October 22, 2001
10:46 AM Subscribe
posted by Shadowkeeper at 10:54 AM on October 22, 2001
I thought the Jerry Bruckheimer article was very good. Thought-provoking while still humorous.
posted by Kafkaesque at 10:57 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by efullerton at 10:59 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by bob bisquick at 11:00 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by patricking at 11:03 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by Steven Den Beste at 11:04 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by gwint at 10:55 AM PST on October 22
I look forward to more of your cogent analysis.
Count me as someone who thought that they've held up their end pretty damn well. Comedy is a living bitch to write even in non-up-fucked times, and I am of the opinion that the Onion has hit way more than they've missed in the aftermath of the Great Big Obvious Event.
Besides, anyone who publishes the following line deserves some sort of medal:
Making America Safer
Americans to wear t-shirts bearing likeness of Osama bin Laden with phrase "Fuck you asshole," so if bin Laden sees one, he'll know he's an asshole and can get fucked
posted by Skot at 11:05 AM on October 22, 2001
You are humorless, you are less inclined to laugh these days, and you are not sure the issues were as brilliant as everyone says they were.
Good luck in your college editorial debate class!
posted by Down10 at 11:06 AM on October 22, 2001
I thought some of it was funny, I didn't get the life turns into a bad jerry bruckheimer movie or the cake baking one.
posted by tiaka at 11:06 AM on October 22, 2001
And then what made it even worse is that the piece that everyone specifically named as the "best of the best" was that TV schedule grid, which was one of the most generic things they've ever put out. The thing was full of the sorts of stuff my friends and I would goof on over dinner in college and then forget about. (Lifetime airs Golden Girls a lot! What a BRILLIANT insight!") I mean, if that is the epitome of written comedy today, I really ought to get off my ass and start a comedy blog, because I must be so good at it that I'd be guaranteed to be fondling Tiffany Schlain's ropetails within nine months.
(None if this is intended as a general slam against The Onion, which in its totality does indeed remain great. It's just this post-9/11 stuff that is so bizarre.)
posted by aaron at 11:11 AM on October 22, 2001
However, I did find it funny, and I resent the implication that those of us who enjoyed it just didn't have the "guts" to say how bad it was.
posted by moss at 11:11 AM on October 22, 2001
1. don't put out an issue.
2. try like hell to be sensitive and funny at the same time.
i applaud that they chose the latter. not all of it was funny, but none of it was cheap. a headline like "Terrorists: 2, USA: 0" would be wholly inappropriate.
I thought the "God Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule" headline was inspired. Not to mention the article.
posted by o2b at 11:14 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by aaron at 11:16 AM on October 22, 2001
I don't expect "INCREDIBLE!!!" from The Onion every week. They were never that good to begin with.
posted by briank at 11:18 AM on October 22, 2001
Not that the Onion is all gold every week for me, but it seems to be back to it's usual quality level Fourth-Graders' Button-Making-Machine Privileges Suspended Indefinitely Was one of the funniest thing's I've read. But I suppose they are trying to play it safe.
posted by delmoi at 11:19 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by Down10 at 11:20 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by holgate at 11:29 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by jbelshaw at 11:38 AM on October 22, 2001
The Daily Probe seems to have taken up where the Onion left off.
posted by Dillenger69 at 11:47 AM on October 22, 2001
"I don't expect "INCREDIBLE!!!" from The Onion every week. They were never that good to begin with,"
Sorry to single you out, briank (especially because by saying "... that good" you may actually defending the Onion as "no one can EVER be 'INCREDIBLE!!' every week. Because that I can agree with). But even if you are defending them, there are plenty of comments in this thread which remind me of how ridiculously indy-music-scene metafilter can be at times.
I'm a comedy writer myself, and am utterly in awe of the onion's collective ability. I know multiple-Emmy-Award winners who will genuflect to them as much or more than I will. Of course the Onion folks stumble on occasion, but who among us doesn't? They stumble less than anyone else out there, and soar more frequently, too.
It's maddening trying to keep up to date on what the bleeding edge is allowed to like, and when expiraction dates occur. Clearly the onion is no longer allowed, but I long to see what hallmark of comedy you all will toss up as superior, and just how long it will take for them to be yesterday's news.
Meanwhile, I'll keep reading "Our Dumb Century," which I consider far and away the funniest book ever written.
posted by Sinner at 11:55 AM on October 22, 2001
posted by cell divide at 12:09 PM on October 22, 2001
I personally think this OJR piece is basically on-target, but then I said something along those lines in that old thread, too.
posted by mattpfeff at 12:26 PM on October 22, 2001
The Onion wrote:
Not Knowing What Else To Do, Woman Bakes American-Flag Cake
and this appeared in the Orange County Register a week later:
Baking with the red, white and blue may aid in healing
By the way, when did 'funny' become empirical law? I always thought it was subjective. I hope the OJR has more hard hitting pieces soon like 'Your Mother jokes. Not funny at all'.
posted by jasonshellen at 12:27 PM on October 22, 2001
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:36 PM on October 22, 2001
I may not be a "multi-Emmy-winning" TV writer (although I'll bet I went to college with more multi-Emmy-winning TV writers than the average guy), but if The Onion is the gold standard by which all comedy is being judged these days, that explains "Inside Schwartz" and "Bob Patterson".
The Onion is funny most of the time. But "Funniest.Book.Ever." funny?
posted by briank at 12:55 PM on October 22, 2001
posted by timothompson at 1:12 PM on October 22, 2001
The main root of humour, that most people fail to recognize, is that it involves pain, always. Try to think of a (funny) joke that does not involve the pain of someone. It's always about misfortune, embarrassment, hurt, misunderstanding. Humour is a way of dealing with pain, but it's very hard to laugh when you are the one who is being hurt. Being the butt of a joke sucks (unless you are joking about yourself on purpose)--making someone else the butt of a joke is great fun.
I keep having a recurring argument with my friend about this. He concedes my point but claims that wordplay and puns don't involve anyone's pain--I counter that every pun causes pain to the listener. Then I knock him down and shove some baking soda up his ass, followed by a squirt of vinegar, just to prove my point with a fountain of foamy goodness.
See? It's funny because it's not you.
As Mr. Zeitchik says, it's hard to see humour in the situation when you've been busy empathizing with the pain of those affected. But that doesn't meen the humour isn't there.
posted by SpaceBass at 1:21 PM on October 22, 2001
Aren't there more important things in online journalism than giving a thumbs-up/thumbs-down report card on The Onion?
posted by CosmicSlop at 1:25 PM on October 22, 2001
Aren't there more important things in online journalism than giving a thumbs-up/thumbs-down report card on The Onion?
posted by CosmicSlop at 1:26 PM on October 22, 2001
Aren't there more important things in online journalism than giving a thumbs-up/thumbs-down report card on The Onion?
posted by CosmicSlop at 1:28 PM on October 22, 2001
posted by SpaceBass at 1:30 PM on October 22, 2001
No bluster, hyperbole or exaggeration here - i absolutely unequivocally do think that ODC is the funniest.book.ever.written. Subjective? of course.
The true value of "multi-emmy-award-winning" agreement? Nonexistent.
Having read the book a couple of times, I can't even really think of competitors, although I'd be interested in suggestions. In fact, this may be the opportunity for me to unleash a front-page post I've been thinking about for a while.
posted by Sinner at 1:33 PM on October 22, 2001
/gesticulates wildly in SB's direction and rolls on the floor guffawing uncontrollably/
posted by mattpfeff at 1:38 PM on October 22, 2001
Getting Even, Without Feathers or Side Effects?
Actually, Notes From A Small Island makes me laugh out loud every reread.
posted by Kafkaesque at 1:39 PM on October 22, 2001
posted by allaboutgeorge at 1:51 PM on October 22, 2001
posted by skechada at 2:01 PM on October 22, 2001
Catch-22
posted by nikzhowz at 2:03 PM on October 22, 2001
Yes, there is some superlative material in Woody's books, but have you ever noticed how THIN they are?
Side Effects and Notes..., I've never read. Hmm... What do you think? Front-page this? I'm trigger-shy these days.
posted by Sinner at 2:06 PM on October 22, 2001
Sounds like a syrup party to me.
But then again, probably everybody and their iguana will want to share their favorites.
Your call, palomino.
posted by Kafkaesque at 2:25 PM on October 22, 2001
As for the Best.Book.Ever argument, I don't know if I buy that, but I see the point. It's definitely some sort of masterpiece. I also like Without Feathers, a few Spike Milligan books and Et Tu, Babe (off the top of my head).
posted by D at 2:29 PM on October 22, 2001
posted by Kafkaesque at 2:35 PM on October 22, 2001
I mean, there wasn't one goddamn funny thing about 9/11, yet they managed to make me laugh. Who cares how funny, no, really funny, no, made me pee my pants funny, it was? It was creative and funny. (How many times can that word be used in this thread?) You win some, you lose some. So do they.
posted by aacheson at 3:25 PM on October 22, 2001
I don't know. I keep toying with the idea, writing some stuff here and there, but yeah, design/appearance remains the biggest stumbling block.
posted by aaron at 3:32 PM on October 22, 2001
I think there's another possibility that you overlooked. I think you'll agree that less than 100% of Americans think the onion is funny. Lets say that threshold is at 10%. So, 10% of Americans like the onion. I agree with your theory that we find it funny because we see a little of ourselves in it, but not so much that we actually identify with the people being made fun of. So, the 10% that like it are laughing at the 90% that don't. In this situation I think a possibility you overlooked was a shift in the threshold. Perhaps only 5% of people like the week you're referring to, because it is a parody of the other 95%. The 5% that shifted from liking the onion to not, did so because they identified more with the previous 90%, as you stated:
"Problem is, in the world after September 11, this gap is closing. We've identified a little too much with other Americans"
And I totally agree, that 5% has identified too much with other Americans, but you are not allowing for the fact that there is still 5% that does not.
To answer your question, "'Security Beefed Up at Cedar Rapids Public Library.' What's the joke here? That someone would be anxious enough to think that they too could be a target? Didn't everyone think that?"
No, everyone didn't think that, and to many people it was funny. If you did think that, that's fine, but don't criticize others who are putting out original content. Obviously other people enjoyed it, as you point out many times in your review, so let them. If you didn't fine, there are a lot of people who never liked the onion.
posted by rhyax at 3:41 PM on October 22, 2001
school playground jokes offer a curious narrative on current events, as do just about all forms of humour.
any on offer?
will trade.
posted by asok at 4:13 PM on October 22, 2001
school playground jokes offer a curious narrative on current events, as do just about all forms of humour.
any on offer?
will trade.
*goodnight*
posted by asok at 4:14 PM on October 22, 2001
Pancakes vs. Waffles, anyone?
posted by Dirjy at 4:27 PM on October 22, 2001
posted by toastcowboy at 5:24 PM on October 22, 2001
Hmm. I seem to remember a clip that CNN showed over and over of an amateur video, on which a guy screamed, "Holy shit! Shit! Hooooly shit!" One of CNN's people warned about the curse words at one point, then said, well, they were appropriate in this case. But of course CNN, even though it can show the video over and over, can't label it's coverage "Holy Fucking Shit." That should go without saying.
posted by raysmj at 10:43 PM on October 22, 2001
for LOOOSAS !!!
posted by ProfLinusPauling at 10:45 PM on October 22, 2001
I did actually laugh at some of them.
posted by ProfLinusPauling at 10:46 PM on October 22, 2001
posted by KirkJobSluder at 11:00 PM on October 22, 2001
posted by Zurishaddai at 1:44 AM on October 23, 2001
posted by twistedonion at 2:07 AM on October 23, 2001
posted by aaron at 11:16 AM PST on October 22
This freaked me out a little, as I dreamed the other night that aaron and owillis were the same person, which proves :
a) they aren't
b) I'm spending too much time here
c) my dosages are way off
d) all of the above.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:01 AM on October 23, 2001
« Older A "failed state". | Two DC Postal Workers May have died of Anthrax Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
That said (a) the "American Life Turned into Bad Jerry Bruckheimer Movie" article was, in fact, not funny, and (b) the issues since that first one have been pretty lame.
posted by Shadowkeeper at 10:53 AM on October 22, 2001