How Can We Have A Better Talk Show?

Almost 800 episodes into The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Craig decided that the format of a talk show should not be grounded in rigidity. Simply put, it is not natural to rehearse a conversation. As an interviewee or even as an interviewer, it is okay to be nervous. It is okay to laugh a little inappropriately. It is okay to make yourself comfortable folding both legs onto the seat in front of national television.

It is not okay not to be yourself.

One guest who was especially himself was Steven Wright. I did not know who he was. Apparently, he has won awards from being a comedian. Steven Wright was ranked as the 15th Greatest Comedian by Rolling Stone in their 2017 list of the 50 Greatest Stand-up Comics. Not exactly a laughing matter anymore, isn’t it? Haha. On his first appearance, he waltzed into the room, sat down and simply had a conversation with Craig about nothing. To paint a picture of how rubbish the content was, it got to an extent where Steven prompted, “Anyone can do a painting of a sculpture. You try do a sculpture of a painting.” Yes, the joke was nonsensical, but the connection was natural. They started feeding off each other with every episode of them together being better than before. Fast forward 10 years into the show, Steven was informed that Craig was retiring from The Late Late Show. Their last episode together was like watching two best friends migrating to different cities. It was heartbreaking. Aside from the utmost respect for each other in terms of professionalism when it comes to being a comedian, in Steven’s good old fashion paraprosdokian humour, he started missing Craig even before Craig left the show. A sign of a good talk show is when the interviewer makes the interviewee laugh and at times when the interviewee makes the interviewer laugh too.

A sign of a great talk show is when it no longer feels like a show, it is simply a conversation between two individuals who genuinely just wanted to spend time together.

In today’s society where everything is so fast-paced with expectations of dopamine pinging every minute, I worry we’re getting more and more impatient in enjoying talk shows, a spontaneous yet ironically lengthy medium where we get to know someone. Soon, we will forget how to know someone. Below are some brilliance of Steven Wright’s humour. He is a good comedian and an even better friend.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

The severity of the itch is proportional to the reach.

Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.

A lot of people are afraid of heights; not me, I’m afraid of widths.

Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don’t have film.

Whenever I think of the past, it brings back so many memories.

My secret to staying young is to have no sense of time.

On the other hand, you have different fingers.

You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?

The other night I was lying in bed, looking up at the stars, and I wondered, “Where the hell is my roof?”

Five out of four people have trouble with fractions.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.

If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate.