Description

Book Synopsis

This hilarious cast of star philosophers will make you laugh while you think as they explore the moral conundrums, ridiculous paradoxes, and wild implications ofSaturday Night Live

Comedian-philosophers from Socrates to Sartre have always prodded and provoked us, critiquing our most sacred institutions and urging us to examine ourselves in the process. InSaturday Night Live and Philosophy, a star-studded cast of philosophers takes a close look at the deep thoughts beneath the surface of NBC's award-winning late-night variety show and its hosts' zany antics. In this book, philosophy and comedy join forces, just like the Ambiguously Gay Duo, to explore the meaning of life itself through the riffs and beats of the subversive parody that gives the show its razor-sharp wit and undeniable cultural and political significance. Our guest hosts raise some eyebrows with questions like:

  • Is Weekend Update Fake News?
  • Does SNL upset dominant

    Table of Contents

    Cast Members ix

    Cold Open: The Introduction 1

    Part I The Opening Monologue 3

    1 Chase’s Ford vs. Belushi’s Samurai: Why is it OK to Punch Up But Not Down? 5
    Ruth Tallman

    2 Mr. Mike: The Dark, Existentialist Vision of Michael O’Donoghue 15
    Erich Christiansen

    3 How Do They Get Away with It?: Pushing Boundaries with Offensive Material on Saturday Night Live 25
    Michael McGowan

    4 SNL, Satire, and Socrates: Smart‐Assery or Seriousness? 39
    Joshua J. Reynolds

    Part II Some Political Sketches 51

    5 Saturday Night Live and the Political Bubble 53
    William Irwin

    6 Saturday Night Live and the Production of Political Truth: Foucault Explains the Danger of Late Night Comedy 63
    Kimberly S. Engels

    7 Word Associations, Black Jeopardy, and Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood: SNL Tackles Race 75
    J. Jeremy Wisnewski

    8 John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Stuart Smalley: Drugs and Recovery on Saturday Night Live 87
    William Irwin and J.R. Lombardo

    Part III Some Sketches Featuring Your Favorite Recurring Characters 99

    9 Dana Carvey vs. Darrell Hammond: What Does it Mean to be “Spot On,” and Does it Matter? 101
    Tadd Ruetenik

    10 SNL’s Blasphemy and Rippin’ up the Pope: “Well Isn’t That Special?” 109
    David Kyle Johnson

    11 “Wayne’s World” and the Philosophy of Play 131
    Jason Holt

    12 Bulls, Bears, and Beers: Da Philosophy of Super Fandom 141
    Robin Barrett

    Part IV And Now for Our Musical Guest 149

    13 Liveness and Lip‐Synching: Andy Kaufman and Eminem 151
    Theodore Gracyk

    Part V Weekend Update 167

    14 I Hate Applause: Norm Macdonald and Laughter 169
    Jeremy Fried

    15 Saturday Night Live’s Citizen Journalists and the Nature of Democracy 177
    Kati Sudnick and Erik Garrett

    16 Fake News as Media Theory: SNL on TV Journalism 187
    Gerald J. Erion

    17 “Look, Children, It’s a Falling Star”: David Spade and SNL Family Disloyalty 199
    Jason Southworth and Ruth Tallman

    Part VI The Absurd Stuff That Happens Near the End 209

    18 The Simulated Reality of Saturday Night Live 211
    Edwardo Pérez

    19 Deep Thoughts about Deep Thoughts: The Existentialism of Jack Handey 223
    John Scott Gray

    20 The Ladies Man and “President Bush”: Can Someone Be Too Stupid for Moral Responsibility? 231
    Jason Southworth

    Index 239

Saturday Night Live and Philosophy

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      Description

      Book Synopsis

      This hilarious cast of star philosophers will make you laugh while you think as they explore the moral conundrums, ridiculous paradoxes, and wild implications ofSaturday Night Live

      Comedian-philosophers from Socrates to Sartre have always prodded and provoked us, critiquing our most sacred institutions and urging us to examine ourselves in the process. InSaturday Night Live and Philosophy, a star-studded cast of philosophers takes a close look at the deep thoughts beneath the surface of NBC's award-winning late-night variety show and its hosts' zany antics. In this book, philosophy and comedy join forces, just like the Ambiguously Gay Duo, to explore the meaning of life itself through the riffs and beats of the subversive parody that gives the show its razor-sharp wit and undeniable cultural and political significance. Our guest hosts raise some eyebrows with questions like:

      • Is Weekend Update Fake News?
      • Does SNL upset dominant

        Table of Contents

        Cast Members ix

        Cold Open: The Introduction 1

        Part I The Opening Monologue 3

        1 Chase’s Ford vs. Belushi’s Samurai: Why is it OK to Punch Up But Not Down? 5
        Ruth Tallman

        2 Mr. Mike: The Dark, Existentialist Vision of Michael O’Donoghue 15
        Erich Christiansen

        3 How Do They Get Away with It?: Pushing Boundaries with Offensive Material on Saturday Night Live 25
        Michael McGowan

        4 SNL, Satire, and Socrates: Smart‐Assery or Seriousness? 39
        Joshua J. Reynolds

        Part II Some Political Sketches 51

        5 Saturday Night Live and the Political Bubble 53
        William Irwin

        6 Saturday Night Live and the Production of Political Truth: Foucault Explains the Danger of Late Night Comedy 63
        Kimberly S. Engels

        7 Word Associations, Black Jeopardy, and Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood: SNL Tackles Race 75
        J. Jeremy Wisnewski

        8 John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Stuart Smalley: Drugs and Recovery on Saturday Night Live 87
        William Irwin and J.R. Lombardo

        Part III Some Sketches Featuring Your Favorite Recurring Characters 99

        9 Dana Carvey vs. Darrell Hammond: What Does it Mean to be “Spot On,” and Does it Matter? 101
        Tadd Ruetenik

        10 SNL’s Blasphemy and Rippin’ up the Pope: “Well Isn’t That Special?” 109
        David Kyle Johnson

        11 “Wayne’s World” and the Philosophy of Play 131
        Jason Holt

        12 Bulls, Bears, and Beers: Da Philosophy of Super Fandom 141
        Robin Barrett

        Part IV And Now for Our Musical Guest 149

        13 Liveness and Lip‐Synching: Andy Kaufman and Eminem 151
        Theodore Gracyk

        Part V Weekend Update 167

        14 I Hate Applause: Norm Macdonald and Laughter 169
        Jeremy Fried

        15 Saturday Night Live’s Citizen Journalists and the Nature of Democracy 177
        Kati Sudnick and Erik Garrett

        16 Fake News as Media Theory: SNL on TV Journalism 187
        Gerald J. Erion

        17 “Look, Children, It’s a Falling Star”: David Spade and SNL Family Disloyalty 199
        Jason Southworth and Ruth Tallman

        Part VI The Absurd Stuff That Happens Near the End 209

        18 The Simulated Reality of Saturday Night Live 211
        Edwardo Pérez

        19 Deep Thoughts about Deep Thoughts: The Existentialism of Jack Handey 223
        John Scott Gray

        20 The Ladies Man and “President Bush”: Can Someone Be Too Stupid for Moral Responsibility? 231
        Jason Southworth

        Index 239

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