Vic Michaelis' Very Important People, streaming on Dropout, is so outrageous, creative, and hilarious that it must be seen to be believed.
Dressed like a 1970s bank manager, Michaelis is Very Important People’s host on the verge of a nervous breakdown, corralling guests for comedically contentious interviews. The guests appear as deformed babies, living dolls, plant people, and even the host's imaginary childhood friend (that would be a character named Oops Lil Fart, who admits to bedding Michaelis’ father).
The show's guests are blindly outfitted in elaborate costumes and prosthetic make-up and tasked with creating a character on the spot. The interviews with Michaelis are completely improvised and often go off the rails — in the best way possible.
In addition to Very Important People, which they executive produce, Michaelis is a Dropout standout. Their appearances on shows like Dimension 20: Gladlands, Gastronauts, and Game Changer helped them amass nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram.
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Michaelis’ talents recently received wider exposure thanks to their turn on the Peacock series Ponies, playing the wife of a CIA analyst in 1970s-era Russia (there’s something about that time period). Michaelis reveled in their character’s Cold War style, recently telling Mashable’s Kristy Puchko that their giant hairdo was "art."
"It felt like drag in the best way possible," Michaelis said.
Very Important People also has a drag sensibility, with its love of makeup and devotion to camp. There’s just nothing like it on YouTube.
"It rocks," Michaelis said. "Genuinely, it really just is the best job in the world."
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