Floppy Daily Show correspondent John Oliver is one of our favorites. Tonight he's going to be present and accounted for at Symphony Space for "McSweeney's Presents: The World, Explained," a benefit for 826NYC hosted by Eugene Mirman. In addition to Oliver, David Rakoff, Joshua Davis, Rodney Rothman, and Indie Supergroup Final Fantasy: Online aka Internet, featuring: Nick Thorburn & Jamie Thompson of Islands, Dante DeCaro & Hadji Bakara of Wolf Parade, Amber Webber of Black Mountain, and Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav, will be on hand. That was quite the mouthful!
In any case, PAPERMAG scribe Isaac Kardon recently e-chatted with John Oliver. Here's what went down:
Do you feel as though you are forging a new path for British comedians in America?
Well, no. The British have a long line of Entertainment in America which runs through Monty Python, all the way back to General Cornwallis.
If you weren't British, what would you prefer to be? Please feel free to make offensive generalizations.
I think ‘Please feel free to make offensive generalizations’ is in your Constitution isn’t it? In response to the question -- I always thought I’d make a very good Greek.
What does the editing process entail for you, and how would you compare your technique to that of a room full of monkeys? A room full of lions?
The editing process on The Daily Show is that we write a first draft in the morning. Then a second draft. Then we rehearse it. Then a third draft. Then we record it in front of an audience. Then no more drafts. How that compares to a room full of monkeys, I am not qualified to say, but my suspicion is that it you’d be extremely hard pushed to tell the difference. I think the belief is that is if you gave an infinite number of monkeys and infinite number of typewriters, they would eventually write the complete works of Shakespeare. If you substitute monkeys for Lions, and typewriters for pianos, I think you’d get the complete works of Billy Joel.
As a Daily Show Correspondent, do you ever get so caught up in the fake news cycle that you have trouble distinguishing truth from fiction? What's the difference, anyway?
As a Daily Show Correspondent, I have never troubled myself with trifling details such as facts. Facts are very much a wallflower in our office. They want to dance with us but we politely decline, before foxtrotting with fiction across the floor.
What role does the Daily Show -- and by extension, John Oliver -- play in America's views of current affairs? Of the current administration?
I don’t think anyone needs the Daily Show to tell them that this administration is a disaster. I really think it could be the worst ever. They should look back on much of what they have done with complete shame. Although I doubt that they will, or indeed that they have the capacity to.
Who would win in a straight-face contest between you and fellow Cambridge alumnus Sacha Cohen and why? Who looks more Jewish?
Who knows? Perhaps we should arrange it. Unless he’s too chicken. Two men enter looking serious. Only one man leaves….looking serious. By the time I’m finished with him he’ll be chuckling in a corner, begging me to smirk.
As for who looks more Jewish … I’m going to have to give that to him. Plus, he really has the edge over me with the surname. ‘Cohen’ … that is world class Judaism.
