putting the j in jjosh » Blog Archive » every boy wants to be in his boots…

putting the j in jjosh

putting the j in jjosh

every boy wants to be in his boots…

April 15th, 2008

I remember watching Ali G for the first time on a tape that Roscoe got while we were both working at BBC America (were they thinking of licensing it?), and we laughed until it hurt. This is a great interview with Beckham and Posh Spice from the UK’s Comic Relief…British cultural references abound, but even if you’re not getting them, it’s still pretty funny…

Even though his schtick is a little played out, I still find Ali G really funny, much funnier than Borat for some reason. Borat’s humor seems to come from exploiting cultural foibles, which can be funny, but relies on us being able to point our finger and mock whichever regular person he’s interacting with. Ali G on the other hand takes apart so-called experts in some field (is being famous a "field"?)…I think he has to be quicker, smarter, sharper. The character of Borat bases his misunderstandings on cultural mismatches, where Ali G’s are based on clever use of slang, and youth culture stereotypes. Or something like that.

More analysis is called for, but I don’t have the time or inclination. Plus, with humor it really just boils down to what you think is funny.

UPDATE – I should point out that this vid is old, as Maxine somehow knew it was old and Roscoe’s link to an old Vanity Fair article mentions it…still funny tho…

2 Responses to “every boy wants to be in his boots…”

  1. comment number 1 by: oointgroov

    Interesting article in Vanity Fair circa the Borat movie release. Kinda touches on all the themes you mentioned…that is, what makes SBC so damn funny.

    http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2006/12/borat200612

  2. comment number 2 by: jjosh

    That article is good, and gets to the heart of the matter — that it’s ok to laugh at people who are so not-clued-in that they don’t get that it’s a joke.

    But when you encounter crazy people in real life, it can totally seem like a joke, but be very real. Everyone watching Borat or Ali G feels like “That would never happen to me,” but I feel like I would fall for it. Because I am gullible, or as I see it, trusting.

    It’s interesting…also I should point out that it doesn’t bug me as much as some other stunts like this, e.g. Spike Jonze’s crazy old woman/man in Jackass 2.

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