On the Fence with Aasif Mandvi

by Alexandria Cheney, WSJ
He’s been an audio book reader, a one-man show performer and the “brown guy” correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” Now he’s the co-writer and star of “Today’s Special.” Even though he’s busy promoting his film, Aasif Mandvi talked with Speakeasy about the political force Jon Stewart has become.

The Wall Street Journal: What are your thoughts on Jon Stewart’s growing prominence in the political world?

It’s fantastic. Listen, Jon Stewart is a guy who doesn’t shave and walks around in his underwear in the office. So the fact that people take him with any serious regard at all is exceptional for me and I’m flummoxed by it. But apparently people are really listening to what he has to say.

Did you attend the “Rally to Restore Sanity?”

Yeah, I was forced to go. Just between you and I there were only about 10,000 people there. The other 200,000 was CGI. Just kidding. I was backstage most of the time and it was awesome because I got to meet Cat Stevens and R2D2 and it was ridiculous. I mean, you can be snarky and throw spitballs from the back of the class and you can be that guy. But then there’s something awe-inspiring and really very genuine about all those people showing up and wanting to represent in that way. And I know that Jon was even quite verklempt by the whole thing. And part of it had to do with this experience of community, they just wanted to be there representing in some way. And they made their signs and ironic whatever you want to call them, and they came down there and they represented and made it a communal experience.

There’s an immense energy behind Stewart. What do you think that energy and influence will turn into?

I don’t know what it’s going to turn into. I think that what we do often is, you know, we are beholden to nothing but comedy and so that allows us the freedom to ask those questions, to put the camera lens in places where other news organization may not put it or don’t want to put it. And we do because we are trying to find out the absurdities. Our job is to point out the hypocrisy, the absurdity, to call B.S. when there’s B.S. to be called and that’s kind of what we do. So I think in many cases that allows for us to have a kind of freedom.

On the show you are advertised as “brown.” What does that mean for you?

Not to get too philosophical about it but there is something about all the work that I do that is really about sitting on that fence between cultures. “The Daily Show” has become an example of that. I think the most powerful stuff I get to do on “The Daily Show” and the most insightful stuff is when I’m sitting on the fence commenting on both sides as an insider and an outsider at the same time, and that’s a position that “The Daily Show” benefits from having. But for me personally, it’s what all of my writing and creative stuff is about.

What is “The Daily Show” brand of comedy?

We’re satirists, “The Daily Show” is ultimately a show that often comes out of Jon’s own personal frustration. Some would call it cynical but I think it’s more frustrated. I think it’s a form of satire which is very necessary and cathartic in our society. I think that it attracts a very highly skilled comedy show writers and very funny people.

Social Commentary Can Be Fun and Popular

H.H., Salon.com

This season of "South Park" has captured the avarice and stupidity of American popular culture better than ever, and tonight's finale (10 p.m. EDT on Comedy Central) should be no exception. As long as it involves Eric Cartman, Tom Cruise, Scientology, a gaggle of angry Canadians and the return of dog (and child) whisperer Cesar Millan, we're happy.

-- H.H.

Confederacy of Dunces: South Park

Heather Havrilevsky, Salon.com

Confederacy of dunces
In fact, the one good thing about being raised in a downward-spiraling country dominated by aggressive morons is that the comedy just keeps getting better and better. The very best comedies on TV, namely "The Office," "30 Rock" and "South Park," all get their comedy from the fact that you can't swing a clueless loser these days without hitting an ignorant asshole. Even my 12-year-old stepson, when I mentioned that I needed to watch "Big Brother 9," asked, "Is the house full of dumb butts again this year?"

Indeed, in these unique socioeconomic times in American history, there will be dumb butts. Dumb butts galore! And no one captures the creamery dumb-buttery goodness of America better than Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of "South Park" (10 p.m. Wednesdays on Comedy Central), which has offered up yet another brilliant season of nastiness that's about to come to a close (the finale is April 23).

Last week's episode, another timeless classic, found the residents of South Park in a state of hysteria over the fact that their Internet connections were down.

Guy No.1: There has to be a way to find out what's going on!

Guy No. 2: We can't! Don't you get it? There's no Internet to find out why there's no Internet!

Guy No. 3: What did we used to do to get the news before the Internet? All: Television!

News Anchor: Once again, we apologize, but we cannot bring you the news. It appears that we have no Internet here at News 4. We'll be happy to bring you up on current events just as soon as our Internet is back.

Eight days later, Randy decides to leave town. The neighbors ask him about his plans.

Neighbors: Randy, where will you go?

Randy: We're gonna head west. There's a rumor goin' around that there might be some Internet out there. So we're headin' out Californy way.

Neighbor: You don't know if there's any Internet in California?

Randy: Well, there certainly ain't none here! Look, maybe it's time you all faced reality! The Internet here is dried up.

Neighbor: It could come back.

Randy: Yeah, and maybe it won't. In the meantime I got a family that needs Internet right away!

Then there was the excellent episode a week earlier, "Eek! A Penis!" in which Mr. Garrison loudly regrets his sex-change operation, then goes in search of a mouse that can generate a genetic copy of his penis, attached to its body. The mouse with Mr. Garrison's penis attached to him eventually breaks loose, and then all hell breaks loose. Yes, this is the kind of sophisticated humor that highbrow types like myself enjoy to no end.

What's crazy about "South Park" is that even an episode about a mouse with a big, floppy penis on its back still includes plenty of biting commentary on the sorry state of American society, stuffing it all into as hopelessly juvenile and offensive a package as possible. When you think about this show's greatest hits: Chef joining a Scientology-like cult, a Mormon family moving to South Park, Cesar Milan training Cartman to be calm and submissive, it becomes clear that this show may be capturing the unique stupidity of our times better than our finest novelists and our most informed cultural commentators.

Which is nice, since those fine novelists and informed cultural commentators will have to look for work sowing beans and whipping up Boba Tea Smoothies for Chinese expats soon enough, due to the fact that America's global supremacy is dripping away faster than a body shot on the outie bellybutton of a wriggling, drunken sea donkey.

So let's all give a toast to these witty delights while the fruity cocktails are still flowing! Drink to excess, brothers and sisters, for tomorrow we squat in the dust, gnawing on goat kabobs!