Posted on 12/26/2016 8:37:55 AM PST by raccoonradio
Didja hear the one about Trump?
Yeah, me neither.
The campaign season that was a gold mine for late-night hosts and “Saturday Night Live” has morphed into a post-election land mine for local stand-up comics, who say jokes about the president-elect go over like a gold-plated balloon.
“This election was the most polarizing election in the history of our country,” said Jody Sloane, a Boston-based comic. “To even lightly joke about Trump leads Trump supporters to assume you are a Hillary supporter and the hatred ensues. You run the risk of losing half of your audience — actually, less than half, based on popular vote — but it’s just not worth it and, furthermore, it’s too damn easy.”
“When I was performing leading up to the election, if you mentioned Hillary’s name, you alienated half your audience, if you mentioned Trump’s name, you alienated half your audience,” agreed comedian Jimmy Tingle. “When you mention people’s names or political party, that’s when people fall into their camps.”
“You can’t win” when you get political, says Boston-based comedian Will Noonan, whose 26,000 Twitter followers have hassled him for being too harsh on Trump, too harsh on Hillary, and not harsh enough on either.
It’s a shame, Noonan said, because he personally finds Trump prime fodder.
“He talks about his dead parents the way I talk about my snow plow guy. ‘Fantastic people! Did a great job!’ ”
But it’s hard to craft stand-up material when audiences can react to it so divisively.
Even in the mostly blue Bay State, comedian Wanda Sykes was booed down during an anti-Trump screed at TD Garden last month.
Conversely, Noonan likens one post-election stand-up gig in liberal-skewing Cambridge to “a eulogy.”
“I was in New York on 9/11. I saw people take that better than this election,” Noonan said.
“People are kind of on edge,” agreed stand-up comedian and Boston Herald Radio host Steve Sweeney. “There’s a lot of anger in the emotional climate. We were all looking forward to a sense of relief when this thing was over. But it’s not.”
“Especially in Massachusetts, you have people who are still in mourning,” said comedian Chris Zito, co-host of the “Zito and Kera” radio show on Springfield’s Mix 93.1, who occasionally gives in to the temptation to impersonate Trump’s distinctive phrases.
“He says ‘believe me,’ like a salesman, after every sentence,” Zito said. “The last guy I believe is the guy who keeps saying ‘believe me.’ ”
There are ways to tell Trump jokes, even to sensitive audiences, experts say.
Local comedy producer John Tobin said good comics can navigate a Trump joke with a soft hand.
“The good ones are the ones that tell the jokes, and you can’t really tell which side of the aisle they’re on,” he said. “If it’s an overly one-sided rant one way or the other, then I think the crowd can turn on you.”
“I think Donald Trump is going to be writing our act for us, I think every week is going to be a new sitcom,” said Boston comedian and Dirty Water TV co-host Dave Russo. “As a comedian, no one is off limits.”
But not every comedian finds the new president funny.
“I’m an old, fat white guy. On paper, it looks like I won this,” said local stand-up legend Tony V. “I’ve lived through the Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Kennedy assassination, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and both Iraq wars. And this is the most frightened I’ve ever been.”
New England talk radio host Howie Carr isn’t a comedian but he puts a lot of humor into his show.He isn’t having any problems!
He lived through all that? Jeeze, what a supreme commando.
Only in California. Trump won the popular vote almost everywhere. MORE THAN HALF of the country supports Trump. Only exception is the land of fruits and nuts.
Are they trying to tell us that when Obama was President they had no problem making jokes about him? Oh, sure!
Well, maybe if comics actually told funny jokes instead of vicious slanders people might laugh. What passes for comedy these days is simply vile.
Finally.......finally....Trump has given us our voice......and the Left is suffering their own tactics.
Shoe is now on the other foot
I thought most of those so-called comedians are too busy making death threats against Trump and his supporters to make jokes.
I, for one, don't buy for one minute the national "I'm so scared" narrative that is the new drumbeat in the media. Sorry, but it feels so incredibly phony to me.
I think it was under clinton that I first heard the "Mr clinton" crap
It may have been earlier, but I was not aware of the slight until then
That’s what all the Liberal ‘prepping’ is all about... they expect us to do to them what they planned to do to us after HRC sealed their reign...... oops.
BAKE THE DAMNED CAKE
When I first glance at the title I thought it said “Commies Shy Away From Trump Jokes”
Do they still teach anything about the Civil War in school today?
Trump supporters have only one requirement for jokes about him. That is they must be funny. For the last 8 years most comedians have forgotten how to joke about a President since the current one has been mostly off limits. President Bush was comedy gold for many comedians, some forget that.
“I’ve lived through the Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Kennedy assassination, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and both Iraq wars. And this is the most frightened I’ve ever been.”
Hey There, ButtHead! Obviously I'm older than you. I can add WWII, FDR, Korea to your list.
I'm happier than I've been in years!
Go trump Go!
It is smart to refrain from talking about that which you do not understand.
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