It would be hard to find a comedian as unique as Stephen Colbert. As the host of “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central he hasmanaged to leave his mark on the nation’s consciousness in both a serious and humorous sort of way. His unusual wit has allowed him to become American icon. It would be difficult to find another entertainer quite like him.
Who else would have the guts to make fun of a president sitting on the same dais at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner? And actually manage to do it without going over the top? The only ones who ended up offended were the correspondents because they took the brunt of his jokes. The non-press loved his routine.
What other comedian could appeal so easily to politicians at opposite ends of the spectrum? Colbert plays a caricature of himself, a narrow-minded, self-serving conservative who is actually socially liberal in real life.
Any politician with a sense of humor is happy to appear with him. 2008 Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee even asked him to be his running mate.
What other liberal comedian could have a U.S. military that absolutely adores him?
It was Colbert who felt badly about the “forgotten” troops in Iraq and arranged to have his show taped there for a week. Not only did he have the top military brass appear as guests on his show, but he arranged to have President Obama on a live satellite feed order him to have a military haircut.
Witnessing Colbert’s brand of humor is something to behold. It’s almost hard to describe. His shtick demands the combination of a quick wit, a keen intelligence, and the ability to keep a straight face. With his guests he has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history and current events. He has a way of keeping them honest without embarrassing them. It’s little wonder that even the most controversial figures will make repeat visits on his show.
How Colbert became an American icon is intimately captured in Lisa Rogak’s new biography of him, “And Nothing But the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert.” Although he came from a very large and loving family he had to overcome tragedy and career failures before achieving success. His greatest attribute has been to always stay grounded. Colbert has maintained a sense of humility and treated his peers and underlings with respect. It’s hard to find anyone who has a bad word to say about him.
His cleverness and popularity has led to some innovative ideas on his show. He has a regular segment called “Better Know a District” where he tapes interviews with congressmen and women from around the country. It has produced some of the funniestmoments on his show, especially if the representatives aren’t sure if he’s serious or not.
When he heard the government of Hungary was having a naming contest for a new bridge over the Danube River he mobilized his viewers to bombard the website with so many votes for himself that he won. The Hungarian government changed the rules midstream to avoid giving the bridge his name, but tried to make amends by having the Hungarian ambassador to the United States appear on his show.
The same thing happened when NASA sponsored a contest to name a new module on the International Space Station. They also nixed the Colbert name on a technicality although it did lead to his “training” by NASA as an astronaut.
Sometimes his brainstorms have a positive effect. Colbert came to the rescue of the 2010 U.S. Olympic speed skating team after their sponsoring bank went bankrupt, volunteering to have Colbert Nation (i.e., his viewers) sponsor the team through donations. His appeal netted the $300,000 needed to make up the shortfall. Other inspirations have raised money for many different charities, mainly in public education.
Stephen Colbert is an enigma as well as an icon. His arrogant, blowhard alter-ego has a way of appealing to the masses, but his true persona he is one of a humble guy who keeps his ego in check. After experiencing “And Nothing But the Truthiness” you realize that Colbert’s successis well deserved and couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
Book Notes
January 12, 2012
Book Notes: Biography captures the real Stephen Colbert
- Book Notes
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- Greenberg faced a tough path much like Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson blazed the trail for the integration of baseball in 1947. He had to deal with racial taunts, segregated facilities and fellow players that didn’t want to be on the same field with an African American.
- E-readers come in handy when traveling I recently took a trip to California and it was the perfect time to make use of my e-reader. While I'm still devoted to actual books, I must admit that traveling with a thin, lightweight computerized device beats dragging along one or two bulky hard copy titles. The only issue is finding the right e-books to take on the airplane
- Book covers much more than caddies and golf St Andrews in Scotland is famous as the birthplace of golf. Every few years the "old course" hosts the British Open so all television viewers are reminded that the place is hallowed ground.
- Memoir reflects on 'roller-coaster life and career' Apparently, the third time wasn't the charm. The way Reynolds described him, the third husband was worse than the first two combined and that's saying a lot. Eddie Fisher literally walked away from Reynolds and their two infant children to chase a sex goddess. At least he got his just desserts when Elizabeth Taylor tossed him aside for Richard Burton.
- 'Who's on Worst?' reveals the ugly in baseball The Baseball Hall of Fame celebrates the greatest players, managers and owners from our national pastime. Any of us who have watched Major League baseball have inevitably seen some of these immortals practicing their craft. But we have also likely witnessed a sample of their opposite brethren, players who shouldn't have been in the Major Leagues. Has there ever been a definitive source that "celebrates" the non-accomplishments of the worst that Major League baseball has to offer?
- Book takes readers on path for equal rights One of the most troubling aspects of our history is race relations. It takes a long time to achieve true equality in a society when the heritage of one ethnic group is slavery and Jim Crow laws. Even today African Americans are more likely to be stereotyped as athletes than doctors, lawyers or entrepreneurs. The path to a "color-blind" nation is still a work in progress.
- Piazza wasn't considered much of a prospect for the majors It's probably going to be a quiet few days in Cooperstown when Hall of Fame weekend rolls around this summer. The baseball writers did not elect anybody this year despite some heavyweight candidates. The problem was that at least three of the poster boys for the steroids era, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, were on the ballot for the first time. The writers were clearly making a statement when nobody got elected.
- Who would have thought e-books would be so popular? When I was in library school 25 years ago, a future concept was presented that seemed absurd at the time. It was the notion you could read books on a small computerized device about the size of a pocketbook.
- 2012 was a year of great films, future favorites The year 2012 was a blockbuster year for great films. Several of the movies up for Best Picture would have been runaway favorites almost any other time. They will make for easy pickings for the library when they become available on DVD.
- Blockbusters are not the only movies worth watching Hollywood makes enough movies that there are always a few that you don't hear about until they are on DVD. Sometimes they are simply horrible films that end their theater run quickly, but often they are "diamonds in the rough" that made their mark at film festivals.
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