7 Responses

1. Jamie says:

   August 26, 2009 at 1:01 pm

   Brian,

   I’d disagree with your take on this clip, though perhaps we should just see what the PAR is. I don’t know if it’s because you disagreed with the political content of it, but I don’t think it was any more or less awkward than a few of the starlets, etc. who have told a story that prompted little response from the audience.

   I wasn’t familiar with eyeblast, so I looked that up and was interested to see that it’s a creation of the Media Research Center which promotes a fair amount of a dubious nature, almost universally from a Conservative perspective.

   While I may disagree with how the segment was perceived by the audience, I would be interested in whether it is up to the guest to conform their material to the setting, or if Bill does what Bill does and Conan knew what he was getting when he booked him. It isn’t like this was Lindsay Lohan.

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2. myq says:

   August 26, 2009 at 11:07 pm

   Disagree, especially about the biggest laugh line… I believe it was the one at the end, when the audience exploded with laughter and applause at the way Maher suggests Obama should get health care passed through…

   There was a moment of silence where Maher seemed more concerned with getting a message across than making things non-stop funny, but I don’t think he lost the audience at all, given the laughs and applause at his ideas that followed.

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3. Brian McKim & Traci Skene says:

   August 26, 2009 at 11:51 pm

   But of course! If there’s one thing that all can agree on, it’s just how wildly funny bashing religion is.

   But seriously, that last whoop was probably a response more out of relief than anything. The statement that elicited it was actually in the form of a joke… the kind of joke that Maher was famous for before he made the transition from wickedly funny comedian to vicious and boring lecturer.

   Our point, however, was that panel should be the setting where you deliver the goods… if you’re a comedian, that means being funny. (And, no, alluding to the beheading of an intern is not actually funny… as was evidenced by the crowd’s– and O’Brien’s reaction.)

   Conan O’Brien (even after his move to 11:30) is edgy… always has been. If he is uncomfortable in this situation, then something is going wrong.

   And, as is clear in the longer clip, Maher knew he was making O’Brien uncomfortable, yet he still heaped it on.

   Rude, at the very least.

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4. gabriel rutledge says:

   August 27, 2009 at 5:04 am

   Bill Maher is not just a comedian, he is also the host of a show. A very left/libertarian leaning show. Whether you think he used to be funnier or not, he’s probably never been bigger. I don’t think he was ever on Larry King back when he was making “Evening at the Improv” appearances. “Real Time” is about politics, not just about getting laughs. A lot like his appearance on Conan, some serious stuff, some jokes. I didn’t think it was a great appearance, but I’m sure he gave his fans exactly what they would expect. I obviously lean more toward Maher’s politics then you do, but I think if Rush Limbaugh, or Hannity, or Bill O’Reilly made an appearance on Conan and their right leaning comments fell flat with the crowd, I doubt you would have been surprised, or thought it was worthy of your attention. And I know those guys aren’t comedians, but they are entertainer who host political talk shows. They appeal to their particular fan base, and they don’t care if everyone likes them. I don’t know why you don’t afford Maher the same freedom.

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5. Brian McKim & Traci Skene says:

   August 27, 2009 at 5:31 am

   Gabriel Rutledge said:

   “Bill Maher is not just a comedian, he is also the host of a show. A very left/libertarian leaning show.”

   To which we reply:

   He’s a comedian. That’s what we talk about here. He is a comedian who talked about cutting off the head of an intern. We thought it was rude. His politics (our politics, your politics) have nothing to do with this.

   G.R. said further:

   “Whether you think he used to be funnier or not, he’s probably never been bigger.”

   To which we reply:

   He’s on HBO now. He was on ABC in the past. People on network television– as Maher was when he worked for ABC– are bigger than those on cable. (Especially back then, before the networks’ audience erosion picked up speed.)

   It’s got nothing to do with whether we think he’s funny or not– he’s still capable, in spurts, of being the old Bill Maher. That particular performance was not a very good one. That’s what the post was about.

   G.R. went further still:

   “I didn’t think it was a great appearance, but I’m sure he gave his fans exactly what they would expect.”

   To which we reply:

   But it should be about more than just pleasing one’s fans. That’s why the post was entitled, “How Not To Do Panel.” One must consider the feelings and the audience of one’s host.

   G.R. also said:

   “I obviously lean more toward Maher’s politics then you do…”

   To which we reply:

   As we have said (and apparently must repeat again), it’s not about politics– ours, yours, Conan’s, Maher’s.

   G.R. said:

   “…I think if Rush Limbaugh, or Hannity, or Bill O’Reilly made an appearance on Conan and their right leaning comments fell flat with the crowd, I doubt you would have been surprised, or thought it was worthy of your attention.”

   No kidding. They’re not comedians. As we have said already– we pay attention to comedians. Maher is a comedian, first and foremost. That’s what he does on his show… that’s what he does when he is not on his show. That’s how most people identify him.

   G.R. said:

   “And I know those guys aren’t comedians, but they are entertainer who host political talk shows. They appeal to their particular fan base, and they don’t care if everyone likes them. I don’t know why you don’t afford Maher the same freedom.”

   To which we reply:

   Maher has plenty of freedom. But we said that what he did was rude.

   Had Dennis Miller done what Maher did, you can bet we would have commented on it.

   We haven’t seen that happen.

   Had Mort Sahl or Larry The Cable Guy or Carlos Mencia or Jim Gaffigan done what Maher did we would comment on it. See the difference? It’s not politics, it’s comedy. Repeat that over and over again as many times as is necessary to grasp the not-so-subtle difference.

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6. Brian McKim & Traci Skene says:

   August 27, 2009 at 5:33 am

   Jamie commented… and addressed us as “Brian.” (In the transition from one host to another, our settings got jiggered and the author of the posts was listed for a brief time as “Brian McKim” This is inaccurate, as all posts are co-written by Brian McKim & Traci Skene. We have corrected this. In the future, please address all correspondence or comments on/to the magazine to Brian & Traci. Thanks!)

   Jamie said:

   “…I don’t know if it’s because you disagreed with the political content of it, but I don’t think it was any more or less awkward than a few of the starlets, etc. who have told a story that prompted little response from the audience.”

   Firstly, we did not comment on the clip like we did because of politics. Our comments focus on the awkwardness and on the bad position that O’Brien was in.

   Maher is a comedian. He should present panel that, while it might be driving home a political point, is also humorous. He should know better than a starlet how to “give good panel.” He’s a pro, he’s been around for 25 years or more. He has hosted (or currently hosts) his own show– this should make what he did all the more inexcusable.

   In this appearance, he is dour and vicious.

   As for eyeblast.tv, we didn’t notice that it was an eyeblast clip when we posted it. (And, though it may be a site run by Brent Bozell, the clip is a clip. The many other clips out there pretty much show the same thing.)

   One doesn’t have to be a conservative or a liberal or a libertarian or a whig to recognize rude behavior.

   As for producers vetting the banter, we suspect that Maher’s topics were reviewed, but that the actual content wasn’t. (We can’t imagine NBC looking upon a joke that hinges on the beheading of an intern as suitable for 11:30 PM.)

   There is a way of doing what Maher did and getting… laughs. A way of doing it without betraying a hardened bitterness.

   Our observation was that Conan (who is losing viewers) can’t have been happy with what transpired.

   When one appears on such a show, one’s goal is to a) pump one’s project b) entertain and c) make the show look good. We suppose that, to a certain slice of the audience, he achieved a and b, but perhaps the most important, c, was neglected.

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7. loneranger says:

   August 31, 2009 at 4:06 am

   Brian & Traci,
   Maher again shows us why he can’t be on prime time network by telling us his true feelings that 60% of the people (who don’t believe in evolution)are just plain stupid and his political views should just be forced down their stupid throats by using mafia style tactics. Hmmmmm…after all this time and this Einstein hasen’t figured out that talking down to 60% of your audience still ISN”T FUNNY TO 60% (or more) OF YOUR AUDIENCE!!!

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