More like Fair Lame
Posted on Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 at 10:49 AM in Rants, NPR, Fair Game
I've been staying up pretty late again, working on my various websites and geeking out, usually past 1am. A lot of nights, I'll listen to the stream from the DC NPR affiliate, WAMU. Unfortunately, at 1AM they broadcast the show Fair Game, which aspires to be a funny, Progressive take on the days events. What's sadder is that the host's bio exclaims that she is "the only Rhodes scholar performing comedy intentionally". Based on what I heard, I don't think they're saying that she is funny on purpose, but that she is trying to be funny with good intentions. I've never laughed during this show, and when it comes on, its more of a reminder to turn off the stream and go to bed. This is some serisouly unfunny, sh*t they put on here, let me be clear.
Oh wait, I just looked more at the hosts bio and learned that she "cut her professional teeth in the dark, competitive world of children’s musical theatre during her childhood in Atlanta." and was also "a star of Bravo's critically-acclaimed improvisational sitcom, Significant Others" Have you ever heard of that show? I didn't think so. The only people touting there Bravo creds are the guys from Queer Eye, and that's because people don't look at them like they eat paste for lunch when they mention what network they were on. Not someone who believes being funny just requires a lot of effort and no skill, or maybe, and this is just a hypothesis, humorous material. All this show does, is lend more credence to the theory that female comedians are not funny. For the record, I briefly thought Sarah Silverman was funny, but then I sat through an episode of her eponymous show on Comedy Central.
Don't take my word for it, listen to the War on crotches segment on their website. The premise is funny, but the segment is just an exercise in trying to rile up presumably Right-wing military types by saying the word "crotch" and later "butt" repeatedly. This show is so bad, when I consider becoming an NPR member, I feel they should pay me for having this on their station. I don't know why they put this on, the programming was better when they had the BBC news on after midnight. At least then, I'd get some real news as well as a roundup of Premier League and European football updates.
Comments
Oscar says
So the niche thing is a way to limit competition? "But I'm the funnies Erlang comedian"
Patty says
Craig Richardson says
Watch "Comedy Central Presents" - in my opinion, the hit rate is much better for women than men, though men have more total funny because there's more of them.
Jason Lefkowitz says
So the niche thing is a way to limit competition?
It's more that the niche thing is a way to signal to specific audiences "you will like me, hire me" without having to do the hard work to get good enough to have your name sell itself.
Ginger says
All I do know is that she was so unbelievably mean and hurtful that there was no way anyone could have found it funny. Is that what all her material is like, just really mean?
Jason Lefkowitz says
My rule is that when a comedian has to qualify their title with some niche audience segment qualifier (like a "socially conscious comedian", say), that's generally because they aren't good enough to succeed in the general comedy market. So they have to pursue niche audiences instead.
Oh, and Sarah Silverman is funny, at least as a stand-up. But I agree that her show could use some work, I can't get through an episode myself.