Ricky Gervais Meets Garry Shandling [split topic]

[BlodwynPig]

why the sympathy, this was classic TV, edge, incision, surprise, nuance and the destruction of an ego.

[Oops! Wrong Planet]

In Gervais's defence he was originally going to go with Snorky, "the Jewish-looking one".

I'm still not sure I buy Shandling not having heard of the Banana Splits. Could he have been stringing Gervais along with that too?

[bgmnts]

I want to see Gervais on Richard Herrings podcast.

[a peepee tipi]

and the destruction of an ego.

Oh, if only

[Ornlu]

I want to see Gervais on Richard Herrings podcast.

I want him on The Comedian's Comedian.

[mr. logic]

It's interesting watching the Appatow documentary and the footage of Shandling and Seinfeld chatting in Central Park. Seinfeld rolls his eyes when Shandling attempts deep examination and is able to work it back to a little bit of observation about people prefacing what they are going to say by telling you they are about to say something. Shandling seems momentarily put out, before going right along with it. Gervais I suspect was attempting similar irreverence in the face of Shandling's musings, but was hamstrung by not having the conversational skills, the comedic chops or the long friendship with the man that Seinfeld had.

I had also forgotten about him opening the freezer with vodka in it and declaring it the secret fridge, before Shandling had even arrived. That's just appalling fucking manners. Shockingly rude.

[Replies From View]

Gervais in a nutshell.

I somehow ended up watching Taping Nigel 2 again last night.

The guy is an arsehole.

[up_the_hampipe]

I somehow ended up watching Taping Nigel 2 again last night.

The guy is an arsehole.

The Taping Nigel and Living With Ricky features with Robin Ince should be enough evidence to put Gervais in prison or at least a mental asylum.

[newbridge]

Gervais is actually far more talented and far less obnoxious than Shandling, if you can believe it.

[sevendaughters]

Gervais is actually far more talented and far less obnoxious than Shandling, if you can believe it.

Certainly Gervais is or has been capable of excellent work with good collaborators - The Office and the podcasts are the essentials for me, everything else falls comfortably at mediocre and is sometimes much worse - but it feels like those days are long gone. Talent dilutes if you keep pumping out crap. Shandling had a filter and quality control, and he transferred his writing voice into stand-up much more capably. And sure I bet Shandling was a headache, and maybe familiarity with Gervais breeds contempt, but I know who I'd rather sit down with for an hour in private.

[dontrunyoullfall]

Gervais is actually far more talented and far less obnoxious than Shandling, if you can believe it.

I can't.

[neveragain]

Nor me.

[Howj Begg]

newbridge is just riffing, trying to film this thread's DVD extras.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

newbridge is just riffing, trying to film this thread's DVD extras.

fantastic

[Replies From View]

The Taping Nigel and Living With Ricky features with Robin Ince should be enough evidence to put Gervais in prison or at least a mental asylum.

The stuff with Robin Ince shows Gervais to be annoying, self-unaware and attention-seeking, but Taping Nigel 2 shows him as outright sadistic.

[The Lion King]

fuck me just watched taping nigel for the first time in about 10 years. what a cunt. what a shitty bully. Can you imagine if the favour was returned? If Nigel tried taping Ricky up like a pug nosed little gimp?

[up_the_hampipe]

The scariest part for me is everyone else just going on with it. The crew standing around laughing. Stephen Merchant expressing vague disapproval despite filming most of it. Jonathan Ross joining in to beat him up like a pair of overgrown schoolboys, showing his cruel Sachsgate side. Ashley Jensen was the only one with a heart.

[St_Eddie]

Ashley Jensen was the only one with a heart.

Was it Jensen whom said something along the lines of "he's got a Son"?

[up_the_hampipe]

Was it Jensen whom said something along the lines of "he's got a Son"?

It was "he's got a wife" then Nigel said "and kids" which doubled her sympathy.

It's about 4 mins in here https://streamable.com/1yo9

[Replies From View]

It was "he's got a wife" then Nigel said "and kids" which doubled her sympathy.

Pissed me off a bit, that.  As if being single and childless would make it okay.

[up_the_hampipe]

Pissed me off a bit, that.  As if being single and childless would make it okay.

Yeah, but I think she just meant that they would see it and it might be hurtful to see their dad/husband being humiliated. I'm sure she'd have sympathy otherwise.

[bgmnts]

Yeah I dont think thst was an anti-single stance statement.

Gervais is a cunt anyway.

[Replies From View]

Jonathan Ross joining in to beat him up like a pair of overgrown schoolboys,

Jonathan Ross saying he would try to deliver a punch to Nigel that would be just enough to ruin his day.  Which even as just a joke would be shit (imagine cackling "heh heh; yeah" at that), but then we see them actually putting Nigel in an upside down headlock that gave him a pain in his neck for a week.

It's pure horribleness.  And to go from that to the lecturing about kindness that was Derek - it beggars belief.

[Z]

Watching Taping Nigel for the first time in lord knows how long... it's amazing, actually mildly triggering in just how much of a primary school bully the cunt comes across as.

[newbridge]

It's about 4 mins in here https://streamable.com/1yo9

Alright, I take it back. He is still funnier than Shandling though.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Alright, I take it back. He is still funnier than Shandling though.

Oh, fuck off, mate.

[Straight Faced Customer]

Extras was the worst; I can only imagine how bad Derek is. I don't mind Gervais stand-up if I come across any, but his sitcom work really is the pits. They probably sent a load of Extras DVDs to Shandling beforehand, and no wonder he was pissed. Would have left it an Office care pack, if I was Gervais.

That interview isn't the worst ever put to tape, but the coffee bit is a weird moment.

As someone else pointed out, Shandling in that apology on YouTube really is rambling and unfocused. In the interview he was much more on point; if Shandling was ever 'troubled' and in therapy, it was more likely to have been years after the interview took place.

Just some random thoughts.

[Jumblegraws]

Stephen Merchant expressing vague disapproval despite filming most of it.

Speaking of Merchant, there's a bit in the Shandling doc where he talks about the scene inExtras where Maggie suddenly realises, in the middle of a date with a black man, her childhood Golly doll is on full display. Gervais says we're supposed to be entirely symoathetic with Maggie because of the awkwardness in which she's put herseld. He said something similar about the scene from the Brent film (remember that?) where Brent badgers Doc Brown'a character into chummily referring to Brent with the N-word. Gervais went so far as to call this scene sweet because Doc Brown's character is oh-so worried that his naive white friend will come across as racist.

This seems to contrast with Merchant's intentions in writing scenes like that, at least going by that little consultation he did with Stewart lee about ten years back. To put it in terms more lofty than merchant ever used, he seems to think these scenes fibd hunour in the grin realisty that ruling majorities have for too long taken their sense of propriety for granted and too many fail to adjust to changes in the social order.

Gervais has the incredibly shallow notion that so long as you're not actively ostracising or physically attacking a minority, using discriminatory language is no more contemptible than letting slip a fart at the dinner table and that's why Genius Comedy Auteurs such as himself should be free to mine it for comedy without critical scrutiny. It's why stuff like M*nggate, embarrassing efforts to ingratiate himself with other comedians and Derek happen and will probably keep happening.

[newbridge]

Oh, fuck off, mate.

Do you actually find Shandling funny? For real? Or is this just an anti-Gervais thing? (In which case, fair play)

[Replies From View]

Do you actually find Shandling funny? For real? Or is this just an anti-Gervais thing? (In which case, fair play)

Even if you didn't particularly like Shandling you'd have to bullshit very very hard to claim Gervais was better.  No?