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89: Ricky Gervais (with Rob Rousseau) (Patreon)

Published:
2022-05-31 17:01:15
Imported:
2026-06
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  • JF 89 - Ricky Gervais (with Rob Rousseau).mp3

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Content

From Montreal, Rob Rousseau returns to the podcast for a discussion of the decline of comedian Ricky Gervais, with the release of his new Netflix special Super Nature. We’re a long way from the heights of The Office now. Why does Gervais seem more determined now to court controversy than to tell actual funny jokes? Do edgy "anti-woke" comedians with huge platforms realize (or even care) that they are contributing to a cultural anti-trans panic that is already making life dangerous for LGBT people? 

Plus: Ontario sleepwalks towards the re-election of Doug Ford as Premier. 

Follow Rob Rousseau on Twitter, and check out his podcasts @insurgentspod and @TRRSpod 

The episode of Ricky Gervais Meets... where he was ethered by Garry Shandling 




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Comments

Jesper Ohlsson

...I don't doubt that there's more trash in there to mine, but when you mentioned his "I identify as a pram" as potential amunition for bigots, I had a really weird feeling... I dunno, second-hand-embarassament? "I identify as an attack helicopter" was an example that Contrapoints brought up... maybe 5 years ago, as a beginning-to-be-stale meme-response to trans-issues from the alt-right, at the time. I was (very slightly) annoyed that this was the topic, because he just seems so played out, and I'd rather hear about some weird canadian stuff i've never encountered before (though I liked the Garry Schandling bit; like most people at the time, I remember it as him being on-brand-rude, and maybe he was, but it has also aged excellently due to the subject matter). I think the core problem with Gervais is that he yearns for a time of "being a bloke in a bar, telling jokes and everyone laughing", and dealing very poorly with the realization that a lot of that positive feedback came about because, at the time, nobody cared to even entertain the inner lives of any marginalized people. Now that it's become both culturally - and importantly, financially - viable to take those people in earnest consideration, it's construed as an attack (for a variety of psychologically complicated reasons). Basically, it's the hacky meme of "when you're accustomed to privilege equality feels like oppression". Or, in this case, a personal attack. ....That, and he probably has very thin skin/an unstable sense of himself. That splash-picture is a pretty good example. "Wouldn't it be hilarious if I struck a jesus-like pose, but with my microphone and a full on crown of thorns? Like, imagine if I did that earnestly. That'd be hilarious. ...Still though, I think most people will think, hey, Gervais is kinda fit these days, so you gotta hand him that at least. Like, you know, respect. ... Not that I want people to actually say that, that's not why I made the photoshoot like this. But.. you know.. if it happens.. *trails off*". Now that that's done with, more weird Canadian stuff! Cheers; love.

Jesse Hawken

Cheers Jesper! More weird Canadian stuff on the way

Jesper Ohlsson
>>84936259

I look forward to it. You've mentioned it now and then, but maybe an episode that's about "Toronto as the stand-in-for-every-city-in-US-film"? It pops up now and then in the podcast. Maybe there's something there, about a perceived blandness of Toronto that makes it "good enough" as a generic city backdrop? ...or maybe it's just a case of "well, it's cheaper to film here, it's recognizable as a non-descript city if we don't film landmarks, and it's too much of a hassle to film in Poland/eastern europe. So Toronto, I mean Gotham, I mean Chicago, it is!" If that's the case, there might not be a whole lot of "meat" to the idea.

Jack Frayne-Reid

Not very far into this ep yet but enjoying it as always. I would say the primary difference between Ricky Gervais and Graham Linehan when it comes to their weird fixation with trans people is that Gervais has been able to rein it in enough (ie. keep it largely to his actual comic work like this special, rather than tweet about it incessantly) that he still has a wife and a lucrative career. Someone like Rowling (a billionaire) will probably be fine however much she trashes her reputation, but that idiot Glinner has actually ruined his own life.

Jesper Ohlsson
>>84983776

It's quite a thing to be so "not bothered" about something that you, by your own volition, crash your own career - and quite possibly your entire life - by consistently, at every opportunity given, try to demonstrate to others that you're "not bothered ". Girl, you're bothered. It's ok. Nobody has a perfect take every time, and your soul won't leap out of your body if you go "Oh, nevermind. Thought I knew what I was talking about. My bad, actually." ...On the other hand, if you're borderline pathologically unable to do that, this is how things tend to play out.