It’s all about setting. People act they way they think they are expected. We all know this is just heightened in a group setting. So on a late night show, in front of a comedian, they laugh. Even if they didn’t know going in, it was clear early on he was being serious.
There was that clip of Richards and Seinfeld on Letterman where the same thing happened. However disingenuous you think Richards or Seinfeld were, it was still a serious situation. Seinfeld had to keep telling the audience to stop laughing. Even then, it never fully stopped.
Well, there are 12 traditions as well as 12 steps, and one of the twelve traditions is to maintain your anonymity at the level of press, tv, and film. Below that level, its ok to out yourself, but at that level, it is frowned upon. Why? Because if he goes off the wagon now, people would/could say, “See, AA doesn’t work either.”
Silly? Maybe, but its part of a nearly 100 year old tradition, and some people feel very strongly about it. I remember when John Ratzenberger outed himself, the AAer in my life was kinda peeved about it, or at least expressed disdain.
Oh, and AAers believe these days in saying “what worked for me”, even though they still believe the Steps are the key to sobriety. Basically, if you can find another way, go for it, but this is what worked for us… that sort of thing.
Craig needs a bit more love. The guy consistently brings his A game, which I believe a late-night show host should. The rest I just don’t watch anymore, but I’ll make a special effort and will suffer just a bit of sleep to stay up and watch him. Occasionally I’ll try to catch re-runs on youtube, but I prefer to watch him from my couch instead of my chair.
Craig brings a lot of energy to the stage. I don’t care so much for the interviews, I’m really there for the opening bit and his monologue and will stay though the tweets and emails. Unless it’s a star I really want to see, I typically turn it off when the interviews start. He has two monologues - one that starts right when Letterman finishes (no commercials, it’s a direct lead-in when the guest band finishes on Letterman), and the the real monologue after commercials.
If you haven’t watched Ferguson, he’s really a joy to watch.
Craig’s the only late night guy I watch consistently, and he never fails to bring the funny. I also like how he doesn’t go for the low-hanging fruit (e.g. Charlie Sheen, currently, and as evidenced originally in this thread, Brittney Spears) because through his own past he has an empathy with people at that stage of their lives, and actually paints a positive view of the options for people in similar situations.
Also, I’ll love him forever for this. But that’s just me.
“A Doctor, who is not a doctor. Like Dr. Phil, but awesome”
Awesome!
I liked craig when he was just Bing Hitler (I still have a VHS). I liked him on Drew even though I fered a sell out… and what I’ve seen of the show makes me like him still. Unfortunately the only US talk show broadcast over here is Letterman, so I haven’t seen anything but bits and pieces.
I love Craig because he enjoys deconstructing the entire late night premise and he is unafraid to spend an hour talking earnestly with Desmond Tutu or Cornell West. One of my favorite guests of last year was Claire Danes’s philosophy professor father in law.
With the right guest, one who gets Craig’s free form approach, it can be magical to watch.
After his rant on Charlie Sheen the other day, I starting find previous episodes to watch based on guest stars I like, and DAMN is he funny. I think I’m hooked.
Just to plug this a bit, here is last night’s monologue. It’s about 9 minutes long and gives a nice wide swath of material that is fairly typical in his monologues. I think the part that endears me the most is the way he takes pot shots at himself, not to mention CBS.
As it’s late-late night, drug use and sex can sometimes come to the forefront. I’ve laughed my ass off on more than one occasion when he references the pot smoking crowd. He definitely has one demographic of his target audience nailed down. With all the gay innuendo, I’ve always wondered if that is another strong demographic for him?
Everybody that isn’t Leno or Letterman* references pot smokers - Conan, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Craigy Ferg. Jon Stewart is pretty open about his (apparently) former pot use. It’s not exactly rare anymore.
As an aside, the Conan NBC years were apparently a haven for pot-smoking writers which, if nothing else, certainly explains Vomiting Kermit.
Actually, Letterman might for all I know. I haven’t watched his show in years.
I’m not sure if it’s on the same wavelength. When Ferguson nods his head that certain way, his is a look more knowing than the others. It’s like even though he’s sober, he knows you down to your bones and it’s a joke written specifically for you. I don’t get that deep of a nod from any other comedian.
