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Satirical comedy mocking Islamic State is truly brave

9/30/2014

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One phenomenon that is extremely common in comedy circles all across the western world is for writers and performers of political satire to see themselves as brave and rebellious. Many of them truly believe that they are "speaking truth to power" with their jokes and jibes, and that they are often risking some sort of severe punishment by the state as a result.

In the vast majority of cases these beliefs are completely unfounded. This is because the claims of sexism, racism, greed, corruption and other vices made by the satirist are usually only believed by his audience. And even if this does amount to a large number of people, it's never large enough to have some demonstrable political influence. So in democracies like Australia satire almost never lands a punch on its target. Even if it does, citizens have too many rights in their favor for a politician to seek vengeance on him. He just wouldn't dare. 

This is not the case in a lot of other countries, however. In places where tyranny and corruption are widespread, those mocking the powerful are taking huge risks. Take the Iraqi comedians who are poking fun at Islamic State in the show State of Myths, for example. Sure, IS are not presently ruling the city in which the show is produced. But they are certainly aiming to. And they could well achieve this aim if not decisively beaten, and soon. In any case, the show is being broadcast in areas held by the barbaric fanatics. 

Considering the Islamists' reputation for extreme acts of brutality, being involved in any way in this production -- and particularly in a visible role as an IS character -- is courageous indeed. I doubt very much that any of the western comics who think of themselves as courageous would attempt anything so daring if they found themselves in a similar situation. 
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Tig Notaro was not funny on Conan

8/15/2013

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I'm down here in Australia so I'm nowhere near full bottle on the US comedy scene. Most of what I know about it comes from watching chat shows like Conan, Letterman, etc. While the majority of the episodes broadcast are up to date, quite a few are from a while back.

Anyway, some months ago I was watching Conan and Tig Notaro was a guest. She was introduced as this amazingly brave comedian who'd survived cancer, and she had a CD out that Louis CK was raving about.

First thing I thought when I heard about the cancer: I'll bet she's not that funny. They're just saying that because they feel obligated to. They think she's gone through hell, and is raising awareness about her illness so she deserves support ... But I certainly hoped to be proved wrong.

Anyway, she chatted to Conan and described all these horrific events in her life. And she joked about them. My heart went out to her. She was clearly a very strong woman. But my suspicions were confirmed. Even though I really wanted to find her funny, I just couldn't.

A couple of nights ago I saw another Conan episode in which she appeared (this, like so many episodes shown here, was from several months ago, I think). I watched with interest to see if she had anything actually witty or amusing to say. She chatted with Conan but again I didn't even crack a smile.

She showed a gonzo segment making fun of how so few people recognize her, even though she's technically "famous". In the piece she went around to various businesses trying to get her photo placed on the wall. It was excruciatingly unfunny.

Sure, I haven't seen her do a standup set. Maybe she's much better doing prepared material. But from what I've seen so far she strikes me as being seriously overrated. Actually, I think she's quite dim. And dimness is not a characteristic you tend to associate with comics. Even if their schtick is not to your liking, you can always see the intelligence in their eyes

I think Tig Notaro has been getting by mostly on her identity. She's a woman in a male dominated profession, appears to be a lesbian and is a cancer survivor. So she's held to a much lower standard than other comics. Most of the people in the comedy scene wouldn't dare criticize her. To do so would qualify them as heartless, illiberal reactionaries.

What do you think? Am I being too harsh?
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Comedian Mick Molloy sued by aspiring politician

4/18/2011

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One of the greatest fears any stand-up comedian has is to "die" on stage. There's nothing more excruciating than to be thought completely unfunny by a roomful of people. And for TV and radio funnymen, there's something just as dreadful: Being sued for a joke that someone took deep offence to.

Exactly this has happened to Aussie comedian Mick Molloy. An aspiring politician called Nicole Cornes was deeply offended by one of his gags and has taken him to court.

The whole thing seems very strange. Firstly, he's a comedian. By definition his material is not meant to be taken seriously. Also, the show in question was broadcast over two years ago. If she'd done nothing, the offending joke would have been long forgotten. (Actually, I think it would have been forgotten the next day!) It's even stranger that she was entering politics. In that profession, a thick skin is not only an asset, it's mandatory!
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Controversy over Gervais's Golden Globes monologue becomes political

1/18/2011

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The controversy surrounding Ricky Gervais's Golden Globes routine continues. Now, there's a political element, with conservatives giving him support.

What's interesting is that his jokes weren't actually overtly political. They were just bitchy and funny. However, elements of the very politically correct and inward-looking Hollywood power elite got a bit tetchy. And this reaction was noted by conservative media organizations.

So it just shows that in comedy, just like in so many other aspects of life, politics is always there under the surface.
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Liberal comic playing politics?

10/9/2010

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One thing that comics should be wary of is taking themselves too seriously. It's a pretty obvious thing to remember, particularly considering their profession! But some of them do tend to forget it from time to time - particularly if they become very successful.

It looks like the very well known and widely respected liberal comedian Jon Stewart of the Daily Show might be starting to make this error with his increasingly strident attacks on President Obama.
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    My name's Matt Hayden. I'm a blogger and writer in Perth, Western Australia. I have a lot of experience in live comedy and maintain a keen interest in the subject.

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