BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) JON STEWART
He has made himself iconic to a whole generation as the voice of reason. Most younger folk get more news from The Daily Show than elsewhere. Watching The Daily Show is a must for college-age people as much as reading Kerouac was in its day. I know it’s crazy to make the comparison, but the impact both has had is pretty comparable. He has done show much in terms of politics in the past ten years. He’s on four days a week. Still, he comes off a little smug at times like he’s above what he’s reporting. He’ll have the occasional scorcher interview to maintain his cred, but the word “coasting” comes to mind but that’s not exactly the best word for it. It’s definitely more than “coasting”, but still…
(THREE) DENNIS MILLER
He used to have balls. They’ve been gone for awhile, but I’ve always liked Dennis Miller. He was an awesome Weekend Update anchor on SNL for the times. I was a kid just getting into the show at this point and was always impressed with his rhetoric and rants. I used to watch “The Dennis Miller Show” on cable as a dumb kid and never really got what all was going on, but I still watched and pretended to get it. Whenever I hear “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” I think about that show. All of this stuff is why I let it slide that he sorta sold out. I mean not like Metallica sold out or anything, but he pretty much became what younger him was ranting about. That sucks. He’s still at least a little entertaining… in doses.
(TWO) LEWIS BLACK
Most people would probably list Mr. Black as their number one. I was torn, but am content with putting him in second. His rants and outbursts are hilarious, informed, and amazing. It’s like watching someone reading only the worst parts of the newspaper for like 5 years straight and then watching the person explode with rage. He just doesn’t give a shit. You must respect that.
(ONE) BILL MAHER
I did some soul searching and surprised myself with this one. Bill Maher IS my favorite living political comedian. He is the godfather of liberal news comedy. “Real Time” is a great show and his specials have always been great. His voice was as loud as anyone’s during the Bush administration. I’ve never seen him in anything and got annoyed. Sure, he’s smug… but he knows his shit.
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