He was never that funny. More in my essay for ANewDomain.net.
About Jon Stewart
Ted Rall
http://rall.comTed Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The Final Countdown" talk show on Radio Sputnik. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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5 Comments.
What do you think they threatened Jon Stewart with. All that “star power” and he doesn’t use that rally for a revolution? Laughter is a powerful weapon, but it didn’t stop the CHENEYBUSH from devouring Iraq and America.
“Of all things, last month’s massacre of – whether you like them or not, outrageously funny – cartoonists at the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris reminded some Americans of what exists elsewhere, but has been lost here, or perhaps never existed: an over-the-top, ribald, take-no-prisoners culture of satire, particularly in print but also on television.”
You think that atrociously tasteless, insipid shit-on-dick assfuck porn trash that CH was going bankrupt spewing is cutting-edge humor? Come-on Ted, even Hustler’s “Chester-the-Molester” was more succinct and to a relevant point.
Whatever.
DanD
Here’s the thing Ted-
When you hit, you hit way harder then John Stewart- full on outbursts of laughter, as opposed to Stewart making me chuckle.
But you hit, way,way,way less often than Stewart. I can chuckle through most of Stewart’s show on a daily basis, and frankly, you haven’t made me laugh in months.
I think you both deserve to be called funny because of that, and you claiming that Stewart isn’t funny because hes less powerful (but considerably more consistent) smacks of jealousy.
I don’t think I said Stewart wasn’t talented. Or funny. What I said was that he isn’t fall-down-laughing hilarious. Which he isn’t. The trouble is that people say he is. My point is, they only think that because they haven’t seen anything truly outrageous in years.
Don’t compare me to a TV host. It’s a different format, different skillset. I have no idea if I’d be good at it. I do know that, were I to try, I’d be far more into the old 1970s Carol Burnett format, lots of skits.
The daily show used to have some brilliant flashes here and there – I remember Rob Riggle (of all people) make fun of China’s society for being a hive-mind dictatorship, declare how grateful he is about living in the free world which isn’t anything like this, and begins chanting “USA USA” and this mass of spectators joins in, all chanting in unison… Steven Colbert’s famous White House comedian’s dinner speech had some dangerous moments, especially the part where he would flat out state that retired US military generals who are able to handle going round the TV circuit are still perfectly capable of “standing on a bank of computers and order men into battle”. Good times. I guess those examples rather fit the thesis.
Then Democrats got the White House – and they did play it safe… (You know that Ted nailed it when commenters start complaining 😉
I’m curious what you guys think of John Oliver – he routinely had the best segments and when anything came out of left field it was him (or written for him at any rate…). Now also seems to have a lot more freedom (than he’s necessarily using) on his show. If I had more time I would say he’s still the guy to watch?