Michael O’Donoghue died 17 years ago today of a cerebral hemorrhage - an appropriate departure for the brainiest of the Saturday Night Live writers. O’Donoghue had a lot on his mind and most of what we came to see of it was grimly hilarious. His dark humor combined with a dadaist sensibility resulted in some of the most bizarre shit to ever be aired on network television.

In 1979, he created the TV special Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video which was so over-the-top that NBC refused to put it on the air. Eventually it ended up in movie theaters where it died a quick death. Not even the hipsters of the time were hip enough to get it.

O’Donoghue’s mondo video was the cinematic equivalent of a really good punk rock song. It was raunchy, politically incorrect and totally spot-on as an indictment of American culture and values. It still packs a punch. And, as an added attraction, it features Sid Vicious, Debbie Harry and Klaus Nomi.

In this excerpt from Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video, we are introduced to the Dayak Indians and see the impact that western pop culture has on their traditional values. In O’Donoghue’s world nothing is sacred and the truth is painfully funny.