Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

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Casual Observer
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Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Casual Observer »

I've always thought Stephen Colbert was funny, first on Daily Show, then the Colbert Show and I've been enjoying him on David Letterman's old show. Since the stay home order he's been filming from his home and there's something missing. It's not just the lack of laughter, there's something missing with his timing. Obviously I'm no stand up comedian so have no idea what's going on. Maybe it's his timing feeds off the audience. Maybe it is actually the dead silence after each joke. I hope this ends soon because I want to like him again.

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Ice Cream Jonsey
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Ice Cream Jonsey »

I have seen a few of these guys and gals do their shows without an audience and I think that they are used to their audience laughing at what they say no matter what and it is a completely new world for them to say something with no feedback. A monologue that is funny can definitely be done without needing affirmation from the audience.

This guy, David Mitchell is just as funny as anyone on late night, probably moreso, and I don't know if he had ever done monologues in his life before having a short series of them ten years ago. He gets it though, this is all perfectly fine without a bunch of clapping seals:



(You may dislike him or his take, but my point is just that there aren't any timing errors there.)
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Casual Observer »

Yeah,even though none of the three situations he mentions are remotely relateable I thought it was at least ammusingly funny. I've ridden both the NYC Subway and the SF BART and am not sure I've ever seen the reaction he mentions about missing the train. What I've seen are people who miss the train doors close and then stand like "ok, I'll get the next one a few minutes later". The forgotten cell phone bit: I rarely forget my cell phone and if I do then I say "fuck being late" and I go back and get it or I say "I don't care what my bitch wife might text, I'm going to get this damn errand done and worry about it afterward". And I can't even remotely relate to his third joke about drinking tea in a cafe. First, I hate tea, second: who gives a shit what people in Starbucks think about how I leave the store?

I'll give this guy a try because these days I'm always looking for new comedians.

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Jizaboz
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Jizaboz »

TLDR: He always sucked.

Conan o Brian wrapping tape around his head the last night was fuckin hilarious in comparison.. and that sucks too.
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by bryanb »

Jizaboz wrote: Fri Apr 03, 2020 1:14 am TLDR: He always sucked.
I'd say that's too harsh. I thought the Colbert Report was often hilarious and had the best blend of comedy and "news" of any show of its kind (eg The Daily Show and its other descendants). It worked well because it let Colbert do his thing as an actor and assume the role of someone who really wasn't anything like Stephen Colbert the man. On the Late Show, Stephen as the host is closer to being himself and that's a lot less funny. The other side of the coin is that he is also now hyper aware that people turn on his show for information and commentary as well as comedy and that brings with it a certain set of responsibilities. Responsibility and comedy just don't go together very well in my opinion.

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Flack
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Flack »

Have you ever seen those sitcom episodes without the laughter tracks added? They are just as painful to watch. There's something psychological about hearing other people laugh that tells our brains something's funny.

There are a ton of these on YouTube.

"I failed a savings throw and now I am back."

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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Billy Mays »

bryanb wrote: Sat Apr 04, 2020 3:48 amResponsibility and comedy just don't go together very well in my opinion.
George Carlin did it well, as did/do many of the greats. Colbert is an unfunny hack.

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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by pinback »

Bad Take Fairy says: "BAD TAKE!!"

(Bad Take Fairy doesn't have the energy to log out, create a new user, register, log back in and post it himself.)
I don't have to say anything. I'm a doctor, too.

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Jizaboz
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Jizaboz »

Flack wrote: Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:14 am Have you ever seen those sitcom episodes without the laughter tracks added? They are just as painful to watch. There's something psychological about hearing other people laugh that tells our brains something's funny.

There are a ton of these on YouTube.

Yeah! Those came to mind. Also, some shows with laugh tracks added have the same effect. "Sledge Hammer!" comes to mind. It's a corny show and was funny as shit to me as a kid. Now when I watch it, that fake laughing synced with clearly unfunny parts is pretty unbearable. That's probably why the producers took out the canned laughter after season 1.

I never really watch Jimmy Kimmel but caught some of his at-home show and I couldn't take it longer than 10 minutes. Conan O Brian on the other hand wrapped up his head in packaging tape then talked to an actor over a potato connection and I was ROFL'n.
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Casual Observer »

Kimmel is sometimes really funny and sometimes painfully sentimental (crying over his son's need for health insurance), Cordon seems always funny no matter what, Meyers seems almost always funny, Colbert was always funny to me until this crisis and now I can't seem to watch him at all, Olliver was funny even on Colbert's show when Colbert wasn't being funny. Frankly, I'd rather just listen to Bill Burr's podcast (which is often boring) or now I've been listening to Nikki Haley because at least she talks about getting fucked.

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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Ice Cream Jonsey »

I haven't watched Cordon's actually show, but damn if he doesn't come off as a total prick in every story I've found myself reading about him off camera.
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Casual Observer »

Casual Observer wrote: Sat Apr 04, 2020 1:26 pm Kimmel is sometimes really funny and sometimes painfully sentimental (crying over his son's need for health insurance), Cordon seems always funny no matter what, Meyers seems almost always funny, Colbert was always funny to me until this crisis and now I can't seem to watch him at all, Olliver was funny even on Colbert's show when Colbert wasn't being funny. Frankly, I'd rather just listen to Bill Burr's podcast (which is often boring) or now I've been listening to Nikki Haley because at least she talks about getting fucked.
Sorry, I should have wrote Nikie Glaser. Watched her Netfllix special and I'm right, it's 100% about her getting fucked. Not bad.

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Ice Cream Jonsey
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Ice Cream Jonsey »

I am on the Patreon for my favorite sports writer, Joe Posnanski. Joe, I hope you don't mind me quoting something from your post to your subscribers today. If you do mind I think this BBS will let you tell me to shut up without having to register. Joe wrote:
I want to know how weird it is for Seth Meyers to do his show in complete silence. I realize that all of the hosts are doing that — all of everybody is doing that — but Seth is my favorite and there’s a specific reason I think about it with him.

See, Seth is a writer. And I have long had this fascination with the difference between trying to write something funny and trying to perform something funny.

When you perform, you get a “funny/not funny” answer right then and there.

But when you write it, for a story or a book or a blog post or a weekly newsletter, you never really know if it made anybody laugh. You send it it out and pretty much the only reaction you might get is an email or a tweet saying:

NOT FUNNY!

LOL!

The first reaction is fairly straightforward. But the second one is unfulfilling; did they really laugh out loud? Probably not. Let’s be honest. No, best case scenario, they read it and thought, “that was mildly humorous,” which isn’t an especially kind thing to send to someone via email or Tweet — especially when they’re trying to offer a moderate compliment — so they send the more polite LOL! instead.

Anyway, Seth is one of the great comedy writers anywhere and he has this brilliant staff and they’re used to getting real and immediate and indisputable feedback on the jokes. And now, he performs into silence. I’m just curious how weird that is for him.

I have no idea why I’m sharing this with you.
I think, due to this time being so different for all of us (maybe there's some 100 year old that remembers the Spanish flu and is going "nope... nope.... nothing new you idiots" to the rest of us) that it's this total subversion of expectations and worth commenting on. Because, God, what else is there to do. I've written jokes that nobody saw for ten years- I had the first few rooms of Enceladus done before I picked it back up and did it for this last text game comp. I don't get much feedback on my Twitter either when I try to tell a joke. My brother has informed me this is because I am not remotely funny. So in his mind this is a solved issue. But I see lots of stuff that I think is funny but I don't hit the "Like" button on Twitter for, because I am a corpulent all-consuming blob that is using my finger to scroll, not give feedback. So for me this is all interesting the other way. I am used to telling a joke and not getting jack shit in response, in real-life and on Twitter and when writing something. Seth and the rest of the people doing this are in an even more (?) different spot - they are saying things that most likely ARE funny, but there's just dead silence.

(All of you also used to hang me out to dry when I would say things on The Don Rogers Show and I've never forgiven any of you for it. Well, not Joe.)
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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by AArdvark »

But when you write it, for a story or a book or a blog post or a weekly newsletter, you never really know if it made anybody laugh. You send it it out and pretty much the only reaction you might get is an email or a tweet
Or they could just tell you it was uninteresting

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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by The Happiness Engine »

The point is that Colbert is intentionally pausing as much as he would for the studio audience, to show you how weird a live comedian would be without that audience and maybe SUBTLY remind you that things are Shit Right Now.

I know you mouthbreathers have a hard time reading beyond the text, but this is "Guys! I think Walter White MIGHT BE... (whispers) an asshole?!" levels of comprehension.

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Re: Have you noticed how much Stephen Colbert sucks without an audience?

Post by Ice Cream Jonsey »

The Happiness Engine wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2020 5:59 pm The point is that Colbert is intentionally pausing as much as he would for the studio audience, to show you how weird a live comedian would be without that audience and maybe SUBTLY remind you that things are Shit Right Now.

I know you mouthbreathers have a hard time reading beyond the text, but this is "Guys! I think Walter White MIGHT BE... (whispers) an asshole?!" levels of comprehension.
Good thing Colbert is reminding us that things are different right now, you know, since otherwise there's really no way to fucking tell.
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