canadian theaters today, and there’s a good chance you have no idea what that is.
Before the movie, there was a TV show that launched in 2017, Nirvanna the Band the Show. Before that, the duo debuted in a web series, Nirvana the Band (with one “N”) in 2007. Across all of these, best friends Matt and Jay play fictionalized versions of themselves, with much of the surrounding world made up of real people who are unaware they’re part of a show.
In every installment of this hilarious mockumentary franchise, Matt and Jay have one goal: to perform at Toronto’s The Rivoli, despite the fact that they have not written or recorded a single song. They engage in outlandish schemes and preposterous publicity stunts in an attempt to land a gig, and the honest reactions from the unsuspecting public help shape the narrative.
It’s an incredibly overlooked series — critically adored, yet largely absent from the wider public consciousness — but it has a very dedicated cult fanbase who constantly recite its most quotable lines. One fan-favorite moment is a video wherein Jay makes a song, “Update Day,” based on the Wii Shop Channel theme and using the old service’s retro titles as lyrics.
The Wii may no longer dominate the cultural zeitgeist as it did in the late 2000s, but this song will live eternally in my head.
If you are lucky enough to live in Canada, you now have the chance to go see the feature-length production of one of the most creative comedy duos out there. If you’re a newcomer living elsewhere, hopefully you’ll check out the older series while we wait for the movie to arrive overseas.
Until then, I’ll be refreshing for updates.
