Sometimes there can be a fine line between idiocy and genius.  I’ve had people try to convince me that George W. Bush must have been brilliant to come across like such a clueless dipshit, but I don’t buy it.  Whether it stems from nature or nurture, the exploitation of a people’s trust, powerlessness, and limited education, for personal gain, is more of an automatic and selfish response than an ingeniously devised political tactic.  I believe that his transparent buffoonery wasn’t intentional, but rather, unavoidable, like a menstrual stain seeping through a pair of linen culottes. Ironically, while the former President’s attempts to present himself as a scholar backfired by exposing his inadequacies, others, like the comedy duo of Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim, have actually utilized absurdity and foolishness to spotlight their intelligence for composition, timing, and astute observation.  Obviously, self deprecation and a low brow approach to comedy aren’t enough to create something of quality, or even something that is funny or entertaining.  Ralphie May and Larry the Cable Guy are prime examples of those attempts gone wrong.  However, when fused with a well-constructed format and a fresh delivery, as Tim & Eric have been able to do, it is possible to tread the high-wire of comedic lunacy strung by legends like Charlie Chaplin and Jerry Lewis, without falling into a moronic cesspool with Jaleel “Steve Urkel” White and Joey Lawrence.

Read the rest of this entry →