Attack of 'The Attack'

The Attack is coming! Sound ominous? Don’t worry your little head over it. It’s not aliens, sharks or some amorphous JJ Abrams creation, it’s just good old fashioned comedy. The Attack consists of Whit Hertford and Josh Covitt, two Los Angeles based comedians who want you to let them into your home. Alright, it’s OK to be a little scared.

Like many up and coming online groups, The Attack got their start as an improv troupe. Whit and Josh actually met taking the courses from the illustrious Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater. Mix those performance skills into a little topical humor, add a dash of satire and a thick layer of  twisted imagination and you get eccentric sketches with almost vaudevillian timing. Delicious.

The group found their first success with a spoof on the “Talk to your kids about sex” PSA in which sullen faced kids ask their parents to answer the important questions they have about sex like “What’s a Cleveland Steamer?”

The video gave The Attack prime position in the oft-ignored niche of PSA parodies. But rather than rest on their laurels, they went right back out and parodied. And then parodied again!

###The Bourne Nutrition, a Damon-esque brawl over breakfast, soon followed and showed viewers not only some technical proficiency (you can tell these guys have taken at least one, but no more than three, seminars on stage fighting) but also a height disparity between the two comedians (Covitt measures 6 foot 1 while Hertford claims 5 foot 2, though he

may be rounding up). And if comedy history has taught us anything it’s short guy + tall guy = hilarious. Also works with fat and skinny.

Right after Bill Belicheck’s tight-lipped response to losing the super-bowl, The Attack stepped up to show what was really on his mind. Days later football focused blog With Leather posted the video gaining it immediate notoriety.

The group is planning on developing several on-going web series, the first being R. Stilskin: Attorney at Law which is set to premier later this month. The show will follow the fabled spinner of gold as he uses his trickery in the courtroom rather than to kidnap first born babies. Other future programs will include puppet shows, animations and a hidden camera video of Hertford matching his physical prowess against some dudes playing inner city basketball (5 foot 2, remember?).

The Attack claims influence from the likes of Mr. Show, Little Britain, The Kids in the Hall, Gervais/Merchant & The State. Their shorts have been gaining a lot of attention on sites like Superdeluxe and Funnyordie and their political parodies have been showcased on CNN.com and The Huffington Post.

Extra note, if Whit Hertford looks somewhat familiar to you, you may remember him as Walter Berman, AKA Duck Face, Stephanie’s avian imitating boyfriend from Full House. Or maybe you didn’t spend your youth watching Full House in which case I pity you.