Here's a recent question from one of my favorite, longtime readers.
Anonymous asks:
Do you ever worry about posts like this one or the one about Lena Dunham hurting you professionally? Maybe I just know a lot of ass kissers, but the comedy writers I know would never trash a showrunner if there was a chance it would get back to them.
Great question.
The answer is: Yes!!! I worry about it a lot. It keeps me from writing a ton of posts I'd really like to write. But let's take your two examples, and why I felt comfortable writing them.
Regarding Dan Harmon, if I were offered a job where he was the showrunner, I wouldn't take it. This may seem crazy, or bullshit, but it's true. I've heard too many horror stories. Like, a lot of horror stories. And that kind of misery just isn't worth it to me.
I love writing. But I also like being happy. And I've worked in miserable situations, and there is a line where the money isn't worth it. His antics cross that line for me. And I'm sure he wouldn't hire me anyway.
As far as Lena Dunham goes, I didn't think my post about her was "trashing" her at all. This may sound crazy, but I thought I was defending her.
First of all, I think it's pretty clear that she knows that she has a funny body. So me saying so isn't trashing it.
Second of all, I think it's almost a backhanded compliment to hold up what she's doing as this big, important thing simply because she's a young woman. My point was, she's a comedian, a comedy writer. She's doing shit the rest of us our doing. I said how I've used "comedy crutches" in my own work.
No one is calling Daniel Tosh "brave" for getting naked all the time and constantly inferring that he likes fucking dudes (Incidentally, in my opinion Daniel Tosh is a hundred times more brave in his comedy than Lena Dunham, but that's another blog post). Why? Because it's comedy! It's expected! Lena Dunham's doing the same thing, so stop treating her differently.
But if you're not buying any of this, well then, if I were going up for a Dunham run show, I would probably pull all of these posts down, just to be safe...
5 comments:
The real question is, 'what'll you do if you meet a hot Arab chick?'
Every Selma reference will disappear overnight.
Why don't blogs have like buttons? I always want to "like" things on here.
thanks! i do appreciate it when you comment to tell me that like it, so there's that. and i would be in favor of a thumbs down button too.
jay, if that ever happens, this whole blog disappears faster than the south tower.
Disappear fast than the south tower!
That's why you're the one who gets paid to write comedy. I spent three minutes with 'underwear bomber' and couldn't grope my way to a punchline.
Here's the thing; "Irwin" is pretty funny and bitter. Do I agree with everything he says? No. When he talks about politics I want to kidnapp him and drop him off in South Orange County. He's still funny and if I were ever to finally sell a goddmanned pilot that miraculously went to series, I'd try to get him on the writing staff, even if it was a drama. Because he's funny. To me, this should make Lena Dunham want to work with him. They may not be best friends, but he can deliver and he has pretty big, hopefully shaven balls. Wow. I kind of rambled in there...my bad.
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