The Sports Dork and "These too cool for school comics"

[jbissell]

"Stand-up comics are kind of like women."

It's like you guys are daring me to listen to this.

I mistakenly looked at his latest column which leads off with the same bit about women being crazy after having children.  He'll probably use it several more times this NFL Season. 

The problem here is clearly me though since I'm the dope who keeps reading.

It's nothing new, pretty sure he's been using it since he had his 2nd kid.

I object to your implying that he recycles terrible material.

Wait, what's the opposite of object?

Wanna meet in chat later to discuss Karate Kid?

[jamesp]

Simmons has become annoying with this recent adoption of the "I'm a huge comedy geek" persona, because he's shown that he's actually just as familiar as any normal person in terms of comedy knowledge. It started when he had Jeff Ross on his podcast and asked stupid questions like, "Do young people still do standup?" You just get the feeling that he's probably never heard of Comedy Death Ray or Upright Citizens Brigade theater going on in L.A.

I found the Patton episode cringe-inducing at times when Simmons would make a dumb point or Patton made a reference that clearly goes over Simmons' head. Something tells me it was the first and last time we'll hear Tim and Eric and G.G. Allin referenced on an ESPN production.

[Reeleyes]

Simmons has become annoying with this recent adoption of the "I'm a huge comedy geek" persona, because he's shown that he's actually just as familiar as any normal person in terms of comedy knowledge. It started when he had Jeff Ross on his podcast and asked stupid questions like, "Do young people still do standup?" You just get the feeling that he's probably never heard of Comedy Death Ray or Upright Citizens Brigade theater going on in L.A.

I found the Patton episode cringe-inducing at times when Simmons would make a dumb point or Patton made a reference that clearly goes over Simmons' head. Something tells me it was the first and last time we'll hear Tim and Eric and G.G. Allin referenced on an ESPN production.

Definetly the first and last for G.G. on ESPN.

[scratchbomb]

Simmons has become annoying with this recent adoption of the "I'm a huge comedy geek" persona, because he's shown that he's actually just as familiar as any normal person in terms of comedy knowledge. It started when he had Jeff Ross on his podcast and asked stupid questions like, "Do young people still do standup?" You just get the feeling that he's probably never heard of Comedy Death Ray or Upright Citizens Brigade theater going on in L.A.

I found the Patton episode cringe-inducing at times when Simmons would make a dumb point or Patton made a reference that clearly goes over Simmons' head. Something tells me it was the first and last time we'll hear Tim and Eric and G.G. Allin referenced on an ESPN production.

Definetly the first and last for G.G. on ESPN.

I've definitely heard Scott Van Pelt make references to "I Kill Everything I Make Love To"

[chrisfoll577]

I've wasted enough words in Bill Simmons, but in his latest podcast discussion with SNL's Bill Hader, he agains pans "that crowd" of "too school for school comics" when Hader has Wet Hot American Summer as one of his favorite comedies of the last decade.

[orator]

I've wasted enough words in Bill Simmons

That sounds vaguely painful.

[jbissell]

I've wasted enough words in Bill Simmons, but in his latest podcast discussion with SNL's Bill Hader, he agains pans "that crowd" of "too school for school comics" when Hader has Wet Hot American Summer as one of his favorite comedies of the last decade.

Seriously, he harps on that so much you'd think a bunch of comics gangraped him after an episode of Kimmel a few years back.

[eastgrandforks]

I've wasted enough words in Bill Simmons, but in his latest podcast discussion with SNL's Bill Hader, he agains pans "that crowd" of "too school for school comics" when Hader has Wet Hot American Summer as one of his favorite comedies of the last decade.

That comment really puzzled me, because Janeane Garofalo is the only "comic" in that movie. Being resentful of Wain/Black/Showalter doesn't track, either.

[jbissell]

I've wasted enough words in Bill Simmons, but in his latest podcast discussion with SNL's Bill Hader, he agains pans "that crowd" of "too school for school comics" when Hader has Wet Hot American Summer as one of his favorite comedies of the last decade.

That comment really puzzled me, because Janeane Garofalo is the only "comic" in that movie. Being resentful of Wain/Black/Showalter doesn't track, either.

I assumed he was referring to all of The State people, not strictly "comedians".

[chrisfoll577]

I've wasted enough words in Bill Simmons

That sounds vaguely painful.

You know what? I've read him ever since he was The Boston Sports Guy and now I'm trapped against my will inside his hellish alternate reality of nasally podcasts and interminable columns like some ESPN-sanctioned version of 'The Prisoner'.  Any preposition would have worked there.

[jamesp]

I've wasted enough words in Bill Simmons, but in his latest podcast discussion with SNL's Bill Hader, he agains pans "that crowd" of "too school for school comics" when Hader has Wet Hot American Summer as one of his favorite comedies of the last decade.

That's what caused me to go off in my post last night. I just heard up to there and couldn't take it anymore.

[AllSussedOut]

I've wasted enough words in Bill Simmons

That sounds vaguely painful.

You know what? I've read him ever since he was The Boston Sports Guy and now I'm trapped against my will inside his hellish alternate reality of nasally podcasts and interminable columns like some ESPN-sanctioned version of 'The Prisoner'.  Any preposition would have worked there.

well said.

[Mr. Science]

I listening now. Simmons can't hang with PO, and he's sweating it.



ps. "I don't do British" (Simmons on movies)

[chrisfoll577]

According to the latest podcast with Jack O and Joe House, Bill Simmons absolutely loved the season premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm... and still hates 'Too Cool For School' comedy like Bored to Death and Wes Anderson films.  Jack O and Joe House agree.

[jamesp]

I can understand if somebody dislikes Wes Anderson or different styles of humor, but to repeatedly call it "Too Cool for School" just makes you sound like all you really mean is "Too Smart for Me." It's the sort of attitude where you're stuck in whatever year it was when you graduated college when in your mind everything peaked and you whine about new things.

Simmons has mentioned Seinfeld a lot in his comedy specific podcasts and he does one thing that always bothers me: exaggerating about Jerry Seinfeld's creative input on the show. When you look at the mediocre stand-up comedy that Seinfeld's always done and then look at the other stuff Larry Charles & Larry David have done since Seinfeld, it seems pretty clear who were the brains behind the show.

He also keeps calling Chris Rock the best stand up today. That'd be true if it was 1996 and Bring the Pain just premiered, but "Kill the Messenger" was leaps and bounds behind the stuff that Louis C.K., Todd Barry, Rick Gervais, and Andy Daly did in 2008.