Posted on 10/13/2008 11:46:27 AM PDT by Invisigoth
"Am I destroying my career with every one of these people now?," conservative Hollywood comedian Evan Sayet asks me, smirking, nearing the end of our second interview in Los Angeles. He had just been attacking in colorful language an awful lot of influential television comedians and one would be justified to surmise that he wasn't likely to be invited on the Late Show with David Letterman anytime soon.
But I didn't have the heart to tell him that. Instead, I accentuated the positive by reminding him that he had said a few nice things. A few.
Sayet really doesn't need cheering up since he has pretty much removed himself from the Hollywood community ever since his political transformation from left to right after witnessing his Hollywood friends blame America for the attacks of Sept. 11. Now, free from the fear of being blacklisted for his conservatism, he is happy to share his views and criticisms of the many left-of-center comedians who populate our television sets.
His favorite target is HBO Real Time host Bill Maher. Boy, does Sayet like to talk about him. Sayet worked for Maher's previous show, Politically Incorrect, as a writer and a Creative Consultant in the 1990s, penning jokes that often appeared on the air. When I met up with Sayet in August, Maher's new season of Real Time was just getting ready to premiere. I used the opportunity to ask Sayet what accounts for the noticeable difference between Maher's old show, which seemed more balanced, and his current one, which is skewed far to the left?
(Excerpt) Read more at northstarwriters.com ...
When I saw Bill and Michael ("The fork") Moore both on their knees in front of Green Candidate Ralph Nader begging Ralph not to run so the Democrats win the '04 presidential election, I thought that Maher had pretty much shed any mantle but leftist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RysZy331YK0
He is not funny. Who goes to his shows? (on purpose?) Do they merely open the doors to the tapings and let people wander in?
If he was equally funny with conservative views, he would not have a job.
And I think he knows it- he goes over the edge with liberal idiocy because he knows his career depends on it.
He "thought" he was going to be passed the intellectual comedy baton from George Carlin and run with it.
"Break new ground" on atheism, among other social, political and "life" issues. All that. But Maher never had the comedy chops of a Carlin. Not even close.
Sure Carlin would offend people from time, but he made them laugh (a lot!) as well.
I know My faith and belief in God never changed after watching George, and That's what I call respectability in a comedian.
Far as I can remember, Carlin never tried to change my mind about my Christianity, or told me what an a-hole I was for believing.
So IMO, Maher's just become a mean-spirited, spiteful, hateful, simple-minded little pr@ck who knows he'll Never be Carlin.
But That, understanding he'll never know respectability, is eating him alive.
That pretty well sums up Maher.
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