I think it was meant to be silly at the time. The problem with humor is, not everyone gets it, and it rarely ages well. Sort of a microcosm for Pop and PopMart in general, IMO.
One of my favorite show moments ever: I was at a PopMart show, and there was this guy who was a tad younger than me (I was 20 at the time) in front of me who was CLEARLY using some sort of pharmaceuticals. The visuals of the show were BLOWING HIS MIND. At some point, he had removed his shirt and tied it around his head like a turban. When the lemon started to move, the guy was freaking out smiling and laughing. BUT WHEN IT OPENED ...
I cut my eyes over at the guy, and his smile faded. He was genuinely concerned about what was happening. When the band started to emerge, I heard him say
HOLY ****! THEY ARE INSIDE THAT ************! And here, tears began to roll down his face.
I've never seen anything like this before or since. I have my thoughts on what he was on, and I knew at that moment I never wanted any.