I don't know that Colbert is the most-left host (Kimmel could give him a run
for his money), but he's consistently been anti-Trump.
The problem (for me) is the overstuffed laziness of the writing on his show. It
really struck me last night how dependent he is on the prompter in the
monologue. I realize he's not telling "jokes" that can be
summarized/telegraphed on cue cards, but his monologue is about as spontaneous
as something by Rachel Maddow -- and I don't mean that as a compliment.
It's overstuffed in the sense that the monologue is full of long, long, long
remarks and recaps of the stuff that's already been dealt with (badly) in the
cold opening (which, as long as it highlights Stack, will remain the
second-weakest* part of the show) and endless explanations that set up the
"punchlines" he's about to deliver. (In my mind, if the setup takes that long,
the joke isn't worth it.)
His refusal to show or speak Trump's name is juvenile, and his reduction of
Biden to a clueless glad-hander in aviator glasses is as toothless and inane as
something on SNL.(I don't mind criticism of Biden; I do mind uninspired
criticism.)
(*The weakest part will always be the panels, which have always been
too-heavily reliant on whatever's been discussed in the pre-interview, and are
hampered by his continued inability to listen to the guests or avoid talking
over them.)
The biggest problem with the show's politics is its continually
self-congratulatory preaching to the choir. I'm not saying he should be
bipartisan (I'm glad he's picked a lane), but there's a smugness to the show
that borders on the unpleasant for me. Meyers's show (obviously) deals with the
same subjects, but any "Closer Look" segment does that work better, more
efficiently, and in a funnier way than anything on TLS. (Unsaid before is
remarking on whatever Noah's done to TDS. Other than Roy Wood, Dulce Sloan, and
Jordan Klepper's remotes, it's really a train wreck. Hell, last night -- after
three or four weeks off -- they had a remote segment by Michael Kosta that was
so old there was snow on the ground. This is timely and cutting-edge?)
--Dave Sikula
On Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 10:57:18 AM PDT, Kevin M.
<[email protected]> wrote:
I have always enjoyed Colbert, and I’m not opposed to politics in late night
monologues… talk shows are supposed to be topical and relevant to the headlines
of the day. If Trump is in the news, there should be Trump jokes. If Biden is
in the news, there should be Biden jokes.
I’ve stated before I stopped watching all of them, but my reasons have changed.
The monologues (and SNL satirizations) have been proven to catapult the most
absurd politicians into the spotlight. Under the axiom of “no such thing as bad
publicity,” if they’re talking about you, you must be doing something right.
There were at least four better Democratic presidential candidates than Biden
in 2020, just as there were better GOP candidates than Trump, but those two
were the easiest to make fun of, which made them ratings gold. Bernie Sanders,
likewise, is demonstrably ineffective, but he’s cranky and generates sound
bites that can be picked apart and mocked. Same with the thankfully gone Boris
Johnson in the UK… these people aren’t leaders; they just generate noise.
We get the candidates we deserve, and as long as culture focuses on who is the
loudest and most obnoxious, those will be our leaders. Talk shows didn’t create
the problem, but they do perpetuate it.
On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 8:21 AM PGage <[email protected]> wrote:
I have always perceived Colbert to be one of the most genuinely liberal voices
on mainstream TV, dating back to before The Colbert Report. He was always
clearly more liberal than the more libertarian Jon Stewart.
All that to say that I take Colbert’s constant focus on Critiquing Trump to be
authentic to his beliefs. But I suspect one reason I have fallen away from
regular viewership is that it also seems to be a calculated marketing strategy.
This suspicion has been deepened by Licht’s non-Colbert behavior, both pre at
MSNBC (Morning Joe) and post at CNN, which is consistent with the
interpretation that he has no values other than corporate values.
The problem for me is not that I only want to expose myself to genuinely
liberal voices on TV (I don’t) but I don’t want to feel like I am being
exploited for my own liberal values. I’ve never paid for the services of a sex
worker, but I imagine the feeling afterwards might be something like how I feel
after watching Colbert. Well, not exactly, but kind of.
On Wed, 7 Sep 2022 at 12:17 AM 'David Bruggeman' via TVorNotTV
<[email protected]> wrote:
Tonight's opening credits were almost identical to last season's, with the only
change being Louis Cato and the rest of the Late Show Band walking onstage in
the same spot Jon Batiste used to.
No new or guest personnel tonight. I do note that James Taylor is scheduled
for later this week, so we may see Mr. Goldings on keys as well.
And of course, this is just the first episode of the new season.
Best,David
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 01:51:27 PM PDT, 'David Bruggeman' via
TVorNotTV <[email protected]> wrote:
They may not be in any hurry to name a permanent keys player. We might see a
rotation of folks
Goldings did post some photos and audio from his Late Show appearances with
Taylor on the 'gram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg2LXbBlo86/?hl=en
David
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 11:27:51 AM PDT, 'Bob Jersey' via TVorNotTV
<[email protected]> wrote:
To update, Goldings did also appear with Walsh; several Redditors confirned.
B
Mark Jeffries, in part, Aug 12th:
I'm guessing there's going to be a new keyboard player. Larry Goldings sat in
with James Taylor last week and there was someone else hidden in the back this
week with Joe Walsh (it might've been Goldings, because they were playing the
same keyboard Goldings played). I guess we'll find out in September.
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