It’s To Get Political
September 6, 2007 · Print This Article
Whether it’s roasting George Bush for his poor grammar, or sticking it to those hemp smoking commie liberals, you have to respect a comedian who will get up on stage with conviction and lay their beliefs out to a bipartisan audience. Brian discusses the pros and cons of this style of comedy and reminds you that jokes about Janet Jackson’s boob just aren’t funny anymore.
Listener topics include no one coming to Sagat’s defense, Brian’s uncanny ability to pick losers, and some tips on the birthing process. Who ordered the liver and onions?
Email: brianmcomedy@gmail.com and give us a call on 206-203-4692
I meant the title to be “It’s TIME To Get Political”.
I wish I hadn’t spent all those years reading Cliff’s Notes. I thin they permanently damaged me.
hey amelia whats the link to the fan site?
I’m not Amelia but I believe it’s behindthebricks.ning.com.
Anyway, I consider myself a bit of a political junkie. Average night when there’s nothing else I want to watch on: Second half of Hardball, all of Countdown, used to watch Scarborough Country but I can’t stand Dan Abrams, then something else from 8 to 9, then Daily Show/Colbert Report.When I was in college in the Eastern zone, it was something like Special Report with Brit Hume, Hardball with Chris Matthews or Fox Report with Shepherd Smith (depending on what was on), Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Scarborough Country, then kill time for an hour, then Daily Show, then Letterman.
Heck, I get podcasts of the McLaughlin Group (just in case I actually have plans for a Friday evening for a change) and I watch or podcast all the Sunday morning talk shows. But I’m often wary of political humor. Often it’s way out of date (I swear Letterman was making Clinton blowjob jokes well into 2001) or it’s too easy of a target and thus massively overdone (enter any Bush joke here) or the comic is mistaking a screed for humor. Or it’s a guy in a funny suit at a piano singing about the trade deficit (and yes, I have watched a couple of those over the years.)
Oops, meant to add that I find a guy like Lewis Black funny, but only in small doses. His occasional Back in Black segments on the Daily Show are just about perfect.
http whack whack behindthebricks.ning.com
So yeah - Amy’s out. Her parting comment was my favorite of all her stuff - “When you see a girl hit the stage, give her a shot, she may just surprise you.”
Heh, anyone else see Isaac Witty’s face when they panned to “Amy’s Friends”?
Don’t forget, LCS ‘fans’ - you can submit your best joke to be able to perform on the finale! WOO. *cough* *cack* C’mon Bmo, take one for the team
I’m not a huge fan of political comedy, myself - most of the time I find it extremely jarring and lacking in originality. I just don’t think it takes much creativity to make jokes about how a president flubbs words or has his cock sucked by an intern. Really, seriously - who hasn’t? I’m sure even Hillary will have her cock sucked by an intern.
*smirk*
Join the fan community - message boards, listen live, share your comedy, etc: http://behindthebricks.ning.com
And, umm, Bmo - is this the new “Herpes” blog theme? Cause it really makes me want to ride my bike to the lake with my hot boyfriend and dog and only the occasional breakout.
I was pulling for Amy, I don’t like Mr. Hickory (cause he’s so damn memorable that I can’t remember his name). None of the 3 remaining are all that impressive to me.
Is it me or was Josh Blue leaning more on his ailment than last year? He was still the funniest one on the show but he just seemed to really harp on his disability.
BTW Amelia, I think Hilary already had her cock sucked by an intern and a federal case was made about it.
I like comics who get political. I get the Real Time Podcast every week when the show is on and listen to it as I work. I also watch the Daily Show at night when I can. That being said I don’t think I would like a comic whose whole set was entirely political. Lewis Black does just enough for me and then he goes off on a tear about Starbucks or candy corn. Hicks was pretty much a master at talking about both politics and religion but was still able to interject some other material.
I think I find many of the late night monologues so amusing is because of the political humor. Letterman, I think, is the best at it, but Conan O’Brien is a close second. I’ve never really like Leno’s political riffs, but I think that’s because he wears his Republican support on his sleeve, and really won’t do much of anything that demeans the Republican Party. To be good, and fair, you have to be willing to point out the lunacy of the entire political system, not just one party, to be effective. As liberal as The Daily Show is, it still lambasts both parties pretty much equally. Colbert is an animal unlike any other, so I don’t know what to say about it, except it’s incredibly funny.
Of course, some of the political humor out there really just writes itself. You don’t really need to have a punchline.
In the meantime, I’ll be at the airport bathroom, waiting for a good joke to poke its head under my stall….
Oh, B-mo, you mentioned “There’s always eBay” when you mentioned what you were going to do with a new baby when it got underfoot. Just so you know, eBay’s policy doesn’t allow you to sell people. I learned that the hard way…..
Leno considers himself “financially conservative, but socially liberal.”
I don’t like all political comedy; I find social commentary much more enjoyable. Some political comics get too heavy-handed and alienate half of their audience immediately, which is a little tough to stomach when you’re watching it. I’ve seen some comics on TV do some Bush-bashing stuff, and a democrat friend I was watching it with actually muttered “too far.” I found that trippy.
hmm. i like Lewis Black, but the parts I like about his act, is when he isn’t doing his politcal stuff. strange huh? I like his bottled water bit, that has to be one of my favorite bits of his.
and amelia, i loved the hillary line.
Oh and grammar-nazi, you could always reclassify (certain races of) people as property. god knows america has done it before… what?? (in that voice that Brian loves all too well.)
mike (nr)
What’s up with LCS and their Canadian comic exchange program? I like Harland Williams, but that set was not his finest work. I can imagine that Greg Proops (who’s much better at improv than stand up) will be rough next next week.
While I do like the Daily Show, I really don’t enjoy political stand-up at all, because I can’t think of one stand-up who takes a conservative stand. Clinton BJ jokes aren’t shots at liberalism, they are just jokes, and who doesn’t like a blowjob? But when I hear a David Cross bit about “George Bush is so fucking dumb! We’re fighting for oil! Haliburton is evil!!” I know it gets laughs and that’s what comedy is supposed to do, but I find it too irresponsible and laced with untruths and halftruths, and when people hear something over and over they just start believing it without questioning it (i.e. global warming is caused by human activity, however the surface of Mars is also warming). Because this humor is almost always counter to my own politics, it’s just too uncomfortable, I guess.
Props to you Leonardo for standing tall as a conservative on what I imagine is a mostly liberal forum. Keep in mind, jokes don’t have to be true to be funny. I don’t think Davis Cross is irresponsible for the bits he does, but I would view anyone who looks at a comic for political information as very irresponsible.
I completely agree with what Brian just wrote about turning to comics for political information. I know someone who regularly quotes George Carlin on abortion. I can’t take her seriously, because she’s using a comedian to make her point on a serious social issue. I know Carlin is an observational comic whose act is based largely on social commentary, but even when he brings these topics up the man is first and foremost going for laughs (At least I hope he is; if not, he should no longer consider himself a comedian). Using George F. Will as a source of advice on an issue will get you a little more respect than Kevin Meaney.
I respect political comedians becuase usually there the ones who get hit the hardest by those protest groups. Also one other thing, I read leonardo post about david cross. Now i do think he’s funyy but honestly i find him kind of anoying.
Hey, just wanted to post for the first time and say Hi. I’m a longtime listener of TAI, and I wanted to check out Brian’s other show. I did about 8hrs of driving last weekend, and needed something to pass the time, so I thought I would give the show a try. I listened to a few episodes thought it wasn’t a complete waste of time:)
I liked this most recent episode because as I am strictly just a fan of comedy, I most enjoy comedians who work the crowd. My favorite is Jimmy Pardo, who I try to catch in Vegas when he’s there. He’s got some great bits about Vegas that are hysterical that you should play sometime. Anyways, nice show and I’ll try to pop in every once in a while.
New to the board here!
Being from Canada I’ve realized how easy it is for comedians to get an easy laugh at Bush’s expense. Canadians don’t like to admit it but we have an inferiority complex with the U.S. and anything anti-american or Bush bashing always gets big, easy laughs here.
Great comics like Bill Mahar, Chris Rock and Lewis Black expose the hypocrisy of the political system. It’s easy to go on an angry political tirade or make fun of our leaders but when you can break down complicated/controversial situations and make them relatable to everyday life then you’re able to make people see it in a different light and laugh about it.
Comics don’t shape my political views but they have made me second-guess things we accept blindly in everyday life.
For me, it really depends on the comedic approach they’re taking. If the comic is making connections that I can relate to (just as a person, not as a political partisan) and then underlining the relevance to something political, I don’t have a problem with it. But if they’re just going for easy approval and preaching to a choir, my eyes tend to glaze over and I begin to exhibit ADD-type symptoms.
Hey guys,
I fucking love political and social comedy because it encompasses my job and most of my life.(I’m a campaigns manager for a political party in the UK)
The advantages of doing this type of comedy is obvious. There are newspapers, tv shows and websites etc churning out raw material EVERY DAY. It’s all about turning it into gold and finding the best bits.
In addition, politicians will ALWAYS be interesting/ offensive / perverted, so material will always be ripe……believe me, I fucking work for some of them! Think about it, Mark Foley, Rev. Haggard and now that senator caught in the mens room! In the UK we’re no better, one of the MPs working for my party was caught hiring rent boys and had to drop out of my party’s leadership race. Dave Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party who are the opposition in Britain, has faced numerous allegations that he did pot AND coke in his past…….
With all this amazing material, I totally agree with the sentiment that harrasing Clinton and Bush for BJs and stupidity is really boring. There’s plenty of other shit to attack them on!
HOWEVER, I must call to task those who may say that political comics have no place in serious debate or discussion. To me, its the ROLE of the comic to be the one that calls shit out. That goes against the grain and stands up against authority. Bill Hicks put it best by saying the the role of the comic is to say ‘Wait a minute!’.
You must remember that humour often makes you laugh at yourself and think about something that you haven’t thought about before, or even in a different
way.
Think about what Penn and Teller do on Bullshit. They don’t just stand there and lecture you. They take (often) controversial subjects and present a different point of view in humourous ways, making it more effective.
Also, mocking the ruling elite and society has been a stable for performance throughout history going back to people like Mark Twain and Jonathan Swift, and as far as Old Greek Comedy in 400BC which was ALL political satire………David Cross’ abortion jokes have a history!!
A question and topic for comics and fans though: I feel that this type of humour has to find an audience. Generally, People will laugh at a Clinton BJ joke because it was HUGE news and is pretty funny in itself but I feel its hard, especially for an up and comer with no base, to be entriely political. Even people like Bill Hicks will find themselves frustrated that an audience just isn’t getting what they are saying. People like Hicks and Doug Stanhope lament that your average comedy club crowd is not going to be concerned about your amazing reconstruction of the politics of South America and just want to forget their troubles.
Relating such material to an average crowd is an immense skill; finding an audience for your Quebec independence bit is a lifetime occupation.
Nick
Personally i think the greatest socio political comedian was Bill Hicks. Its amazing that after all theae years he’s still relevent. I was listening to his salvation album and its eerie how close to the jugular it still is
Damn, I go to sleep and miss everything. Welcome to the newbies and great post Nick. I agree with you 100%.
Hi folks,
Great postings on political humour! Leonardo, there is one, hugely successful conservative comic I’ve come across. His name’s Brad Stine. He’s also a Christian comic. I was reading an article about him in which he said something along the lines of, why is that only-liberal comedians get all the press and are considered cutting edge? He wanted to be thought of in the same vein as a Chris Rock or George Carlin from a conservative point of view.
And Nick, just to echo your comments: I remember that in the early 1970s, Johnny Carson lamented the fact that if he talked about any political figure other than the President or Spiro Agnew, he wasn’t sure the audience would know who he was talking about. I think he said, even though his writers could come up with great jokes about the Secretary of Agriculture, there was no way he was going to try them.
(And as a Canadian, may I just say, nothing is funnier to us than a great,
Quebec independence bit. Oh, the laughs…)
Hey B-mo just got the cd and it’s hilarious. I couldent stop luaghing. of course maybe i shouldent have listened to it in my schools library. oh well, thanks again.
Brian. When is your new CD coming out? I think I can speak for most of your fans, in that we are eagerly anticipating your new album. Also, I’m curious to find out what changes you say you’ve made to your comedic style.
meh. my librarian wants me to get off this site. to be continued?
Didn’t charge the iPod all summer, but I recently started listening to BTB again. Congrats on the baby, and look at all the Canadians! We’re awesome!
Good to see you again Darcy. I was beginning to worry .
i’m ticked!!!!! Gerry on LCS just used a joke i wrote 9 months ago. I guess he doesn’t watch open mic nites other wise he would of known it was mine. Or thats where he shops for jokes.
Hey Mike not really, tell the librarian your Dad is an ACLU lawyer and next you’ll be checking out some beastiality porn, she can go talk to him if she likes…
Thanks Leonardo. I’ll try to remember that for next time.
Okay. but on a LCS note, wtf? It’s like they read the predictions on the blog, and proceded to vote off everyone who we thought should win starting from the most important people’s thoughts on the blog (Brian thinking Ralph Harris will win) to the least important people (Me thinking Gerry Dee will win). I think those were the two least funniest/original comics to make it all the way through. So I’m guessing this is what you mean by the end is near for the show. haha. well my final prediction is that Lavell wins, which means Hickory will probably win it… ah well…
Regarding conservative comedians, how about Dennis Miller? I really used to like his liberal persona and material before 9/11 transformed him into a right-wing crank, and I find his current weak attempts at stand-up frankly painful to watch.