It seems you don't have a very open sense of humor or a capability to understand abstract absurdist humor. Deon Cole, while not THE funniest man in the universe certainly had me laughing with his brand of racial based meta-comedy and creative word play. As for Reggie Watts, he was one of the most entertaining and original aspects of the show! I've seen his videos for quite sometime and was pleased to finally experience him live. His use of Fuck and Shit are obviously used sarcastically to bate the audience into thinking that those are legitimate punchlines. I think you heard the swearing and gave up on him immediately. He is an absurdist improvisor who's content and expression seem unlimited. Conan explains why he chose him in his google interview a few weeks back and you can tell how excited his is to have him on tour. I think Conan has great taste and wouldn't book Deon or Reggie unless he thought they were very funny/entertaining people. Maybe you just like simple by the book comedy? If so you are missing a whole beautiful world of
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I said I found Deon amusing. He was weak on Conan's Tonight Show (mostly because his segments were essentially carbon copies of each other), but was pretty good here, at least in the second half of the act when he started to break out material I hadn't seen before. You really can't ever go wrong with audience participation, really.
And if by "immediately", you mean "halfway through his final song", yes. If I don't find one man to be funny, then automatically I'm a moron unable to understand an entire large class of comedy? How hilariously pretentious.
Not pretentious, a challenge to you. If conan finds Reggie funny and is very happy with his choice as an opener, wouldn't it be worth a bit of research as to why? I'm a big Conan fan that's all. I don't think you're a moron I'm just amazed by how you don't see this connection.
Being a Conan fan doesn't necessarily mean having to like everything that Conan likes. And if I'm expected to follow up the show with a shitton of research into why a brief opening act is funny, that just means he failed at what an opening act is supposed to do (i.e. find some way to hook an audience that, by definition, would be at least partly unfamiliar with his work, as they're paying for the main performer, not him), to me anyhow.
I think you're in the minority. Almost all the reviews of the shows about the opener have been overwhelmingly positive. So I think he entertained the majority as he was supposed to do contrary to what you might think. From the New York Times, Time Out Australia-NY-London, LA Times, David Burn, Louis CK, Brian Eno, David Cross, UCB he seems to have fans. Again if you don't like him you don't.
Yes. Hence, "to me anyway". I realize I'm in the minority. I'm used to being in the minority! I voted for Ralph Fucking Nader in '08!
To me, there's a difference between good absurdist humour, and the aimless drivel that seems to dominate the interests of people my age, for whatever reason. And Reggie Watts just comes across as someone who tries to hide the shallowness of his material with the "oh, it's sarcastic/ironic/what-have-you" angle, as opposed to someone whose comedy actually is any of those things.
Do you really think you'll be changing my opinion? You won't, so let's just agree that Conan himself was great, at least.
No I can't change your opinion. That's not what I am tring to do. I am just wondering; If so many brilliant minds find him so good at what he does and speak so highly of him, do you believe that all of these people are wrong? That these pioneering artists have no idea what they are talking about? Is there nothing in their opinion that warrents investigation? I detest Lady Gaga and yet I research were the fascination comes from and can at least concede that while she is definitely not my cup of tea I can respect how she got to be where she is. Many people disliked Andy Kaufman and Johnathon Winters, all of whom garnered reactions like yours, yet they helped push the boundries of the comedy we have grown accustomed to these days. I find it important to examine all sides of a phenominon. I am personally fascinated in things that gain critical acclaim that don't resonate with me or vice versa. This attempt gives me a clearer understanding of this complicated world.
Well, I mean, like I said, Watts does have an intriguing setup, from a musical standpoint. If not for his weak lyricism, I would've enjoyed the catchiness of some of his tunage. But then he starts singing, or rapping, or whatever he decides to do at that particular moment, and everything goes off the rails.
Let's take his final song from the evening, the supposedly popular "Fuck-Shit Stack". Are these words inherently funny on their own? No, of course, they are not. Let's take a closer look at the song. Oh, look at that, I suppose it could be a surreal, sarcastic parody of hyper-profane hip-hop! Okay, okay, that is....also not an original concept, not by a long shot. :/
It might be delivered in a tasty new format, but Reggie's comedy itself is beyond tired. Some people will enjoy this greatly nonetheless. I do not.
If you do get a chance to see his new live DVD in is entirety I would love to get your take since you would truly be unbiased. I love hearing objective opinions. Thanks for your honesty and willingness to have a sincere conversation.
I believe the phrases "humour is subjective" and "to each their own" come into play here. If Reggie Watts is actually comedically talented, that's fine. I, personally, didnt find him amusing. I agree with Jesse wholeheartedly regarding Deon Cole.
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And if by "immediately", you mean "halfway through his final song", yes. If I don't find one man to be funny, then automatically I'm a moron unable to understand an entire large class of comedy? How hilariously pretentious.
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If conan finds Reggie funny and is very happy with his choice as an opener, wouldn't it be worth a bit of research as to why?
I'm a big Conan fan that's all. I don't think you're a moron I'm just amazed by how you don't see this connection.
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To me, there's a difference between good absurdist humour, and the aimless drivel that seems to dominate the interests of people my age, for whatever reason. And Reggie Watts just comes across as someone who tries to hide the shallowness of his material with the "oh, it's sarcastic/ironic/what-have-you" angle, as opposed to someone whose comedy actually is any of those things.
Do you really think you'll be changing my opinion? You won't, so let's just agree that Conan himself was great, at least.
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Is there nothing in their opinion that warrents investigation?
I detest Lady Gaga and yet I research were the fascination comes from and can at least concede that while she is definitely not my cup of tea I can respect how she got to be where she is.
Many people disliked Andy Kaufman and Johnathon Winters, all of whom garnered reactions like yours, yet they helped push the boundries of the comedy we have grown accustomed to these days.
I find it important to examine all sides of a phenominon.
I am personally fascinated in things that gain critical acclaim that don't resonate with me or vice versa. This attempt gives me a clearer understanding of this complicated world.
L
Reply
Let's take his final song from the evening, the supposedly popular "Fuck-Shit Stack". Are these words inherently funny on their own? No, of course, they are not. Let's take a closer look at the song. Oh, look at that, I suppose it could be a surreal, sarcastic parody of hyper-profane hip-hop! Okay, okay, that is....also not an original concept, not by a long shot. :/
It might be delivered in a tasty new format, but Reggie's comedy itself is beyond tired. Some people will enjoy this greatly nonetheless. I do not.
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If you do get a chance to see his new live DVD in is entirety I would love to get your take since you would truly be unbiased. I love hearing objective opinions. Thanks for your honesty and willingness to have a sincere conversation.
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- Jim
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