Joe Bucked by Comedian on Premiere of his Show June 30, 2009
Posted by Paul in : Uncategorized , trackback
With the end of two major pro sports in North America coming to a head a couple of weeks ago, the national sporting landscape had all of a sudden become quite bare. Major League Baseball is expected to take center stage for the next couple of months, before football fervor picks up in early August, with training camps opening up and early fantasy drafts occurring around the country. But in the 162-game grind of baseball, no one game is necessarily going to grab you by the collar and compel you to watch….
Enter Joe Buck. When it was announced that Buck would step into Bob Costas’ rather large shoes and host his own talk show on HBO, most sports fans thought the Show might be a welcome diversion, particularly on a slow Monday night. Little did we know it was going to become one of the most talked about show premieres in HBO Sports’ history. Joe Buck started with the sports landscape all to himself, and ended up being bullied by a stand-up comedian with greater verbal firepower and a penchant for creating chaos.
The segment pitting Artie Lange and Joe Buck overshadowed the whole program and created such a stir in the media and at office water coolers, that I felt compelled to let the dust settle before commenting fully. A lot of theories and commentary were thrown around post-”Joe Buck Live” premiere. I’m going to try to clear the air, wade through the off-the-cuff ruminations, and give you a more balanced, comprehensive view on the happenings that night, a couple of weeks ago. Consider this a cold, rational post-mortem, after all of the initial emotion and chatter has passed….
Artie Lange, to many viewers (including the New York Times) stole the show, as he wouldn’t let Buck regain command of his interview. Buck just was unable to maintain control of the chaos that Artie kept bringing. You could sense the awkwardness created by Lange, and he largely overshadowed the other two guests–Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis–on set with him during the segment.
Since the segment happened, many theories have been floated about Lange’s show hijacking. One of the most prevalent ones that’s been uttered has people stating that the segment had been orchestrated to create buzz. This is simply not true. The Show doesn’t have another episode until September. The time lapse is too great to imagine that any buzz created a few months prior would somehow last in a collective American psyche known for its caffeinated ways and short attention span. Also, if I’m any portion people reader, I can say with full certainty that Buck was truly uncomfortable during the whole fiasco. If you’re afraid to take my word for it, just look at the still below, and dare tell me this is manufactured uncomfortableness from Joe Buck. I think not!
Buck had a mix of too much pride, a desire to fight back verbally without possessing the required ammunition to match Lange, and an inability to handle such a guest. Aikman’s broadcasting counterpart largely wants to work in a controlled atmosphere. You hear it in his cadence, his delivery, and the way he broadcasts overall. The man is all about control, and a lack of zaniness. When delivered a plateful of complete mayhem, he was at a loss for the right words and demeanor that would have perhaps quieted the heavy set comedian.
Also, let’s tell it straight: to those that will tell you that this type of intervention is expected by Lange must be smoking something more potent than what the comedian was lighting on set during his fiasco. I’ve heard Lange on different airwaves, and despite his being a little edgy, he was respectful to the host, and quite frankly, very funny. It’s one thing to kid or chide the host of the Show. Sometimes, it’s even expected to create dialog or an amicable/jocular atmosphere, as the guest and host start their interaction. It’s a totally different proposition to come out and steal the Show from the host by embarrassing him. And that’s what Artie Lange did three Mondays ago.
Let’s make this clear: while many have not liked Joe Buck, finding him too smug or arrogant, I have liked him on my sports telecasts. He gives you a good broadcasting presence and a clean message. And he’s great at getting the most out of his analysts, whether it’s Tim McCarver, Troy Aikman, or someone else. The interesting thing was going to see whether Buck could flourish in this new type of format. He would have to be an interviewer, in a live setting. The show is set up to be conversational and relaxed, on a nice but casual set, with a distinctive New York feel. Everyone knows that Buck was going to be stepping in large shoes; following the legendary Bob Costas on HBO, with his own sports interview show. While he may be good during broadcasts, because he doesn’t get in the way of the sport he’s bringing to you, I found him lacking both the dynamism and the engaging nature necessary to generate great conversation. I found myself asking for more, from the interviews. It’s almost like he was playing it close to the vest, not wanting to expound too much, or provoke entertaining sizzle.
The topic of his show is “Celebrity in Sports”. Booking Favre as his first guest not only guaranteed him an audience on his premiere episode but delivered a little sizzle, considering how much attention the former Green Bay signal-caller has been getting in the past few months, and how little he had talked to the media. Favre was able to tell us that his coming back to play for the Vikings would hinge on how his arm felt. He asserted having undergone surgery with Dr. James Andrew a couple of weeks ago. Now, the debate is about whether or not his arm will feel okay for him to announce his return to the Vikes. Subsequent reports from ProFootballTalk.com and Minnesota radio stations have told us there is a deal in place between Favre and the Vikings. Provided Favre’s arm continues to feel better, the team is to hold a press conference on July 3rd, declaring the Ol’ Gunslinger’s arrival in Minnesota. Reportedly orchestrated at that time to evade a larger media circus, as we enter the 4th of July weekend, I’m having a hard time believing that Chris Mortensen [insert your favorite NFL information man here] would not interrupt his family BBQ to catch a plane to cover such a media-worthy happening. But I digress…. Despite a little slip of tongue from Brett, which seemed to have been choreographed and thus wasn’t much of a value-add, there was little new information revealed to the American public. I found Buck unable to get his marquee guest to tell us something we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. And that, folks, is the mark of a great interviewer….
Perhaps the larger lesson here is that we should give the multi-dimensional sports broadcasters most credit than they are already given. For every Bryant Gumbel who finds great comfort in a controlled television studio with rehearsed segments, but ends up telling you that “Al Gore” is running between the tackles, when calling live NFL action, there are the Bob Costas’, Dick Enbergs, Jim Nantzs, Al Michaels’ or Ted Robinsons of the world who can flourish in any type of sports setting. Whether they are conducting a green jacket ceremony in Butler Cabin, calling the action at Roland Garros alongside John McEnroe, describing another highly-rated NFL game on a Sunday afternoon, interviewing a provocative sports personality on the latest steroids scandal, delivering another essay on Wimbledon’s tradition, or hosting the studio show for Sunday Night Football in Prime Time, these men are never fish out of water, regardless of how bright the lights are, what medium is to be dealt with, or the format constraints from which to operate…. Maybe just maybe, we could give Joe Buck a little more room to grow in this new role, as an accomplished interviewer. Then again, I might be asking too much from the American public. We’ll probably just get back to our Starbucks and Twitter, and forget about this Joe Buck guy until he reappears onto our television screens in the month of September. We’ll probably give him another shot then, wondering what will define his Show for us. For now, it’s been all about a spotlight hijacking and the creation of awkward moments on our boob tube….
Comments»
Great post Paul! I agree that Buck did not really know how to handle Lange. Though Artie was a bit out of hand, Buck’s reaction just made things worse. He could have simply ‘rolled with the punches’ and laughed along with Lange and the audience. However, he got defensive and a bit angry, bringing an awkward tension to the segment.
We’ll see how Buck handles himself in September…
Thought-provoking piece Co-Host, although you know that I disagree with you in most respects as it pertains to this much publicized situation. I have a disdain for Joe Buck that spawns from his arrogance to his inability to laugh at himself. He made this situation as bad as it was. While most entertainers would have been able to handle themselves and deflect the verbal assault from Lange, Buck was out of his element and unequipped with the acumen and ability to dodge the bullets being fired at him. I do agree with your opinion that this controversial segment was not orchestrated to conjure up hype to promote the show. That is patently absurd as the next show is not until September, and Brett Favre was enough buzz for the premiere of the show.
Here is what I vehemently disagree with you about: You make the statement: “Also, let’s tell it straight: to those that will tell you that this type of intervention is expected by Lange must be smoking something more potent than what the comedian was lighting on set during his fiasco. I’ve heard Lange on different airwaves, and despite his being a little edgy, he was respectful to the host, and quite frankly, very funny. It’s one thing to kid or chide the host of the Show. Sometimes, it’s even expected to create dialog or an amicable/jocular atmosphere, as the guest and host start their interaction. It’s a totally different proposition to come out and steal the Show from the host by embarrassing him. And that’s what Artie Lange did three Mondays ago.”
He did certainly steal the show from Buck. The reason he did is because he has absolutely no respect for Buck as a host of a talk show. Why should he? I think you must be smoking something to not realize the difference between the Artie Lange you have seen on Howard Stern and on some other mediums versus the Lange we saw with Buck. Lange has the utmost respect for Stern as a personality. Stern is what Lange would probably dream to be. Lange couldn’t steal the show from Stern, becuase he doesn’t have the faculties to do so. Lange is no match on any level for Stern in a verbal battle. Enter Buck. A man that at best takes himself too seriously and at worst is one of the most arrogant SOB’s in broadcasting. Lange’s comedy is shock and awe. He knows that he can prey on the weak. When it comes to hosting a talk show, Buck is the very definition of weak. A man that can’t handle any unscripted conversation outside the cushy and clinical confines of a press box with stiffs like Tim McCarver or Troy Aikman.
This situation was quite predictable. The producers of the show said as much. Lange is a T.O. or Ron Artest type of comedian. Bring him on your show and you are playing with fire. T.O. had no respect for any of the Cowboys and look what happened while he was in Big D. He almost overdosed and died, and never won a playoff game while bickering with his teammates and coaches. Ron Artest, like a Randy Moss in New England, is likely to be successful in LA because he deeply respects Phil Jackson and Kobe. A combustible type like T.O. or Lange become inherently flammable when they have no respect for anybody in their environment. Lange respected Stern, but had no respect (and shouldn’t have) for Buck. The outcome was not only a known possibility by the producers, but should have been a predictable one. Blame the producers for putting Lange out there in the first place.