WTF happened to the old Dennis Miller?

[BrainRants]

Just read a fictional back and forth between the Old Dennis and the New Dennis (http://www.blacktable.com/chandler030529.htm) and can't help but feel sorry for his career.

snip...

DENNIS MILLER (1988): That's all very interesting -- which is to say I wasn't listening at all -- but there's a larger issue here, kemosabe: namely, my career. What in the name of Ray Jay Johnson have you been doing for the past 15 years? I'm getting sympathy cards from the cast of Diff'rent Strokes.

DENNIS MILLER (2003): Admittedly, mistakes were made. But I'm working on it. Did you see me last night on Hardball?

DENNIS MILLER (1988): We'll get to that. Um, not to piss in the punch bowl here, but Monday Night Football? What the fuck were you thinking?

DENNIS MILLER (2003): It was a high-profile gig.

snip...

Let's face it, in his day he was the original John Stewart.

I used to watch his HBO show religiously and when he'd go off on his rants I'd say "Right on Dennis, you tell that shit man!" then somewhere he turned into a dick head.

Maybe I just feel sorry for the guy and grappling as a former fan of his early stuff, but shit, he was a brilliant comedian until he turned Pug.

Anyone think he'll see the light and get back on the left side of the fence, or is his head too far up his ass? I'd like to see him take the opportunity to reinvent himself as the Old Dennis (ala David Brock of Media Matters)

[MemphisTiger]

1. He said 9/11 changed him

I think it was just an excuse to revive his declining career.

[comsymp]

3. His "conversion" was WAAAAY before 9/11

Began in the mid '90s.

[zbdent]

10. I regret to mention that I did actually pay money to see him

in the early 90s.

He was so full of himself then, and he was the person who thought that he was hilarious.

Cleveland. Front Row theatre.

[comsymp]

15. Hey, I was a big fan for several years

But then he seemed to do a 180, virtually overnight. By the time The Net came out (95), let's just say that his death scene didn't elicit tears.

[Deep13]

7. bingo

His audience changed.

[Fovea]

2. Once the disease enters the tirtiary stage

they are no good for anything, anymore.
So sad, since it is so easily cureable these days.

[havocmom]

4. He turned into a windsock

and blows with the spin

[flvegan]

5. I used to love his HBO show as well.

His rants were hilarious, and his guests were usually pretty cool. Back then, I'd have pegged him for an ace librul. Who knows.

The old Dennis tearing into the current admin, fundies, etc would be some funny stuff.

[Jesus Saves]

6. He used to be funny - however, there always was a snake-like

unstrustworthy quality about him.

[redqueen]

8. I have hope he might see that doing a 180 might help his career.

I don't care if it's heartfelt or cynical, really... I just want another outlet for sane viewpoints.

[Hobarticus]

9. Dennis became the P.J. O'Rourke of the new millenia...

Remember PJ, in Rolling Stone? Damn, that was some funny, common-sensical stuff. Then, he must've realized he could make more money being a dick.

[chicagojoe]

11. Dennis Miller never seemed to me to be

as "liberal". More "libertarian" than that. Of course, in some ways, libertarians are rather liberal.

[LiberallyInclined]

12. maybe he got mugged....

isn't that what they say happens to liberals who have been?

[Jesus Saves]

13. That imaginary meeting is way funny

very well done.

thanks for posting it...

[shanti]

14. he drank the kool-aid

n/t

[Jesus Saves]

16. yep

DENNIS MILLER (1988): We were all scared when those planes swan-dived into the towers, OK? But what separates real Americans from the faux variety is that real Americans don't turn in their spines to the hatcheck lady in times of stress. People in this country today hear the word terrorist and immediately snap into action -- which means locking themselves in the loo, defecating on the Constitution and using the Bill of Rights to wipe their ass. We're made of better stuff than that, and all the shrieking Rush Limbaughs in the world are not worth one brave man who will stand up and say, "hey, the emperor is starkers, and besides that, he wants all of Yemen's oil." I wasn't around, but I'm pretty sure the guys at Valley Forge weren't eating sautéed rat three times a day so that a future president could attempt a three-point landing on an aircraft carrier moored three miles off the coast of Catalina Island. We have to respond to terrorism, but the problem is that we're running around like the lynch mob in The Ox-Bow Incident, and when Hank Fonda stands up and says we got the wrong guy, Jane Darwell whacks him on the head with a gun butt and the next thing you know you wake up behind barbed wire at Guantanamo.

snip

[Hello_Kitty]

17. Liberal, but sexist, men will generally become more conservative

Over time as they realize their neanderthal views of women will be much more warmly received by the freeps. Watch as Bill Maher increasingly succumbs. He'll be fully neo-con in a year or two.

[zbdent]

18. You know, the funny thing is, he is extremely intelligent

which, of course, set him far above 90 percent of the bushbots.

I guess that he was too smart for him. Or, since they couldn't handle an intelligent candidate for President (Gore, Edwards, Kerry, Dean, etc.), they had to sacrifice an intelligent (but mi$guided) commentator.

Maybe he should have worn a miniskirt and posed on the cover of a magazine with his legs crossed . . .

[KharmaTrain]

19. He Trial Ballooned a "Come Back" On The Daily Show

Stewart gave him the platform...he tried to win the audience over with a few barbs at this regime and kissed Stewart's ass. He all but was going up to each person and asking them to like him...it was real sad.

Miller is an opportunist...that's what got him on SNL...then onto cable and as the money got better so dictated his choices. He finally ran out of opportunities.

I hold no tears for this loser...he's made his bundle and now will vanish to the rubber chicken circuit.

BTW...at one time wasn't he mentioned to run against Feinstein???

[BrainRants]

20. The Stewart show was a car crash for Dennis...

Jon was the "the hip one" on stage that night.

What if Dennis replaced Cobert now that Cobert's getting a new show?

Hmmmmmmm...

[KharmaTrain]

22. Hush...LOL. Colbert Report Will Be Killer...LOL

I can't wait...Colbert and his brilliant writers are in a class by themselves. He can get very esoteric, but does it in a very "hip" way.

Miller was "hip" when his rants meant something, he then got "too cool for the room"...even in his late SNL and HBO days. I started tuning him off when his rants got more about Dennis and less about things I could relate to.

I think Stewart was doing Miller, an old stand-up bud, a favor. I wouldn't be surprised if Letterman brings him on to try to give him a jump start as well, but Mr. Miller's 15 minutes are used up. I'm wondering if Bill Mahrer is far behind?

[BrainRants]

24. That was my impression too (Jon doing a favor)

Maybe the writing was on the wall already when he was on.

I love Colbert's "Week in Religion" skits, they really do a great job making fun of what's usually the third rail of comedy. To my knowledge Monty Python was one of the few who could pull it off (Think "Life of Brian")

Dennis...come back from the dark side!

[Bouncy Ball]

25. Yeah I watched that.

He said he got this rap for being a right winger but really he's a libertarian.

DUDE, does he NOT realize most liberarians (as in let's give up everything including fire departments etc) are just batshit crazy?

:crazy:


That did nothing to help him in my eyes. Then he said he didn't want a president who knew how to play chess (metaphorical) he wanted one who could beat someone at tic-tac-toe or some shit like that.

Which is exactly the opposite of how the real world and real foreign policy ACTUALLY works. It's a giant game of chess and guys like bush, who barely know tic-tac-toe, end up fucking everything up.

[sinkingfeeling]

21. He went to the Dark Side.

[ghostsofgiants]

23. "He was a genius. One of the five best comics I've ever seen in my life"

That's what Miller said about Bill Hicks.

Thinking about Miller saying that about Hicks today make my brain want to explode.

[Tactical Progressive]

26. Contrast Miller's devolution to George Carlin

who keeps getting cooler as he gets older.

[johnfunk]

He's no Lewis Black. Never was. Never will be.

n/t

[eissa]

27. What a shame

I used to be a fan as well. In fact, I still have an early quote of his taped on my office door: "President Bush proposed a budget that has large cuts in job training and highway improvements. Makes sense; who needs roads if you don't have a job to go to?" He should have known better than to go over to the dark side, no matter the money he made. They are incapable of understanding intelligent humor (Jeff Foxworthy is more to their liking.)