I don't particularly like either comedian. I'm not cool and hip enough to like Conan (though I loved the Simpsons episodes he was involved in) and Jay Leno has absolutely no appeal to me. I do have some funny memories of watching him with my dad while growing up-but stupid jokes about gender differences and newspapers having silly headlines were never my thing. I'm still fascinated by the late night drama that occurred so many years ago because in my view, it shows a deeper rift in our culture.
It's between the hipster elite who loves Conan and the regular, red state American who likes Leno. (No, this isn't about there personal political views of Jay Leno). Ask yourself-who likes Conan and who likes Leno? Odds are that the quirky humor of O'Brien appeals to a much different type of person than who likes the broader comedy of Jay Leno. Remember how many people supported Conan back in the 2010 Late Night controversy? 95% Conan-5% Leno. The quickest way to lose friends back then was to Tweet your support for Jay Leno.
It's the same reason why people dislike Nickelback and like the Jesus and Mary Chain instead. Most people have never heard of the Jesus and Mary Chain but only drop their name to appear cool. Most people who dislike Nickleback (and I don't particularly like them) would probably have a less passionate opinion about them if they heard a song by them and didn't know it was Nickleback singing.
No comments:
Post a Comment