Although comics can occasionally be as petty and vindictive as anyone else in show business -- their venom made more potent by the ability to express it through acerbic humor -- most generally shy away from publicly beating up on each other (to say nothing of beating up on comedic talk show hosts who can occasionally help make or break their careers). This is understandable, but it's kind of a cop-out -- which is what makes this clip of Patton Oswalt on Comedy Death Ray Radio so startling. He makes it perfectly clear whose side he's on in the Conan-Leno battle, comparing Jay Leno to Richard Nixon in terms of his at-all-costs drive for self-preservation.
But Patton's main issue with Jay Leno is an obvious one for any comic worth his salt -- and it's the same issue I always bring up when I talk with people about Leno: The fact is that Jay Leno used to be one of the funniest stand-ups around; the guy was hilarious. But as Patton so perfectly points out, somewhere along the line Leno "willfully threw that switch off and went, 'No more for you guys. Now this.'"
I get that Leno -- even though he's a comedian who continues to bust his ass both on TV and in the clubs -- probably considers the toning down of his material to have been a necessary and worthwhile trade-off given the kind of lifestyle his Tonight Show shtick afforded him. But it really is sad when you think about how unbelievably funny this guy used to let himself be -- not so much cutting edge or more willing to offend, just genuinely funny -- versus how tedious and bland his TV humor has become.
It's a really terrific clip: a fascinating little window into the mind of a truly gifted comedic talent -- a look at the way guys like that think about their craft -- as well as a vigorous overall argument for why Conan should stay put and Leno shouldn't.
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