Dec192005

Ricky, Larry… Larry, Ricky

Filed Under Comedy Writers

On January 5 of Oh-6, Britain’s Channel 4 will be running an hour-long special featuring a conversation between two masters of uncomfortable comedy, Ricky Gervais and Larry David. There’s been no announcement if or when it will show in the US, but considering HBO has both Curb Your Enthusiasm and Extras, it seems like a perfect fit for them to pick up. But if not them, Comedy Central. Or BBC America. Somebody, please.

Until someone in programing wakes up on this side of the pond, we can read a partial transcript of their meeting thanks to the Daily Telegraph. Included in the text are observations about sitcoms and laughter:

Larry David: That’s the thing with sitcoms: everybody always has to say something funny. And everybody’s saying all these funny things, the audience is laughing, but nobody else in the scene is. (My thoughts on this from an earlier post.)

Another is the assertion by Gervais (41) and David (58) that people under 30 aren’t really that funny:

Ricky Gervais:I think you have to be a certain age to be funny. So few people under the age of 30 are funny.
Larry David: You have to discover when you’re inadequate to be funny and you don’t know you’re inadequate when you’re a kid.
Ricky Gervais: Exactly. Who wants to see unfeasibly good-looking, clever, popular people doing things brilliantly? Who cares?

An interesting argument against the age-ism Hollywood suffers from for not only actors and actresses, but also writers. I think people in their 20s are funny, but I don’t think it would be very easy for young comics to create something like the Office or Curb, which have the stench of failure inbedded in them. They’re funny, just not funny in the beaten-by-life way that Gervais and David have mastered so well. Of course, if you’re in comedy in your 20s you get plenty of rejection. So you’re ready to be really funny when you’re 30.

Again, some cable station (or PBS) should pick this up. If it shows up in bittorrent or one of the P2P networks, write me.

Posted by Todd Jackson at 06:04 AM | Send to Friend
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