:: I've been a huge fan of Dennis Miller for years. I liked him on SNL, loved his Chicago-based talk show way back when, and enjoyed his wisecracking on HBO for nine years. Now he's on CNBC, has shifted considerably to the right, and the change doesn't suit him. He's become more mean-spirited and hard-edged, and disappointingly, at times very unlikeable.
On Wed, March 17th, he "interviewed" Eric Alterman, author of What Liberal Media?, and co-author of The Book on Bush. Miller blew the interview so badly that it was literally painful to watch. He treated Alterman rudely, was obviously unprepared in advance, acted like a kid who couldn't get his own way, and ended the interview abruptly, mocking Alterman by turning to the camera, saying, "OK, you're great, come back anytime soon." As one contributor on RateItAll noted, "it was the most embarrassing train wreck I have ever seen." South Knox Bubba provides a great blow-by-blow description of what went down during the interview. Better still, watch the interview here, and cringe as it progresses.
But the best viewpoint of what happened last night comes from Alterman himself:
- Since my hotel here in Santa Monica does not get CNBC, I remain among the category of the vast majority of my fellow countrymen and women who have never seen the Dennis Miller show. So I don't know how it looked to its miniscule audience. There is a description here, however.
Anyway, what was so weird about it was how professional it seemed until I finally sat down with Miller. It was set up long in advance by the book's publicists. The car came on time. In my dressing room, which was pretty elaborate as such things go, I met with a series of staff members who informed me that Dennis would be wanting to discuss topics such as George Soros and the funding of 527s; whether Bush was exploiting the 9/11 families, and I forget what else, just like a real talk show. Then I go out there and what? I'm talking to a stoned teenager, who can't be bothered to say more than, "Whoh, man, you are so totally screwed up. Like, you really believe that stuff, dude?" I paraphrase, but really, Dennis did not say much more than that. Everyone on staff was extremely apologetic afterward and the word "unprofessional" was used over and over.
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Article comments
1 - Shark
I surfed onto that Eric Alterman guest spot and it was the worst thing I've ever seen on TV.
Worse than Miller's standard nightly trainwreck, which is saying a lot.
Miller proves that there's a Law of Nature at work here; as soon as someone converts to the Far Right, they immediately lose their sense of humor.
Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised to see Miller pull out a 9mm, stick it in his mouth, and blow his own brains all over that cheezy set.
Unfortunately, the average viewing for CNBC is probably about a dozen people per night, so let's hope someone TIVOs it!
Me, I like train wrecks. I like ex-comedian Right Wing Nutbar suicides even better.
So I'll be watching!
2 - Al Barger
You're largely being ideologically blinded here. I saw this interview. After about a minute, Miller was just done. He apparently (and not entirely unreasonably) thought that Alterman was merely blabbering liberal group-think.
He responded by giving Alterman the spot. He obviously wasn't impressed with his line of argument, and didn't bother rebutting him. On the other hand, he was not talking over him, shouting him down like Bill O'Reilly would. He pretty much just gave Alterman the segment to say whatever he wanted. That seems more than fair.
Shark, you really call Dennis Miller "hard right"? Really. He's perfectly well moderate in today's political scale. I suspect that you and Mr Reichardt just can't stand the thought of ANYONE supporting President Bush.
I think this CNBC show is pretty good. It's an interesting hybrid news/comedy show. I dig it.
3 - randy
Mr Barger, regarding me, you suspect wrong. I have no problem with someone supporting Bush, including Mr Miller. More power to him, and to any Bush supporter. I would never make the assumption that YOU wouldn't be able to stand anyone supporting someone other than Bush. How can you draw that conclusion about me?
I like Dennis Miller, I like his edge, his cockiness, and his wit. In the Alterman interview, he lost his edge and his wit, was unprepared, and was rude. It wasn't good television. The way he ended the segment was the most unprofessional thing I've seen on tv in years.
What bugs me the most is, he knows better. He's a smart, savvy entertainer who doesn't need to channel Joe Pine.
Of what I've seen of his show, I like most of it as well. I can do w/o the monkey, and his use of the Howard Dean scream is already tired and worn. I hope the show is successful for him, and that the show can find the right tempo and mood.
Please refrain from assuming anything about me, ok? Thanks.
4 - Jim Carruthers
Hey, cha-chi, I don't want to get on a rant here, but isn't Denis Miller just Courtney Love with some steroids?
I mean, what is his problem? Just some catch phrases hanging around a beard? All he needs is a monkey and he start a sports book in Vegas bay-bee.
5 - Shark
Al, I stand corrected. I can't stand Miller long enough to determine his politics.
But I'm still bettin' that he offs himself live on TV within a month or so.
Who wants a part of this action!?
6 - Jim Carruthers
Hey, Shark-iola, I'll give you five bucks ($CDN) that the ol' Genuine Draft Evader goes down by the beginning of July.
Or are we talking about him taking his own life, not his show, in that case, he takes a dirt nap in August.
7 - Shark
Is that Canadian money?
Fergit it, man. I want real cash.
PS: Side bet: he shoots himself anytime between now and, say.. Halloween, and you rake my leaves until xmas.
Deal?
8 - Mark Saleski
I want real cash
it must be 'real' cash, cuz they're makin' 'real' jobs with it up there...
9 - Ms. Tek
I don't get it.
I never thought Miller was funny. Even on his days on SNL. I've seen the Dennis Millier show twice. I thought it choppy, unprofessional, and trying too hard.
It just isn't any good.
10 - Jim Carruthers
Sharkie-baby, I'll take that bet, and rake your leaves as long as you pay my airfare and stand as my shurity at Customs. I won't haul your ashes, however.
I imagine Jon Stewart must be going ape from not prank calling Dennis Miller (ha-ha my fake news is better than your fake news, and I have a contract).
11 - James W
I used to love Dennis. At one time he was funny, he was smart, he was able to laugh at anything. I remember laughing outloud watching him interview one of his former SNL buddies.. Now, he is painfully unfunny and just generally a jerk.
12 - DAVID BELDING
I too used to be a fan of Miller, and his latest pseudo intellectual talk show format has become more and more meanspirited and less amusing. His latest "interview" of the Swiftboat toady O'Neal, was particularly distasteful, giving further air to that self-rightious bag of wind, and helping perpetuating the lies about Kerry. He was obviously completely unprepared, and came across as a sycophant for the Bush smear campaign of Kerry. For a guy who never served himself, he should have had a real combat vet on, who could refute the allegations that Vietnam was this "just & noble cause" and we were all patriotic boy scouts. I served in the 101st Airborne Division in '67-'68, and exactly what Kerry reported, following the Winter Soldier testimonies, occurred on a daily basis, and was overlooked, glossed over, or simply not reported by higher-ups; similar to the My Lai cover up, and countless others. He contributes to the right wing revision of history that we are seeing again in the spinning of Iraq, as a noble and necessary cause. Miller hides behind the classic mean spirited attacks under the guise of humor, and the humor is becoming thinner.
13 - Lono
I miss Dennis Miller. He used to be one of our cutlure's sharpest socio-political speakers. He is nuts now and I have lost all respect for him. I lost all respect for him once I read him say "I like Bush. He is ok with me, and he will get a pass on my show". What the fuck? You are probably the smartest guy on the talk show circuit and you have the dumbest guy in the history of the office and you are going to let that fly? Where is your 'Out of the gene pool, NOW' rant when we need it.
Oh, and another guy I lost total respect for after learning how insanely conservative he was - Ben Stein.
14 - Al Barger
Yeah, yeah, we get the point. You pinkos automatically ex-communicate anyone who is even vaguely a conservative. They're not funny, they've sold out, you don't respect them anymore.
In fact he's pretty much the same guy he ever was, but after 9/11 made it a real and immediate issue, he decided that he does in fact believe in defending the country.
Sorry you don't agree with his position, but that doesn't make him suddenly mean, dishonest or un-funny.
Also, I'm pleased to note that he reported Wednesday night that the show has been renewed through December 2005.
Congratulations, Dennis!
15 - Rev. Ian Brumberger
MSNBC needs to fire Dennis Miller and replace him with Al Frankin.
Al Frankin is one of the funniest and smartest people on TV-- maybe smarter than
that sell-out media whore Dennis Miller.
Remember when Dennis Miller used to be liberal and funny?
Dennis has gotten so desperate for laughs on his show that he's had to recruit a
monkey to climb around his set.
"CNBC plans to keep 'Dennis Miller' on the air
www.syracuse.com/entertainment/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1095239783164422.xml
Despite a tepid launch in January and a near-immediate hiatus for creative
retooling, CNBC has renewed 'Dennis Miller.'
Keeping the monkey, adding a studio audience, expanding the number of
correspondents and improving the caliber of guests appears to have worked
for Miller, as the comic and commentator will remain with CNBC
through 2005."
That makes TWO trained monkeys on MSNBC chewing up the scenery for their
Republican masters.
It's painful to see Dennis Miller like this. It's like watching your mother
waste away from cancer, only with less laughs and a smaller audience.
I used to be a big fan of Dennis Miller. I've watched nearly every episode of
every one of his shows that was yanked out from under him.
I've bought all of his books; and bought them on tape, because I wanted to hear
Dennis read them to me himself.
When Dennis Miller had his Fox talk show, I'd told my boss I would put in as
much overtime as they needed, so long as I was home by 11 PM to watch Dennis.
My ex-girlfriend even... uhm... "found" one of The Dennis Miller Show signs on
the subway, and I proudly displayed the poster in my dorm room until I
graduated.
But that was before Dennis Miller drank the Republican Kool-Aid.
Four more years of Bush, and you won't be able to tell Dennis Miller from
Zell Miller.
I say dump Miller and replace him with Al Frankin and Randi Rhodes.
Dennis must have fallen asleep with a giant pod under his bed and been replaced
by a Republican mouthpiece shilling for discount long distance, satelite TV,
and talking M&M's.
There is no Dennis Miller anymore.
Of course that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.
16 - Hal Pawluk
This link to the video works and, yes, Miller has lost it.
(link opens quicktime movie in new window)
17 - Rev. Ian Brumberger
My God.
After watching that video clip, even *I* am stunned at how bad Dennis Miller has become.
I remember his first talkshow, when he'd be sitting at his desk looking thrilled and amazed that someone actually gave him that studio.
He was like a kid on Christmas eve who had just opened the one toy he'd always wanted.
Now it looks like he just can't wait for the show to be over so he can go home and clean his gutters before it rains.
From that clip and from what I have seen of the rest of his show, he has lost the joy that used to go into his work.
He's no longer thrilled to have a talkshow. He's become *me* during the last ten minutes of algebra class.
18 - Billy
I can't believe how terrible Dennis Miller's show has become. He must be doing so much blow in his free time, it's clouded his mind. He doesn't make any sense. He looks awful. He can't relate to the majority of his guests because he's so bogged down in that California surfer boy schtick. It's gotten really stale.
I was a huge fan of Miller in the SNL days when he was about the brightest mind on television. Now it seems like he won't even bother to relate to people with a different view point.
I draw the line when he supports the (current) most corrupt US president in history because he appears tougher on terrorism than his opponent.
Doesn't he understand he's been brainwashed? To believe GWB can beat this make-believe boogyman (bin Laden) the USA itself created, is the most inane, shortsighted view I've heard yet.
I thought he was smarter than that, but I guess it's all he can manage in that coked out shrunken head of his. Just ignore him, he will eventually go away.
19 - T monkey
"I like W he gets a pass on my show"???
doesn't that make Dino the dream comedian for Stalin and Tito? just seems like some freakish form of idol worship, and coming from one who use to use his razor wit to cut that kind of idiocy to shreds. Seems the razor's become a nerf hammer and the lead poisoning is now in it's final tragic stages.
Truly flabbergasting.
And yes, he made O'reilly look like Dick Cavett in that interview.
20 - T.Conroy
Found your website after Dennis Miller almost making us
toss our dinner while using the audience at the Irvine Improv
to hone is script for his new HBO special coming up. He was
first of all so detached, reading from a cue card, not even looking
at the audience, asking the waiters, "How long was that", the
whole time... I couldn't believe we had paid good money and
driven 4 hours to see this...
Then he started ranting... Not like in "Rants", a book we enjoyed
greatly...but hateful, racist, ignorant, rants. Color me stupid but
I had no idea he had become a Nazi. He was appalling. The sad
thing is, the only people that enjoyed him couldn't even make their
two hands connect when they went to clap for him, and clearly had
more fat between their ears than even around their girth.
It was disgusting.
Looks like half of the Securities Commission had been appalled
by/walked out on his performance the night before, as well.
He's a miserable, angry old man. He should retire...or stick to
Net Zero...but likely he'll be our next Director of "Homeland
Security". He is such a huge GW suck up... It's sickening...
He makes me sick, and it saddens me that he's become so
UNfunny, and more importantly so uncaring.
Thanks for your site. It was nice to see our thoughts shared by
others!
21 - Gaz
You got it. He scores with me in that his dementia is not a 50+ mid life crisis thanks to habing a ferrari when he was 30 (speculation). However, I find myself being entertained by some holier than though racist role model not roel model, one liners that cannot be delivered until he has sucked the less han normal intelligent audience in.
My summsry ? When a super intelligent comedian lke Dennis loses the edge and confidence, then he needs to get nasty and cross the line he used to balance so carefully (YET BRILLIANTLY PAKI, ARABM BIBLE MENTIONED FACE. Of course, I am the cunt who types with indecision and hypocracy, but Only HE can relate. Thans for the funnies Dennis but fuck the presedential campaign, it doesn't suit you.
Luv
G.