As I sat last night in the auditorium of Manhattan’s Symphony Space, laughing wildly at the stand-up routine that Daily Show correspondent John Oliver was taping for an upcoming Comedy Central special, one question kept nagging me: When exactly did he write all this side-splitting stuff? Could Oliver’s barbs been penned…gasp…during the late writers’ strike? So I breathed a sigh of relief when Oliver mentioned in passing that his material was actually written for him by a 10-year-old boy in Indonesia. "He lives and works at a factory," Oliver said of the presumably non-Guild scribe. "Works, mostly. He’s a real worker." He then whipped out the child’s "blood-spattered notebook" to share some more observational bits about "the man hitting me with a stick."
That’s Oliver’s style in a nutshell: viciously political, with a smirking meta edge (plus an excellent Oxbridge accent). Like Jon Stewart in his prime, he metes out caustic political judgments on topics like religion, war, colonialism, and global economics — barely bothering to act like he’s kidding. Yet like Stephen Colbert, he’ll also slip at times into an elaborately ironic persona, eviscerating right-wing excess by pretending to embrace it. At one point, he played an excerpt of President Bush’s 2008 State of the Union address over Bette Midler’s "Wind Beneath My Wings," kneeling in humble admiration. "What’s your solution, Jon Stewart?" he shouted righteously.
Oliver was at his best last night when he was playing off of pre-recorded videos like that, or when he got to interact with special guest Andy Zaltzman. In other words, it all amounted to a 90-minute episode of The Daily Show or The Colbert Report as hosted by Oliver — one hell of an audition. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Comedy Central needs to give Oliver his own regular show, stat. (In the meantime, you can tune in to his stand-up special on the auspicious date of April 20.) Who’s with me?
He very much deserves his own series. But, when Colbert, Steve Correll, and Ed Helms left, the Daily Show took awhile to recover.
I was also at one of the tapings last night and I thought he was absolutely hilarious. I especially liked his bit about what exactly caused him to pursue a career in comedy, I want to rewatch the special just for that. I also enjoyed his commentary of the inflatable barbeque grill, he’s right China’s got nothing on us.
First of all, Jon Stewart still rocks…so watch that “in his prime” business. Second, I love Oliver, but I’d rather just see him more on the “Daily Show”.
I also was at one of the tapings last night, and I thought it was amazing. I’m sure most people know this, but he and Andy do a weekly podcast called “The Bugle” for Times Online, a UK news source, and it’s like getting a weekly dose of last night’s show.
I went to this show, stood in line at 7:45 when they said we should get there, and after an hour and fifteen minutes of standing in the freezing cold (when we were told doors would CLOSE at 8:20) I left.
Unprofessional.
I saw him perform in Connecticut last summer, and he was hilarious (and he did all the bits you mentioned, so it was definitely written pre-strike!)But don’t take him away yet! The Daily Show election coverage is just hitting its stride, and he’s invaluable to them!
Yeah, make sure to check out The Bugle. Someone’s already mentioned it, but it’s hilarious and almost the same exact kind of thing as The Daily Show (only with accents!).
I just saw him here in Virginia, and I seriously had to lie down for an hour afterwards because my stomach was so cramped from laughing.
I cannot WAIT for it all to be on Comedy Central (but don’t steal him from the Daily Show yet!)
I agree with Mike. And seeing Oliver with Carrell was just too funny.
I love John Oliver! He’s so talented. I wish I could see one of his shows live. Don’t knock Stewart, though. I still love him, too.
I think we can all agree that the Daily Show still needs his talents. I was thinking maybe he could handle the weekend duties. Four nights of Stewart and Colbert followed by three nights of Oliver.
I still like Stewart! But Oliver’s awesome – in the UK, he did a section on a show called Mock The Week where they had to do a piece called – no kidding – Things The French Would Never Say. Rather than stooping low, he went into a really really long rant about how great a road in England called the M30 is. Really odd yet totally on-point.
Oh, I love the French while I’m at it.
I just saw him here in St. Louis and have been a fan of his for a long time. I disagree about the “own show” thing though. I think he is at his best doing editorial type stuff, either in written form (if you haven’t read his articles, head over to his webpage mrjohnoliver.com..BRILLIANT) or via podcast as in The Bugle. I can’t see him as a TV character..I think it would take away from his brilliance and his charm. Although, I of course would be a fan, regardless of where he decides to go with his career.
Although, if they somehow could turn The Bugle into a show without watering it down..ThAT would be pretty fab…
What makes April 20 so auspicious?