Tue 30 Jan 2007
Elevator, Litchfield Tower C, Pitt Campus. After Midnight.
A forlorn, disheveled Student talks to his less-disheveled friend:
Student #1: Ugh.
Student #2: What?
Student #1: Stephen Colbert just directed his Nerd Army to attack Wikipedia again.
Student #2: What, really? He’s still doing stuff like that?
Student #1: Yeah, I don’t know; I guess telling his mindless drones to fuck up their school’s dictionaries wasn’t hilarious enough.
Student #2: Didn’t he used to make fun of guys like that? Is he making fun of his fans, or what? I mean, what’s his point?
Student #1: Yeah; I used to think that stuff was funny, but now it’s just kind of weird and sad. I’m kind of ready for him to be over now.
Student #2: Yeah.
— Overheard by I used to think he was funny too
Editor’s Note: I have loved Stephen Colbert’s work for a long time — Exit 57, Strangers with Candy, the Daily Show, and his current series — but I think this stuff’s a little done, too. At what point did Colbert stop merely mimicking the charismatic leaders of cult-like movements and actually become one? When does the cost of the joke exceed the payoff? I really wish Colbert would stop with the Rocky-Horror-Picture-Show-audience-participation biz would stop so I can feel OK about liking his series again. — Chris
January 31st, 2007 at 6:00 am
I don’t know . . .
I think of S.C. as the Andy Kaufman or Frank Zappa type.
So willing to push until people find it not so funny anymore - trying to find that place where people get uncomfortable and start to squirm. He’ll keep pushing and not let up until it has reached a critical mass.
Or maybe he’s not that smart but is just surrounded by people who adore him and he can’t see the folks on the fringe that are now moving away.
Either way, it was good while it was good.
January 31st, 2007 at 6:02 pm
What Stephen Colbert is now doing does not really compare to what Andy Kauffman did. Kauffman elicited emotional responses, but did not actually direct others to inflict damage. Likewise, Kauffman appealed to people smart enough to get him, and Colbert seems to appeal to anyone who wants to belong to something.
February 6th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
I don’t know, there’s something that unspeakably awesome about his show, though. Dude could spend the entire 23 minutes staring blanking at the camera, unmoving, and I’d still think it was hilarious.
Of course, many people do not share my sense of humor.