After all, Jon Stewart is an entertainer.
Have you ever gone to music concert to hear your favorite band play your favorite tunes only to have them drop a bunch of retro-fusion-mutation music on you? I remember going to a concert some years ago expecting to hear some fine country music only to have that entertainer give his interpretations of funk. I never went to his concerts again, and stopped buy his albums because I felt he abandoned me musically. A big mistake. All entertainers know that to hold your audience you need to sing the tunes they expect. (One of the reasons for the great success of the Eagles Hell Freezes Over Tour was that they were playing what we all wanted to hear…and they were THE EAGLES!)
To my point here; I watched some clips of Jon Stewarts show recently. Not sure why, other than once upon a time he spoke words and thoughts I liked. Somewhere along the line though he switched from country to funk on me. As I watched those clips I kept asking myself why. Why has he gone from insightful, comedic, meaningful social commentary to trash dumping on white / conservative / male / hetero / America / Americans? What happened to make this amazingly successful, and quite intelligent fellow turn so negative? Was it bad coffee or what.
As I continued to watch clips from several episodes of his show it finally dawned on me. That’s his gig! He’s playing the tunes his audience wants to hear. A fundamental requirement of any entertainer; no matter what the genre. He doesn’t have any white / conservative / male / hetero / America-loving / American-loving fans so he cannot afford to play anything that resembles a tune they might like. That would be foolish. If he did his audience, his fan base, would soon depart for other sources of the entertainment they seek or need. (That’s why Carlos still plays “Black Magic Woman” and Paul still sing “When I’m 64.”) Even though his shows are presented as some sort of social commentary, it is important to understand that he is an entertainer playing to an audience that expects, no demands, he play tunes they want to hear or they are Bye-Bye.
The topography of media these days is highly costumed and hard to navigate. It is near impossible to sort out what is a “show” and what is actually unbiased truth. Highly skilled writers, often with PhD’s in human behavior or social science or something similar sit in caffeine filled rooms in search of crafty messages that will appeal to their audience. Because it is in such audience appeal that their glory, and likely their livelihood, lies.
So for any of you anti-Jon Stewart types, please give him a break. He is just an entertainer doing what entertainer must do, playing the same old tunes to an expectant and very demanding audience.
