Monday, November 3, 2008
wonder: "Indians"? "Native Americans"? "Indigenous people"? "Skins"?
In the midst of some fine fancydancing, Sherman Alexie and Stephen Colbert raise a common question about proper terminology. But . . . do they ever provide a proper answer?
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That's the best Colbert interview I've seen in a while! hilarious!
ReplyDeleteThis was the strangest Colbert interview I've ever seen. I think his guest was genuinely pissed at having a view of Christopher Columbus from his hotel window - probably something Colbert had no knowledge of. But there was an undercurrent of a power struggle in that conversation.
ReplyDeleteIt's as though his Native American guest was determined to not make light of his ethnic heritage and Colbert wanted to do this anyway - and did - with biting sharp humor. While the joke about the blankets was funny, it also wasn't because of the underlying tension.
It was strange and uncomfortable for me to watch.
That was a very short interview. (I do not watch television, so I do not know if that length of time is normal for a Colbert interview.) I wanted more.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, I have fallen in love with Sherman Alexie! What a smart, clever and sharp man he is.
You thought he looked pissed, Kit? Looked to me like each of them could barely keep a straight face (though Alexie is so used to having to throw true facts into his interviews, he got the counting coup one out whole & serious in between the jokes). The only competition I saw was topping each other's lines.
ReplyDeleteSherman Alexie's pretty funny even with a regular interviewer (even on NPR or college radio) so this was a double treat. "We learned it from you!"
i'm with kit, this interview made me hella uncomfortable, i thought alexie did an awesome job, but colbert could have taken the high road and not tried to defend some of the messed up shit he said. i respect colbert, but i think he makes some bad calls and flirts with the inappropriate and disrespectful for a few laughs at times.
ReplyDeleteThis was kind of a strange/inappropriate exchange. It was also funny, but I'm just not sure what I thought about Colbert's...comedic libido.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, very interested in this cat, Alexie, and eager to read some of his work. =)