Ricky Gervais Meets Garry Shandling [split topic]

[Dr Rock]

I enjoy the Gervais-bashing as much as anyone but isn't Shandling being an arse at the start of that clip? Moaning pointlessly about Ricky looking at him when he comes in, overreacting to a harmless jokey comment about contact lenses... Feeling sorry for RG on this rewatch I must say. Imagine meetibg your hero, trying to be friendly and being faced with this stubborn pompous brick wall.

He was aware of Gervais's work and how it often got laughs from uncomfortable situations. Perhaps because he had wind of Gervais being a bully while shooting, he wanted, for his own reasons, to turn the tables and make Gervais deal with uncomfortable situations, and it threw him. Then I think there's also jockeying for power, as the 'Ricky Meets Garry Shandling' should be about the guest, but Shandling knew Gervais would make it all about him.

Ricky could've lived with it being seen as a bit awkward because Shandling was out to throw him, but now Shandling's dead he's saying that he admitted he was acting weird because of all of his mental health problems' so Ricky can lay the blame on Shandling for it not working, that if he wasn't 'troubled', it would've been a successful show.

It all fits with how we have come to understand Ricky Gervais.

[idunnosomename]

Imagine meetibg your hero, trying to be friendly and being faced with this stubborn pompous brick wall.

Yeah but I haven't spent my life being a complete cunt so I wouldn't deserve it

I realise this is debateable

[colacentral]

You don't have to be into the Buddhism to understand what Shandling means by "try not to think so much;" you can see how much Gervais is bouncing around trying to keep up and outdo Shandling, how he's always "on" as a TV personality. Shandling is essentially telling him relax; take a deep breath, and relax. Stop performing and be yourself (Thinking about it now, that's probably why elsewhere in the episode Shandling says he has a "funny switch" that he can turn off and on whenever he wants).

I feel for Gervais slightly in that because he is nervous and he only knows the one way to be a TV comedian, and Shandling is being a bit vague perhaps, but it's still true of him in every appearance today, including on Twitter. It's why he sticks out on "Talking Funny." He always has a mask on.

That's not Buddhism, that's general life advice. Certainly being a bit of a Buddhist would have helped Shandling to understand Gervais' issues though.

I was also alluding to Gervais' other OTT issues with religion - I think it explains a lot that he goes through the entirety of Shandling's interview without understanding what he's getting at.

"I can't not think! I can't not think!" He's a confused little boy and he always has his defences up. That's where his bullying tendencies stem from.

[Noodle Lizard]

Funny as it was, Shandling came off like a right cunt in that, I thought.  He was apparently horrible to everyone involved, not just Gervais.  I get if he didn't really want to do a show like that, but if so he shouldn't have agreed to do it!  It's not like he had anything to lose by turning down Channel 4.

There are many bad things to say about Gervais, and I've said all of them at some point, but he's apparently very polite and good to work with, and I don't think did anything to invoke such treatment from Shandling there.

(Of course, this "temporary madness" accusation is total bollocks.  Fucksake Gervais.)

[colacentral]

I get that Shandling maybe didn't cover himself with glory but how would you be if you had to put up with a charlatan so obviously false as Gervais for an afternoon? Shandling obviously had already formed an opinion of Gervais beforehand as he references watching Extras, his questioning of which can be easily applied to Derek: "you're a naughty little boy and you know it [...] Why do you choose to explore this area in your work?" Shandling knew even then that something like Derek was Gervais' level.

Remember too that Gervais gets off on a bad foot with the whole contact lenses thing, "we'll get this, this is dynamite." I think the dozy cunt needed to stop being TV's Ricky Gervais for a minute and just be a person. I wouldn't be able to hide my contempt for his antics either.

[up_the_hampipe]

There are many bad things to say about Gervais, and I've said all of them at some point, but he's apparently very polite and good to work with, and I don't think did anything to invoke such treatment from Shandling there.

I remember hearing that he would keep filming days really short for everyone, at least on Extras. Nice of him.

[Jumblegraws]

I remember hearing that he would keep filming days really short for everyone, at least on Extras. Nice of him.

If Derek is anything to go by, that's probably more due to his thinking that anything he produces is solid-gold on the first try than a consideration for the cast and crew. That said, I think it's most likely true that when it comes to filming a TV show, he has a deserved reputation for being polite and relaxed.

[Rolf Lundgren]

Shandling talks about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJthU3_CuiM

[Sin Agog]

Shandling talks about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJthU3_CuiM

Sounds totally off his gord.  The interviewer should have used his powers as a TV journalist to get him sectioned there and then.  He was clearly a risk both to others and himself.

[Genevieve]

The interview never happened as far as I know. There's no Gervais interview on the Larry Sanders DVD set so I assume that Gervais simply didn't follow through on the agreed interview. As you say, he just fucked off and never rescheduled.

James Dexter seemed to receive no reply to a direct question about that: https://mobile.twitter.com/jamesdexter/status/981286625585057792

[Captain Z]

Gary's handling of Ricky was great. Interviews can be boring affairs so maybe he just thought if Ricky was this supposed comedy genuis then a more uncomortable approach would produce something interesting. I cringed hard at that OTT cackling at the zebra joke.

[ieXush2i]

I still can't believe Gervais got away with asking those "Jewish humour" questions. I could actually respect the line of enquiry from Merchant who really does know his comedy history and lineage, but Gervais just seems like a dad who likes Will Smith asking Kendrick Lamar if his natural rhythm comes in handy.

Not to mention the fucking Banana Splits thing, that's on the same level as local drivetime DJ wit.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Shandling talks about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJthU3_CuiM

He sounded quite remorseful about the whole thing, and it was nice of him to say a few kind words about Gervais at the end. However, if that really is what happened - and I've no reason to disbelieve Shandling's take on it - then wouldn't it have been easier for both of them if Shandling had told Gervais about the mix-up? Then they could've proceeded according to plan?

Then again, as others have said, there was no way that Shandling was going to get the low-key, unaffected chat with Gervais that he wanted. The latter is incapable of letting his guard down on camera, he's too insecure.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

James Dexter seemed to receive no reply to a direct question about that: https://mobile.twitter.com/jamesdexter/status/981286625585057792

Shortly before his death, Shandling talked about the Gervais encounter on a podcast and seems to suggest that a follow-up interview was very much something that was yet to happen. Starts at 01:55:30: https://nerdist.com/you-made-it-weird-299-garry-shandling/

Shandling also talked about it in an interview with GQ magazine:
https://www.gq.com/story/comedy-issue-garry-shandling?printable=true

In 2006 the UK's Channel 4 aired a special called Ricky Gervais Meets...Garry Shandling that became an instant sensation among connoisseurs of comedy. The premise, which Gervais had already tried out with Larry David a year earlier, was for the British comedian to pay a visit to one of his heroes. They'd talk about the craft of being funny. Hilarity would ensue.

From the moment the two men meet, in Shandling's kitchen, it's clear something is wrong. Shandling seems put out—irritated, even. "Don't touch me," he says when Gervais puts a hand on his shoulder. Gervais appears nervous, confused by Shandling's disapproval. As Shandling puts his contacts in over the sink, Gervais scolds him for putting the lenses at risk, and Shandling looks so peeved you think he may call the whole thing off. "What are you, controlling?" he asks. "You're giving me advice on how to put my contact lenses in?" When a distant buzzer sounds, Shandling says it's his "ass detector, and it's gone off because you're here." Gervais tries to get Shandling to follow him outside. Shandling won't go, turning instead to the camera to comment on Gervais's obliviousness. Gervais responds by emitting his loud, high-pitched squeal of a laugh. He's on the ropes, and he's not quite sure how he got there. And that's just the first five minutes. Only later will Shandling ask Gervais why he makes fun of people with cerebral palsy. Only later will Shandling say, pointedly, "I'm starting to get the feeling that you're not comfortable around Jewish people," or ask, "Does that make you feel better about yourself, to attack me?"

In certain circles, the Shandling-Gervais smackdown has risen to the level of an unsolved mystery. People who know Shandling get asked all the time: What was going on, exactly, that led to the most awkward forty-seven minutes in the history of television? Neither man has ever explained it, not in public and not to each other. But when I ask Garry to do so, he looks relieved, as if an anvil has been lifted off the top of his head.

"Oh, good," he says, and begins to talk.

While completing the DVD extras for Sanders, Shandling had been struck by the idea that Gervais would be a great addition. Though he'd never appeared on the show, Gervais had spoken openly about how Sanders inspired him. So Garry called Gervais and asked if he'd do it. The answer was yes, but Gervais also had a request. While he was in Garry's home, could they also shoot his Channel 4 show? Shandling agreed, and all was well until the day of the dueling interviews, when wires got crossed. Garry says he assumed they would shoot the "visit" for the DVD extra first, because "that laid-back, not-on tone is good preparation for saying, 'Let's turn it on'" later, for Gervais's special.

But when Shandling walked into his kitchen, he realized instantly that Gervais thought the Channel 4 special was being shot first. Gervais was on—extremely so—and so were several cameras. Garry could have said something but wanted to see what would happen if he played it out. What if he stayed in the same low-affect head space he was in to do his DVD extras? Could he reach Gervais without explicitly identifying the problem? Could he bring Gervais's energy level down?

"It's fascinating, really," Garry tells me. "We both became locked into the shows we were each doing, and it became a bit of a boxing match. Because he's trying to get me to do the show that he needs, and I'm trying to get him to do nothing. I was trying to pull Ricky into the moment."

A great boxer makes his opponent fight his fight, on his terms. A great stand-up takes control of a room. There's a reason comics say their best shows "killed." Making people laugh is, at its simplest, an act of domination. And Shandling dominated Gervais. I tell Garry their interaction looks more hostile than he will admit. He offers me an organic-turkey sandwich. "A lot of funny people have a way of looking at life and commenting on it," he says. "Now, there's another leap to take, which is: Are those funny people actually integrating their life into their work? I still search for ways to put it. It's living art. I see it as living life as an art. And part of that's the comedy, and part of that's the acting, and part of that's the basketball, and part of that's the boxing."

[up_the_hampipe]

Not to mention the fucking Banana Splits thing, that's on the same level as local drivetime DJ wit.

I thought that was quite funny, to be honest. Not necessarily the observation, but the moment where he decides to bring it up and then panics when he realises just how unflattering it is.

[Replies From View]

I thought that was quite funny, to be honest. Not necessarily the observation, but the moment where he decides to bring it up and then panics when he realises just how unflattering it is.

He knew in advance it would be insulting and said it anyway.

[Jumblegraws]

He sounded quite remorseful about the whole thing, and it was nice of him to say a few kind words about Gervais at the end. However, if that really is what happened - and I've no reason to disbelieve Shandling's take on it - then wouldn't it have been easier for both of them if Shandling had told Gervais about the mix-up? Then they could've proceeded according to plan?

That question definitely looms over Shandling's explanation. My hunch is that his explanation was why the interview kicked off the way it did, but that misgivings about Gervais led him to persist in giving him a hard time.

[up_the_hampipe]

He knew in advance it would be insulting and said it anyway.

I think he intended to tease him, but realised it could be seriously insulting.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I think he intended to tease him, but realised it could be seriously insulting.

He presumably also hoped that by presenting photographic evidence of this blatantly insulting likeness, Shandling would laugh at the sheer childish rudeness of it. He took a mad gamble and lost.

By that point in the interview, Gervais is so confused and out of his depth he's obviously willing to try anything to make his idol laugh, even if that involves comparing him to one of the Banana fucking Splits.

It's one of the highlights of the programme, though, as it makes an already awkward encounter even worse.

[Dr Rock]

He sounded quite remorseful about the whole thing, and it was nice of him to say a few kind words about Gervais at the end. However, if that really is what happened - and I've no reason to disbelieve Shandling's take on it - then wouldn't it have been easier for both of them if Shandling had told Gervais about the mix-up? Then they could've proceeded according to plan?

It's already been seconded, but it's hard to believe Shandling's (rambling, for whatever reason) account, when he could've said 'cut' and made sure everyone was on the same page and shoot the two extras with their different fucking moods. I think he was happy to toy with Gervais, play a little power game and it wouldn't be a big deal. Turned out it became a big deal and he had to account for it. Which might make him look a cunt, but his motive was to bully the bully. I think.

[BritishHobo]

I mean fucking hell, Gervais literally tweeted to reveal that a dead man was going to five different therapists, as a way of explaining away why the guy might have disliked him during an interview where he's incisively nailed.

He's fucking lost it completely, hasn't he? An absolute full-blown waffling egotist.

[Sin Agog]

It's already been seconded, but it's hard to believe Shandling's (rambling, for whatever reason) account, when he could've said 'cut' and made sure everyone was on the same page and shoot the two extras with their different fucking moods. I think he was happy to toy with Gervais, play a little power game and it wouldn't be a big deal. Turned out it became a big deal and he had to account for it. Which might make him look a cunt, but his motive was to bully the bully. I think.

It's like he said in the interview, it became a 'thing', an event, a little piece of performance art that we're still talking about today.  Throughout the whole of Larry Sanders, it became evident that Shandling was willing to get naked, cannibalize events from his real life, play up his thorny relationships with sleb friends, do anything to make the show memorable.  When, after about a minute or two into the Gervais interview he realised shit was going south, the side of him that makes him great decided to just follow it to see where it went, rather than diffuse the whole situation with a few simple words. 

It's always bizarre when you see lite entertainment go wrong.  There are a few examples out there on youtube, often involving prickly interviewees on talk shows.  It's weird to see a guy who could have been a host of one of them actively spiriting such a moment up just for the hell of it.  But it's great that he did it.  So much of showbiz is predicated on people pretending not to be people; pretending that this situation where two professionals are feigning interest in one another in front of the cameras so that the audience at home can simulate the 'friend experience' is normal.  I love those rare occasions when that veneer is pierced and the muzak stops for a few seconds.

[Dr Rock]

I mean fucking hell, Gervais literally tweeted to reveal that a dead man was going to five different therapists, as a way of explaining away why the guy might have disliked him during an interview where he's incisively nailed.

He's fucking lost it completely, hasn't he? An absolute full-blown waffling egotist.

He lost it a long time ago, this is just the first time he's used a dead man's mental health issues to make himself look better.

[Genevieve]

I'm satisfied with Shandling's explanation and his performance on the show, I think it would have made great telly and going out on Channel 4, Shandling would not suffer and Gervais would get away with it at that time.  I think Gervais should have taken it for granted anyway that the DVD extra would be filmed first as Garry did the leg work, invited him into his home and that project was more important.  Knowing Gervais I wouldn't be too surprised if he wasn't listening to the message from producers as he was too excited.  Also, I can imagine he'd want to get the British crew finished up so he could hang out with US showbiz folk for the evening.

[colacentral]

There's something fishy about Gervais' denial that the other interviews were cancelled after the Shandling one - Channel 4 rescheduled the Shandling interview, playing it at a different day and time to the Christopher Guest and Larry David episodes, and didn't bother to promote it, whereas they heavily promoted the first two.

Since there was confusion over the Larry Sanders DVD, and Shandling wasn't expecting Gervais to be in his house already, it seems like there was a miscommunication somewhere. Maybe Gervais felt that was to blame for ruining the interview and making him look like a tit, had a hissy fit and refused to do the remaining episodes.

[BeardFaceMan]

So if Gervais says Shandling was prickly during the interview its because he was troubled by mental health issues, then whats Gervais' excuse for his own behaviour? Or does he really think he behaved impeccably? What am I saying, of course he thinks that, the massive cunt.

[Funcrusher]

I remain fixated on Gervais' tweet claiming that Shandling kept sending him emails with jokes he begged him to put in his Golden Globes gigs. It's such a massive whopper if untrue, told about someone who's dead so can't deny it. It would be like the kid at school with the unreleased Atari game which is in the loft so you can't see it - but while that kind of behaviour is excusable in a 12 year old, from a grown adult it's pretty crazy, particularly if you have plenty of actual success in life as Gervais has. Or of course it could be true, but it seems utterly implausible that someone of Shandling's stature would do this - giving Gervais the last laugh, needless to say. The three possibles for me are:

a/  He's exaggerating. Shandling does seem to have tried to mend fences after the 'Meets' thing, and maybe he sent him an email which said something about 'it would be funny if you said X' in order to make a bit of comic to comic chat and Gervais has blown this up.

b/ Shandling was sending tasteless exaggerated spoof Gervasian edgy gags to him just as a joke with himself and to see if he would use them and Gervais failed to see he was being played. 

c/ Gervais is lying about the actions of a dead man and is truly mad. Five therapy sessions a week wouldn't even scratch the surface.

[Genevieve]

Here's a relevant tweet: https://mobile.twitter.com/simonsaybrams/status/981272753188802561 The journalist of the Village Voice article says they made up and Garry advised Ricky about the Golden Globes.  Doesn't sound like writing jokes, more "don't be such an ass", I'm guessing Ricky twisted it.

[DrGreggles]

He knew in advance it would be insulting and said it anyway.

Gervais in a nutshell.

[Mango Chimes]

Shandling talks about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJthU3_CuiM

That's kind of lovely, isn't it? He seems ambivalent; remorseful, but also understanding that it was pretty awesome. I suspect on the day of filming, it was more the other way round. I believe the mix up with producers and his choice to go low key, but it also seems inarguable that part of that choice was to be a bit of a cunt. The bit where he lets Ricky walk off is deliberately, cruelly funny.

I feel sympathy for Gervais in the doc – he's out of his depth, not a seasoned interviewer and so can only play to one key. He's unprepared for anything other than the interview being chummy and smooth. The Banana Splits bit utterly underlines that: despite the fact they aren't getting on, he pulls out a comment that should have been on his "only use if it's going amazingly" list. The outtake in the Shandling doc shows him as a nervous child, and it's easy to empathise. He'd have me on side if he said, "hey, he sideswiped me and I didn't know how to deal with it, and I found it embarrassing and kind of unfair."

He has fuck all sympathy for throwing out that duplicitous shit he said on Twitter. In light of the thoughtful and complimentary approach Shandling himself took above, Gervais looks even worse than the bottom-of-the-barrel low he already looked. Absolute lunatic.