In keeping with the growing tradition of authors and bloggers commenting on their experiences at The Colbert Report, David Sirota has posted an analysis over at his regular spot on the Huffington Post.
From HuffPo:
Did Colbert Really Just Call Me Che Guevara?
Posted May 30, 2008 | 09:24 AM (EST)NEW YORK – As promised yesterday, here is a link to the video from my appearance on The Colbert Report. It’s hard to come up with exactly the right word to describe what it feels like to be on Stephen’s show. It’s somewhere between fun and excruciating – and really, it’s both at the same time (does saying that make me a masochist?).
Before the show, Stephen came by the green room to say hello and chat. He’s much different off the air than on, in that he’s not in character. The first time I went on (2 years ago) he made sure I understood his character is satirical (apparently, some guests – mostly conservatives – don’t get the joke). This time around we just chatted about other things, and traded a few stories about living in the Willard dorm at Northwestern, where we both went to college.
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I thought the funniest moment in the interview was when Colbert called me Che Guevara, and asked whether I was looking forward to college students having my face on their t-shirts. It’s inquiries like that which really throw you off. Such “questions” make the show hilarious but also make it impossible to prepare for his show – and make the lead up to being on his show more than a bit nerve-wracking.
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Not too shabby, Mr. Sirota. I agree that “Stephen” was more aggressive last night than we’ve seen him lately, but there may be a compliment in there for you: Stephen has said that his persona during the interview works on a “sliding scale”, with people who can handle it getting hit with the less … cuddly side of the character. Judging by the tone of your interview segment, “Stephen” certainly wasn’t about to underestimate your thesis (and your ability to present it).
I think Stephen may have been a teensy bit more aggressive last night possibly because of Mr. Sirota’s last visit to The Report. He called Stephen out on a few things during his last visit, which, I’m guessing, allowed Stephen to “bring it” a little more this time. I thought Sirota held is own very well during both visits, and argued is point-of-view effectively. Nicely done!
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