This is one of the most skilful interviews I've seen Jon Stewart conduct. Blagoyevich is such a pure liar — he's freeform, flying through the air, unattached to anything — that less experienced interviewers can be driven to distraction as they attempt to pin him down. But you can't pin someone down if they refuse to even acknowledge the gaping hole beneath their feet. Blagoyevitch just hangs there, like Wile E Coyote treading thin air. Given this adversary Stewart does something inspired: he joins him in his fantasy. He doesn't try to deconstruct it. He inhabits the lie and tries to make it make internal sense, the way you might a short story. The Illinois state legislature is against you? They must be bad people. The feds are out to get you? Wow. That must be stressful. The district attorney has a grudge against you? You must feel like you're getting Punk'd by the entire city of Chicago... It's beautifully done, and also surprisingly big-hearted.
No comments:
Post a Comment