David Cross gets political.
January 4, 2004 8:16 PM   Subscribe

David Cross gets political.
posted by skallas (23 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- frimble



 
Celebrities... is there anything they can't do?
posted by Frank Grimes at 8:52 PM on January 4, 2004


Man, I bet this is the next big thing!

Who's next, Bill Maher, Janeane Garofalo, Margaret Cho, maybe George Carlin?
posted by Mick at 8:53 PM on January 4, 2004


It's weird to think that David Cross is so much older than I am . I guess it really is true that attitude is more important than years..

Oh, and Cross, of course, kicks ass.
posted by Space Coyote at 9:44 PM on January 4, 2004


And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling
posted by Satapher at 2:56 AM on January 5, 2004


Wow, that guy really connects! We share so many opinions just fron that short interview. Here's my favorite:

I don't think I'll ever experience something as frustrating and demoralizing and deflating and bordering on tragic as what happened in 2000. Not just the event, but this whole kinda campaign that actually became successful, where everybody was like, "Ok it's over, we get it move on, yeah we get it, alright, your buddy lost, don't worry about it, move on." Like you're just supposed to go, "Yeah, you're right, alright, forget it. Yeah it's a bummer for a couple of days but I guess it doesn't reflect poorly on the rest of our lives." That was shocking, and remains so.

Exactly.
posted by nofundy at 5:10 AM on January 5, 2004


Well, because he's a celebrity, everything he says should be dismissed without consideration. /sniff Whatever, Grimey! This guy is one of the most intelligent and drop-dead hilarious comedians I have ever had the pleasure to see perform live.

As far as the text of the interview goes, I don't know anyone who would disagree with this:

It's pretty galling that I know people will wait in line for a weekend to see a f*ckin' movie that's gonna be there for three months, but won't wait in line for 12 minutes to vote. If not for yourself, then for everyone else, it's truly one of the most selfish things you can do. Just the fact that you won't educate yourself on the issues. It's truly one of the most selfish things you can do. Especially because so many people have suffered to obtain that right, or obtain the idea of that right.
posted by psmealey at 6:50 AM on January 5, 2004


For some reason, even though I share a lot of his opinions, I still find David Cross to be a self-righteous twat. He reminds me of this guy I knew in college who had this very bored, snobby, tired voice. You just knew he felt like he was doing you a big favor by breathing the same air as you. He may very well be saying things worth hearing, but his personality is so grating that it makes me tune him out.

and psmealy, it isn't neccesarily ignorance that alienates people from politics. Sometimes it's disgust, hopelesssness, feeling like its irrelevant to you and you to it. But if you want to keep believing that it's because you and Cross are deep-thinking sensitive souls and the rest of us are ignorant neanderthals, you go right ahead.
posted by jonmc at 7:26 AM on January 5, 2004


That's all we need is another preachy comedian who thinks he's Arthur Schlesinger just because he read a newspaper once, and listens to NPR. Let me ask you this, if you refuse to be castigated by Pat Robertson for your sins, why should you sit still for some two-bit Alan King manque calling you "selfish" for not voting, and not "educating yourself on the issues"? Who is this guy to lecture me on my lifestyle, which may not include watching the news or voting in a way he approves. He doesn't even attempt to0 make his points funny way (unless you consider the constant interjection of "f*cking" as sidesplittingly witty). Newspapers and magazines are swollen with blowhards who can spout political bushwah a million times better than David Cross can ever hope to do. At the same time, only about two people in America are actually funny. Laughs are a lot more valuable than opinions -- especially when they're the same opinions everyone else already has. Same goes for Miller, Maher and the rest of these hugely unfunny, funnymen.
posted by Faze at 7:38 AM on January 5, 2004


Dude, have you seen the Druggeschusettes sketch? Are you dead?
posted by DenOfSizer at 7:51 AM on January 5, 2004


Another Cross interview in which he talks a bit about politics.
posted by acornface at 8:11 AM on January 5, 2004


Jonmc, if you had actually bothered to read the passage you'd see that he mentions disgust, hopelessness and feeling irrelevant as well that are drivers that keep people from voting, and not really ignorance. Point is: you just gotta go do it. You basically just made his point for him, you self-righteous so and so.
posted by psmealey at 8:27 AM on January 5, 2004


er, rather not the passage, but the whole text of the interview.
posted by psmealey at 8:33 AM on January 5, 2004


The left seems to believe that there is this huge pool of potential Democratic voters that is not being tapped, especially among the young. Historically, however, young voters are no more liberal than the rest of the population. Let people vote or not vote, whatever they chose to do. The populace is a sleeping dog. Let it lie, lest it rise and bite your leg.
posted by Faze at 8:44 AM on January 5, 2004


Point is: you just gotta go do it.

Says who?

I did read the whole interview. It did nothing to change my assessment of Cross as a twat.
posted by jonmc at 8:49 AM on January 5, 2004


I have to agree with jonmc. I was always a huge Mr. Show fan. Loved Cross's sporadic cameos in stuff like Strangers with Candy and the other weirder B-list Comedy Central shows. Thought I'd love his stand-up. But it's so shrill, so eager to please the right people (trust me, he knows his audience), so smug & condescending....and so Medium-Funny.

And as XQ said, he's not recently "gotten" political. He's been vocal for a long time, and he's certainly entitled to his opinions. But they're no more earth-shattering, original or incisive than any non-celebrity's in my own neighborhood.
posted by dhoyt at 9:05 AM on January 5, 2004


Though, he does have his moments:

"If all you do is spew this bumper sticker rhetoric and sputter these cute little catch phrases about how Bush is like Hitler, then you know you're a f*ckin' moron."
posted by dhoyt at 9:21 AM on January 5, 2004


i haven't seen enough of his various appearences in things or Mr. Show to think he's as funny as everyone seems to think he is. BUT i caught a marathon of Arrested Development the other night and he's pretty funny on it.
posted by rollerball at 9:39 AM on January 5, 2004


I wouldn't say that Cross is a genius (or even half as funny as Carlin was back in his day), but he does come across as sharper and more irreverent than someone like Bill Maher, whose insights are poorly researched and nearly always delivered as facile cliches, or Al Franken, whose agenda blunts his satire and deadens his humor.
posted by psmealey at 10:09 AM on January 5, 2004


Though, he does have his moments:

"If all you do is spew this bumper sticker rhetoric and sputter these cute little catch phrases about how Bush is like Hitler, then you know you're a f*ckin' moron."


Yes, but Bush is still an evil shitweasel, right?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:28 PM on January 5, 2004


Hey check it out, peopie assuming that his entire act is political based on allegedly reading the single linked interview. (In which he quite clearly states that he keeps politics to a minimum in his act).

Idiots.
posted by Space Coyote at 4:57 PM on January 5, 2004


Hey check it out, peopie assuming that his entire act is political based

If you're assuming I'm one of those "peopie", I'll have you know I listened to Let America Laugh over Thanksgiving with some friends and had high hopes. Some of the jokes were classic David Cross and delivered in his characteristically unrehearsed-sounding style which can often be funny. The political stuff, however, was just tiresome overlong unfunny spew.

Just because you're a fan doesn't mean anyone who thinks otherwise is an "idiot".
posted by dhoyt at 6:26 PM on January 5, 2004


Yes, but Bush is still an evil shitweasel, right?

"But if you can articulate your reason and have a conversation and say, "Let me tell you why I hate Bush, and it's not because he's an evil guy," then hopefully, you won't be painted in a corner as a misfit. The individual has to have the information. You know, you might as well, f*ckin' take your top off and paint sunflowers on your face, you know, drop acid and do that dumb-ass Grateful Dead dance."
posted by Snyder at 9:11 AM on January 6, 2004


Hmm, which sounds like more fun (and productive, most likely):

a) get involved in a conversation where the premise is "Let me tell you why I hate Bush, and it's not because he's an evil guy,"

or

b) "f*ckin' take your top off and paint sunflowers on your face, you know, drop acid and do that dumb-ass Grateful Dead dance."

yup, tough choice.
posted by milovoo at 11:11 AM on January 7, 2004


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