Last night, he was brilliant.
― Maria D. (Maria D.), Saturday, 31 July 2004 15:09 (nineteen years ago) link
He's willing to change his mind and take criticism. He tries to play fair; shushes the audience when they are not being fair to a guest. He gets great guests, like the former PM of Canada.
I love Bill Maher! I used to think he was annoying, but I've come 'round.
― Maria D. (Maria D.), Saturday, 31 July 2004 15:10 (nineteen years ago) link
hurray for those who don't fall neatly into one camp -- it shows they think for themselves.
― Maria D. (Maria D.), Saturday, 31 July 2004 15:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― Leon Czolgosz (Nicole), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― Maria D. (Maria D.), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― artdamages (artdamages), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― hstencil (hstencil), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― Maria D. (Maria D.), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:28 (nineteen years ago) link
― ryan (ryan), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:32 (nineteen years ago) link
the HELL?
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― sexyDancer, Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:35 (nineteen years ago) link
OTM. I don't agree with Maher on a lot of things and he is often obnoxious as hell (I think it comes with the job description), but non-prepackaged sets of opinions are k-classic.
― mouse (mouse), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― Leon Czolgosz (Nicole), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:46 (nineteen years ago) link
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:47 (nineteen years ago) link
nobody loves no one
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:50 (nineteen years ago) link
― Maria D. (Maria D.), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:53 (nineteen years ago) link
― Maria D. (Maria D.), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:54 (nineteen years ago) link
Get thee behind me, Satan.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:57 (nineteen years ago) link
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 31 July 2004 16:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 31 July 2004 17:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 31 July 2004 17:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― robots in love (robotsinlove), Saturday, 31 July 2004 18:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― AaronHz (AaronHz), Saturday, 31 July 2004 19:01 (nineteen years ago) link
― g--ff (gcannon), Saturday, 31 July 2004 19:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Saturday, 31 July 2004 22:19 (nineteen years ago) link
Well, that's one way of looking at it.
― Kim (Kim), Saturday, 31 July 2004 22:22 (nineteen years ago) link
― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Saturday, 31 July 2004 22:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Saturday, 31 July 2004 22:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― Leon Czolgosz (Nicole), Sunday, 1 August 2004 12:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 1 August 2004 14:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― oops (Oops), Sunday, 1 August 2004 15:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 1 August 2004 15:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― m. (mitchlnw), Sunday, 1 August 2004 16:01 (nineteen years ago) link
― oops (Oops), Sunday, 1 August 2004 16:01 (nineteen years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 2 August 2004 15:28 (nineteen years ago) link
Of course, I like John Maher; and also Fred Maher's drumming on Lloyd Cole's early solo work - magnificent.
― the bellefox, Monday, 2 August 2004 15:30 (nineteen years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 2 August 2004 15:30 (nineteen years ago) link
I used to think that he was unbearable -- but get past his smirk and he has some intelligent things to say.
― Maria D. (Maria D.), Monday, 2 August 2004 15:31 (nineteen years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 2 August 2004 15:32 (nineteen years ago) link
http://www.thezreview.co.uk/posters/posterimages/d/dccab.jpg
― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 2 August 2004 15:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 2 August 2004 17:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 2 August 2004 17:17 (nineteen years ago) link
Since no one has really responded to Maria D's question, I'll go ahead and agree- it was exciting to see Michael Moore butt heads with protofascist David Dreier, and to Maher there representing Common Sense, backing up more, and shutting up Dreier.
Also exciting was proving how ridiculous Nader's stance is, though the former PM of Canada made the point stronger than the comedians (they are comedians, both Moore and Maher, remember).
-- Maria D. (maria...), July 31st, 2004 4:15 PM. (later)
Thinking for yourself = classic; Pro death penalty = unthinking acceptance of american cultural values (but that's my opinion)
huh? i thought the hipoisie CW on maher was that he was a crypto-fascist hack, ie his whole schtick is making a very average american political position sound angry and 'edgy' and somehow under attack. -- g--ff (gffcnn...), July 31st, 2004 8:41 PM
If only the average american political position was an eagerness to legalize marijuana, and acknowledgement that the terrorists are 'courageous' if nothing else. Crypto-fascist? That's Brit Hume, not Bill Maher.
xpost Ann Coulter - I had a theory that he was sleeping with her- why else would he even listen to her babble?
― Richard K (Richard K), Monday, 2 August 2004 17:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― common_person (common_person), Monday, 2 August 2004 17:37 (nineteen years ago) link
thanks google
― common_person (common_person), Monday, 2 August 2004 17:39 (nineteen years ago) link
-- oops (don'temailmenicelad...), July 28th, 2004.
― Leon Czolgosz (Nicole), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 11:04 (nineteen years ago) link
Louis CK gets a pass for this all the time
― sexualing healing (crüt), Monday, 5 June 2017 09:27 (six years ago) link
i can see how this happened in bill maher's mind1. senator makes a bizarre comment about inviting maher to work "in the fields"2. maher thinks it's a putdown, calling maher a slave, a member of the bottom class3. maher tries to think up a joke, maybe a slightly higher class?, what about a slave in the house, what are they called again?and then he doesn't have the filter to know that the n-word is a bad idea in any context.
1. senator makes a bizarre comment about inviting maher to work "in the fields"2. maher thinks it's a putdown, calling maher a slave, a member of the bottom class3. maher tries to think up a joke, maybe a slightly higher class?, what about a slave in the house, what are they called again?
and then he doesn't have the filter to know that the n-word is a bad idea in any context.
This is literally not what this joke is
― Sutcliffe Juugin' (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, 5 June 2017 10:02 (six years ago) link
the sen said "IN THE FIELD," a common phrase for doing political legwork
Maher's brain went "WHERE"S THE JOKE" bcz that's what comedians do
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Monday, 5 June 2017 11:01 (six years ago) link
― sexualing healing (crüt), Monday, June 5, 2017 5:27 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this is like the 4th time someone has made this point in about 30 posts so i guess i'll finally take the bait: not really the same thing imo. tho obv his use of it makes me uncomfortable (which is probably the point)
― k3vin k., Monday, 5 June 2017 11:09 (six years ago) link
the idea that certain artists can NEVER use a certain word: nope
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Monday, 5 June 2017 11:56 (six years ago) link
That Senator's book is about how young people needing to take more responsibility yadda yadda, so he goes into how back in Nebraska he get's his sons to go out and work in the corn/wheat fields as having to do a hot nasty job is a good thing to build character. Then after that he said to Maher, you should come out and work in the fields (to build some character ha ha) then Maher dropped the line in response referring to himself.
― earlnash, Monday, 5 June 2017 12:03 (six years ago) link
ok so he actually said "fields," my bad. Some of the early news stories had this wrong or incomplete.
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Monday, 5 June 2017 12:04 (six years ago) link
That Senator's book is about how young people needing to take more responsibility yadda yadda, so he goes into how back in Nebraska he get's his sons to go out and work in the corn/wheat fields as having to do a hot nasty job is a good thing to build character.
so i assume ben sasse is a firm supporter of immigrant labourers, who must have built up incredible reserves of character through years of toiling in the fields...?
― he's also fouled up with NON-FAT (bizarro gazzara), Monday, 5 June 2017 12:13 (six years ago) link
Someone refresh my memory but has he actually used it recently?
Anyway the fact that it took this for liberals to be sick of Maher (the ones that aren't still defending him, that is) is really fucking stupid. The rampant Islamophobia, transphobia etc was all fine and dandy, I guess?
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Monday, 5 June 2017 15:03 (six years ago) link
I got the impression that most of the ppl attacking Maher now are ppl who already disliked him for all the reasons you mentioned above (and more!), and this new incident has just given them some momentum + a clearly understood clearly indefensible Maher transgression to rally around? Were there really large numbers of liberals who were pro-Maher before this who've now turned on him?
(I guess there are ppl who haven't really paid much attention to him for years until just now?)
― soref, Monday, 5 June 2017 15:39 (six years ago) link
Wesley Morris:
Mr. Maher has views, but what he said on Friday night isn’t among them. For one thing, it’s not even a view, per se. It was an attempt to mock Mr. Sasse’s unfortunate choice of words. (I think I knew what he meant, too: Nebraska grows too much corn for grown people to fret over who to be for Halloween.) But intention is tricky in comedy. Mr. Sasse said something that was, on its face, unsavory. You don’t need much of an imagination to envision Chris Rock, Larry Wilmore or Wanda Sykes taking a whack at that line. ABC’s sitcom “black-ish” exists, partly, to satirize these sorts of conversational bloopers.
But Bill Maher isn’t Chris Rock. He’s not on “black-ish.” He’s a 61-year-old white man who would never get a pass for jesting about slavery or the N-word. (His track record inspires too much doubt to give any benefit.) That’s a license reserved, arguably, for Louis C.K., or Sarah Silverman in her performance-art prime — white comedians who have really grappled with what it means to flirt with racially inflammatory language and ideas, what it means for the flirtation to fail. Mr. Maher’s approach to television doesn’t necessitate that kind of rehearsed rumination. The appeal of “Real Time” is its on-the-spot discourse, its anti-rehearsal. That looseness can tip easily into blurting, flatulence and worse.
The insult to injury here involves the conflation of Mr. Maher’s transgression and the umbrage he feigned at being asked to work in the fields. As my sister might say: Oh, he fancy now. For a long time, black people have deployed slavery-derived hierarchies as a social and psycho-political sorting mechanism. A house assignment might have won a slave less arduous work but more suspicion and contempt from her counterparts in the fields. No one self-identifies as a house Negro — unless that person is making a joke. And even then that person probably shouldn’t be Bill Maher....
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/04/arts/television/what-was-bill-mahers-big-mistake.html
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Monday, 5 June 2017 17:35 (six years ago) link
for better or worse, I don't think Louie would be able to get away with that n-word bit in 2017. iirc that was on Chewed Up, probably 7-8 years ago? there was a lot more nuance and self-awareness to it than what Maher did, a big part of it was Louie being pissed at newscasters for saying "the n-word" rather than the actual n-word because it put the latter into his head without the newscaster having to bear the weight of saying it. but still, if he did that bit for the first time today, there would be outrage and thinkpieces galore.
― evol j, Monday, 5 June 2017 17:47 (six years ago) link
Mr. Sasse said something that was, on its face, unsavory.
I don't really get this. If Sasse had said this to a black host I could see it being tone deaf but he's talking to Bill fucking Maher.
― President Keyes, Monday, 5 June 2017 17:49 (six years ago) link
Hadn't taken in that Sasse was literally advocating physically working in the fields as part of his program so thought it was an oddly worded metaphor which might lead to the response. Though that response was at best tactless.
― Stevolende, Monday, 5 June 2017 18:29 (six years ago) link
yah he was saying "Ever think about working in the fields with us in Nebraska?" in reference to a real program he runs where people literally work in fields. Maher heard "work in the fields" and his mind went somewhere else.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 5 June 2017 19:57 (six years ago) link
Of all the things for Sasse to get blowback on in this situation, referencing his program is perplexing.
OTOH, the "I'll just go along with this and hope no one noticed" chuckle should get him primaried, even with his post-appearance apology
It won't because he's in Nebraska but it should
― PJD PDJ DPJ (DJP), Monday, 5 June 2017 20:10 (six years ago) link
Ice Cube telling him "Sometimes you sound like a redneck trucker" otm. it's pretty clear he doesn't think he did anything wrong tho.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 10 June 2017 14:58 (six years ago) link
"Smug liberal who's casually racist" doesn't really ring as "redneck trucker" tbh, but I'll have to watch this. Or maybe I don't. Eh.
― circa1916, Saturday, 10 June 2017 15:15 (six years ago) link
thanks for giving us your uninformed opinion at any rate
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 10 June 2017 15:26 (six years ago) link
Responding to a quote you posted, so moderately informed. But no problem!
― circa1916, Saturday, 10 June 2017 15:30 (six years ago) link
did you ever watch his show during the Obama years? he is very fond of making a racist joke with the frame of "this is what republicans say"
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 10 June 2017 15:38 (six years ago) link
also the weekly stating that Islam is a danger to the world with dangerous ideas, pretty redneck trucker that stance
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 10 June 2017 15:39 (six years ago) link
it was interesting to learn that when he grew up in the 50s/60s "racism wasn't really a thing"
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 10 June 2017 15:44 (six years ago) link
he must have enough money to retire on, right?
― scott seward, Saturday, 10 June 2017 16:24 (six years ago) link
He said Race wasn't a thing, as in we were all white and no one talked about race. He's a piece of shit but you dont have to make shit up to attack him with.
― President Keyes, Sunday, 11 June 2017 00:38 (six years ago) link
Maher isn't even a liberal, he's a libertarian who voted for Dole in '96.
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 11 June 2017 00:51 (six years ago) link
Does Trump have to actually blow Putin? Is that what it wld take?Flagrant D, balls gargling the leader of the Russian Federation? Jus asking— Bill Maher (@billmaher) July 19, 2017
comedy genius
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 19 July 2017 21:58 (six years ago) link
ok he's definitely trying to get Trump to respond to him, good luck
― frogbs, Wednesday, 19 July 2017 22:10 (six years ago) link
This week, Bill called out Molly Ringwald's NYT piece and praised The Simpsons' "fuck you snowflakes" move.
Next week's guests include Jordan Peterson.
― Dangleballs and the Ballerina (cryptosicko), Saturday, 14 April 2018 03:25 (six years ago) link
A bit of McLusky stage banter comes to mind there - "One grenade....all the miserable, useless atoms..."
― Simon H., Saturday, 14 April 2018 03:38 (six years ago) link
i quit watching this show a while back, my weekends have been so much nicer ever since
― Hazy Maze Cave (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 14 April 2018 14:51 (six years ago) link
I quit too but it's hard sometimes when I'm st a party or if ii drink to much the urge is strong
― Evan, Saturday, 14 April 2018 15:02 (six years ago) link
Cancelling HBO tomorrow.
― Dangleballs and the Ballerina (cryptosicko), Saturday, 21 April 2018 02:45 (six years ago) link
Maher is typically insufferable but I saw that bit in response to the Ringwald/Hughes thing and it didn’t seem ridiculous. I also didn’t read the article so if he’s totally switching the argument around never mind.
― two cool rock chicks pounding la croix (circa1916), Saturday, 21 April 2018 03:10 (six years ago) link
Tonight saw hm and Jordan Peterson, two white heterosexual men, griping about “safe spaces” and Maher not once bothering to bring up Peterson’s controversial transphobia, never mind challenge him on it.
― Dangleballs and the Ballerina (cryptosicko), Saturday, 21 April 2018 03:51 (six years ago) link
Fuck Maher
― fuck the NRA (Neanderthal), Saturday, 21 April 2018 04:06 (six years ago) link
“stop being surprised every time you watch an old movie or TV show and find some of the ideas in it are old.”
In isolation, i don't find anything to disagree with there.
But to say people didn't find Long Duk Dong offensive in 1984 is ludicrous.
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 21 April 2018 13:26 (six years ago) link
I generally like Maher's willingness to challenge leftist doxa on certain issues but I'm sadly not surprised by his coddling of Jordan Peterson aka Canada's worst cultural export at the moment.
― pomenitul, Saturday, 21 April 2018 13:39 (six years ago) link
― two cool rock chicks pounding la croix (circa1916), Saturday, 21 April 2018 14:11 (six years ago) link
I kinda meant that re Ringwald too... it didn't bother you at the time, Molly, cuz you were a 15-year-old white actress.
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 21 April 2018 14:22 (six years ago) link
Just to clarify: it isn't the Ringwald thing that was the final nail for me (it was annoying but expected), but the convo with Jordan Peterson.
― Dangleballs and the Ballerina (cryptosicko), Saturday, 21 April 2018 15:20 (six years ago) link
You suck. https://t.co/USK38fFe1N— Doug Henwood (@DougHenwood) May 24, 2019
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Friday, 24 May 2019 11:01 (four years ago) link
Not getting any classic-er: https://decider.com/2022/04/13/bill-maher-vs-bella-thorne/amp/
― Les hommes de bonbons (cryptosicko), Thursday, 14 April 2022 00:43 (two years ago) link
BTW: has anyone else noticed that Carlson has mellowed considerably now that he's not doing Crossfire? I still don't like a lot of his politics, but I'm finding myself thinking of him as an enormous prick less and less. If he loses the bowtie, I think he might have a future as a watchable talk show host.― sunburned and snowblind (kenan), Thursday, March 10, 2005 10:44 AM (seventeen years ago) bookmarkflaglink
― symsymsym, Thursday, 14 April 2022 14:34 (two years ago) link
Bill Maher is Still A Prick
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Thursday, 14 April 2022 14:49 (two years ago) link
Whoops, that story was already posted.
Oughta post this here too, just to make sure!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ha6D1LQGD4
― But his face would not turn into hot Kirby (Evan), Friday, 11 August 2023 16:26 (eight months ago) link
yea not sure where we should talk about this but it's so funny and spot-on. iirc Tim's been doing a Bill Maher impression for a while
― frogbs, Friday, 11 August 2023 16:30 (eight months ago) link
never fails to delight me that the first thing you see when you open this thread is my wife saying: i love bill maher! hahaha! different times.
― scott seward, Friday, 11 August 2023 16:45 (eight months ago) link
geez because of this FB is showing me ACTUAL Bill Maher clips and Tim actually nails it better than I thought
― frogbs, Thursday, 7 September 2023 02:40 (seven months ago) link