Huffington: Stephen Colbert "was Dylan plugging in at Newport in 1965"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Is Stephen Colbert the Last One to Know How Amazing He Was?

Arianna Huffington

Millions have watched the video of his performance online and/or read the transcript, and tens of thousands of people have posted letters of gratitude and appreciation to ThankYouStephenColbert.org. But, shockingly, one of the few people still unaware of just how big an impact the twin evisceration of the president and the puppy dog press has had is Stephen Colbert himself.

When I ran into him the other night at the Time 100 celebration, he told me that he had strenuously avoided reading anything about his appearance -- the good, the bad, or the ugly -- preferring to focus on the present and putting together his nightly TV show.

If anything, he seemed to be nursing a tender spot about the chilly reception his utterly brilliant performance got in the room that night. He is, after all, first and foremost a performer -- and it's tough for any performer, especially one used to appearing in front of a wildly appreciative crowd night after night, to suddenly find himself playing to a hostile crowd. It's the comedy equivalent of having the Dementors from Azkaban enter your body and suck out your spirit.

Nora Ephron framed the dilemma perfectly when she asked, "Is it possible for a comedian to utterly kill and bomb at the same time?" To which I say, Absolutely. This was Dylan plugging in at Newport in 1965. The crowd may have booed, but the music world had forever shifted.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/is-stephen-colbert-the-la_b_20774.html

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Excellent article.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

3. Excellent analogy, too.

No matter what people think of Dylan as a performer...and I happen to enjoy him...all it takes is this CD to hear genius and mammoth balls all at the same time:



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000D9TO/qid=1147455735/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-0563073-4496700?s=music&v=glance&n=5174

Amazon.com essential recording
The greatest live recording in rock & roll history was--officially, at least--buried in the vaults of Columbia Records for more than a quarter of a century. But no more: Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert has surfaced on two discs mixed and mastered from three-track source tapes that put the myriad pirated recordings to shame. More important, Live 1966 documents a momentous artistic showdown between a willful, inflamed, and utterly fearless performer and his headstrong core following. The Dylan of the mid '60s had made the leap from socially conscious voice of his generation to surrealistic electric poet, a transformation that was met with contempt by a vocal element of his audience. The most telling moment of the recording centers on the standoff: A folk zealot in the audience shouts, "Judas!" earning cheers from the contentious crowd. Dylan responds by snarling, "I don't believe you. You're a liar," then turns to his group, the Hawks (soon to become the Band), and, as the intro to "Like a Rolling Stone" takes shape, commands, "Play loud!" A crucial moment and, time has demonstrated, the correct call. --Steven Stolder

:toast:

[glitch]

2. Damn, I thought he knew he was playing to the world and the chilly room

fed his performance by reinforcing his point.

Edit to add: although it does make his acting skills and courage look even more amazing.

[Peace Patriot]

4. Yup, that's what I think, too. He knew his audience. He knew who would

be there. He knew it was the annual chuckle-fest for the thieves, torturers of prisoners and mass murderers of tens of thousands of innocent people, who rule Washington DC, and who get their butts kissed by the employees of war profiteering corporate news monopolies. He knew this is where they sit down together and laugh it all off. Stephen Colbert is not stupid. And he went in there and did his gig anyway--like Nathan Hale to the firing squad. "I have but one life of comedy to give for my country." And did it with the most amazing cool and skill we have ever seen in a performer since...well, I wouldn't choose Dylan and electronics...I'd say since Paul sang "Besame Mucho" to John, George and Ringo during "Let It Be." Pick your hero. Stephen Colbert is up there with the best of them. He knew exactly what he was doing, and did not expect applause (except maybe deep down in his heart, outside the sphere of the rational, where hope for the goodness of others always resides).

[glitch]

5. Well said. His head knew what to expect but his heart still hoped, a bit.

"He knew exactly what he was doing, and did not expect applause (except maybe deep down in his heart, outside the sphere of the rational, where hope for the goodness of others always resides)."

[lwcon]

6. I hope the glow of Colbert's bravery stays with us and others will follow

It gave a lot of hope to us sometimes cynical types to see someone stand up to this miserable excuse for a President and the news media that props him up.

Though the press corps somehow managed to ignore the stunning exposure of our naked emperor right before their eyes, we've done a great job keeping the beat going online, by supporting the Harry Taylors, Ray McGoverns, and Stephen Colberts this past month or so.

As of this writing, the Thank You Stephen Colbert site has 57,374 "thank yous" posted.

And here for your (I hope) enjoyment is a little tribute song that my friends and I put together.

P.S., I'm hoping this Russell Tice will be the next such hero -- stay tuned on that one. Maybe we'll need to do a song about him too. :v)