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Chevy Chase profile

Started by up_the_hampipe, September 23, 2018, 08:07:24 PM

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up_the_hampipe

A fascinating interview (and accompanying video) with Chevy Chase regarding his reputation, the current state of comedy, his upbringing among other things https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/lifestyle/chevy-chase-cant-change/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.81d84d068971

I know Chevy has been a source of interest on here for a while, as he should be. A very complex individual. I'm surprised his manager/publicists ever allow him to give an interview given how much he runs his mouth off, but it's certainly worth a read every time.

Brundle-Fly

He seems a troubled man. Great comedy actor though. It's funny how people seem more interested in artists private lives than the actual art these days. Has this always been the way?  Take Joe Orton for instance; I think people are more fascinated in his antics than the actual plays he wrote.

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on September 23, 2018, 08:43:37 PM
It's funny how people seem more interested in artists private lives than the actual art these days. Has this always been the way?

Yes. See: Lord Byron, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nothing new about this at all.

Also, it's not that people are oddly fascinated with Chevy's personal life, it's just that he's losing work because of his personal conduct, so it naturally comes into focus when talking about the work.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Monsieur Verdoux on September 23, 2018, 09:00:37 PM
Yes. See: Lord Byron, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nothing new about this at all.

Also, it's not that people are oddly fascinated with Chevy's personal life, it's just that he's losing work because of his personal conduct, so it naturally comes into focus when talking about the work.

Yeah, you're right, I guess it's always been the way. John Belushi seemed an awful person too by all accounts. Should we cut them both some slack for clearly having mental health issues or are they just horrible men?

Well, it's not a binary choice really

Mark Steels Stockbroker

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on September 23, 2018, 08:43:37 PM
He seems a troubled man. Great comedy actor though. It's funny how people seem more interested in artists private lives than the actual art these days. Has this always been the way?  Take Joe Orton for instance; I think people are more fascinated in his antics than the actual plays he wrote.

First he was famous for the plays. But later they didn't seem so special, but then the Diaries were a bigger thing.

Nowhere Man

Re-reading the part about Dan Harmon and Chevy on the set of Community makes me think however much of an arse Chevy was on the show, he didn't deserve him and his family being humiliated like that. Of course in the aftermath of that Harmon got a much easier ride because Chevy is known as 'difficult' and Dan has a huge following amongst nerds on reddit and the like who will excuse his cuntish behaviour.

Maybe Chevy has been hard to work with, but I can't help but still like him. Maybe I get annoyed at the backlash because so many that have said derogatory comments about him in the past have such a black and white way of saying these things. To me he seems to be a troubled man with many deep psychological issues, rather than the out and out monster he's often painted as.

Brundle-Fly


Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Mark Steels Stockbroker on September 23, 2018, 09:42:09 PM
First he was famous for the plays. But later they didn't seem so special, but then the Diaries were a bigger thing.

The plays are quite creaky now, yes.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: Nowhere Man on September 24, 2018, 12:10:34 AM
Re-reading the part about Dan Harmon and Chevy on the set of Community makes me think however much of an arse Chevy was on the show, he didn't deserve him and his family being humiliated like that. Of course in the aftermath of that Harmon got a much easier ride because Chevy is known as 'difficult' and Dan has a huge following amongst nerds on reddit and the like who will excuse his cuntish behaviour.

I think perception of Harmon has shifted and that can now be viewed as part of the unprofessional behaviour that got him fired. The writer Megan Ganz who accused Harmon of being unpleasant towards her when she rejected his advances also made sure mention that Chevy argued for her to be more involved in the creative process. So it's not as simple as one being the good guy and the other being the arsehole. Always thought Chevy got such unnecessary backlash from all of that.

TheMonk

Even though he hasn't performed much of late, he was the best thing about Community.
I stopped watching when he was gone.

And that shrug he does in the Mike Reid footage when the crowd turns on his poor interview technique was wonderful.

the science eel

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on September 24, 2018, 12:40:44 AM
The plays are quite creaky now, yes.

They are.

Relevant: you get a similar 'culture gap' between Carry On films and KW's diaries. Actually it's probably bigger 'cos Orton at least had aspirations with his plays

Shit Good Nose

I've been a huge Chevy fan since I first saw European Vacation (which was the first Vacation film I saw) in the mid 80s, so I've been with him right from comedy film super giant to can't even get work by begging and the other side of that with people of my generation who were also fans as kids now working in the industry and wanting to give him a shot.

Despite that huge love for the man, I acknowledge that that Chevy no longer exists - he's by far the worst thing in the otherwise not bad Vacation reboot/sequel - and he should stick to doing stuff more suitable to his age and capabilities, like Community.

It's a shame his rep has dogged him so much - after all, he's not the only Hollywood star who is "difficult" - and it's also a shame that the other thing he tends to be known for are those comments he made about gay men and AIDS in the SNL writers room (and that story is different depending on who you ask). 

Not quite sure what point I'm trying to make here, or if I even have one...

phes

I've not seen much candid Chase footage before. Is it his manner to seem disconnected and lacking focus and concentration or has he deteriorated in some way recently? Because he looks absolutely fucked to the eyeballs

Can anyone recommend any other interview or doc footage worth watching?

Rolf Lundgren

I take any criticism with a pinch of salt. He's probably difficult but not as bad as people say because there's bound to be some Hollywood hyperbole around his behaviour.

Nice article and some interesting stuff about his childhood. The article mentions that he thinks he should be leading in films too which is a sign that his confidence is still in tact. It seems to me that he took a big break in the 90s which is fair enough and when he wanted to come back found out there wasn't too much goodwill towards him because of his past behaviour. Even if he was absolutely awful, even he didn't deserve to be interviewed by Mike Read.

McChesney Duntz

He's a fascinating individual, without question. I think he sustained some irreversible damage during the 70s and 80s due to overindulgence in those two horrific intoxicants, fame and cocaine. I mean, he got real famous, real fast (within three months of the debut of SNL, he was already on magazine covers), and, since that fast fame happened in the mid-70s, the nose powder followed close behind. Interestingly, the verdict on Chevy was cemented fairly early on, from everybody from his first wife to Harold Ramis to Chase himself: he "lost perspective."  And, it could be argued, never quite got it back. The damage is still evident, I think - he seems hypersensitive to what he perceives as personal slights, but can't help but exhibit that very same behavior towards others (see, for example, the arc of his rivalry/friendship/destruction of friendship with Howard Stern, a guy that, like Dan Harmon and several others, has his own interpersonal bugaboos).

Maurice Yeatman

Quote from: TheMonk on September 24, 2018, 06:23:17 AM
And that shrug he does in the Mike Reid footage when the crowd turns on his poor interview technique was wonderful.

You pilchard.


BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on September 24, 2018, 12:40:34 PM

Not quite sure what point I'm trying to make here, or if I even have one...

Quote from: Nowhere Man on September 24, 2018, 12:10:34 AM
Maybe Chevy has been hard to work with, but I can't help but still like him.

This?

This is always the point and always crops up when people turn out to be arseholes. "Oh you mean he's a bit of a cunt who get can't work any more after years of being a bit of a cunt? Never mind, he gets a free pass because he was in a few funny films. I still like him." Not saying you can't be a fan of his work if he's not a very nice person and all that, of course you can, just stop trying to rationlise his shitty behavior and your admiration of his work by saying he can be funny. Or stop using the Jason Bateman defence of "well artists are temperamental, its to be expected". Him being funny doesn't stop him being a bit of a cunt and other people in the same industry being a bit of a cunt doesn't excuse him being a bit of a cunt. But I suppose if you can crack a funny you can do what you like.

Brundle-Fly

I don't think any fan here is giving him a free pass to be a cunt just because he's made some funny films, they're just saying his off-screen behaviour doesn't affect their enjoyment of his comedy. Also they have never met him.

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on September 25, 2018, 05:25:53 PM
I don't think any fan here is giving him a free pass to be a cunt just because he's made some funny films, they're just saying his off-screen behaviour doesn't affect their enjoyment of his comedy.

Quote from: Rolf Lundgren on September 24, 2018, 11:13:49 PM
I take any criticism with a pinch of salt. He's probably difficult but not as bad as people say because there's bound to be some Hollywood hyperbole around his behaviour.

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on September 24, 2018, 12:40:34 PM
It's a shame his rep has dogged him so much - after all, he's not the only Hollywood star who is "difficult"

Quote from: Nowhere Man on September 24, 2018, 12:10:34 AM
Maybe Chevy has been hard to work with, but I can't help but still like him.

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on September 23, 2018, 08:43:37 PM
He seems a troubled man. Great comedy actor though.

I highlighted that bit in bold because that's the qualifier, like being "troubled" as you put it, is ok because he's a good comic actor. Whenever talk about his behaviour is highlighted, its always followed with "but he's funny".

Quote from: Brundle-Fly
Also they have never met him.

Well that certainly makes it easier to separate the art from the artist if he hasn't been a cunt to you personally, you can wave his behaviour away with he had a troubled childhood/hes misunderstood/the stories are exaggerated/ he's taken out of context in interviews/delete as appropriate. If he's only cunty to other people and you only get to see his good side eg his tv and movie work, it's a lot easier to ignore his behaviour.

But I don't see a lot of art separation in these sorts of threads, its usually excusing the artist because you like the art, that's different. For instance, I like Bill Hicks. A criticism for him that always pops up is that he was misogynist. I could agree with that and I can still enjoy his stand up despite this because I separate art from artist. What I won't do is say "He was a misogynist, but he was a great standup", I won't defend his misogyny by saying he was a temperamental artist, or he had a bad upbringing or he's misunderstood or whatever. That's the difference, I think.

Brundle-Fly

I see what you're saying but these days whenever Chevy Chase is mentioned (on the internet, never in my real life because most people I socialise with haven't thought about Chevy Chase since Fletch Lives) his off-screen behaviour always seems to be the main topic before his actual comedy. It just seems a bit of a shame but then for most people, not as interesting.

When it comes to Hicks, I think it's different because today he's either completely revered or slagged off. And he's been dead for nearly a quarter of a century. Nobody is revering Chevy Chase, he's just that cunt who falls out with everyone.

Jerzy Bondov

Chevy in his prime was fucking brilliant. So funny. He was very good in Community as well. Clearly quite a complicated man in real life but on screen it's very simple - just a very funny, charming but spiky actor. Never very sympathetic though. That edge he had, you don't see that now in your comedy leading men, do you? He was walking a fine line I suppose.

Nowhere Man

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on September 25, 2018, 06:24:42 PM
I see what you're saying but these days whenever Chevy Chase is mentioned (on the internet, never in my real life because most people I socialise with haven't thought about Chevy Chase since Fletch Lives) his off-screen behaviour always seems to be the main topic before his actual comedy. It just seems a bit of a shame but then for most people, not as interesting.

Yeah, that's about the size of it, and to be honest if he has come across as a cunt i'm not surprised that he's not getting hired much anymore, in my above post I was just stating that I still like him despite his past behaviour, which is in no way an excuse for him. But when it gets to the point that he's more remembered for his off-screen attitude than his comedy, that's something that rubs me the wrong way a bit.

But the matter of fact is, i'm never going to meet him, and as long as isn't revealed to have done anything seriously terrible (i.e physical/sexual violence towards others ect) i'll probably keep on enjoying his stuff.

But....... I do find it odd that in the entertainment world someone like Dr Dre is known for beating the shit out of a female reporter, yet is still one of the best paid rappers ever. In the world of comedy, huge numbers of people are clamouring for Louis CK to make a return to the stage already, "he's suffered enough". Mel fucking Gibson is in the middle of a huge comeback.

Yet Chevy Chase gets completely shunned for being a bit of an prick? I don't get it.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Nowhere Man on September 26, 2018, 11:13:28 AM
Yeah, that's about the size of it, and to be honest if he has come across as a cunt i'm not surprised that he's not getting hired much anymore, in my above post I was just stating that I still like him despite his past behaviour, which is in no way an excuse for him. But when it gets to the point that he's more remembered for his off-screen attitude than his comedy, that's something that rubs me the wrong way a bit.

But the matter of fact is, i'm never going to meet him, and as long as isn't revealed to have done anything seriously terrible (i.e physical/sexual violence towards others ect) i'll probably keep on enjoying his stuff.

But....... I do find it odd that in the entertainment world someone like Dr Dre is known for beating the shit out of a female reporter, yet is still one of the best paid rappers ever. In the world of comedy, huge numbers of people are clamouring for Louis CK to make a return to the stage already, "he's suffered enough". Mel fucking Gibson is in the middle of a huge comeback.

Yet Chevy Chase gets completely shunned for being a bit of an prick? I don't get it.

I think that's the point I was trying to make earlier in the thread but couldn't rationalise it and put it into words.  Your Dre example is a good one, and I'm sure we could come up with examples of much worse behaviour by others that has had a subsequent pass if we thought about it.  Like you say, that's not to excuse him from being a prick but of all the Hollywood stars who are known to be or have been titanic pricks it does seem odd for everyone to obsess over and single out Chevy.

Mister Six

I suppose the difference - and I'm not approving of this, by the way - is that in those other cases it was one or two instances that hit the public then faded away, whereas the stories about Chase have been drip-fed for decades.

So for Dre, CK and (to a lesser extent) the public perception is primarily still "I like this person" with an undercurrent of "...but they're a cunt", whereas with Chase the latter has had the time and perseverance to overtake the former.

Another factor might be that those three are all seen primarily as artists - the producer, the writer-filmmaker and the talented director - but Chase is mostly just seen as an actor, and we're less likely to cut actors slack than some other creatives.

Gibson, of course, is wearing the most thin on both counts, and if he fucks up this time he's probably done, as "horrible cunt" overtakes "difficult but talented artist" in the public's mind.

BeardFaceMan

The only reason people talk more about Chevy drama than his work is because there is far more of the former. Hes been at it since he started at SNL and shows no sign of slowing down. While he has only been involved in a few funny projects (written by others? Is he a writer or just an actor) hes been involved in lots more bad ones and has spent long periods of his career not working, mainly because hes a cunt to work with. And people talking about Chevy drama isnt a recent or even an internet phenomenon, check out his Friars Club Roast for evidence of just how few friends he had in the industry (and what a lack of a sense of humour he has) at that point in his career because of his behaviour and that was 15 years ago. People have always been talking about what a nightmare he can be from day one.

I wasn't trying to draw any equivalency to Hicks or anything in my post, just using him as an example of seperating art from artist without apologising for the artists behaviour or using caveats as its someone I'm familiar with. I appreciate some of it is just bad phrasing, you talk about someones issues and then follow it with talk about how you like their work it can be easy to get the idea that the latter is excusing the former.  I just get a bit tired of the "yeah hes a prick but he hasnt been a prick to me so he can carry on being a prick to others as long as I get some good telly out of it" attitude (not that that applies to everyone here or Chevy specifically).

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Nowhere Man on September 26, 2018, 11:13:28 AM

But....... I do find it odd that in the entertainment world someone like Dr Dre is known for beating the shit out of a female reporter, yet is still one of the best paid rappers ever. In the world of comedy, huge numbers of people are clamouring for Louis CK to make a return to the stage already, "he's suffered enough". Mel fucking Gibson is in the middle of a huge comeback.

Yet Chevy Chase gets completely shunned for being a bit of an prick? I don't get it.

This evokes The Leslie Grantham Paradox.

Murder a cab driver? Fine, brings colour to the character of Dirty Den and he's served his time.

Get caught having an internet wank? Fire him and never darken our screens again. I can never look at Dirty Den in the same way.

monolith

The Dee Barnes assault is pretty much joked about on Guilty Conscience. Don't think he'd get away with that today.

BeardFaceMan

Youre never going to get consistency so its pointless looking for it. What helps in the case of Dre is that he was formally punished for his crime so people can point to that as a reason why its ok to continue supporting him. With someone like Chase he's not doing anything illegal,  hes just being a prick so he cant be punished for that with a fine or probation or whatever, its seen as him 'getting away with it' whereas with Dre he was taken to court for his crime. Dre can also say he has changed and he doesnt treat women like that anymore whereas Chase apologies for nothing and continues to be a prick. Body of work also makes a difference I think (also applies to peole like CK and Gibson), Dres work is an important part of hip hop history and he has a huge back catalogue of respected material.  Other than Community, when was the last time Chase was involved in something good, the 80s? Theres a lot less of the good to balance out the bad,  theres not a lot of goodwill about for Chevy like there are for others who have been mentioned. Not that I'm attempting to absolve Dre or the others or anything, just giving a few reasons why Chase might get treated differently by people with regards to still getting work.

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on September 24, 2018, 12:38:08 AM
No, it isn't. What do you think?

Of Chevy? I'm a fan. One of the first 'comedy figures' I was into. Generally loved his onscreen persona. He seemed like he didn't give a fuck. That was the appeal. All this background stuff is interesting, I take it hand in hand with the work. There's very little that someone can do that'll make me stop enjoying their work, but I don't need to deny or explain away their flaws to do so. Neither do I feel bad about enjoying the work, and nor should anyone else. But who cares what I think?