By Mark Bazer
Here’s something you may not know but ought to: Martin Mull is both a comedic genius and, as the Web’s only tribute site to him puts it, an artistic “renaissance man.”
Yes, that Martin Mull – the one too many only know, if they know him at all, from his part on Roseanne or, more likely, those old Red Roof Inn commercials.
But when he’s not taking sitcom supporting roles or shilling, Mull is unearthing the dark side of the oft-idealized mid-20th century American heartland in surreal, lush paintings. And he’s been known to finger-pick his way through his own dry, sarcastic brand of the blues.
His greatest comedic achievement, however, remains Fernwood 2Night, a parody of regional talk shows set at Channel 6 in the fictional town of Fernwood, Ohio. Perhaps more than anything else the Chicago native has done, Fernwood 2Night, which debuted in syndication on July 4, 1977, best showcased his spin on white-bread American life. It’s a spin as sardonic as it is silly.
Posted on April 21, 2006