"He recalls to me a gifted but vulnerable relative who was both a poet and a dance band musician here before he emigrated, but rapidly foundered in New York to die a busted alcoholic before he was fifty.
There is something Celtic-brittle and vulnerable in the false happy-as-Larry projection from this one. He could be desperately insecure behind the clowning and the dancing. Like the perennial bartender in the films who would break into 'Danny Boy' at the drop of a hat but was always facing personal disaster. Something like that."
-Cormac MacConnell of Irish Central, describing Conan O'Brien, one of his triumvirate of "Embarassments to Irish America"
Wow. That drawing (at the link). Who knew Hannity looked so much like Blagojevich?
Paraphrasing from Blazing Saddles: "We'll take the African-Americans and the Asian-Americans. But we won't take the Irish."
"He could be desperately insecure behind the clowning and the dancing."
Isn't that part of Conan's charm? And what'd he do do MacConnell to get lumped in with those other two bozos?
This Cormac person could be desperately insecure behind the sad-clown pop psychology.
First: "But I have only to press about any button on the remote and I'm almost certain to encounter Messrs O'Reilly, O'Brien and Hannity." Really? You're doing it wrong.
Also, he just picked them because they have irish surnames? Doesn't that make him the most horrible irish stereotype of them all?
Let's all pitch in and buy this a guy a DVR!
Hannity is Irish? I thought he was 10,000% American, the greatest country God has ever put on the face of the Earth. What will his viewers think wen they find out he has terrorist-loving, European-nigger blood?
There is something Celtic-brittle and vulnerable in the false happy-as-Larry projection from this one. He could be desperately insecure behind the clowning and the dancing.
Two conclusions:
1) This guy doesn't seem to realize he's describing a cliché about comedians at least as old as Pagliacci; ergo, he's never seen any professional comedy until he saw Conan. Ireland is such a sad little island.
2) This guy doesn't write, he dictates.
Second!
This is like the time a tall redheaded man went to a psychiatrist and told him how terribly, terribly depressed he was, and the psychiatrist said, here's what you do: tune in to the Tonight Show--it's hosted by a hilarious funnyman whose irrepressible antics will cheer you up!
I forget how this ends.
He bangs his head on the floor running a triathlon against Teri Hatcher.
Bingo.
Someone’s projecting, maybe? Conan’s well educated, has a ton of writing credits to his name, and is widely appreciated for his smart and off-the-wall humor.
Plus, from all accounts he seems genuinely happy! Close and loving relationship with his parents, adores his wife and kids and (to the best of our knowledge) he doesn't have a drinking/drugging/sexing the staff problem. What's not to love?
Andy Richter, on the other hand, personifies everything that's bad about krauts.
Really? That is considered a happy life?
I guess it's not a happy life for an Irishman. Touche.
Re: Richter: What about the kraut-on-kraut Celebrity Jeopardy massacring? I'd cheer for Speer if he could beat Blitzer like that.
There's two things in this world I can't stand. People who are intolerant of other people's culture, and the Dutch.
I hate the way they sound. Why do they sound so nasal?
The Dutch are awesome. But deeply square.
I experienced this shame in reverse, when I was in Norway over the summer and realized that their tv consists entirely of Rachel Ray and Dharma & Greg reruns. But much as I despise Rachel Ray, it sounds like Norway's definitely got it better than the Netherlands.
(this is the first time I've seen the phrase "happy as Larry" outside of John Prine liner notes and I kind of can't believe it's a real expression)
Or gombeen.
Irish people ARE harsh. When I went to summer camp in Dublin they taught me swearing and sarcasm and now everyone in America thinks I'm a bitch. EVERYONE IN AMERICA.
Gosh, you're such a bitch! This is the Awl, for heaven's sake! Please show some respect.