Even knowing that she’s drawing it out, intentionally misdirecting the audience with segues that lead to further segues that lead back to earlier... topics, it’s hard to begrudge Griffin the time, as she manages to stay engaging and funny (if not completely linear) throughout her set. Her singular ability to turn a seemingly endless monologue into something that feels like a conversation (with a packed theater, no less) is captivating....I liked the cramming and freaking out. It was the idea of the show. It was the theater of desperation and heroic fighting for survival. It didn't so much matter what she talked about. She had been knocked down hard by the media establishment. The story was presented in a short video before she leapt onto the stage and ran from one end to the other with her arms waving in the air, Rocky-style....
Just to be clear, three hours is almost unheard of for a stand-up show, especially for a touring headliner in a venue like the Chicago Theatre.... I’ve reviewed more than 50 comedians and I’ve only seen one other show where a single comic did more than two hours. It was Kathy Griffin, last year in Skokie at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. There’s no way around it: this tour is a comedy show styled as a rambling epic. And it’s masterful, even if it’s not a masterpiece....
Rather than cramming in so much material that she pushes up against the cut-off times for venues — “I have so much to get to in a half hour, I’m freaking out!” she remarked at 10:30 p.m. Thursday.... with a little editing, which could risk pulling in fewer laughs, but delivering a bigger payoff, it could go down as historical comedic commentary on freedom of speech, how the governmental apparatus can be used (or misused) and the place of comedians in pushing boundaries.
The audience, full of fans, went wild. A screaming standing O to begin. And she launched into her motor-mouthing and did not stop for 3 hours. And we were told there was a hard 11:00 deadline. She made talking into a sport, as if there was something she needed to get done in time or disaster would strike. It was a convincing imposition of time pressure, successfully used to create immense energy, even as, really, it should be mind-crushing to be yammered at for 3 hours by one person who endlessly digresses and frets about getting back to a list of subjects before the clock strikes eleven. I looked at my iPhone when she ended, and it was 10:59. Yay! She did it! Her self-imposed goal, which she made us believe in and care about. The crowd went wild, immense standing O to end it.
What were the jokes? Was anything really that funny? More than anything else, what I remember (2 days later) is the overall barrage of talk, spoken with constant excitement and urgency and how upbeat and fun it was. This wasn't dark comedy by a grumbling, angry outcast. This was continual I-will-survive mode and an insistent demand for love from this audience — You're all I have!!! — that was met every time by the adoring crowd.
I remember her being funny on the subject of Trump's phobia about walking down stairs. Does Trump have a phobia about stairs? I hadn't heard that one, but I've looked it up and there was at least a thing about Trump having a phobia about stairs. That's all she needs in her method. A rumor and idea that was out there, and then it's funny to just act like it is real and she's bringing the news, letting us in on details that she is somehow privy to.
But mostly there are no particular jokes. There's rambling, frenetic, dramatic, crazed talk that will not end. By design, the part about how the government came after her for posing holding a ketchup-covered replica Trump head is squeezed right up against the hard 11:00 deadline. That was the idea! It doesn't need editing to make it fit more comfortably!!! Being unedited and wildly digressive and spontaneous and crashing into the curfew was the whole point!
Brilliantly done. Comedy as sport. Well played.
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122 comments:
Relax, Jake. It's Chicago.
in the early 1980's i saw The Ramones at the Chicago Theatre... They were better
Way Better
And she launched into her motor-mouthing and did not stop for 3 hours.
Somebody oft-quoted said something about brevity and wit that I cannot recall with accuracy. But he was a white male, and a dead one to boot, so it can't possibly be important.
Huh. I guess you had to be there.
Ok Ann. look at the bloody stump of Trump, think of all the violence that permeates our culture, then tell me again how fucking funny she is.
I wonder if she is on drugs. When I've looked at recent photos of her, she does not look quite right and she is so skinny. She did not strike me as a healthy person, either mentally or physically.
I personally have never found her funny, going back well before there was any politics involved. Beyond that I don't want to listen to anyone talk that long. And I don't think she's funny.
So both Ann and the reviewer confirm there is precious little comedy or laughs in this 3 hr comedy show.
and an insistent demand for love from this audience — You're all I have!!!
Sadly, I think that for Kathy Griffin, that's really the truth of it.
I used to follow her years ago, but then she went "mean", & I'm just not that fond of "mean" comics. I do know that she took a toll on those around her throughout those years, which is certainly not unheard of for entertainers of every stripe. I can well believe that now it's the energy from her fans that got her through the almost career ending faux pas with the Trump head.
Other than Gone With The Wind, I can't think of anything I would sit three hours for.
By design, the part about how the government came after her for posing holding a ketchup-covered replica Trump head is squeezed right up against the hard 11:00 deadline.
Did I miss something? Was she in anyway punished by the government? Investigated is not the same.
But mostly there are no particular jokes. There's rambling, frenetic, dramatic, crazed talk that will not end.
eee gads that sounds horrible.
"She had been knocked down hard by the media establishment.". Oh really? So it was the virtuous members of media who shamed Griffin into ducking her ugly head for a couple of months? Bullshit. They defended her outrage immediately. It was the public complaints to media establishment like CNN that resulted in this transgendered Carrot Top's very brief time out. And it's the media establishment that has facilitated her "comeback", and orchestrated the celebration of it.
I'll say it again.
Kathy G. is BIG with Gays. And they are fanatical in their likes.
Nothing wrong with that.
And I like Kathy Griffith. Even though she's a mentally disturbed weirdo - in many ways. You don't have to be a "wise man" to be funny.
Doubt I could handle 3 hours of her, though. I'd probably walk out on Abe Lincoln at the 2 hour mark. That's just me. I can only take so much of ONE PERSON talking.
In the summer of 1987, I saw Andre Dawson hit 3 home runs at Wrigley Field. That was a joyous and thrilling day in Chicago. Kathy Griffin? Not joyous or thrilling.
Just to be clear, three hours is almost unheard of for a stand-up show
There's a reason for that.
Its too bad there isn't "Conservative Show Business" because I could definitly see Kathy G. being a conservative show-biz comedian - mocking and making fun of the celebrities and Hollywood.
But that doesn't exist. So, we get Kathy G. cutting off Trump's head.
Kathy G. is unusual. She's sorta of a liberal Ann Coulter Showbiz equivalent.
A woman in a man's profession. How many women comedians can get up and talk for 3 hours and be funny?
According to her Bio her roots are Irish, just like Coulter. Wonder why.
@Eddie Willers: "Other than Gone With The Wind, I can't think of anything I would sit three hours for." Das Boot did it for me and that was the last time. Over four hours long. I ran to the bathroom and back again during the movie, worried about missing those few minutes of screen time.
How many women comedians can get up and talk for 3 hours and be funny?
Apparently, the number is still zero.
Imagine sitting next to her on the plane.
Another thing to thank Trump for...he made it OK to be offensively "funny" about the president again.
I do hope that rodeo clown has been released from prison by now.....
Substitute Roseanne for Kathy Griffin and your statement about the media is true. But that's the difference between being a democrat party member and being someone the party has decided to make an example of.
Quaestor, I'm pretty sure it's: "Brevity is ... wit."
KG: You remember that time I held Trumps bloody head? Wasn't that hilarious?
Crowd: standing O
"rambling, frenetic, dramatic, crazed talk that will not end"
This doesn't sound at all entertaining, but obviously YMMV.
Pick up any hip merch?
Apparently, the number is still zero.
Well played, sir. Well played.
Wow, being able to speak continously for 3 hours and still not say anything intelligent. That's gotta be some sort of record. Maybe we should enter her into that room containing an infinite number of monkeys each with a typewriter (not a word processor) and see if one of them reproduces Hamlet.
Spending three hours watching The Longest Day tonight. Been binging on this stuff lately. The Pacific. Band of Brothers.
Wow, being able to speak continously for 3 hours
What the Hell is so big about this? Every woman I know can talk for three hours straight given the opportunity.
"it's funny to just act like it is real and she's bringing the news, letting us in on details that she is somehow privy to."
As opposed to the grim pose of the MSM just acting like it is real and they're bringing the news, letting us in on details that they are somehow privy to.
No wonder the audience ate it up.
"she's bringing the news, letting us in on details that she is somehow privy to."
That's her schtick...essentially a lot of name dropping as a sort of comedic paparazzi.
Lowbrow humor for lowbrow humans.
To conservatives, it should be most encouraging that progs and a stray midwestern retiree would take in three hours of this stuff.
Apparently, the revolution can wait. Clowns above class.
"an infinite number of monkeys each with a typewriter (not a word processor) and see if one of them reproduces Hamlet."
Meanwhile, Kathy Griffin's show: Three monkeys, 10 minutes.
(h/t a Dilbert strip from the last century)
Her Bloody Head of Trump was performance art, and she was unfairly criticized by the deplorable, 2nd Amendment crowd that routinely kill innocent wildlife, and call it "sport." Kathy is doing her best to point out artistically, and humorously the insanity that is Trump, and his foul presidency. Ironically, both Griffin and Trump need constant adoration and approval. But, Kathy deserves her praises because she is talented, witty, and funny, while Trump should be run out of town on a rail - he's a disgusting, stupid, and mentally ill piece of Rethuglican filth.
If I want to her a woman ramble on frenetically for three hours I'll stay home and listen to my wife.
"I wonder if she is on drugs. When I've looked at recent photos of her, she does not look quite right and she is so skinny. She did not strike me as a healthy person, either mentally or physically."
Are you referring to Ann or Kathy?
I suspect the audience consisted mostly of Prog women and gay men. Glad they enjoyed it. Keeps them off the street--at least for three hours.
If there was tape of the show I'd see it. YouTube only has badly shot snippets, including six minutes of the opening video.
You can't remember a thing she said but you had a good time?
I'll bet Germans leaving Nuremberg said the same thing.
If she has the vaginal, uterine, ovarian fortitude ... She should curate read What Happened.
Did she pay everyone to be there?
Trumpit wrote: "Her Bloody Head of Trump was performance art"
I'd call it incitement to violence, just like those calling for his assassination. Would you say the same thing if it she was holding Obama's head?
"She was unfairly criticized by the deplorable, 2nd Amendment crowd that routinely kill innocent wildlife, and call it "sport."
The hunters in my part of Pennsylvania kill deer as part of population control and make venison sausage out of them. Where do you think your hamburgers come from?
"Kathy is doing her best to point out artistically, and humorously the insanity that is Trump, and his foul presidency."
I guess if you call reviving the economy, stopping the Iranian mullahs from building nukes, bringing North Korea to the bargaining table, and enforcing immigration laws on the books "insanity," that says more about you than us.
Ironically, both Griffin and Trump need constant adoration and approval. But, Kathy deserves her praises because she is talented, witty, and funny, while Trump should be run out of town on a rail - he's a disgusting, stupid, and mentally ill piece of Rethuglican filth.
Abuse is what you turn to when you don't have the facts on your side.
She already wears pantsuits?!
Imagine sitting next to her on the plane.
I have difficulty sleeping on planes. The soporific effect might be salutary.
Yep, that's disgusting. You win Althouse. Hopefully that was the bottom of the barrel.
"A screaming standing O to begin." And nothing she could have done, save from endorsing Trump, would have led to her failure with that bunch.
I read through the comments. For what it's worth, I think the Beethoven thread inspired more thoughtful and interesting comments than either the Kathy Griffin or Cher one. Sexism?
" Where do you think your hamburgers come from?"
Not from deer.
"I'd call it incitement to violence."
You mean like Milo's comment about journalists?
@Mark-
Doesn't incitement have to be, you know, communicated to the people you intend to incite?
Milo is a homosexual and an European. Everything he says is Gospel to the Left, right? We all know that gays and Euros know a lot more than us simple American folk.
So was Kathy Griffin the second of the disgusting things after Cher and the Trump Hotel? Did someone keep score?
@clint, it was.
When you say something on the record to a reporter, thats what you are doing.
I think Milo's bf is black. Doens't that make him all cool too?
Nah - the left are hivemind. Gotta stay on that plantation. Plus- Milo is disgusted by the hack-D press and says so.
I read through the comments. For what it's worth, I think the Beethoven thread inspired more thoughtful and interesting comments than either the Kathy Griffin or Cher one. Sexism?
So when do YOU start making "Thoughtful and interesting" comments?
Or are you just a critic?
A thinker, not a doer.
"Sexism?"
Surely. Because obviously Griffin and Cher are the equal of Beethoven in prompting reflection and inspiration.
Not funny, not entertaining. But I'll let she is ... empowering. Finding Her Voice, and shit.
It sounds exhausting
"Disgusting" should be measured against a weighted scale. If the Griffin event comprised the greater part of your disgust you could say it was worth 60% of your overall disgust. The remainder could be divided equally at 20% each. Next, you need to assign a disgust "value" for each event. Maybe the Griffin event was "bad" but not as much as the hotel's monogrammed towels. So on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the worst, Griffin was a 2 while the hotel was a 5. Then run the calculations to find the weighted value of your disgust. Each commenter could do the same for themselves and then you'd have an adequate tool to compare levels of disgust. At least the calculated number would be more descriptive and less emotional than "fuckin A what a piece of crap that hotel was!!".
"A screaming standing O to begin."
Dear AA,
Did you feel compelled to go along with the rest of the herd?
She made talking into a sport, as if there was something she needed to get done in time or disaster would strike.
No, Ann, that's how homeless schizophrenics talk, endlessly, the words pouring out as if under pressure. She sounds like she's in a horrible way. And you all taking it in and applauding, and she basking in your applause.
Nice!
"Wow, being able to speak continuously for 3 hours.."
*********************************
"Manic Depression's a frustrating mess."
----Jimi Hendrix
I figured Ann was immunized by maternal hormones; if not for being there with her son, there's no way she could have survived three hours nonstop of Kathy Griffin's narcissism. But I admit I could be wrong, after all, Ann enjoyed that grotesque tour of the decrepit mansion so she's got vastly different taste than me. Kathy seems to be in great spirits these days and the audiences are so enthusiastic maybe that would carry one through the experience. I listen to people who are verbal gymnasts (I don't know what the word is for extraordinary talent in talking), who I find entertaining even though I have zero interest in what they are saying.
"Brilliantly done."
OK, fine. I'll take your word for it. But life is short. What'll it be, three hours of Griffin or three hours of Beethoven?
3 hours? Of Kathy Griffin...?
If I was handcuffed to my seat, I would have gnawed my arm off to get out of there.
We need more Althouse commentary on Kathy G.
Did she stay interested the whole 3 hours?
What was her favorite part?
What was her son's favorite part?
BTW, just read a brilliant attack on Samamatha Bee by someone at national review.
Yeah, I'm amazed too.
It was the Kevin Williamson guy - who was fired by The Atlantic Magazine.
Guess, he decided to move into cultural issues, since the "kill women who have abortions" and "Let the white working class die" shtick didn't work out for him.
Speaking for 3 hours straight, what a feat! I've covered tournaments where I was on mic and on camera for 12 hours straight. It's not hard.
"There's rambling, frenetic, dramatic, crazed talk that will not end."
Ritmo went along?
I'm glad you enjoyed the show and the family time, Althouse.
I'll save my opinion of Kathy Griffin for another day.
It sounds like you got your money's worth then. That's always a crap shoot with a live performance. Congrats!
Hard to see what was entertaining about this. THREE HOURS! Is she striving to be the Fidel Castro of stand up comedy?
I'm just impressed at how brave Griffin and her audience is, to put on and attend such a daring performance while the evil Trump is in power. Don't they fear the camps?
How could anyone in the audience hear anything over the continuous gunfire in thr streets of Chicago?
The description is of someone on manic overdrive. I guess she entertained her followers and people who were eager for spectacle, but this is not going to end well. I wonder how all those followers are going to feel when she really crashes and burns. Will they see themselves as partly culpable? No, they’ll just feel bad and look for someone else to vent their animus.
LincolnTf said...
Milo is a homosexual and an European. Everything he says is Gospel to the Left, right? We all know that gays and Euros know a lot more than us simple American folk.
6/30/18, 5:51 PM
He probably knows more than you.
Althouse you do disgust me by supporting this Trump-assassination fantasist.
Guess you'll go to the Peter Fonda movie next?
I have no interest in Cathy Griffin, but, prof. emerit., this is in line with what I've heard--she gives her audience their money's worth.
BTW, what is the preferred term to address you these days? I assume you still object to strangers presuming a first name relationship. "Prof." was quick and easy. Professor Emeritus is too many letters. Ms. Althouse seems weird, but it's fewer letters.
Here's a clip from a gay NYC actor/hair stylist. It'a about as funny as Cathy Griffin's act, I would guess, and much shorter. I think this guy might have started something:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pjs7uoOkag
q”the part about how the government came after her for posing holding a ketchup-covered replica Trump head”
WTF?
@tim maguire: Take it from a Prof; Once a Prof, always a Prof.
Why is Peter Fonda starring in a movie?
Who the hell ever went to a film because peter fonda was in it?
Were there protests outside the theater or has the Right moved on to trying to ignore her?
If she was speaking her mind, there had to be an awful lotta repetition.
But did you laugh your head off?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
Three hours? Not to go all Emperor Joseph II on you, but that sounds like "too many notes."
"She had been knocked down hard by the media establishment"
A real martyr, I see.
BTW, what is the preferred term to address you these days?
I believe she has stated that she wishes to be called "Althouse" on this blog.
Obama masked rodeo clown unavailable for comment! BTW, I'm still trying to reconcile two sentence's from althouse's post:
1)But mostly there are no particular jokes. There's rambling, frenetic, dramatic, crazed talk that will not end
2)Brilliantly done. Comedy as sport. Well played.
If I was as fortunate as Meade I'm certain all would be made clear.
Here's a clip from a gay NYC actor/hair stylist. It'a about as funny as Cathy Griffin's act, I would guess, and much shorter. I think this guy might have started something:
Link
Wow, exiled! That was fabulous! [And isn't he gorgeous? But gay.]
Fonda. Isn't he related to that traitor actress who sat on an enemy AA gun during the Viet war?
I sent the link to my kids. They'll like it, too.
Yep, mock, he is gorgeous.
When the left starts losing people like that, you know they're in trouble...
Look up the Twitter feed of "Unsilent minority" and read the tweets from ex-leftists who have walked away. It will give you hope.
I've known several gay men from my involvement in political organizations who were Conservatives. It's not that unusual. After all, they tend to be quite intelligent. ;-)
Tranny Bonaduche ladies and gentlemen...
Drago said...
How could anyone in the audience hear anything over the continuous gunfire in thr streets of Chicago?
Chicago is a democrat controlled city.
That means it is segregated by race and wealth.
The poor people live in the ghettos and get shot by criminals.
The rich people go watch Kathy Griffin.
Trumpit is my favorite commenter.
I mentioned upstream that I saw Frank Turner tonight in Boston. Went on stage at 7:45 and ended at 9:30 on the dot, including encore (he knew there would be an encore). Great entertainers combine ecstatic energy with flawless timing.
Achilles said..."The rich people go watch Kathy Griffin."
In Chicago, almost no place is totally safe any more. The downtown loop and Mag Mile often have flash mobs and robberies, while the Wrigleyville area and the more prosperous north side have a lot of people that "visit" to do their crime. (See http://www.cwbchicago.com/ )
So maybe if you are arriving by limo you are okay.
Kathy Griffin is not the first seriously mentally ill person who has rambled for three hours.
It's not professional skill on display. It's pathology.
So you think beheading is funny, Althouse? I can't imagine what sort of mind thinks like that. Sad.
Sort of funny for three hours but I can't remember any of it
Play attendance as virtue signaling.
Hadn't we established this when they made Trump Julius Caesar in that one play in NY that got protested?
The only people who would go want to give Kathy (Borden) Griffin a career back (Ms. Althouse) just as it is a virtue signal by the Right to eschew her performances.
So...are there enough Feminist Law Profexerix and Gay Men like Trumpit to give KG her mojo back, or is this a Swan Song?
The answer says will say a lot about the future of America.
But how long can she maintain an audience in Chicago without taking any tours to Peoria?
In any case, this 'outs' the inner preferences of the Professorix. She doesn't care how KG coarseness society in graphic ways.
So the audience was waiting for the severed head joking.
Sort of like a lynch mob. But a funny one.
Gahrie said...
BTW, what is the preferred term to address you these days?
I believe she has stated that she wishes to be called "Althouse" on this blog.
Thanks Gahrie, but calling someone by their last name without an honorific feels rude. I may just stick with prof. per Original Mike's comment unless I see her address it somewhere.
The description of a frenetic Kathy Griffin speaking rapid-fire for three hours jumping from subject to subject reminds me of a description of Robin Williams on stage. We know how he turned out and he was funny.
What does that leave Kathy?
I'm spending the weekend with my adult son. I told him about this blog post. I let him know while I loved him enough to hold his head over a bucket for a year when he went through chemo as a teen, I don't love him enough to attend a 3 minute Kathy Griffin show with him. He says it's OK because he loves me too much to ever ask it of me.
Hating Trump as a sport?
It seems more like group therapy. I don’t particularly wish anything bad on Trump haters. If this kind of a performance is what it takes to help them get through the next six years of Trump presidency, then I wish them well.
The collective left have a thing for liking Islamic be-headings, too.
Didn't Kathy go on the View to say she is NOT sorry?
She took her sorry all back?
Yes.
Kathy should tour Afghanistan, but not the areas protected by the US military.
I suspect the audience consisted mostly of Prog women and gay men.
So Althouse had a "contact high"?
Three hours of frantic, digessive discussion of rumors that are accepted as true?
That sounds like the primetime lineup at MSNBC.
The crowd skewed male. I commented to Chris: "The crowd is overwhelmingly male."
Chris said, "You know Kathy Griffin has a big gay male following."
I said: "So all these men are gay."
And then the middle aged lady in front of me kind of subtly whipped around to get a look at who was saying that. She was with a man, presumably her husband. She didn't say anything to me, but I seemed to be able to read her mind, which said, "My husband is not a homosexual!"
Well, there is three hours of your life you'll never get back.
She is a vile, hateful and hate-filled attention whore.
Thanks for helping keep her business.
I meant “digressive”. Oops.
Hell, there's a guy who frequents Earnie's Bar and Grill every weekend who entertains the rest of the bar with his "rambling, frenetic, dramatic crazed talk" for three hours or more. He can move effortlessly from the Packers release of Jordy Nelson, to the weird Aztec family who live on the next block, to how to build Trump's wall, to his collection of beetles, and to his fifth divorce. And it's all free.
Yes, Kathy with a K took it all back. She explains it here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lwj8QeuLEk
She didn't say anything to me, but I seemed to be able to read her mind, which said, "My husband is not a homosexual!"
And I can read his mind: "The things I do for love" in true Jamie Lannister fashion.
#Walk Away
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