22nd February 2012
TODAY'S BEST BET
Bill Maher at the Winspear on Sunday night: ‘Your new theater isn’t gonna be clean for long’
Bill Maher
I’ve seen Kathy Griffin perform live, and Joan Rivers and Lisa Lampanelli and Chris Rock — and they are all hilarious and edgy and daring comics who say outrageous things and go places that scare a lot of other comedians — but none of them can hold a candle to Bill Maher. Bill Maher is a shock comic who doesn’t say things just to shock: He says them because they are true.
Last night, at the Winspear Opera House, Maher spoke the truth for a nearly two-hour set, and, in my mind, established himself as the pre-eminent political commentator of a generation. He’s a comedian, too, of course. But really, he’s a voice.
The concert played out more like a rally than a comedian’s concert. “Your new theater isn’t gonna be clean for long,” Maher joked early in the set, before letting loose a parade of F-bombs and angry rants that touched on some easy pop targets (Justin Beiber, Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen), but were most concerned with weighty issues including gay marriage (Maher said people in the military and the clergy have managed to scare people into thinking that just the sight of gay people will make you gay — in other words, “cock is like dessert at a restaurant — it’s what they’re known for, maybe I should try it”); Democrats’ wishy-washy leadership (when 75 percent of the American public supported repealing the ban on gays in the military, it “was still not enough political cover for these pussies”); his avowed atheism and even Lee Harvey Oswald (“Oh, yes, I went there — even in this town,” said the former North Texas resident).
It’s that fearlessness — he acknowledged that some people would probably be uncomfortable with some of his remarks about religion, not to mention calling Sarah Palin a “cunt” (“there’s just no other word for her”) — that makes Maher the most dangerous person in comedy. He’s painfully well-informed, which means he takes no bullshit from anyone. President Barack Obama took it on the chin almost as much as Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck. How dare the President say he would not settle for America being No. 2 — America is already out of the top 10 in most international lifestyle and human rights categories (health care, education, social mobility, women in high political positions). “I’d be thrilled if we were No. 2,” he ranted, noting it’s nice to be behind Bosnia in life expectancy (where the chief cause of death is wolfman attacks, he joked).
Every single Republican in the U.S. Senate, he noted, refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of global warming. One of the reasons for this, he said, is that oil is very macho: “You’ve got to drill and take it. Wind is a very gay way to get our energy. It’s drill baby drill, not blow baby blow.”
Maher kicked off the evening, though, in defense of the gays, before a largely gay (and certainly gay-friendly) audience, and came back to it time and again. “Tea-baggers have taken a gay sex act — one man dragging his balls across another man’s face — and somehow turned it into something tawdry and disgusting.” Obama was criticized for demanding additional “readiness studies” before repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” (“How do they conduct those studies?” he wondered. “Johnson, get in here and blow me while I fire this rifle at a target and we’ll compare my scores to before”). His assaults on George W. Bush, the oil industry and all religion (especially the Mormons, though), was particularly pointed in Bible Belt Texas, where even flamers go to church every week. But that’s exactly what I loved about him. You don’t have to agree with everything he says to respect the way he says it — not just to be humorous but to make you think. If our politicians were so brave, we might not be in such deep shit. (Thanks to John Wright for writing down some of the jokes!)
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“Sarah Palin has more intelligence, common sense, decency and integrity than Maher and all the other filth-spewing lefty “comedians” will ever possess in their lifetimes”
Yeah, when I think “intelligence, common sense and integrity,” I think of the quitter who talked about Putin rearing his head over Alaska.
This man is no entertainer. He was only playing to his audience. What would you have done if he had slammed Gays? Mayer does not like man or woman. He jacks off while looking in the mirror.
Bill Maher grosses about $180,000 per engagement and doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks about him.. He is better educated and has a far better lifestyle than most who post on this site.. Any press is good press..
Posted aforementioned.. From someone who is a Bill Maher fan, no less..
@Peterson. Palin is a woman the last time I checked. Maher is a comedian, not a politician. I expect a politician to be smart. Plain Smart? Five colleges to get a degree!!.. I think not. People like you should stop dissing Maher because he speaks the truth about politicians that are not worth runing for any type of office. Idiots like you vote them into office, and help the Koch brothers attack the middle class, which is shrinking thanks to the conservative agenda of the AFP.
So you all think this is acceptable? I don’t have any position on Palin but I do know that she is a woman, my support is behind all women who participate in life 100% and I will not tolerate in my own life sheer misogyny which this is nothing but……and you support it. You have just lost a supporter here, as a councilwoman from Laguna Beach no less
.
As a Republican city council member and former mayor in California, the entire LGBT community has lost your support because of a story you don’t like about a comedian appearing in Dallas that appeared in a newspaper in Texas? Really?
And as a Republican elected official you have no position on Palin? None? Really?
Or are you objecting to the paper repeating a word that was used in that performance? Or to the comedian himself? If that’s the case, he lives in your state. Contact him directly.
To El Pendejo: And what makes you think it’s true of Sarah Palin? Do you know her and Michelle that well?
I do wonder how Maher would feel if someone used that term in reference to his mother. From his humor, I wouldn’t be surprised if he called her that himself.
“Well, if he said it about Michelle Obama it wouldn’t be -true-.”
Oh, I see, some women are c-words, so it’s okay to call them that. Is that like some Afro Americans are N-words, so it’s okay to call them that? Or some gays really are f****ts so it’s okay to call them that? Okay, I get it. I should feel free to call any woman a C**t that I decide deserves. Okay, I’ll let you know how it goes
@Gray. Bill Maher does not speak the truth. In fact, he has spewed death wish comments against Dick Cheney and Glenn Beck. It’s obvious that years of drugs and sex have rotted his brain.
And the Obama Civility Scout badge goes to Bill.
Maher is a hyper-liberal sycophant and, no doubt, the Left’s most trusted source for political analysis.
@scott. It was In humor. He’d be the first to tell you that truth is not part of a comedic dialog. But the neocon blogosphere has gone viral on this. But really, if a comedian can not say something in a comedic dialog, where have our 1st amendment rights gone to. Maher does not take politics seriously, and that is apparent by his dialogs.
The conservative mind has selective memory. The truth about Maher’s “Cheney comment” was that all Maher did was comment that the readers on Huffington Post were dismayed that a Cheney assassination attempt failed. Maher never said he wanted Cheney dead, but did say if Cheney were to die it would save lives. That has been hashed out in the press. But really if a comedian can not joke about politicians, then
where have our First Amendment rights gone.
Beck, he is another story. Talk about drugs and sex, and a big time liar. Beck has got Maher beat by miles in that department, and people believe him. The neocon knuckle-draggers need to get a life and do something other than attack comedians for their comedy.
@Scott, you need to get your news from places other than Newsbusters, Newmax, pajamamedia, gatewaypundit, or any other basement blogger liar sites.
@Lynn.. No he is a comedian who makes fun of the conservative mindset, and how stupid it can be.
@Gray . Since you can’t seem to let it go and move on, your defensiveness shows you’re not really sure of your position. If you have to do that to justify it, that’s fine. We understand.
@nick. No, I just get miffed by conservatives who think they have too trash someone who does not think like they do. Maher is an entertainer. He is supposed to make people laugh, and these miscreants go overboard for political reasons. George Carlin used to have the same problem, as did Lenny Bruce. Maher was funny. But these neocon knuckle-draggers guys can’t get past the fact he called Palin a ‘c’, and has made equally offensive statements before, of which they (the neocons) have lied about (i.e. Cheney comments).
@Gray. I see your point. It just sickens me to see any woman called that name. To me it’s no different than using the “n” word. I guess everybody has their own opinion about what’s funny.
@gray. “It was in humor…”
I am sick of people using that excuse to justify the most evil, hate-filled comments you can possibly imagine. You call that humor? I don’t.
Trying to explain away Maher’s comment about Dick Cheney is a waste of time. It was a death wish comment. Period. Utterly vile.
“Beck is another story…” That is still no excuse for “joking” about “Hey, you know that Pentagon shooter who the police had to shoot dead? Why oh why couldn’t that shooter have been Glenn Beck?” Utterly vile again.
Sandra Bernhard once “joked” about how if Sarah Palin ever showed at her neighborhood, she just might be “gang-raped by my big black brothers”. Ever stop to think just how outraged people would be if some conservative comedian (or any comedian) cracked the same “joke” about Michelle Obama?
It is the left-wing hate-spewing comedians that are dragging their knuckles.
@scott. Well, Scott, come to think of it there are very few, if any, conservative comedians. Like Nick, I do not like anyone who uses those comments when it isn’t couched as part of humorous skit.
I can’t help it if what Maher says offends you, but you are a fool if you think he’s evil.
Palin’s supporters released an advertisement depicting gun-sight targets placed on a US map (with 3 in Arizona), and a list of candidates (of which Giffords was one) , and on Facebook said “Don’t Retreat, Instead-RELOAD!”. Palin isn’t a comedian, and has yet to apologize for the inappropriate ad, and comment.
If you do not like a comedian’s schtick, don’t listen. That is your choice. I was listening to some Carlin today, and he was just as rank on Dan Quayle calling Quayle “F***ing stupid”. Rodney Dangerfield used to do an obnoxious skit. Did that make him or Carlin evil? NO cuz Comedians tend to make comments that are topical, and that is what makes some of them popular and others not so popular. I remember Leno making a comment of “where is a pretzel when we need it” referring to the close call GWB had with a pretzel. Does that make Leno evil? No.. Just laugh and move on. I suggest you do the same. You are too focused on calling too many people evil, like Beck does.
@gray. I didn’t call anybody evil. I said that their comments were evil.
Sarah Palin has no need to apologize for that advertisement or for her “Don’t retreat, reload” comment, unless you are ready to say that Barack Obama needs to apologize for once saying in 2008, “If they bring a knife, we bring a gun”. Both of those comments are called metaphors. Politicians have been using those types of metaphors for ages. Everybody with the brains of an artichoke knows that nobody is implying violence with those types of comments.
The crosshair-style graphic used in that ad is very similar to one that the DLC used in 2004. And so how does the radical left respond? They ignore the DLC ad. And somebody used the crosshairs in a protest sign against Scott Walker. But here is the big difference. The Palin ad was used on a map, and it was clearly meant to say, “Target these districts for Republican victory at the ballot box.”
The protest sign against Scott Walker? It had the crosshairs plastered directly over Gov. Walker’s face. Sounds like somebody didn’t listen to President Obama’s memorial speech.
Allowing the pubic to post anything they desire without consequences of what they are saying results in a loss of credibility for this publication. Any publication that does not take the responsibility to review comments before they are posted losses credibility.
When it comes to palin he sure knows what he is tlking about.
That woman is a numb cunt.
Oooo bill maher is so fearless..please. a coward at best. he gets a free pass for everything. attacking bush and palin does not take guts. its a joke that only stupid fools laugh at. it gets old Maher… I wish the pussy would spend that much energy attacking Islam or how about reality show tv stars, how about hefner? what apanzy
I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican, Bill Maher is an absolute IDIOT! He slants stories with half truths and partial information and is a flat out liar! People like Bill Maher are a cancer to our country and only dividing the two political parties further apart.