Christ and Pop Culture
People I knew growing up tend to remember two things about me. The first is that I used to go around singing the Monkees’ theme. I had come into the craze about twenty years post upon seeing their zany, short-lived series on Nick at Nite. I did not know yet that they weren’t exactly a real band. I was disillusioned when in 6th grade I learned the truth. The second thing remembered is that I wanted to be David Letterman. I got my first camcorder in 9th grade and proceeded to film my own top ten lists. My plan was to one day write for the program.
I hadn’t seen much of his Late Night primarily because our antennae didn’t favor NBC, but from the time of his ’93 CBS Late Show debut onward I faithfully sat up for every episode. When anyone said they preferred Leno, I balked at their absurd notion. Letterman told jokes that I would tell; he pulled stunts that I would pull. The perception that he was the underdog added to the appeal. As I got older, I appreciated the rare moment when the jokes stopped and he took a serious tone. His return to air after 9/11 was especially noteworthy in this way. Stunned, he couldn’t make sense of so-called, “religious fervor” which had motivated the attacks.
More than a few times, I’ve laughed when the jokes weren’t funny such as Letterman’s response to Enron exec Ken Lay’s death, “Ken Lay should be arriving in hell just about now.” Recently, his run of Bernie Madoff jokes has worked similarly. I had been wondering though what it was that I found amusing. Perhaps, it was that these corporate tyrants at last received their due. To laugh at one man’s demise, however, represents at the very least a grave misunderstanding. I reflected back on my prior aspirations of writing for late night. Landing such a job would be as difficult as getting your fashions into Anna Wintour’s closet. Either way, I began to question what role I, as a Christian, could play in this context.
Earlier this year, another of Letterman’s tasteless jokes got him into trouble with Sarah Palin. The Palin family visited NYC and saw a Yankees’ game. Letterman stated, “During the 7th inning her daughter got knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.” The daughter in attendance was Palin’s 14 year-old, though the comedian claimed not to know this or to have intended the young girl as a target. I was willing to buy that, but others were not. While Palin seemed ready to charge him for sex crimes, there were those who moved for him to be fired. Oversight or otherwise, the joke was a big mistake. That being said, as something of an amateur comedian, I recognize that the desire to entertain often influences one to tell jokes which aren’t funny or are even in poor taste.
Last week, it was revealed that Letterman has had a number of affairs with women under his employ. His on-air admission came after a 2 million dollar extortion attempt. Politicians could learn a lot from his prudent PR maneuvering, but what I’m really interested in is what happens when the comedian becomes the joke. The other late night hosts have fit the news into their monologues, though they have hardly given Letterman the routine “raking over the coals.” Surprisingly, most of Letterman’s past victims have refused to return fire. Some have offered advice or sympathy as did Mark Foley who said, “I feel sorry for Dave. I take no glee.” But, how do I respond? Do I give up on him, tune into the kinder, gentler, tamer (i.e. less funny) Leno and go to bed earlier? Do I switch over to Conan? Or should I just cut it off altogether?
David Letterman has always been a good sport when the joke was on him. This past week he continued that. In his monologue Monday night he dropped a name, Clinton, Spitzer, etc. but then stopped and grimaced uncomfortably as if to say, “don’t guess I can go there.” This is another of those quiet moments like before. After 9/11, he didn’t go into hate speech, he simply expressed that he couldn’t comprehend what had happened. In that, we were united. This time it’s his life under review. I can’t go there. Questions such as whether he keep his job are too big for me to answer. The one question I can answer is, will I continue to watch? For now, yes. Yes, I will.
And P.S., once in a blue moon I still listen to the Monkees even though I know that they are fake.
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