My Ricky Gervais Problem
Although his personal prejudices and cultural bugaboos are occasionally too much to take—and, well, whose aren't? God knows I tire of my own frequently enough—I am on the whole a big fan of Independent columnist Howard Jacobson, who happened to write what may be my favorite novel from the previous decade. Anyway, his column this weekend did an excellent job of expressing a discomfort with a popular figure that I had been thus far unable to put into words.
No great comedian is ever amused by himself. Billy Connolly could have been a great comedian had he not taken to collapsing hysterically during his own routines. The seal on David Brent's prattishness was his laughing at his own jokes. Then it turned out that Ricky Gervais, who created him, laughs at his own jokes too. Self-satisfaction is an unpardonable crime in a comedian because his role is to remind us that nothing is satisfactory. Hence the necessity of keeping a straight face. It affirms the seriousness of his calling. Which is to make people laugh, not because life is funny but because it isn't.
He also makes the excellent point that "Curb Your Enthusiasm has suddenly become unfunny because Larry David is trying too hard to be obnoxious."
You guys are both wrong, in both respects. Gervais is hilarious, and in his stand-up he doesn't laugh at his own jokes.
But in all his work that I see–because I don't watch his standup–I do see him cracking himself up.
THAT being said? I enjoy Ricky Gervais. And I loved "Extras." And I would even totally do him. By which I mean, sex.
He cracks up a lot but usually it's at the antics of other people. And even conceding that point who really gives a shit? If I was out there producing some of the best comedy in our culture, I would laugh at myself too. It's not like there are tons of comedians producing stuff that is as consistently good as Gervais's, where we can afford to come up with some trivial non-reason for not liking him because there's a ton of other people to fill the void. It's like here are Ricky Gervais and Larry David in like the top 99 percentile of comedy, and this guy is bitching about how they aren't in the 99.9 percentile.
Eventually this site will devolve into simple lists of who you and Balk would totally do.
…And I will STILL read it religiously. (Because after all, my religious affiliation is "sexually frustrated blogger"!) Hell, I even like to read about which sweaters you'd totally do.
Also, I think we can improve on "prattishness"… may I suggest "prattulence"?
Totally agree. He's totally doable. In fact, there are only 3 "celebs" that I'd totally like to do: Ricky Gervais, Alex Balk and Choire Sicha. srsly.
It's the teeth, isn't it? Those weird fangy teeth. A turn-on. I know.
I don't care who laughs during a conversation/story/bit/joke/scene as long as it's funny. Observing a forced straight face takes me out of the moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIcrCZQkSlg
You can get extra credit if you watch this and write an essay.
Gervais usually laughing at something other than what's going on, or just has his version of the giggles, or more precisely as in "shits and giggles."
To read him as thinking "jesus, I'm really killing them" is tone deaf and a tad hyper-reactive.
Thank you. It would have taken me the better part of 20 minutes to express this sentiment and I wouldn't have produced anything nearly as succinct and accurate.
Ditto.
Come on, Curb Your Enthusiasm is great this season. The muffin top episode? Amazing.
(Also Billy Connolly could no way in hell have ever been a great comedian.)
THIS
(And I don't watch comedy to be reminded that life isn't funny WTF.)
There is a curious video out there (my ass is to lazy to link to it) that has Gary Shandling hosting an awkward Ricky Gervais at Shandlings home. What emerges from the coupling is a weird dynamic that suggest Shandlings growing discomfort with the guy and his humor. And the more it becomes apparent–the more Gervais becomes unlikeable–I have never been able to shake the vibe from that video.
This one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LljWm8umGIE
yup. See what I mean. I'll trust Shandlings distrust of the guy.
But how could you ever trust Gary Shandling?
When I first saw this I had to conclude that it was explained either by an instance of deliberate, pre-arranged awkwardness gone wrong or else the fact that Garry Shandling is a mean SOB without his pain pills.
Can we please get an "EXPRESSING DISCOMFORT WITH A POPULAR FIGURE" tag? Cause I can tell right now, that bitch is gonna get worked.
Then they can go back and tag that earlier post about ventroliquist guy.
Ventriloquist, holy crap.
Blame the dummy. Everyone knows those stupid racists can't spell worth shit.
But I thank you for making me spend the rest of the afternoon YouTubeing his stand-up!
I love how much of Howard Jacobson's article is bitter wannabe bitching. He wishes he would have been a comedian, but when he goes to comedy shows they make fun of him, and he just sits there and takes it because he doesn't have a microphone, boo fucking hoo. So now he writes an article making niggling criticisms about people who have developed a talent that he obviously doesn't have.
I had a similar problem with Spiro Agnew.
Karen is my vision of comedy.
You're just jealous. It just used to be that he was less ursine, but now he's thinner as well.
If you want the rainbow, you've gotta put up with the rain – do you know which philosopher said that? Dolly Parton. And people say she's just a big pair of tits.
-David Brent
OOo this is true. There is a thick smugness that permeates a lot of what he does that can be SO unnerving. Maybe some one needs a humbling freebase accident?
STRONGLY AGREE. He should also fight and then be reformed by Superman.
Remember when Marlon Brando was in Superman? lOL WHAT
BEST SUPERHERO FATHER EVER!!!
Though I broadly agree that laughing at one's own jokes is a sign of poor breeding, the Harvey Korman/Tim Conway School of Comedy permits laughing at one's own routine. And I've always thought Gervais/Connolly's laughing to be in that vein (or at least corollary thereto).
But it's beyond laughing at his jokes, it's in his actual material. Even in Extras which is great comedy, there's a lot of critique of fame, art, going low brow that all smacks of too much self-importance. Still, totes doable.
But in his stand-up, when he does laugh at his material, is he laughing because he is generally finding something funny (albeit something he's saying himself), or is he laughing because it's the schtick? To me comes off as the former, which is borderline but doable. If it's the latter, then not so doable (plus also hard to pull off as the former).
I'm trying to think of a stand-up that laughs at his own material as part of the schtick.
I think I just confused doable with tenable.
Sometimes the doable are not very tenable.
I laugh at women in heels falling down.
Howard Jacobson has other, higher taste in comedy.
http://tinyurl.com/5hhg42
I kind of love Seona Dancing, so I have to forgive Gervais. I mean.
Ricky is just laughing at Karl Pilkington.
Steven Merchant > Ricky Gervias = Limey Doable Scale
Even after the "break its back with a hanger" bit in Extras, I have to agree.
What about Karl?
Monkey news is pretty erotic.
I'm not an especial fan of Mr. Gervais's, but it's always been my impression that, in both his life and his comedy, he's laughing because he's so INCREDIBLY UNCOMFORTABLE. Like, his nerves are so high that he can't stop giggling, because otherwise he would just start bawling.
honestly, i think this is why i find watching ricky gervais as ricky gervais uncomfortable. it's more bearable when you can tell yourself it's a character.
Are their Guardian podcasts still available? I've got like 2GBs of them, so I'm not about to be e-mailing them to anybody, but holy fuck are they funny, tears streaming down face funny, even on repeat listens. But it's the ensemble, the banter between all 3 (R, S & K), and indeed it's frequently Steven who delivers the goods. I just think about his ooh-aar west country accent and I smile.
But I don't think anybody could be too surprised to learn that Gervais wasn't entirley acting, or doing any acting whatsoever, when he was playing a painfully awkward prat.
OH, and since nobody else has done the due diligence here, I will link this scene from Extras which is one of the best bits of British comedy ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv6mEv_rDdE
David Bowie > Me > Steven Merchant > Ricky Gervias = Limey Doable Scale
This goes on the business card.
The man convinced David Bowie to perform a song mocking him as a "Pathetic Little Fat Man." I invite any of you to top that.
Really it is a great post. I was not aware about this columnist. Indeed writing skill of presenting the information is superb. I myself am also an online writer, so I know what a writer needs—just some praiseworthy postings from his fans. .
Maybe I just like lousy comedians (I don't think I do), but a bunch of my favourites, like Eugene Mirman and Mitch Hedberg, are amused by themselves.
I QUESTION THE PREMISE OF THAT ARTICLE.
i'm willing to bet actual money he didn't laugh at himself in The Invention of Lying.