Stephen Colbert Olympic Poster
February 11, 2010 9:42 PM Subscribe
Stephen Colbert and Shepard Fairey create a Vancouver 2010 Olympic Poster. [pdf link]. And Stephen suggests to the Colbert Nation that they download, print, and post it all over for the games. (see sidebar.)
That's awesome. I love Colbert.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:50 PM on February 11, 2010
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:50 PM on February 11, 2010
He's doing a couple tapings near Science World next week; I can post specifics if someone wants.
posted by heeeraldo at 10:03 PM on February 11, 2010
posted by heeeraldo at 10:03 PM on February 11, 2010
So Fairey secured the rights this time?
posted by null terminated at 10:06 PM on February 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by null terminated at 10:06 PM on February 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
The eagle needs big red mittens on its wings.
posted by maudlin at 10:11 PM on February 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by maudlin at 10:11 PM on February 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
So Fairey secured the rights this time?
That's the Word I'm hearing.
ho ho ho
posted by secret about box at 10:48 PM on February 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
That's the Word I'm hearing.
ho ho ho
posted by secret about box at 10:48 PM on February 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
Man, the Olympics are weird. They stuff the hype down your throat for 7 years, and then when it eventually arrives, you don't realize except for the helicopters buzzing over your house at 3am, or when you go on Metafilter and there's a post about Stephen Colbert throwing a party in the park just down the street.
posted by mannequito at 10:57 PM on February 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by mannequito at 10:57 PM on February 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
heeeraldo, is it open to the public or just ticket holders? I'd wake up before 9am for Stephen.
posted by mannequito at 10:58 PM on February 11, 2010
posted by mannequito at 10:58 PM on February 11, 2010
How dare he bridle that eagle. How. Dare. He.
posted by MadamM at 11:13 PM on February 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by MadamM at 11:13 PM on February 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
It's cause he's secretly a libertarian. With authoritarian tendencies.
posted by Balisong at 11:16 PM on February 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Balisong at 11:16 PM on February 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Thank you. Is there anything else I can do tonight to endorse megapolitical TV instead of being politically active myself?
posted by gum at 11:46 PM on February 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by gum at 11:46 PM on February 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
I remember the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles only because the City Council passed a law intended to discourage gridlock, expecting serious traffic problems. Traffic turned out a lot easier than anybody expected, but when I, not paying attention, got stuck in an intersection a block from a freeway on-ramp (where that happened for years before the Olympics came to town), I got a ticket. The reason I wasn't paying attention was a very interesting NPR news report about an emerging politician on the national scene named Bill Clinton. My thoughts a moment before the cop car signaled me to pull over - after I get moving - were "that Clinton sounds like a crook who's going to turn the Democratic Party into the Republican Party; he'll probably end up President." It was one of the most astute political observations I ever made, and cost me $110 traffic fine.
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:10 AM on February 12, 2010 [21 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:10 AM on February 12, 2010 [21 favorites]
Totally ignoring the joke and the olympics and everything: That torch is pretty badly placed into his hand. Meaning "I'm going to copy and paste this torch behind a clenched fist to make it half-assedly look like he's holding it" bad. Farley usually puts at least a bit more work into his stuff.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 12:57 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 12:57 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
mannequito: Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. at Creekside Park, next to Science World. I imagine you'd want to show up ~9 to get tickets.
posted by heeeraldo at 1:11 AM on February 12, 2010
posted by heeeraldo at 1:11 AM on February 12, 2010
As much as I like Colbert, I was anticipating not liking yet another one of his self-promoting shticks. But I like the poster. "Defeat the world"? Hilarious.
The slogan sounds like both a parody of conservative foreign policy and, well, let's face it, a fairly accurate -- if not somewhat cynical -- description of the attitude underlying the Olympics.
posted by Davenhill at 1:32 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
The slogan sounds like both a parody of conservative foreign policy and, well, let's face it, a fairly accurate -- if not somewhat cynical -- description of the attitude underlying the Olympics.
posted by Davenhill at 1:32 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
winter olympics when you're in Helsinki are the biggest thing there is...
(btw, LOVE colbert)
posted by infini at 2:35 AM on February 12, 2010
(btw, LOVE colbert)
posted by infini at 2:35 AM on February 12, 2010
See, I read this as 'Porter' and initially thought they were going to post the recipe.
Mmmm...beer - but, oh I guess, no so much.
posted by plinth at 3:15 AM on February 12, 2010
Mmmm...beer - but, oh I guess, no so much.
posted by plinth at 3:15 AM on February 12, 2010
Stephen Colbert is rapidly becoming more influential than Rush Limbaugh and will definitely beat him at speed skating.
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:15 AM on February 12, 2010
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:15 AM on February 12, 2010
His alter-ego is Alpha Squad member Tek Jansen, and I have a place where he can place that hot Oni-Press action, and it is pink, lovely, and warm. Pink like Victoria, Pink like hot Neo Pinup girl videos, pink like Henry Wallace's 1948 Progressive party that established a September 11th resolution to end the Peace time draft.
...Stephen. Together we can defeat the world. Just call me. Just let me know.
posted by psylosyren at 5:14 AM on February 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
...Stephen. Together we can defeat the world. Just call me. Just let me know.
posted by psylosyren at 5:14 AM on February 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Nice graphic, but as far as being political goes i'm going to file this one with the wacky pillowfight flash mobs. There's so much that could be said and it's all reduced to a dumb, safe joke.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:27 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by dunkadunc at 5:27 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Appropriate.
posted by Atreides at 6:15 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 6:15 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Hey guys, 2008 called and they want their memes back.
posted by briank at 7:23 AM on February 12, 2010
posted by briank at 7:23 AM on February 12, 2010
Fairey is really phoning it in these days. He can do better, ...I think.
posted by Liquidwolf at 7:37 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Liquidwolf at 7:37 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, this is a spot-on, sharp criticism of an Olympics that existed, maybe, never, in which the primary criticism is misplaced patriotism.
The Olympics I know has a dozen things wrong with it before you ever get there.
Cute, though, as always.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 8:07 AM on February 12, 2010
The Olympics I know has a dozen things wrong with it before you ever get there.
Cute, though, as always.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 8:07 AM on February 12, 2010
Odd choice of font. Looks like a British propaganda font, but also looks more contemporary, like it was made in the last few years.
I think Fairey has become his own brand now. Too bad.
posted by Nelson at 8:25 AM on February 12, 2010
I think Fairey has become his own brand now. Too bad.
posted by Nelson at 8:25 AM on February 12, 2010
Colbert's comedy is not mere distraction and entertainment. The man is a brilliant social critic. He empowers his viewers to see the world clearly for its pathetic absurdities. I think he's the greatest comic mind of our time, Lenny Bruce level good.
Colbert's humor feels like a wind at my back when I do engage in substantive political action. He is a voice for rationality in an irrational age, and he makes his case pretending to be irrational. Jonathan Swift could have learned a thing or two.
posted by fourcheesemac at 8:43 AM on February 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
Colbert's humor feels like a wind at my back when I do engage in substantive political action. He is a voice for rationality in an irrational age, and he makes his case pretending to be irrational. Jonathan Swift could have learned a thing or two.
posted by fourcheesemac at 8:43 AM on February 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
Its funny but some tool is going to take it literally and glue up a couple hundred of them.
posted by jeffmik at 8:45 AM on February 12, 2010
posted by jeffmik at 8:45 AM on February 12, 2010
For more context on the poster's design, see this segment of yesterday's Colbert Report where he discusses the history of Olympic art with David Ross.
posted by nooneyouknow at 8:48 AM on February 12, 2010
posted by nooneyouknow at 8:48 AM on February 12, 2010
some tool is going to take it literally and glue up a couple hundred of them.
Don't you know it. And that's going to be the funniest part of it all. Colbert's minions are many and willing, and this is right up their alley. The only thing really saving Vancouver is that he hasn't decided to bring them in by the busload to do the work.
posted by hippybear at 8:55 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Don't you know it. And that's going to be the funniest part of it all. Colbert's minions are many and willing, and this is right up their alley. The only thing really saving Vancouver is that he hasn't decided to bring them in by the busload to do the work.
posted by hippybear at 8:55 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
The Olympic Torch is a funny thing. One of those fun recent olympic traditions given to us by the Germans. I worked with BMW one year when they were a big sponsor for the Atlanta games. I had always thought that the torch was reserved for athletes of people who'd accomplished something important, but discovered that all the execs on the ad campaign got to carry the torch for awhile. Even the freakin' admin who was too lazy to make photo copies ("Please fax it five times") got to carry it. Complete joke.
posted by misterpatrick at 8:58 AM on February 12, 2010
posted by misterpatrick at 8:58 AM on February 12, 2010
You forgot the "flamingdildo" tag.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:03 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by humboldt32 at 9:03 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Hey guys, 2008 called...
2008? I'm thinking 1981.
I was anticipating not liking yet another one of his self-promoting shticks.
Thus far, I've been loving his entire approach to the Olympics this year. He's taken a sport that, as far as I know, very few Americans paid attention to, and made it a focus of public attention.
And his segments of trying out for the different teams were beautifully done.
posted by quin at 9:14 AM on February 12, 2010
2008? I'm thinking 1981.
I was anticipating not liking yet another one of his self-promoting shticks.
Thus far, I've been loving his entire approach to the Olympics this year. He's taken a sport that, as far as I know, very few Americans paid attention to, and made it a focus of public attention.
And his segments of trying out for the different teams were beautifully done.
posted by quin at 9:14 AM on February 12, 2010
He's taken a sport that, as far as I know, very few Americans paid attention to, and made it a focus of public attention.
Not just that, but when a sponsoring company pulled out from giving money to the Speed Skating team at the last minute (curse you, new economy!!!), Colbert stepped in and called upon his fans to donate, and they pulled together the required $300,000 in under a month. It felt like a stunt at the time, but his involvement and his ability to mobilize his fans (and their wallets) truly made the difference for an entire sport's worth of American athletes.
posted by hippybear at 9:29 AM on February 12, 2010
Not just that, but when a sponsoring company pulled out from giving money to the Speed Skating team at the last minute (curse you, new economy!!!), Colbert stepped in and called upon his fans to donate, and they pulled together the required $300,000 in under a month. It felt like a stunt at the time, but his involvement and his ability to mobilize his fans (and their wallets) truly made the difference for an entire sport's worth of American athletes.
posted by hippybear at 9:29 AM on February 12, 2010
I love Colbert and this poster, and I think that it's all part of the fun whenever an American doesn't get that it's satire.
But it makes me sad to think of some random Nigerian, Bolivian, or Turkish athlete (with no reason to know who Colbert is) seeing this poster in Vancouver and just thinking it's one more example of Americans being dicks.
posted by straight at 10:09 AM on February 12, 2010
But it makes me sad to think of some random Nigerian, Bolivian, or Turkish athlete (with no reason to know who Colbert is) seeing this poster in Vancouver and just thinking it's one more example of Americans being dicks.
posted by straight at 10:09 AM on February 12, 2010
some random Nigerian, Bolivian, or Turkish athlete (with no reason to know who Colbert is)
When my partner was in Bolivia a couple of years ago presenting at a conference, he reported back to me that apparently Bolivian satellite service carries channels which include The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Whether the locals watch them or not, I have no idea.
posted by hippybear at 10:13 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
When my partner was in Bolivia a couple of years ago presenting at a conference, he reported back to me that apparently Bolivian satellite service carries channels which include The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Whether the locals watch them or not, I have no idea.
posted by hippybear at 10:13 AM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
some random Nigerian, Bolivian, or Turkish athlete (with no reason to know who Colbert is)
My recollection from spending a lot of time looking at the 2006 Winter Olympics website is that many, if not most, of the athletes from smaller countries were living in the US or Western Europe either as students or because that's where the best training facilities are. Of the ones who stayed in their home country, the majority went to a university there. Overall, Olympic athletes are young, relatively wealthy, educated, and thus probably pretty aware of American pop culture.
posted by Copronymus at 10:59 AM on February 12, 2010
My recollection from spending a lot of time looking at the 2006 Winter Olympics website is that many, if not most, of the athletes from smaller countries were living in the US or Western Europe either as students or because that's where the best training facilities are. Of the ones who stayed in their home country, the majority went to a university there. Overall, Olympic athletes are young, relatively wealthy, educated, and thus probably pretty aware of American pop culture.
posted by Copronymus at 10:59 AM on February 12, 2010
some random Nigerian, Bolivian, or Turkish athlete
There are Nigerian and Bolivian winter sports athletes at this Olympics?
As for the Turks, there are only two. So "random" is going to be a little hard to do.
posted by dw at 11:01 AM on February 12, 2010
There are Nigerian and Bolivian winter sports athletes at this Olympics?
As for the Turks, there are only two. So "random" is going to be a little hard to do.
posted by dw at 11:01 AM on February 12, 2010
A lot of winter Olympics athletes who compete for not-very-wintery countries are really residents of some otehr country with nominal citizenship. For example, in Turin the Italians got an automatic slot in the men's hockey competition but there simply aren't enough Olympic-class hockey players in Italy, but there are a lot of triple-A-class/AHL hockey players in Canada who have Italian parents and qualify for an Italian passport, so part of the Italian men's Olympic hockey team was scouted and recruited from Canada.
So any Nigerians who show up at the winter Olympics probably have spent a lot of time outside of Nigeria and may well get that the poster is a gag, even if they're not Colbert Platinum™ members.
posted by GuyZero at 11:11 AM on February 12, 2010
So any Nigerians who show up at the winter Olympics probably have spent a lot of time outside of Nigeria and may well get that the poster is a gag, even if they're not Colbert Platinum™ members.
posted by GuyZero at 11:11 AM on February 12, 2010
So...
I'm the only one who is getting a bit tired of Colbert?
Okay, I'll go now.
Sorry.
posted by Splunge at 11:15 AM on February 12, 2010
I'm the only one who is getting a bit tired of Colbert?
Okay, I'll go now.
Sorry.
posted by Splunge at 11:15 AM on February 12, 2010
I'm the only one who is getting a bit tired of Colbert?
I actually liked his bits on the Daily Show better (I still remember his "Two Stevens/Stephens" debate with Steve Carrell, back when the latter was on the show), but that's mostly because I don't like the character he plays on the Colbert Report. But at satire, the raison d'être of his show, Colbert really has no equal on TV today.
I hope he and Jon never quit.
posted by longdaysjourney at 11:29 AM on February 12, 2010
I actually liked his bits on the Daily Show better (I still remember his "Two Stevens/Stephens" debate with Steve Carrell, back when the latter was on the show), but that's mostly because I don't like the character he plays on the Colbert Report. But at satire, the raison d'être of his show, Colbert really has no equal on TV today.
I hope he and Jon never quit.
posted by longdaysjourney at 11:29 AM on February 12, 2010
OK, despite my original scorn the poster's grown on me enough that I just had it printed out in 2'x3' glossy format. I'm kind of stoked.
posted by dunkadunc at 12:54 PM on February 12, 2010
posted by dunkadunc at 12:54 PM on February 12, 2010
Fairey is such a hack. I'm seriously at such a loss as to the crap that this poster is, you can tell how much he truly relies on AP stolen imagery to achieve his work.
posted by june made him a gemini at 2:34 PM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by june made him a gemini at 2:34 PM on February 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
you can tell how much he truly relies on AP stolen imagery to achieve his work
I can't tell that at all. What imagery is stolen in this? And does it even matter? Don't artists lift stuff all the time anyways, like in music sampling?
posted by katerschluck at 2:59 PM on February 12, 2010
I can't tell that at all. What imagery is stolen in this? And does it even matter? Don't artists lift stuff all the time anyways, like in music sampling?
posted by katerschluck at 2:59 PM on February 12, 2010
> Background looks familiar.
And rigby51 gets the Aweome Post of the Day award.
posted by Decimask at 5:12 PM on February 12, 2010
And rigby51 gets the Aweome Post of the Day award.
posted by Decimask at 5:12 PM on February 12, 2010
What is he holding? A big, flamming shoe horn?
posted by stormpooper at 11:10 AM on February 26, 2010
posted by stormpooper at 11:10 AM on February 26, 2010
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posted by KokuRyu at 9:45 PM on February 11, 2010