OT- Colbert (Not Political)

[FrontRangeDawg]

I was late to the Colbert thread before the lock, but I saw the comments about his personal quote about homelessness and his politics.

The thing that I came to really appreciate about him over 20 years is his intelligence and his open discussions on how men live with complexity. His dad and two brothers died in a plane crash when he was a kid, and he's done several podcast interviews over the years about how that experience shaped his understanding of life, made him reconcile with his Catholic faith, learned how to cope with loss (immediate and ambiguous), and so many other things that modern men don't have good facility discussing. He's a very cool guy.

Colbert is a niche comedian going back to his earliest roots. He has always been an acquired taste. Strangers with Candy, anyone? I loved it, but it's bizarre.

I didn't think he was a very good choice for that medium in general because of his niche status and his personality, which is not really a solo showman like Letterman, Carson or even Conan. He was playing a character in the Colbert Report, so it was funnier because it was material he was doing.

Also, the medium is irrelevant. I haven't watched late night TV in 15 (maybe 20?) years, because of kids and shifting media landscape. That includes SNL, Colbert, Kimmel, Fallon or any of them in real time, because you can just watch the good cuts on Youtube or some other place. I don't think that any of those shows get renewed much longer because it's much cheaper to make a game show again or put on reality.

Anyway, just came here to say Steven's a complex, interesting guy that I think most of us would really like in person.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

I agree with much of what you said. Many things can be true at once.

Colbert Report and Daily show Stephen were funny.

Being on the “Big 3” networks now is a political-hot-potato-hindrance to authentic comedy.

Colbert can be over the top if given too much time. It’s why he was funny in segments but not for an hour. Case in point:

watch the episode he did with Seinfeld on Comedians In Cars, and it was funny and going well. In the middle of the episode, Stephen starts reciting a fatalistic poem. Jerry said, “Aright, stop it Stephen, that’s too much.”

 

[Curby]

I agree with much of what you said. Many things can be true at once.

Colbert Report and Daily show Stephen were funny.

Being on the “Big 3” networks now is a political-hot-potato-hindrance to authentic comedy.

Colbert can be over the top if given too much time. It’s why he was funny in segments but not for an hour. Case in point:

watch the episode he did with Seinfeld on Comedians In Cars, and it was funny and going well. In the middle of the episode, Stephen starts reciting a fatalistic poem. Jerry said, “Aright, stop it Stephen, that’s too much.”

Jerry Seinfeld said that comedy sitcoms are no longer funny, because the scripts have to go before a committee of people, and they shoot so much of the one-liners or the storyline down. He's right. I miss the old days.

 

[FrontRangeDawg]

Jerry Seinfeld said that comedy sitcoms are no longer funny, because the scripts have to go before a committee of people, and they shoot so much of the one-liners or the storyline down. He's right. I miss the old days.

Jerry Seinfeld is the opposite of Steven Colbert. I would posit that if you thought the show Seinfeld was funny, you liked Larry David.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

Late Shows need to go the route of soap operas, both have surpassed their expiration dates

 

[HailStout]

Late Shows need to go the route of soap operas, both have surpassed their expiration dates

 

[T-TownDawgg]

Jerry Seinfeld is the opposite of Steven Colbert. I would posit that if you thought the show Seinfeld was funny, you liked Larry David.

Jerry would say the joke and do the skit IF IT WAS FUNNY, regardless of if it poked fun of his race, religion, politics or lifestyle. He and Mel Brooks are an encyclopedia of Jew jokes.

That’s the difference between comedy and activism.

 

[FrontRangeDawg]

Jerry would say the joke and do the skit IF IT WAS FUNNY, regardless of if it poked fun of his race, religion, politics or lifestyle. He and Mel Brooks are an encyclopedia of Jew jokes.

That’s the difference between comedy and activism.

I don't think we're arguing? But, I don't personally think that Jerry Seinfeld is particularly funny. More to the point of my post, I don't think he has any of the personal values that I initially was talking about with Colbert.

Seinfeld has been complaining about "not being able to do comedy" since at least 2015, and unsurprisingly, there have been a lot of really funny people since then. A lot of his interviews sound like grievance-airing to me, which is hard to take from someone who has had a lot of personal success.

Mel Brooks has been funny for his whole life and continued to adapt, which is just what you have to do in the world.

 

[GloryDawg]

People use to turn to the late shows to get a laugh and relax and forget about the world before going to bed. The late night audience is getting old or dying. They I me we go to bed too early. Younger Generations are not that way and the late shows are just not funny anymore. Way too much hate.

 

[ckDOG]

Jerry would say the joke and do the skit IF IT WAS FUNNY, regardless of if it poked fun of his race, religion, politics or lifestyle. He and Mel Brooks are an encyclopedia of Jew jokes.

That’s the difference between comedy and activism.

I miss the days where people didn't have such a giant stick up their ***. If you don't like a joke, move on instead of the faux outrage and calls to be cancelled. Too many people think they are the center of the universe and that life, comedy, politics, whatever is their way or bust. 17 these people I'm tired of them.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

I don't think we're arguing? But, I don't personally think that Jerry Seinfeld is particularly funny. More to the point of my post, I don't think he has any of the personal values that I initially was talking about with Colbert.

Seinfeld has been complaining about "not being able to do comedy" since at least 2015, and unsurprisingly, there have been a lot of really funny people since then. A lot of his interviews sound like grievance-airing to me, which is hard to take from someone who has had a lot of personal success.

Mel Brooks has been funny for his whole life and continued to adapt, which is just what you have to do in the world.

Arguing? Maybe. I just didn’t agree with your premise of “to like one you have to like another”. Jerry is funny, but not everyone’s cup of tea. My opinion is: Jerry was the 4th funniest character on that show, but he was willing to take second chair to whomever was killing it on that show at any time, because his ego was secondary to the art of comedy. They pushed a lot of boundaries on that show, and the scope of secondary character development speaks volumes to Jerry making sure it wasn't about anyone's specific idea or character,it was about taking the most comedic path. Colbert is funny, but stops doing that at some point and decides to be either an activist or a philosopher.

Mel Brooks hasn’t adapted, he’s very loyal to his specific style of satire, and it’s refreshingly authentic and predictable, just not my favorite. But there’s no doubt he’s funny.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Reports were that his show was losing $40M per year. That’s a bad business model all politics aside.

 

[dorndawg]

Reports were that his show was losing $40M per year. That’s a bad business model all politics aside.

I saw those same reports - if even mostly true, after paramount paid a 16 million dollar bribe to shiitforbrains I could see how they'd want to stop the bleeding.

 

[RebelRH]

Arguing? Maybe. I just didn’t agree with your premise of “to like one you have to like another”. Jerry is funny, but not everyone’s cup of tea. My opinion is: Jerry was the 4th funniest character on that show, but he was willing to take second chair to whomever was killing it on that show at any time, because his ego was secondary to the art of comedy. They pushed a lot of boundaries on that show, and the scope of secondary character development speaks volumes to Jerry making sure it wasn't about anyone's specific idea or character,it was about taking the most comedic path. Colbert is funny, but stops doing that at some point and decides to be either an activist or a philosopher.

Mel Brooks hasn’t adapted, he’s very loyal to his specific style of satire, and it’s refreshingly authentic and predictable, just not my favorite. But there’s no doubt he’s funny.

"They pushed a lot of boundaries on that show"

You think maybe just a little or a lot? "The Contest" for an example. Never understood how they aired that episode during primetime back then. My favorite go to if nothing else interests me. Seinfeld, not just The Contest episode. But that was funny. Never watched Colbert so don't have an opinion on him but I have always thought of him as more of a political activist.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

He stopped being funny a long time ago, way before he insisted everyone get the jab, but he was still entertaining to the smooth brained folks because he could be counted on to attack.