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4:19
Transcript
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In the last 7 to 8 years, I began to
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develop a different comic voice and a
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and a different perspective. Um, you
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know, comedy stand-up comedy is a low
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art. It's it's a vulgar art. It's an art
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of the people. It's not fine. But it is
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an art. It's it it has to do with
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interpreting the world as you see it and
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then writing something and then
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delivering it verbally.
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Uh and I found a very liberating
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position for myself as an artist. And
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that was I sort of gave up on the human
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race and gave up on the American dream
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and culture and nation and decided that
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I didn't care about the outcome. And
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that gave me a lot of freedom from a
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kind of distant platform to be sort of
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0:40
amused a kind of to watch the whole
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thing with a combination of wonder and
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pity. I try to put that into words.
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Not caring about the outcome, what do
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you mean by that? Not having an
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emotional stake in whether this
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experiment with human beings works. I
0:53
really don't care.
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Uh I love people as I meet them one by
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one. People of the are just wonderful as
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individuals. You see the whole universe
1:00
in their eyes if you look carefully. But
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as soon as they begin to group, as soon
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as they begin to clot, when there are
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five of them or 10 or even groups as
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small as two, they begin to change. They
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sacrifice the beauty of the individual
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for the sake of the group. I decided it
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was all under the control of groups now,
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whether it's business, religion,
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political people or what, and I would
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distance myself from wishing for a good
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outcome. Let it do what it's going to do
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and I'll enjoy it as an entertainer.
1:27
on what it is on its own.
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And I'll enjoy it for the entertainment.
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There's a little bit of a sick part in
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this, too. I root for the big comet. I
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root for the big asteroid to come and
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make things right. That's the way I put
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it. Stir things up. Yes, to get us back
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where we were before the first one came
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and knocked out these dinosaurs and let
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the ferrets go.
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about comets on this show tonight.
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I know it.
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Uh and I'm I'm rooting for that big one
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to come right through that hole in the
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ozone layer because I want to see it on
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CNN. See, I'm here for the
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entertainment, Charlie. I am. People
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These philosophers say, "Why are we
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here?" I know I am here. For the
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entertainment.
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The show.
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Bring it on. I want to see the circus.
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So
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But how does this affect your
2:00
performance and what you bring to
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stand-up?
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I've seen a lot of comedian We've all
2:05
seen a lot of comedians who seem to have
2:06
a political bent in their work.
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And always implicit in the work is is
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some positive outcome. That this is all
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going to work. If only we do this. If
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only we pass that bill. If only elect
2:16
him. If only we do that. It's not true.
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It's it's circling the drain time for
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the for humans. I believe this. I
2:22
honestly believe this. Not just as a
2:24
comedian he thinks that. He likes to say
2:25
that. I believe it. And when you say to
2:28
yourself, "I don't care what happens."
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It just gives you a broader perspective
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for the art for the words to to emerge.
2:35
To not care. That's what happened in
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that '92 show. That's why I could say
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the planet is fine. The people are
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Cuz the planet will outlast us. It will
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be here and it will be fine.
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Has the subject matter changed? Well, I
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I you know, you're still stuck with
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what's going on. But I I don't like
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topical. I don't like political humor. I
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I don't mention politicians. In fact, I
2:56
defend them in this particular show.
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Everyone is on their case. Everyone is
3:00
always making things
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Politicians are bad. I I defend them and
3:03
blame it on the people. This is where it
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belongs.
3:05
You get what you deserve? Yes, you get
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what you deserve and you deserve what
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you get. And I have a slogan, "The
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public sucks." And it works nicely and
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people accept it. Not not not very
3:13
enthusiastically, but they understand
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that it says, "We the people" in that
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preamble. Doesn't say them that this is
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and those that that's us. It says, "Hey,
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We got on this boat.
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And people who hate government are
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involved in a in a form of suicide
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because government is self-government.
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And if you hate the government, you hate
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yourself.
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It's the same with the war against
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nature that that mankind goes through.
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So, I just said to myself, "It's not
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going to get better, not in my lifetime.
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Let me enjoy this and get a little
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perverse about my my commentary on it."
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I I I open
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perverse mean, though? Well, to to look
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for where the people think the line is.
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The people have values that these things
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these these amorphous things they call
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values that they bring to to the to the
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seat in the theater when they sit down.
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And I like to find out where their line
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may be and deliberately cross it.
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Disturb them a little, make them
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uncomfortable and then
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make them and then bring them with me
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across the line and make them glad they
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came. That's what I do. I'm an
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entertainer. I'm not a doomsayer. I'm
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not here to preach. I don't do political
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tracts. But I do entertain. I do a lot
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of jokes, but I want you to feel a
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little in danger along the way.
— end of transcript —
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