Boot to the Head (1987)

About

Boot to the Head is a comedy skit originally performed by the Canadian group The Frantics on their CBC radio series Frantic Times. Some of their classic hits in the 80s like “Last Will of the Temperament” and "Tai Kwan Leep have been popularly reiterated in real life as well as MAD-style recitals on YouTube.

Origin & Spread

The Frantics’ off-the-wall skits initially reached the Canadian audiences in the 80s through their TV / radio programs and studio album records. A few years later, a popular U.S. radio personality DJ Demento reintroduced the skit on air as well as on his 20th anniversary collection album in 1991. More recently, it spawned off a series of MAD-style parodies on YouTube beginning circa 2007.

Premise of Tai Kwan Leep

In this skit, an Eastern martial arts master starts off his class by explaining the basic philosophy of a fictional martial art called “Ti Kwan Leep”. An impatient student in the class named Ed Gruberman interrupts the master, wanting to skip the philosophy and learn how to “beat people up.” After several interruptions the master agrees to show Gruberman some moves, and gives him a “Boot to the Head.” Soon enough all the student are given “boots to the head,” and the skit ends.

Parodies of Tai Kwan Leep

Many IRL parodies of Tai Kwan Leep were performed by martial arts classes, including the author’s own:

YouTube parodies of “The Last Will & Temperament”

Boot to the Head in The Last Will and Temperament (1984)

On April 28, 2007, YouTube user CMSPyrowolf uploaded his own Phoenix Wright rendition of the Frantics’ skit, which became a viral video in its own right (as of 1/2010, it is the 50# top-rated video of all time):

Soon, many response videos and unofficial parodies followed, featuring characters from Death Note, Apollo Justice, and even Naruto:

Apollo Justice version:

Model train version:

Dragon Ball Z version:

V/A anime footage version:

Related Awesome Video

Chris “Christmas” Rodriguez delivers Boot to the Head: