German comedian Oliver Kalkofe parodies NRA, Trump, China
January 12, 2017
The National Rifle Association in the US has launched a video channel specially designed for women. The series "Love at First Shot" caters to inexperienced women with a passion for weapons.
That inspired German comedian Oliver Kalkofe to develop his new project, "Kalkofe's Media Meltdown."
In his version of the original NRA show for women, which can be viewed below, Kalkofe parodies NRA host Natalie Foster, as well as amateur markswoman and arms trainer Julie Golob.
In another parody video, Kalkofe gets a phone call from space. China's national television broadcaster CCTV presented the conversation between President Xi Jinping and the astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong who were on board the spaceship "Tiangong-2" (Heavenly Palace 2). During the interview, they raved about the clear video transmission of the sixth assembly of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Kalkofe got involved in the conversation for "Kalkofe's Media Meltdown," which can be watch below.
For his third topic, Kalkofe tackled US President-elect Donald Trump and his relationship with women. With Trump set to be inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States on Friday, the comedian follow up on a viral interview with Trump about his cabinet picks.
Germany's master of parody
Kalkofe has specialized in parodying TV clips since 1994. He became known on German television with his series "Kalkofes Mattscheibe," which was renamed as "Kalkofes Mattscheibe Rekalked" in 2012. On the show, he parodies TV and video clips from the internet.
Kalkofe makes his job easier by choosing material from PR videos, well-known TV shows or infomercials that already border on satire in their original form. But that, of course, doesn't stop him from adding insult to injury. He often plays several roles at once, and his costumes and props are so elaborate that he comes dangerously close to the original.
"Germany is the world's export champion in some fields. When it comes to humor, we haven't produced that much so far. I'm proud to make a modest contribution to German satire and humor," said the 52-year-old.
After training as a foreign language correspondent and studying journalism, German and English philology, Kalkhofe, who was born in Hannover, worked for many years as a comedian at radio stations. His dark humor and sense of sarcasm have become his trademarks.