From a Chat Dated 10/8/08

[photo stolen from a blog called mccain sucks]

Some of the topics - okay, all of the topics - we cover in this chat will be outdated, since it's mostly about the Palin/Biden VP debates two years ago. But I think Laurie's and my points about impersonations are interesting. For those who fear wading through our (VERY HILARIOUS) gchat transcript, the gist is: Laurie expects impersonations to shed a new light on the person being impersonated. As she says below, "what makes an impersonation funny is teasing something out about the person that I, as the audience, either didn't notice or didn't realize I noticed-- it creates that "a ha!" kind of humor."

I, on the other hand, am perfectly willing to accept/laugh at impersonations that are just impersonations. In the chat, I reference a Saturday Night Live sketch that isn't good, but Bill Hader's impression of Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood is just really, really accurate. I don't feel like I'm learning more about the character by watching the impersonation, I'm just delighted that someone is that good a mimic.

But then I thought maybe there was some sort of undercurrent of the "a ha" humor Laurie refers to in my enjoyment of impersonations as well. Donald Glover's Obama impression (starting at about :50 in this clip) is one of my favorite impressions, Obama or otherwise, because he really nails the eye-blinking, I think, more than anything else, and Obama's eye-blinking was not something I noticed on a conscious level before seeing Glover's bit in . (Also the part about the Cheesecake Factory is just funny. Obama at CF? LOLOL 4EVER.)

Then, later, Laurie brings up the fact that Jason Sudeikis as Biden is funny to her, even though she has no real way of knowing whether the impersonation is accurate. This brings up an interesting point: is a "good" comedic impersonation measured by its accuracy? Or by its stand-alone funniness? I feel like I have seen impersonations that are not necessarily super-accurate, but are still funny, but I will always find something entertaining in a really amazing accurate impersonation. What do you guys think makes a good impersonation?

Anyway, here is the chat, slightly edited to exclude references to earlier conversations and for flow purposes.

Laurie: i'm thinking about writing a fake joke structure thing about tina fey's sarah palin

did you see this week's SNL?

or at least the vp debate bit?

[ed. note: I fucking love Queen Latifah]

Anna: i did

Laurie: i thought it was interesting because i've never seen joe biden speak, ever

and i've only seen sarah palin speak once, briefly

and, coming from that perspective, i thought jason sudeikis' joe biden held up really well

i laughed a lot at his part

but i don't think tina fey's sarah palin got even one sincere laugh out of me

and i was, like, trying

her impersonation kind of reminded me of 'men never ask for directions' jokes

like, you laugh at the impersonation because you want to laugh at sarah palin, moreso than because the jokes were legit funny

although i don't know, that's just my perspective

Anna: well, it's not like they're even jokes at this point

Laurie: right, right

Anna: she could literally just say everything palin said

Laurie: but how is that legit humor

i mean, to me, i don't know

Anna: what do you mean by legit humor?

like - actually funny?

or like - respectable?

or like - with some intelligence?

Laurie: i guess i mean an actual crafted joke

which is maybe not required

Anna: it's an impersonation, though, which i don't think takes the same kind of joke-crafting

Laurie: hmmmm

Anna: there was another sketch in like an ice cream parlor

in re: the “I drink your milkshake” line in there will be blood

and it was NOT funny at all

but i watched it and liked it because bill hader's impression of the character in twbb was PERFECT

Laurie: i guess this is a preference thing, but to me, what makes an impersonation funny is teasing something out about the person that i, as the audience, either didn't notice or didn't realize i noticed-- it creates that "a ha!" kind of humor

Anna: oh ok

Laurie: just mimicing what the person said in a funny accent isn't really funny to me

Anna: that makes total sense

Laurie: but i am not the arbiter of humor for snl

UNFORTUNATELY

Anna: srsly

Laurie: i only saw that opening sketch

Anna: i keep giving it a chance

and it keeps failing me

i still love kristen wiig though

Laurie: i don't know her

i haven't watched it in years except for little youtube clips here and there

so i'm not up on the new class

Anna: there was another sketch called "mark wahlberg talks to animals"

where one of the guys in the cast was mark wahlberg

Laurie: haha

Anna: and he just went up to different animals like "hi, dog. so, you're a dog. how's that?"

Laurie: HA

Anna: and while i was watching it, i was like "this is dumb"

but in retrospect, it was kind of amazing

Laurie: it sounds amazing

Anna: also another impersonation-based thing

"hi, goat, i like your beard. i had a beard in the perfect storm. did you see that, goat? say hi to your mother for me."

and there was an actual goat

Laurie: haha

Anna: but yeah - the fey/palin thing is like a lot of their sketches, actually, where they pick one joke

that is sometimes funny

and do a skit around it

even though it could just be a one-liner

Laurie: as you were telling me this, i was thinking, "i wonder if they were high when they wrote that"

Anna: god, i hope so

Laurie: and then i went to my google reader and one of my tv writing blogs has this post-- "How common is marijuana use in writers' rooms? Do companies really enforce a no-drug policy, or just let the kids play as long as the shows are getting ratings? Is Canada different than U.S. in this respect?"

Anna: HA

Laurie: well the weird thing about the palin/biden thing to me

was just that the biden impersonation held up for me even though i've never seen him before in real life

it was still funny to me

but the palin impersonation wasn't funny to me, without having seen her in real life

i don't know if that's, like, the measure of a good impersonation haha

Anna: gotcha

Laurie: and i'm obviously only one person

but i just thought it was interesting

Anna: i think your definition of impersonation gives comedians too much credit

Laurie: haha

Anna: i'm not saying you're wrong

i'm just saying most people are not as smart as you

Laurie: well i know that, duh

Anna: haha

Laurie: but i don't believe that TINA FEY isn't as smart as me

Anna: i'm gonna give her a pass on this one

because i can't think of anything she could do that is funnier than palin herself

it's like trying to write an ultra-condensed movie for a comedy

i like can't

and they are never as funny

Laurie: yes exactly

that was the exact comparison i was thinking of on sunday when i watched it

it's like there's no way to make it legit funny

i mean, for me

although i do think a big thing for me is when comedians don't really commit to a character, but do this "wink wink nudge nudge" thing with the audience

i HATE that

and that's what i felt like tina fey was doing-- but, it's hard to tell how much of that was tina fey wink-nudging and how much of it was the palin character doing it?

i don't know

Anna: haha i was JUST going to say that

because i didn't get that at all from fey

but then i thought about it

and that's palin's whole MO

Laurie: i mean, i think that's part of the joke

right

Anna: but i completely agree on the winking

Laurie: btw, the answer to the marijuana in the writers’ room question was: "no one gets high at work."

Anna: HAHA

now THAT'S comedy

my roommate is like always high at work

but she's not a tv writer, i guess

Laurie: hahahhaa

he meant tv writers

not, like, people at dunkin donuts

Anna: hahaha

wait, no one gets high or no one is high

I HAVE POKED HOLES IN YOUR LOGIC

Laurie: haha

i think no one IS high

Anna: if i worked at dunkin donuts i would be so high