Irony
"Colbert's White House Correspondent Dinner Performance Underscores Irony's Power And Delicacy"
by Joe Gandelman
The scene: The White House Correspondent Dinner. The time: right after President George W. Bush put in a boffo performance next to a top-notch Bush impersonator. It was a hard act to follow.
But Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert most assuredly followed it in his irony-heavy TV persona of a TV News talk show host that seems reminiscent of a Fox News host.
What followed was a study in contrasting satirical forms — the easier task with one form (the one-liner, the visual, the lines dependent on joke construction and timing)...and the tougher task with the other (heavy irony, which relies on shared assumptions)..
Yet, in terms of content, Colbert's satire was more biting, had a message and was far less playful — more akin to what you'd hear in a point-of-view "set" in a comedy club. And irony is always a tougher task.
The Internet term for irony is "snark." If done poorly it can veer into the area of clumsiness and die a painful death. Colbert's routine didn't go that route but clearly some audience members either didn't share his assumptions, or didn't like him sharing them in public with Bush sitting there — or didn't like to be put in a position where they would laugh and show all the world that they shared them.
As E&P [Editor and Publisher] reports:
"...Colbert, who spoke in the guise of his talk show character, who ostensibly supports the president strongly, urged the Bush to ignore his low approval ratings, saying they were based on reality, “and reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
That was still one of the more gentle moments.
MORE (from E & P):
"He attacked those in the press who claim that the shake-up at the White House was merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “This administration is soaring, not sinking,” he said. “They are re-arranging the deck chairs--on the Hindenburg."
Colbert told Bush he could end the problem of protests by retired generals by refusing to let them retire. He compared Bush to Rocky Balboa in the “Rocky” movies, always getting punched in the face—“and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world.”
Turning to the war, he declared, "I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."
That was one point where you could feel a chill from part of the audience.
AND (from E & P):
"He noted former Ambassador Joseph Wilson in the crowd, as well as "Valerie Plame." Then, pretending to be worried that he had named her, he corrected himself, as Bush aides might do, "Uh, I mean... Joseph Wilson's wife." He asserted that it might be okay, as prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was probably not there.
Colbert also made biting cracks about missing WMDs, “photo ops” on aircraft carriers and at hurricane disasters, and Vice President Cheney shooting people in the face.
Observing that Bush sticks to his principles, he said, "When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday - no matter what happened Tuesday."
That seemed to be the point of no return where you could sense a kind of nervousness in one part of the audience.
"Also lampooning the press, Colbert complained that he was “surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News. Fox believes in presenting both sides—the president’s side and the vice president’s side." He also reflected on the good old days, when the media was still swallowing the WMD story.
Addressing the reporters, he said, "You should spend more time with your families, write that novel you've always wanted to write. You know, the one about the fearless reporter who stands up to the administration. You know-- fiction."
He claimed that the Secret Service name for Bush's new press secretary is "Snow Job."
Colbert closed his routine with a video fantasy where he gets to be White House Press Secretary, complete with a special “Gannon” button on his podium. By the end, he had to run from Helen Thomas and her questions about why the U.S. really invaded Iraq and killed all those people."
"As Colbert walked from the podium, when it was over, the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling, and left immediately.
Asked by E&P after it was over if he thought he'd been too harsh, Colbert said, "Not at all." Was he trying to make a point politically or just get laughs? "Just for laughs," he said. He said he did not pull any material for being too strong, just for time reasons."
Indeed, you didn't get a sense any of it was pulled — or that Colbert pulled any punches.
It's just that the Bush routine's Bob Hope-style, classic stand-up humor, resembling a tame Saturday Night Live sketch was far less risky and an easier laugh generator that irony-laced humor aimed at getting laughs via satirical points. The first style requires writers and perhaps a session with a comedy coach; the other requires a bit of professional courage since there's a risk the irony could be unappreciated by part of the audience that doesn't share its pointed assumptions.
Bush's performance will be re-run on some shows for the next few days due to its entertainment value; Colbert's will be re-run and discussed because of how it was received by some in the audience, because it's dagger-sharp message has some news value and because he was willing to take a risk at doing the kind of satire he did...where he did it.
[www.themoderatevoice.com]
by Joe Gandelman
The scene: The White House Correspondent Dinner. The time: right after President George W. Bush put in a boffo performance next to a top-notch Bush impersonator. It was a hard act to follow.
But Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert most assuredly followed it in his irony-heavy TV persona of a TV News talk show host that seems reminiscent of a Fox News host.
What followed was a study in contrasting satirical forms — the easier task with one form (the one-liner, the visual, the lines dependent on joke construction and timing)...and the tougher task with the other (heavy irony, which relies on shared assumptions)..
Yet, in terms of content, Colbert's satire was more biting, had a message and was far less playful — more akin to what you'd hear in a point-of-view "set" in a comedy club. And irony is always a tougher task.
The Internet term for irony is "snark." If done poorly it can veer into the area of clumsiness and die a painful death. Colbert's routine didn't go that route but clearly some audience members either didn't share his assumptions, or didn't like him sharing them in public with Bush sitting there — or didn't like to be put in a position where they would laugh and show all the world that they shared them.
As E&P [Editor and Publisher] reports:
"...Colbert, who spoke in the guise of his talk show character, who ostensibly supports the president strongly, urged the Bush to ignore his low approval ratings, saying they were based on reality, “and reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
That was still one of the more gentle moments.
MORE (from E & P):
"He attacked those in the press who claim that the shake-up at the White House was merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “This administration is soaring, not sinking,” he said. “They are re-arranging the deck chairs--on the Hindenburg."
Colbert told Bush he could end the problem of protests by retired generals by refusing to let them retire. He compared Bush to Rocky Balboa in the “Rocky” movies, always getting punched in the face—“and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world.”
Turning to the war, he declared, "I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."
That was one point where you could feel a chill from part of the audience.
AND (from E & P):
"He noted former Ambassador Joseph Wilson in the crowd, as well as "Valerie Plame." Then, pretending to be worried that he had named her, he corrected himself, as Bush aides might do, "Uh, I mean... Joseph Wilson's wife." He asserted that it might be okay, as prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was probably not there.
Colbert also made biting cracks about missing WMDs, “photo ops” on aircraft carriers and at hurricane disasters, and Vice President Cheney shooting people in the face.
Observing that Bush sticks to his principles, he said, "When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday - no matter what happened Tuesday."
That seemed to be the point of no return where you could sense a kind of nervousness in one part of the audience.
"Also lampooning the press, Colbert complained that he was “surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News. Fox believes in presenting both sides—the president’s side and the vice president’s side." He also reflected on the good old days, when the media was still swallowing the WMD story.
Addressing the reporters, he said, "You should spend more time with your families, write that novel you've always wanted to write. You know, the one about the fearless reporter who stands up to the administration. You know-- fiction."
He claimed that the Secret Service name for Bush's new press secretary is "Snow Job."
Colbert closed his routine with a video fantasy where he gets to be White House Press Secretary, complete with a special “Gannon” button on his podium. By the end, he had to run from Helen Thomas and her questions about why the U.S. really invaded Iraq and killed all those people."
"As Colbert walked from the podium, when it was over, the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling, and left immediately.
Asked by E&P after it was over if he thought he'd been too harsh, Colbert said, "Not at all." Was he trying to make a point politically or just get laughs? "Just for laughs," he said. He said he did not pull any material for being too strong, just for time reasons."
Indeed, you didn't get a sense any of it was pulled — or that Colbert pulled any punches.
It's just that the Bush routine's Bob Hope-style, classic stand-up humor, resembling a tame Saturday Night Live sketch was far less risky and an easier laugh generator that irony-laced humor aimed at getting laughs via satirical points. The first style requires writers and perhaps a session with a comedy coach; the other requires a bit of professional courage since there's a risk the irony could be unappreciated by part of the audience that doesn't share its pointed assumptions.
Bush's performance will be re-run on some shows for the next few days due to its entertainment value; Colbert's will be re-run and discussed because of how it was received by some in the audience, because it's dagger-sharp message has some news value and because he was willing to take a risk at doing the kind of satire he did...where he did it.
[www.themoderatevoice.com]
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