Re: Ali G.
Sasha Baron-Cohen isn't really that left-wing; my other half was a contemporary of his at Cambridge and remembers him as being pretty apolitical. The sexual politics of some of the things he's done on British TV were really quite appalling, in that rather annoying ironic laddish sexism way that we have over here. On the other hand, he is funny, which I suppose ought to count for something when judging a comedian. dd PS. btw, you can listen to the original subject of the Ali G satire, Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/urban/westwood/ Westwood actually does know his stuff when it comes to hip-hop, and is a mate of Chuck D IIRC (I think he gets quite a prominent shout-out on the credits to the Nation of Millions album). But it is often extremely funny to listen to all his wassups and word to all my niggaz and reflect that his father was the Bishop of Peterborough. -Original Message- From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Louis Proyect Sent: 20 July 2004 15:34 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Ali G. Unfortunately, Ali G.'s HBO shows are not available yet on DVD. I also fear that it will become more and more difficult for the highly educated and leftwing British Jew who plays him to fool people like Sam Donaldson, etc. into thinking that he is a poorly educated inner city rapper. In any case, you can snippets of his act at: http://www.hbo.com/alig/. While most of his interviewees are big-time rightwingers like Brent Snowcroft or fundamentalist Christian ministers, he does manage to fool some well-known leftists on occasion. Last Friday night, when I was watching an Ali G. marathon on HBO in preparation for the new season which began on Sunday, I was greatly amused by his interview of Nation Magazine writer and Columbia University professor Arthur Danto, whose humorlessly, impenetrable prose helped me decide to cancel my subscription to this magazine. The exchange went something like this: Ali G: So what is art nouveau [pronounced nuvio]? Danto: That's a style of art that was popular at the turn of the century done by people such as Gustav Klimt. Ali G: And what about art deco? Danto: Well, all of NYC is art deco. [At this point, Ali G. gives Danto one of his patented cocked-head What's up with that? look.] Ali G: Okay, then what is Art Garfunkel? At this point Danto, who should have known better, explains patiently that this is not art but a singer who used to be paired with Paul Simon, whereupon Ali G. retorts, Won't that confuse the youth [pronounced yoof]. Very funny stuff. The Cheerful Confessions of Ali G, Borat and Bruno By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN NY Times, July 15, 2004 Da Ali G Show, the British comic Sacha Baron Cohen's HBO series, returns for its second American season on Sunday. While playing the part of Ali G, an imbecilic and gonzo rapper who speaks in Caribbean-British slang, Mr. Baron Cohen in the first few episodes interviews Pat Buchanan, Sam Donaldson and Gore Vidal. For all the publicity that Ali G received in his initial HBO season, in which he put on the likes of Newt Gingrich, the former astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. and the former director of central intelligence R. James Woolsey, none of this season's august figures managed to see their disguised interviewer for who he is: a wickedly smart, left-wing comedian and practicing Jew with a degree from Cambridge. In man-on-the-street interviews and other stunts this season, Mr. Baron Cohen also reprises the characters of Borat, an unwashed, leering Kazakh, and Bruno, an Austrian gadfly from the fashion world. Typically averse to talking out of costume and character, Mr. Baron Cohen still sat down this week to discuss his approach to satire, his fear of America and the secret wild ways of Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Here are excerpts. VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN Why is Ali G so funny? SACHA BARON COHEN It's a pretty simple joke, which is why even some kids get it. Essentially you have two people who look totally different one guy dressed in an absurd yellow jumpsuit, and the other guys dressed in a suit. They're speaking in different ways, with different body language and totally different levels of intelligence. HEFFERNAN Is it more fun to play pranks on British people or Americans? BARON COHEN It depends on the class, actually. The best targets the legitimate targets are successful, powerful white men, who rule the country. And in Britain the upper class are incredibly accommodating. You can punch someone from the upper class in the face, and they'll go, Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry. They'll never ever throw you out of the room. Here, there have been some occasions where people just are blunt, where they will say, All right, enough is enough. Marlin Fitzwater threw Ali G out of the room. And this year Andy Rooney hated Ali G from the moment he saw him. He starts asking: Have you done this before? Is English your first language? And then basically tries to stop the interview after one question
Ali G.
Unfortunately, Ali G.'s HBO shows are not available yet on DVD. I also fear that it will become more and more difficult for the highly educated and leftwing British Jew who plays him to fool people like Sam Donaldson, etc. into thinking that he is a poorly educated inner city rapper. In any case, you can snippets of his act at: http://www.hbo.com/alig/. While most of his interviewees are big-time rightwingers like Brent Snowcroft or fundamentalist Christian ministers, he does manage to fool some well-known leftists on occasion. Last Friday night, when I was watching an Ali G. marathon on HBO in preparation for the new season which began on Sunday, I was greatly amused by his interview of Nation Magazine writer and Columbia University professor Arthur Danto, whose humorlessly, impenetrable prose helped me decide to cancel my subscription to this magazine. The exchange went something like this: Ali G: So what is art nouveau [pronounced nuvio]? Danto: That's a style of art that was popular at the turn of the century done by people such as Gustav Klimt. Ali G: And what about art deco? Danto: Well, all of NYC is art deco. [At this point, Ali G. gives Danto one of his patented cocked-head What's up with that? look.] Ali G: Okay, then what is Art Garfunkel? At this point Danto, who should have known better, explains patiently that this is not art but a singer who used to be paired with Paul Simon, whereupon Ali G. retorts, Won't that confuse the youth [pronounced yoof]. Very funny stuff. The Cheerful Confessions of Ali G, Borat and Bruno By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN NY Times, July 15, 2004 Da Ali G Show, the British comic Sacha Baron Cohen's HBO series, returns for its second American season on Sunday. While playing the part of Ali G, an imbecilic and gonzo rapper who speaks in Caribbean-British slang, Mr. Baron Cohen in the first few episodes interviews Pat Buchanan, Sam Donaldson and Gore Vidal. For all the publicity that Ali G received in his initial HBO season, in which he put on the likes of Newt Gingrich, the former astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. and the former director of central intelligence R. James Woolsey, none of this season's august figures managed to see their disguised interviewer for who he is: a wickedly smart, left-wing comedian and practicing Jew with a degree from Cambridge. In man-on-the-street interviews and other stunts this season, Mr. Baron Cohen also reprises the characters of Borat, an unwashed, leering Kazakh, and Bruno, an Austrian gadfly from the fashion world. Typically averse to talking out of costume and character, Mr. Baron Cohen still sat down this week to discuss his approach to satire, his fear of America and the secret wild ways of Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Here are excerpts. VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN Why is Ali G so funny? SACHA BARON COHEN It's a pretty simple joke, which is why even some kids get it. Essentially you have two people who look totally different one guy dressed in an absurd yellow jumpsuit, and the other guys dressed in a suit. They're speaking in different ways, with different body language and totally different levels of intelligence. HEFFERNAN Is it more fun to play pranks on British people or Americans? BARON COHEN It depends on the class, actually. The best targets the legitimate targets are successful, powerful white men, who rule the country. And in Britain the upper class are incredibly accommodating. You can punch someone from the upper class in the face, and they'll go, Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry. They'll never ever throw you out of the room. Here, there have been some occasions where people just are blunt, where they will say, All right, enough is enough. Marlin Fitzwater threw Ali G out of the room. And this year Andy Rooney hated Ali G from the moment he saw him. He starts asking: Have you done this before? Is English your first language? And then basically tries to stop the interview after one question. HEFFERNAN Is Borat an anti-Semite? BARON COHEN Yeah, yeah. Part of the idea of Borat is to get people to feel relaxed enough that they fully open up. And they say things that they never would on normal TV. So if they are anti-Semitic or racist or sexist, they'll say it. HEFFERNAN And you asked someone, Do you have slaves? BARON COHEN Exactly. We were in a private gentlemen's club in Jackson, Miss. And all the serving staff were black. There's this unsaid racism; there's still segregation there. I can't remember the actual line, but I asked if he had slaves, and he said, Slavery's over now. And I go, Yeah, that's right. He goes, It's good. And I go, Good for them! He goes, Yeah, good for them. Bad for us. full: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/arts/television/15ALI.html -- The Marxism list: www.marxmail.org
Re: Ali G.
On Tue, Jul 20, 2004 at 10:34:19AM -0400, Louis Proyect wrote: Unfortunately, Ali G.'s HBO shows are not available yet on DVD. I also fear that it will become more and more difficult for the highly educated and leftwing British Jew who plays him to fool people like Sam Donaldson, etc. into thinking that he is a poorly educated inner city He also interviews Gallbraith. Funny stuff.
Re: Ali G.
Dmytri Kleiner wrote: He also interviews Gallbraith. Funny stuff. Professor J. K. Galbraith about the economy. Ali: What is supply and demand? Is it like with me Julie? I supply it and she demand it. JKG: Supply and demand is an old economic expression... Ali: Is it like in me school? Everyone was well into Tashid Vegi because she was all well fit and had nice skin and whatever and you had to spend 75p even for a touch and Zoe Lewis who was a bit dodgy, looked a bit rough, she was 25p for fingers and thumbs. Ali: So what notes do you have here? JKG: Dollars, five dollars, ten dollars. Ali: Would it not be more convienient if instead of having like just a ten dollar bill and a twenty dollar bill you had like a five dollar nineteen cents bill or like a twelve dollar forty-eight cents bill or like a forty-eight dollar five cents bill or like a seventy-eight dollar three cents bill or like a two hundred and sixty-seven dollar fifty-four cents bill or like a three hundred and eighteen dollar nine cents bill, then you could pay for everything with one note, innit? JKG: I have no hesitation in saying that would be so complicated that only you and a few other people would understand it. Ali: I has got an idea and I want to run it by you, Professor Galbraith. What has everyone in the world got...? Feet, right? And what do they want their feet to become...? Comfy. How do they make their feet comfy? One word... JKG: Shoes. Ali: Slippers! Me idea is to make... slippers. JKG: Well, ah, um... you're not the only person with that idea. Ali: Yeah? Well, check this. I is going to use the intranet, and I is going to do it on wwf.slippers.com. What do you think about that? JKG: I would point out that you will only become a millionaire making slippers, internet or not, if you make them cheaper than anybody else... Ali: What happen if I use the intranet and I do it instead of that address, on wwf.swedishfanny.com, 'cos then everyone would think that they is going over to some nice girls or whatever, and what would they see? Me slippers! JKG: Okay, uh, that's your risk, fortunately, and not mine. Ali: Do you want to invest some money in it? JKG: Certainly not. Admiral Stansfield Turner about the CIA. Ali: So, Mr. Stansfield, what does the CIA stand for? AST: Central Intelligence Agency. Ali: So does it help if you was intelligent if you wanna get in? AST: Yes, to get in you need a college degree... Ali: Ain't that a bit racialist though that you have to be intelligent? AST: Isn't that a bit? Ali: Racialist, that you won't allow in thick people? Could I ever work for the CIA? AST: I would certainly think so, you seem intelligent. Ali: Thank you very much, I has got two GCSEs. Ali: So let's talk about spies now because the CIA has also got to do with spies, innit? Is it true that you have certain female spies that you put a camera in their punani? AST: ... Ali: What uniform to the CIA spies wear? AST: They don't wear a uniform, they have to be as incognito as possible. Now look, you go over to a foreign country, we have a CIA person goes to country X, and in that country he finds... Joe, who is willing to give us information. Ali: Who is Joe? AST: Joe is a member of country X, he is a citizen of country X. Ali: Is it not dangerous that you is saying his name because this maybe on the telly. Ali: What about landing a man on the moon, did it actually ever happen? AST: Of course it happened, I've actually shaken hands with the first man on the moon. Ali: How do we actually know that Louis Armstrong was actually stood on the moon? AST: It was Neil Armstrong. Ali: Whatever. -- The Marxism list: www.marxmail.org
