Here & There
This entry originated not out of me having anything new or exciting to say or write, but rather because I feel like I have to say or write something. You see, for the last week or so I have been stuck in an intellectual rut. I have done little to no reading outside of the The Boston Globe, and I have not sit down to write anything of significant length or content in two weeks. Throw in the fact that I have drank considerable amounts of alcohol 5 of the last 7 nights, and I say that just as the weekend is beginning, and it has left me feeling sluggish and useless. What really pushed me over the edge, however, was Professor Carney's brief, innocuous aside while making a point during my American Independent Film class. The comment pertained to comedy, and how corrosive it is to society for the likes of Jay Leno and David Letterman to make light of the world's ills during the monologues. He also mentioned how a show like Saturday Night Live could be such more dangerous and important if it alternated between serious and funny, allowing the humor to naturally grow out of the seriousness, as opposed to just being constantly silly, and as a result, inconsequential and easily disposable. Professor Carney's comments immediately got me thinking, as it is my intent to make a living as a sketch comedy writer. My initial response was that he was displaying his usual intellectual arrogance and dismissing out of hand anything that is popular or mainstream. The more I got to thinking, however, the more I realized he was right. And a result I instantly began to doubt myselfWhen SNL does a sketch like "Dick in a Box", it's entertaining, but it has very little redeeming value and allows the show to be dismissed by those it attacks whenever it does make a sharp and biting comment on society. It's just silly. The reason Kids in the Hall has altered my view on comedy and its effects is because the comedy comes out of dark places, and even the silly sketches arise from real world situations. Following Prof. Carney's remarks, we watched a clip of Mikey and Nicky, an outstanding film by Elaine May, in which John Cassavetes and Peter Falk, two of my favorite actors, take turns sexually assaulting a clearly confused and dim woman they know to be a slut. Now, I realize that sounds like the worst set-up for a comedic situation, but trust me when I say that the scene was as funny as it was uncomfortable. The humor came not out of the situation, but rather how mean, ignorant, and hurtful both Cassavetes and Falk were. The class was laughing not at the poor woman being taken advantage of, but rather in disgust at Cassavetes and Falk for their cruelty. Initially I was angry at Professor Carney because after criticizing comedy that makes light of the world's ills here he was laughing at a defenseless woman being sexually attacked by two men. I soon realized, however, that he was absolutely right. The film was not getting a laugh at the woman's expense, but rather at the two boorish men, and in doing so proved just how ridiculous it is to do something to women. And that is when I soon began to feel better again about my future profession. Using comedy to expose and explore the worst of society is an obligation I take very seriously, and by the end of the class, my career path had actually been reaffirmed. Granted, it has shaken my faith in the art I enjoy, and has caused me to reexamine much of the music and movies I have always claimed to love. Again, I think Prof. Carney is right; maybe films like Wedding Crashers and Anchorman are corrosive to society, not only intellectually, but when you consider that $300-400 million is spent to make, market, and view these movie at a time when over 1,000,000,000 are living in poverty. Perhaps having previously enjoyed them makes me no different than the Anti-Intellectual Pride people I so regularly bash.
But that is a subject for another time. Right now I have written myself about 50% out my intellectual rut. And perhaps a little Norman Mailer and Kids in the Hall can take me the rest of the way.
But in the end, I will probably just get drunk and watch Beerfest. And the rut continues.
This entry originated not out of me having anything new or exciting to say or write, but rather because I feel like I have to say or write something. You see, for the last week or so I have been stuck in an intellectual rut. I have done little to no reading outside of the The Boston Globe, and I have not sit down to write anything of significant length or content in two weeks. Throw in the fact that I have drank considerable amounts of alcohol 5 of the last 7 nights, and I say that just as the weekend is beginning, and it has left me feeling sluggish and useless. What really pushed me over the edge, however, was Professor Carney's brief, innocuous aside while making a point during my American Independent Film class. The comment pertained to comedy, and how corrosive it is to society for the likes of Jay Leno and David Letterman to make light of the world's ills during the monologues. He also mentioned how a show like Saturday Night Live could be such more dangerous and important if it alternated between serious and funny, allowing the humor to naturally grow out of the seriousness, as opposed to just being constantly silly, and as a result, inconsequential and easily disposable. Professor Carney's comments immediately got me thinking, as it is my intent to make a living as a sketch comedy writer. My initial response was that he was displaying his usual intellectual arrogance and dismissing out of hand anything that is popular or mainstream. The more I got to thinking, however, the more I realized he was right. And a result I instantly began to doubt myselfWhen SNL does a sketch like "Dick in a Box", it's entertaining, but it has very little redeeming value and allows the show to be dismissed by those it attacks whenever it does make a sharp and biting comment on society. It's just silly. The reason Kids in the Hall has altered my view on comedy and its effects is because the comedy comes out of dark places, and even the silly sketches arise from real world situations. Following Prof. Carney's remarks, we watched a clip of Mikey and Nicky, an outstanding film by Elaine May, in which John Cassavetes and Peter Falk, two of my favorite actors, take turns sexually assaulting a clearly confused and dim woman they know to be a slut. Now, I realize that sounds like the worst set-up for a comedic situation, but trust me when I say that the scene was as funny as it was uncomfortable. The humor came not out of the situation, but rather how mean, ignorant, and hurtful both Cassavetes and Falk were. The class was laughing not at the poor woman being taken advantage of, but rather in disgust at Cassavetes and Falk for their cruelty. Initially I was angry at Professor Carney because after criticizing comedy that makes light of the world's ills here he was laughing at a defenseless woman being sexually attacked by two men. I soon realized, however, that he was absolutely right. The film was not getting a laugh at the woman's expense, but rather at the two boorish men, and in doing so proved just how ridiculous it is to do something to women. And that is when I soon began to feel better again about my future profession. Using comedy to expose and explore the worst of society is an obligation I take very seriously, and by the end of the class, my career path had actually been reaffirmed. Granted, it has shaken my faith in the art I enjoy, and has caused me to reexamine much of the music and movies I have always claimed to love. Again, I think Prof. Carney is right; maybe films like Wedding Crashers and Anchorman are corrosive to society, not only intellectually, but when you consider that $300-400 million is spent to make, market, and view these movie at a time when over 1,000,000,000 are living in poverty. Perhaps having previously enjoyed them makes me no different than the Anti-Intellectual Pride people I so regularly bash.
But that is a subject for another time. Right now I have written myself about 50% out my intellectual rut. And perhaps a little Norman Mailer and Kids in the Hall can take me the rest of the way.
But in the end, I will probably just get drunk and watch Beerfest. And the rut continues.
posted by Andrew Felper | 2:43 PM
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