The Arts Get MAGA'd with “Melania” Doc, TPUSA Halftime Show & Trump Kennedy Center | The Daily Show

What this episode is about

The discussion centers on the recent premiere of a documentary titled "Melania," which took place at the Trump Kennedy Center, highlighting the absurdities of the venue's renaming and its implications. The conversation also touches on the broader theme of how arts and culture are being intertwined with political narratives and branding in contemporary America.

Key takeaways

• Trump's name on the Kennedy Center? It's like trying to improve a masterpiece with a crayon.
• Business cards: proof that glamour fades faster than enthusiasm for corporate networking.
• The Westminter dog show: where ill-fitting tuxedos and dog pageantry create an intoxicating spectacle.
• Naming a new Defense Department? Who knew bureaucracy could be this fashionably expensive.
• Penny the dog winning? A victory for all Pennys, and a reminder that talent comes in many breeds.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Zach Danzo (Host) · 33 min speaking
• Jordan Klepper (Host) · 22 min speaking
• Allan (Guest) · 6 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Donald Trump, Blaine & Robert Trump, Westminster Dog Show, Jordan Ker
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Madison Square Garden, Westminster Dog Show, Westminster Kennel Club, American Kennel Club
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Blaine & Robert Trump, Westminster Dog Show, Jeff Bezos
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Donald Trump
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Kid Rock, Donald Trump, Blaine & Robert Trump
6. 25:00 – 30:00: Kid Rock, Westminster Dog Show, Eminem, Super Bowl
7. 30:00 – 35:00: Super Bowl
8. 35:00 – 40:00: Kid Rock, Jeff Bezos
9. 40:00 – 45:00: Katherine O'Hara, Westminster Dog Show, Home Alone
10. 45:00 – 50:00: Home Alone, Ninjalux Cafe, Westminster Dog Show, Super Bowl
11. 50:00 – 55:00: Super Bowl, Jordan Ker, Ninjalux Cafe

Notable quotes from "The Arts Get MAGA'd with “Melania” Doc, TPUSA Halftime Show & Trump Kennedy Center | The Daily Show"

• This episode is brought to you by Ninjalux Cafe, the threein-one machine that makes espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew. No barista skills required.

  about Ninjalux Cafe · at 0:00

• The Trump Kennedy Center as it goes by now. It feels weird to say it, right? It's funny. If you go there, it says Donald Trump, John F. Kennedy Center on the outside, which it's not until you gaze on that.

  about Donald Trump · at 0:48

• And then you were also at, which was not a field piece, but I just know this cuz we were talking. You were at the Westminster dog show. Indeed.

  about Westminster Dog Show · at 3:57

• People who are there who are coming from all over America and to be able to perform at Aston Square Garden is such a treat and an exciting thing to see. I still don't fully…

  about Madison Square Garden · at 5:02

• I'm a Michigan guy. So Kazoo with a lot of Detroit love. Yes.

  about Kid Rock · at 28:26

• There's like instead of tens, they all get $40 million paychecks and Jeff Bezos is up there with a big smile and thumbs up. It's like way to go.

  about Jeff Bezos · at 38:40

• Home Alone is just like one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. I think it's it's played on TBS 24 hours a day for a reason. You were you watched as a little kid and you're I just.

  about Home Alone · at 45:54

• I'm Zach Lanzo. Catch Jordan Cleer hosting the Daily Show this week on Comedy Central Paramount Plus and right here in podcast form on the Daily Show ears edition. Cleer, have a great.

  about Jordan Ker · at 54:23

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Donald Trump — Person · Referenced political figure / subject of satire · 4 mentions · first at 0:54
  Central reference point for multiple jokes and news items: renaming/branding the Kennedy Center, culture-war recycling, and broader critiques of his aesthetic and governance style.
• Jordan Ker — Person · Co-host / featured host of the week (mis-extracted name) · 2 mentions · first at 0:31
  Zach’s conversation partner; discusses field experiences (Kennedy Center/Melania premiere, Westminster dog show) and previews the week’s Daily Show coverage.
• Zach Danzo — Person · Host / co-host (episode narrator) · 1 mention · first at 0:19
  Introduces the show, drives the conversation with Jordan Klepper, and sets up topics (Melania premiere, Kennedy Center, Super Bowl, Olympics).
  Week's host to preview what's coming up and recap some of the latest news. I'm Zach Danzo. I'm Zach Danzo. That's what you stumble over.
• Blaine & Robert Trump — Person · Referenced public figure (subject of discussion) · 4 mentions · first at 0:42
  Discussed in relation to a 'Melania' premiere/film framed as propaganda/commercial content and as part of Trump-era branding and media strategy.
  Yeah. you had a big week. you were at the Melania premiere in DC at the Trump Kennedy Center as it goes by now. It feels weird to say it, right? It's.
• Kid Rock — Person · Referenced musician (culture-war / political rally staple) · 5 mentions · first at 22:25
  Used as an example of Trump-aligned, nostalgia-driven entertainment choices (rallies/alt halftime show) and contrasted with other Detroit-area artists.
• Jeff Bezos — Person · Referenced business figure (alleged political influence) · 2 mentions · first at 14:15
  Mentioned as part of a claim that a 'Melania' film functions as a 'bribe' tied to Amazon and subsequent federal cloud contracts—framing corporate-government influence.
• Katherine O'Hara — Person · Referenced entertainer (comedian/actor) · 2 mentions · first at 43:12
  Brought up as a notable Canadian performer in a tangent about Canadian cultural figures; discussed via her work (Best in Show, Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone).
  Yeah. That's one of the funniest movies of all time. She's one of the funniest people of all time.
• Eminem — Person · Referenced musician (comparison point) · 1 mention · first at 28:44
  Invoked as a preferred Detroit-area artist contrasted against Kid Rock, in a discussion about cultural identity and political associations in music.
  Doesn't really seem to align with He tries to own cowboy stuff and Detroit stuff, which in this world, I'm going to take Eminem over kid rock any day. And, or even ICP at this point.

Companies & orgs

• Westminster Kennel Club — Company · Referenced organization · 1 mention · first at 7:59
  Mentioned as the organizer of the Westminster Dog Show.
  I think it's the technically I think it is the Westminster Kenn Club.
• American Kennel Club — Company · Referenced organization · 1 mention · first at 7:52
  Mentioned in relation to the Westminster Dog Show's judging criteria.
  This is what a golden retriever should look like. This is what a Scottish terrier should look like. And so like I guess they're trying to I guess these breed I guess they're breeders of dogs that are trying to like get it to be that. Yeah.

Places & events

• Westminster Dog Show — Event · Main topic · 7 mentions · first at 4:01
  Discussed in detail as a quirky American event, with personal experiences shared.
• Madison Square Garden — Place · Setting · 4 mentions · first at 4:29
  Venue for the Westminster Dog Show, discussed as part of the event's context.
• Super Bowl — Event · Referenced event · 6 mentions · first at 27:28
  Mentioned in passing as a significant upcoming event.
  Radius of Detroit. Eminem, kid rock, ICP, that's that's that's a kind of Detroit area there. Speaking of like subcultures that are sort of strange like the Westminster dog…

Media & podcasts

• Home Alone — Media · Referenced work · 3 mentions · first at 44:40
  Mentioned as a favorite Christmas movie, with personal anecdotes shared.
• The Opposition — Media · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 5:24
  Mentioned briefly in relation to a past show hosted by one of the speakers.
  Actually the first time I think I went I hosted a show called The Opposition that filmed out of the Penn Hotel was right next to Madison Square Garden. And so our offices were in this pen hotel which was not a good hotel.

Sponsors

• Ninjalux Cafe — Product · Sponsor · 3 mentions · first at 0:00
  Primary sponsor of the podcast episode, mentioned multiple times with promotional language.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 This episode is brought to you by Ninjalux Cafe, the threein-one machine that makes espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew. No barista skills required. Hello and welcome to the Precap, a Daily Show podcast where we sit down with this week's host to preview what's coming up and recap some of the latest news. I'm Zach Danzo. I'm Zach Danzo.

0:24 That's what you stumble over. Yeah. Well, uh, yeah, I'm I'm that I'm playing the character of Zach. Um, and I'm a writer at the show and I'm joined by Jordan Ker if you couldn't recognize his voice diving in there.

0:37 Yeah, that's the duet tones. Yeah. How's it going, Cleer? It's I'm doing good. I'm excited about the big week.

0:42 Yeah. Um, you had a big week. Uh, you were at the Melania premiere um in DC at the Trump Kennedy Center as it goes by now.

0:52 It feels weird to say it, right? It's funny. If you go there, it says Donald Trump, John F. Kennedy Center on the outside,

0:58 which it's not until you gaze on that giant beautiful marble wall to see just how ridiculous it is to have two people's names on top of the center and then you look at all of the other um signage around that area. Like there's vans that take people to and from. None of them have the Trump on it. It's it's it's so Trumpy in nature that it's like just just slap that name up there. It's like, do we need to fix all the other things? Like, ah, it doesn't matter. As long as I get my picture at this thing, it's fine.

1:27 Well, that was with like the them wanting to rename the Department of Defense, the Department of War. It's actually like requires billions of dollars to like print new business cards or what. I mean, I don't know. I don't know if the Department of War has business cards, but like like all there's so much signage.

1:42 You've been bombed by the Department of War. Call us if you have any issues. Yeah. Yeah. Let us know how it's going. We would love to grab a cup of coffee.

1:49 Any feedback is great. We'll be around. I would love to just grab just just just uh let's get a chinwag after you guys rebuild this area here.

1:56 I remember when I first started working here, it was like you got a box of business cards and you felt very cool and at the time business cards were still a thing, but then I think I still have ones in my wallet that say like Zach's a production assistant from when I first started. So

2:12 I still have I think I still have the box that I got as well, which was it was like

2:16 you get like a thousand of those cards. I earnestly handed out maybe four. I think for fun handed out maybe seven. And then I still have a box of like 900 some odd.

2:25 Right. Yeah. That I'm like it feels weird to throw these as kindling down the road or something.

2:30 At some point. Yeah. But yeah. Um but yeah, it's it's at least they like it's centered. You know what I mean? They they took the time to like it's not like when you're like a kid and like doing bubble letters and you run out of space and have to squeeze in a field. They they did they they at least, you know, did a nice job getting the font to match.

2:49 The craftsmanship is nice as far as it goes. And it is true. I think of the the hurricane uh Sharpie drawing, which is

2:57 I mean, all of these things in retrospect, what what beautiful comedic moments that that it really was. It was like you have you you could send this out to Kinko or you you you are the president of the United States. You could have Kinko or somebody who works in some sort of

3:11 last minute Sharpie. Last minute. And this one, yes, they hired somebody who the the actual lettering looks lovely. It's the it's the reading of the lettering that the substance of

3:23 when you put these letters together and read it, it is it is jarring to to hear.

3:28 And as we pointed out the show, it is like a living memorial to a man. So, it is sort of like throwing your name on someone's gravestone in in some regard to be like, "Hey, I'm also a guy that you can remember."

3:41 Zach, do not give this man ideas. Are you kidding? Donald Trump hears this. He's He's suddenly like, "Give me an Uber to Arlington with a chisel."

3:50 Donald Trump presents the Donald Trump presents the heroes of World War II. And then you were also at, which was not a field piece, but I just know this cuz we were talking. You were at the Westminster dog show. Indeed.

4:04 Where a dog named Penny won. And I have a dog named Penny who's does not compete. But it was it was a big win for dogs named Penny everywhere.

4:13 I think dogs named Penny were very excited about the Doberman who uh who pulled in the who pulled in the cup.

4:19 Yeah. A great uh a great specimen of a dog. Oh, that good looking dog. What was Yeah. What's the experience of being in that? Where is it? At MSG.

4:29 It was at MSG. Madison Square Garden, which it's been most years. They had they had a year I've gone

4:34 four or five times. I love it as a New York experience. It really is an antidote to the world around us right now. Yeah.

4:41 Which feels very chaotic. But then to walk into Madison Square Garden to see all these dogs prance around and the people who are holders and owners and breeders, they all wear ill-fitting tuxedos and they all sit and they cheer and I go and it's there's something so intoxicating about specific passion.

5:01 Yeah. Oh, yeah. And so you see the people who are there who who are coming from all over America and to to be able to perform at Aston Square Garden is is such a treat and an exciting thing to see. I still don't fully understand the rules of of of how you win the Westminster dog show, but to be a part of it, to watch it, to cheer it on is it's such a New York experience. We actually the first time I think I went I I hosted a show called The Opposition that uh filmed out of the Penn Hotel was right right next to Madison Square Garden. And so our offices were in this pen hotel which was not a good hotel.

5:36 It was a cheap hotel next to Penn Station. I mean if there if there's a TV studio in it.

5:41 This hotel was was so bad. It was a TV studio that like my used to be at. We filmed at this hotel was so decrepit and old. I was watching a docu an Amor Moros documentary about old CIA um mind control tests that followed a person who got like drugged with LSD and then committed suicide and jumped out a window. And as I was watching it, I was like, "Oh, that was at this hotel."

6:04 Oh, yeah. There there was a Netflix show about that. Yes. Yeah. Yes. That all took place at this hotel, this weird, strange hotel that also happened to be next to Madison Square Garden, which also means if you're there for the dog show, you're probably staying at this hotel. And I remember going out on a lunch break and all of these dogs who are performing at MSG, they're all staying at this hotel and all the owners have brought them out into 6th Avenue and there's no place to [ __ ]

6:32 Oh no. And so there's all these gorgeous dogs panicking, running around, [ __ ] in the middle of sixth, 7th Avenue.

6:40 Oh no. They're like, "Where is green?" You're like, "There's no greenery for another half. You got to get up to Central Park and you're not going to make it. Let the Doberman pinch one out here."

6:49 Especially like it's the snow. It it it snowed a lot in New York and then it frozen. It hasn't melted and as some with a dog. It's We're running out of like anywhere that's not already covered in dog poop. It's Yeah. So,

7:02 a month from now, those St. Bernard deuces are going to be going to be unveiled to all the lovely people of Midtown. [clears throat and laughter]

7:10 It'll be so fun to stay in that hotel and just see a lot of do if you're from like you're sort of like a behind the scenes.

7:16 It's behind the scenes thing. Unfortunately, that hotel was uh demolished last year. It no longer exists.

7:22 Dang. So, you missed your chance. This is another example of like if you've been sitting there being like, "At one time, I want to stay at the Pennsylvania Hotel, see these dogs, take crabs in the street." you missed it, you know. Take your shot, America. Take your shot. See those dogs poop at a hotel when you have the opportunity.

7:36 You got one life and you got to make it count. You got to make it count. Um, that's so fun. Yeah, I um Yeah, I did a lot of reading about it and I guess I I there was a New York Times article that was like, "What what is this event?" Like what and just the general rules of like I guess the American Kennel Club, I guess. Is that who runs it?

7:57 I think it's the technically I think it is the Westminster Kenn Club. Westminster. Uh they have certain criteria for like each breed of like this is what a golden retriever should look like. This is what a Scottish terrier should look like. And so like I guess they're trying to I guess these breed I guess they're breeders of dogs that are trying to like

8:14 get it to be that. Yeah. The perfect version of that from my understanding which is also

8:19 and training the dog as well. You train the dog. Like again I'm very loose on what the rules of it are. We're both talking out of we have no idea. There are people who are listening right now who are like they have we we care about this this sport. Do we call it a sport? Do we call it a pageant?

8:33 Uh some somewhere in between. Yeah. A hobby gone deeply wrong. Yeah. No, it's it's it's a it's a great thing and like I it Yeah, it is such a quirky American seemingly wholesome thing that is like just a great thing and and that that it comes to New York. I I really do have to go to it. dropped in the middle of Manhattan and then it's interesting to see like an audience respond to these dogs because now they've been more often than not the golden retriever is always beloved and you can feel the audience doesn't win very never wins like all like you see like you feel the populism in there and they're like we're not listening to you a pug comes out and you're like yes I love the pugs and they're like we don't give a [ __ ] about the pugs and so what they they care about very very niche breeds so you're like I don't exactly know what is being judged here the Doberman was fairly beloved in the room.

9:24 Can you feel like oh are there people like look look at the that people that don't know things about dogs will be like

9:31 that's that's me. You get a sense and and some of that has to do with grooming where you're like oh that that is the puffiest dog I've ever seen. Now I don't know if that technically means anything to be like look how puffy that dog is. There was like an old English sheep dog that was super puffy

9:43 and I think that worked to its benefit at the end. And when you get the best in show which is the the final ones picked from each round

9:49 you see them. And they are they are beautiful dogs and they are well trained. You can you can tell all of that. They also give sort of a breakdown of

9:56 what these what these dogs were bred for, a little bit of the history of these dogs as well as like whether or not they're good pets and what have you. There's a little bit of editorializing which is always interesting to see the announcer editorialize or not.

10:08 What's sort of interesting about the Doberman is built into the history of the Doberman that they kept repeating. It's essentially I believe it's like a a German dog that was raised for like militaristic means and a sort of like a hurting almost like uh essentially it sounded like a police dog.

10:26 Someone said that it was on the news that it was like create created by I guess bred by a tax collector who like wanted to have a scary looking dog with them.

10:35 In some ways I was like oh this is the the most ISIS ice dog. This is the ice dog of all.

10:41 It is like a Yeah. Not that everything has to be political. In fact, that's guy. I went there like, "Oh, I can get away from the politics." I was like, "But if Ice were to pick a dog, it would probably be this one." Like

10:49 yeah. No, they are scary and very Yeah, they probably would make a for no fault of their own, a good um dog to attack a protester. Um

11:00 I could I could feel you getting into the end of that sentence and unsure if you wanted to go there.

11:04 No. And I was and then I was like, maybe I'll lighten it, but then I actually went for a harder version of it. So, we'll have Allan cut that. But um uh this dog seemed like a great dog.

11:13 Seemed like a great dog. No shade on this dog. It was a beautiful dog. They all were. It's people were so excited to see it uh see it win. Like it's five stars. Go to the Westminster dog show. If if given a chance between a Millennium premiere and a Westminster dog show, go to the Westminster dog show.

11:30 All right. Good to know. Um, I I I'm curious if like dogs in the past year or dogs in the past 10 years have been like have been picking up on the stress because I feel like dogs are very intuitive like that. And I do wonder if they are like, "What the hell? Every time this guy opens up his laptop, he's there's something in the air." You know,

11:52 that's if there is like essentially a palpable anxiety that has been bred into these these dogs given our the state of the world that we're in.

11:59 Yeah. And it just it's just like we we have office dogs which is like a great perk of working here. But I feel like and and part of what what is great about it is that like stressful horrible news coming in and then you just sort of like go spend some time with the dog and it sort of is pure in this way that like takes your mind off things. But I wonder if the dog is like man I'm just like sick of like 40 people like putting their [ __ ] on me every day.

12:26 Yeah. Everybody nobody really unders. It's like, oh, have a dog, a therapy dog. It's really going to relieve your stress. It's like perhaps perhaps it's like energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It's just it's just handed to this this this gosh darn French bulldog who was like, I have the anxiety of an entire office on my body right now.

12:43 A therapy dog like how like therapists are supposed to be in therapy. It's like we need to get our therapy dogs therapy dogs because [ __ ] is not going well in our country. Um,

12:53 it's like, yeah, it's like little Penny is I'm nuzzling up against little Chow Chow over there because like, oh well, Penny just needs a break.

13:00 Penny's been very stressed. They've been over in the editing bays and it's been a stressful week and a half. So, give Penny a chance to just decompress and now suddenly there's little dogs that are getting on planes with little other little dogs carry on and now they have papers to get on the plane.

13:16 The Melania premiere was that you did you you didn't see the film, did you? I did not see the film

13:21 and uh and I'm glad you call it a film and not a movie. I think that's I think that's

13:24 some respect on it. Put some respect. You spend that much money on it, it's a film.

13:27 I do. I'm there. I mean, I've read reviews of it that like part of it sounds like The Room where it's just like her robotically talking to her assistants about plates and stuff. It's like I do kind of want to see it for the like ironic um bizarre spectacle of it existing. Or may maybe now is not the time. be like, you know, 5 years from now with some distance from all of this. But, uh,

13:50 yeah. No, you you indulge in what I I' I've heard described as an hour and a half long perfume commercial.

13:57 Yeah, that's I mean the trailer of of it is like and I mean just the idea was like it's 20 she's got to plan the inauguration in 20 days as if that as if like I those are stakes for me that I'm like, "Oh, how is she going to pull this off?"

14:11 Oh, I wonder how it's going to happen. It is curious though. I'm sure there's an analysis of what this is. It's It's a $40 million Jeff Bezos bribe so that Amazon can get what they want out of this that they

14:23 And didn't they lock up some sort of huge cloud computing contract with the government?

14:29 I believe they got a federal uh a giant federal contract contract soon thereafter.

14:34 So, I mean, well played. You Yeah. I mean, that's a that's a freaking investment right there. But what's curious is I believe Melania had final cut over this which is also interesting when you talk to people at the Melania event where so many people are like like I want to know who she really is. It's like oh yeah you want like an objective look. We talked to somebody didn't make you make the final piece like I just want an objective look at Melania Trump. It's like right and she did have final say and they're like exactly and she has to so she could speak her mind. It's like that's not this objective.

15:04 But but there is something about how somebody wants to be presented. And I'm sure Melania I'm sure she wasn't all in on the edit bay very often on this.

15:13 I mean I do I do love the idea of Melania giving notes though like let's uh let's just do wide here.

15:22 Push in. Yeah. But I don't doubt some of the critics have have talked about how I it is it's like a commercial. It's propaganda. There's not a lot of depth. And I think there's a curiosity of I I would not imagine many people in the Trump administration would desire creating a three-dimensional character that has weaknesses or nuance like the the the film critics who approach like films in an it from an artistic standpoint great literature or film often paints a picture of a human being who is three-dimensional, who is complicated, who has weaknesses and strengths and therefore like the human experience is is one of of balance between frailty and confidence, ability and uh u the inability to achieve the things which which you want that I think from an artistic standpoint is tends to be a gold standard of how you articulate the human experience. It would be curious to watch this film which is being

16:20 articulated by by someone who I would imagine has no interest in achieving that gold standard and only an interest in a two-dimensional robot of success, right? which I think speaks to an entire administration that should be one of empathy and understanding but only has a kindergarters view of what cineman art is which is reflective of a a human view of like not understanding that human beings have to balance failure, fear, and success all at once but not just constantly pretend that you're killing it. There could be a version of this movie that's very interesting cuz her her life and their relationship is so unique and strange. And um I feel like maybe there'll be like a like you know how there was that like Beatles documentary that they had the footage of and then

17:10 Peter Jackson like use the footage to make a whole other documentary. I feel like maybe 20 years from now, Peter Jackson will make like the the use the footage, use all the raw footage and be like and we'll we'll have a little more perspective. I don't know. That's

17:26 it's in that's the to me the thing that is always most relatable to me about any kind of art or person is like the difficulty and the failure that they have. Like you are right like that is a marriage that has to be hard. if you were able to show like the difficulties in being married to somebody who has this job and is a a fascist authoritarian like it's probably a compelling story and and and that's probably a difficult thing to actually also parent a child within all of that. If you were able to open up on the things that are difficult about that you might become a human being that uh you know that I would want to express empathy towards but

18:01 but you probably messed that up. There was that like Weiner docu documentary. Remember that? And it was like

18:06 Anthony Weiner just Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, no. I was not You sent me that link to that wiener documentary, right? Is that what you're calling it?

18:14 Yeah. Yeah. That's when HR was like, "Zack, come in here. I hear you're sending a Wii documentary pics to Jordan again. Uh, it was a video." Yeah, I know. It was a video. You can't send those to Jordan.

18:24 Come on. Yeah, but that documentary well first of all he like shouldn't have he should have got final cut because I think it just made him well that guy had a lot of other problems but like there's like the access of like where there was a Roger Stone documentary where there is like a glimmer into this like crazy person's world and you still get their perspective but you there's also like

18:48 other story there other than like and I did really good at decorating or whatever. ever. Um, so yeah, I yeah, I probably won't see it in theaters, but um, you know, maybe

19:01 you'll click on it when it pops out on Amazon because you haven't canceled your Amazon yet, so therefore, you know, why

19:06 I need I can't buy toilet paper in person. That's embarrassing. Um, you are right. You're like, you need this many paper towels. I'm sorry, you're you're a lunatic.

19:15 You're disgusting. Um, some other things from the past week. uh somewhat related to the Kennedy Center. Uh he his plans to I think he may you maybe were one of the last people to see the Kennedy Center in its current form because it's getting uh gut renovation two to $300 million. Um

19:34 that's I mean what a tactical move. We all saw it coming. Yeah. But he Yeah. Nobody was going to the Kennedy Center. Everybody's dropping out of the Kennedy Center. Philip Glass was like I'm out.

19:44 Yeah. When you lose when you when you lose glass when you lose glass you know when you lose glass you're out. Yeah, that's this that's what that's that's what they say. That's a little showbiz insider baseball thing.

19:53 You know, Trump just didn't want to have to deal with like a year and a half of constantly hearing people like, you know, nobody's showing up to the Kennedy Center. You got to do this battle. And so, yeah, he's like, oh, closer renovation. I'm going to make it the greatest.

20:03 Michael, was it like is it a like does it have anything to do with the government, the people that previously ran it? Like did he just insert himself into like a somewhat like could he just do that for you know Brooklyn Steel? Could he be like I run Brooklyn Steel now?

20:23 I mean from my understanding which God bless you think he would go in there he wants to he's like no more LCD sound system shows Brooklyn Steel.

20:31 The the those uh residencies are Come on. That's it. No more Yeah. He's like they are they just put out new stuff? Uh, no more LCD sound system. Yeah, Donald Trump's going to do a latigra. That'd be cool.

20:45 It would be cool. See, maybe I do love the idea of like indie rock Donald Trump where he has hard opinions about panda bear. And um,

20:56 that's the thing. His his his his taste is so basic and [ __ ] you know, from the from the the Gilded Oval Office to the people that he has up there, which is that's also just what it's such a it's just such a bummer.

21:08 Yeah. It's like there is such great culture here and the Kennedy Center is is a beautiful place.

21:12 Yeah. I I performed there a year ago and it's it's gorgeous. It is a an artistic mecca. I I don't believe it. I think things are politicized and I I believe there are certain, you know, awards that the the president can can weigh in on like presidential awards that go to certain people. People get highlighted.

21:30 Mark Twain Prize. Mark Twain Prize. I But I don't even know if the Mark Twain Prize has a

21:34 has a federal element to it, does it? It just is. It's held there. This is Yeah. Yeah. Maybe I'm thinking of the Kennedy Center.

21:41 But but I think like Trump very much wanted to he put himself on the board, wanted to put his fingerprint on all of it and therefore and literally his name on it and and therefore is a part of like he he can't help but be the face of any kind of artistic movement and therefore any artist doesn't want to be attached to that face. It's such a bold thing to be like I am going to be president and also run a theater and like and also like he his taste isn't great as you were saying like he it's such like an understanding of the world like ' 80s Broadway like this is how this is how you everything needs to be cats like you know what I mean it's it's yeah so the fact that he thought he was going to like

22:24 well there's no like original works that he wants right he wants Kid Rock who like is playing American Badass, which was from my high school era. And then and then Lee Greenwood, who's who was who was there at the inauguration of George Washington, I believe, like like that song was is is OG. And then you're right, Cats, Phantom of the Opera. Much respect to the classic musicals, but there's there's no earnest artistic sensibility towards what is being created

22:50 now. It's it's it's just a a man who wants to to live in nostalgia. Right. Right. and not to be challenged with what modern art is supposed to do. An artist is supposed to articulate these places, the moments that we are in and to to to poke holes in certain narratives, like he's only picking the people who have articulated like Reagan era art to be to be put on display.

23:16 Right. Right. And I I'm I will say I I'm a little worried about Kid Rock and Lee Greenwood because they just lean on them every like every performance that they need like a the Republican response to a or an event that Trump is holding. It's Kid Rock or Lee Greenwood. And certainly those men need a break every now and then.

23:33 Give them space. Do [clears throat] you think I mean do you think they're flying Lee Greenwood first class? Like is he getting to relax? They put him up in decent hotels.

23:40 You think Greenwood's um he was definitely at the rallies. He was popping up at most of the rallies, but he was at You're right. You're like, he's got to go to sound check. He's old. He's got to do a sound check, then he's got to be there early. And though the rallies, it's in too much sun. That's a lot for older. And there was I don't know if we put on the show, but someone made the joke about him being like the um guitar player in Mad Max. He's just like stra chained to like Trump's store bus or whatever, Air Force One. Um but yeah, th those guys are working really hard. Yeah, it's um it's a bummer about the that you know, but he he he the man loves to gut renovate. I will say he and maybe it's just like the more time we can get him doing that the

24:23 Great. Yeah. Yeah, that's like Yeah. Do you want to do you want to do my place? I got Well, we could we were thinking about, you know,

24:28 we're thinking about a wall over here. Do you want to spend spend a month focusing on that and a little bit less on Venezuela? That's that's that's a win-win for everybody.

24:36 Great. Um, and then he's also well that uh along with the Kennedy Center, he wants to apparently put up a statue of Christopher Columbus um on the White House, I guess, or in the White House. I'm not exactly sure. Um, which just feels like he it's just like what he's just recycling controversies at this point of like what were people pissed at 10 years ago? Let's let me do that and we can fight about that again.

25:03 Um, but as an Italian, I got to support it. That's really what it is. It's it's it's it's so disappointing from a a moralistic standpoint, an American standpoint, but but mostly just it's it's so derivative and old, right? It's like it's like you you are right. We are like a week away from him getting mad that they introduced a gay character on Roseanne.

25:26 It's like, oh, I guess yeah, I guess I guess Becky has a girlfriend. Are we mad at that right now? Oh, I wasn't

25:34 work on home improvements goth. Do we need that? I guess we can all be mad about that. And so, all right, fine. Let's give them a statue. Let's build a thing. Oh, we're going to give them award at the Kennedy Center.

25:48 Give They're giving Columbus an award. They're going to give Columbus an award. They're gonna They're looking at this the sitcoms that stayed true to Yeah. like we're going to give Frasier Crane an award for uh for his steadfast uh um pursuit of of of truth in the face of an unmarried brother.

26:07 Yeah, poor Frraasier. Guy could never guy can't get laid, you know. He's married to his work, you know. That's the thing with Frraasier. Um, speaking of Frraasier, it is, as we pointed out on the show, it's the Frasier Bowl because Seattle is where he lived and then Boston is where he lived in Cheers. So, um,

26:27 did we point that out on the show? I pointed this out in a script and and forced it onto the show.

26:32 Did it make it? It was a sports war. Oh, was it a sports war? It was a sports war.

26:36 Was it recognition in that? That's that reference is so deep. You had I guess it didn't do well.

26:43 It's the Frasier Bull. Okay. Yeah, and then we had two Frasier heads collide and explode, which was which um it was it was a solid three minutes about Frasier.

26:53 How did I miss the sports war? That is a good on you for really Yeah, I'll send I'll send you that in the Weiner documentary. I'll email over to you.

26:59 Stop sending me wiener documentaries, please. That was the week that was Cleer,

27:07 but we've got some things that are percolating. Perulating or percolating? We got some things in the hopper. And the hopper percolating

27:15 percolate percolating per what's what's it let's Google it per perate but it's pronounced per it's it's spelled percolate but it's pronounced percolate

27:26 percolate we got some things percolating uh things meaning news uh the super bowl we're we're taping this early um the super bowl has already happened a team has won

27:37 the Frasier bowl as we've established the big question is whether Bad Bunny wears a dress or not again these these old beefs these like beefs from the '8s where you're like oh people are upset like ah can you believe this guy wears a dress it's like oh really I'm I'm sure somebody was bitching about when that when Kurt Cobain wore a skirt or a dress like it's like why are come on guys let's get new hates

27:59 I mean I think it's like birth of rock and roll people been like this is too sexy and so I think yeah it is like a 70year-old argument we're having

28:11 um and then there's also the turning points USA halftime show. The alt halftime show which is hosted or being played by the performed by Kid Rock.

28:20 Get the man out of Gatorade. You know well you're a Detroit guy, right? I'm a Michigan guy. So Kazoo with a lot of Detroit love. Yes.

28:29 And so and it's weird because he's like he somehow has made himself like I'm the Detroit guy as well as being [ __ ]

28:38 as well as being a cowboy for which doesn't really seem to align with He tries to own cowboy stuff and Detroit stuff, which in this world, I'm going to take Eminem over kid rock any day. And, you know, or even ICP at this point.

28:52 Wow. Is ICP? Yeah. Wow. I didn't know that. Oh, let me tell you that there there's there's a like rap rock, white guy genre that lives in like a 30 mile radius of Detroit. Eminem, kid rock, ICP, that's that's that's a kind of Detroit area there. Speaking of speaking of like subcultures that are sort of strange like the Westminster dog show, I feel like ICP is like sort of this like sometimes I see these like interviews or like vice pieces with these guys. I'm like these guys seem like it seems like a great hang.

29:23 I mean I think there's maybe a fair amount of like um strange drug use which sounds great.

29:30 Sounds awesome. Face paint, strange drug use, but a real sense of community. A bunch of soda.

29:35 Yeah. Yeah. weird terrible tattoos they have like what is it the the the gathering of the jugalos is a big event that they all do in a field

29:44 I think we did you didn't go to that there there was a field piece at um I think where they were asking people about during the election maybe when we went

29:54 I I want to say like they there was there was a a lawsuit that maybe went all the way to the Supreme Court that had to do with ICP um they've been yeah the juggle of vote here we go Troy Troy did a a piece with the the good old jugalos. That's what it just shows you the time we are in right now. You can't you can't be apolitical. Even ICP is is being brought into the cultural conversation.

30:18 What there was that classic like I feel like SNL made fun of it where they had like a song where there was like magnets. How does that [ __ ] work? They had a song about magnets and then and but now Trump like has said done that multiple times where he's been like he talks about how magnets and water don't work or something like something like that. Um so yeah, whoever won the Super Bowl, congrats on behalf of Jordan and I, we were proud of you.

30:45 We knew you were going to do it. Yeah, we we always knew you were going to do it.

30:48 Um there's a Well, there's a lot of ICE reform that's being talked about on Capitol Hill. I don't know if

30:53 as of now Thursday. I think it's funny when we think about what we're going to cover next week on the show because as we know with the world today and the show more often than not the thing that we're going to cover we think we're going to cover the night before changes by the morning and we sort of take it as it comes world that like where it's like oh okay we're this is the week we're maybe going to invade Greenland. This is the week where we are doing something in Venezuela. Yeah. So there's usually news that happens on Friday or Saturday sort of changes everything.

31:20 But I know there's there's talk right now about what kind of funding um they're going to approve for for ICE and there's the the Democrats have their their requests um and whether or not the Republicans give into that. I think that's sort of a two-e process right now. So perhaps we'll get some feedback on that next week to understand where that is. There's a real good chance, I think, that the Republicans and Democrats find like, you know, a thoughtful solution that is both humane to uh the federal employees and to the the people of America and that we kind of can move forward in a an optimistic way.

31:51 I I'm loving the optimism. I I can't tell if it's sarcastic. Um Yeah. I mean, well, I feel like there there has it's hard to know because like the I'm still seeing horrible footage. Um

32:03 it was it was sarcastic. Yeah. No, you know that. No, it's No, that that will not happen next week. No, there is this is it and it's just a political football that is going to be wielded to to make somebody else pay the the

32:16 the conversations to actually better our police force or homeland security that those aren't

32:20 that's not priority. No, I I feel like well there are there has been like I guess Trump said that we he could be using a softer approach. They have said that maybe 700 ICE

32:31 people are are leaving Minnesota. So, but I it it does seem like the tiniest bits of progress could be happening, but then I still but then anytime I see a video from in Minnesota, it's horrifying. And um so we'll see. I'm sure they'll figure it out. As you said,

32:51 I'm sure I I have I have nothing but the utmost respect for their elected officials and their ability to put their partisansship aside for

32:59 um Great. Um, and uh, speaking of ice, check out this transition. What we got? I'm excited.

33:07 The Winter Olympics are starting. Actually, I I wish I didn't do that one either.

33:11 Really? You didn't want that one? I didn't feel I Anything with ice doesn't feel particularly funny, but Well, I'm sure we'll have to cover it on the show. So, yeah.

33:21 Uh, but yeah, the Winter Olympics are starting. That's the other big thing is, um, I don't know when the official is today. Is tomorrow the officials start or like the opening ceremonies? Um,

33:31 what are we doing with that? We're doing it. We got to be doing those things that you can check on your phone what happens in the morning, but are you going to watch it at night? Is that sort of the dance? That's the dance we've been doing the last few years.

33:40 Well, last time uh for the summer Olympics like Peacock, I feel like not not we're a Paramount Plus show.

33:49 Peacock, this other lesser streaming service, but I feel like you could actually sort of watch whatever you wanted in real time. So like um I think we had a hiatus during the summer Olympics and I was just watching like the stra like table tennis at like 6:00 in the morning or whatever. So yeah. Um so I hope that it's similar to that. But yeah, usually then usually at night they do like yeah like NBC will have like uh three hours of like the best stuff edited together. So yeah, I feel like the Winter Olympics are another thing that's like full of sort of strange hobbyists doing like uh but the Yeah, there's always like uh I always think of that cross-country skiing with a gun event is classic.

34:31 That that is that is a favorite. Yeah, that's like maybe we have too many sports that's happening. Really? This is Could these be separate? Also the gun one. Do we still need the gun one? Well, the thing is, yeah, that remember that Turkish gun guy from the summer Olympics who was really cool and very casually dressed like

34:48 are we you know what I I remember that and I'm also now remembering the um the break dancing which we're not going to get for the winter and I don't think I think they they kashed it. Didn't they kash the break dance completely? It's it certainly seems like they should have because there was there was a woman Ray Gun who like was maybe scammed her way into like being Australia's uh like winner that got to represent that country. Um

35:15 I loved I loved the the break dancing. I watched the whole thing. Ray Gun made me laugh. There were some very talented break dancers. I I hope they give it another go. Throw it to the Winter Olympics. Add some ice to it. It might add it might make it more fun on ice.

35:28 Yeah. I it it felt like as someone who like watched a lot of MTV in 2002, it had totally had that vibe but at the Olympics where it was like I was like where is Carson Daly here here because he's great. Um

35:43 but the story that I I have liked so far in the Olympics is this Minions story.

35:48 Oh yeah. There there's this ice sk figure skater who Spanish figure skater who has a routine dressed as a minion to a minion song.

35:58 Yellow shirt overalls. I recently watched the entire Minion cannon. Wow. I' I' I've never seen a Minion movie.

36:07 Love the Minions. I will say the the Minions are really fun. Back in the day I caught a Despicable Me without having children.

36:13 Really fell for the Minions. They're very funny, very physical sort of Three Stooges type comedy. great comedy rhythms and my wife and I went to the premiere of the Minions movie and we were the only adults without children there.

36:24 Wow. The crowd. Yeah. Very funny. And now now with a kid uh just reached the age where he seems to be interested in Minions and we put it on and we watched all of them really quickly.

36:36 Wow. That's great. Very fun. So you you've never seen I've never seen Well, I've never seen because I I think I I just missed like the window. I was sort of too old and I guess I didn't have I just I never went

36:47 You weren't a 39year-old uh hit that 39y old sweet spot of looking for those cartoons.

36:52 Yeah, I I love I love an I love a lot of animated I've seen a lot of Pixar movies as an adult. Um I I guess I just never and but it's not I there's a lot of children's content that I was like I'll just watch this when I have kids because I'll probably have to watch some of the things a hundred times. Yeah. So that was that was Despicable Me and Dean. But they do seem very fun. All this to say, this guy got the rights to the music finally for so he could

37:17 This to me is like there's a lesson here. He he was shot down by the Universal Corporation. And then he was like, I can't dance to the Minion songs because they've said no. And the world came out and through collective action and bitching, Universal was like,

37:34 we will give you the song for the Olympics. Wow, that's great. See, so it's like you can guys as a group we can move mountains and or let a minion skate at the Olympics.

37:45 That is great. Yeah. And I'm I'm like wondering if he does he we think he's doing it ironically or do you think he just genuinely loves minions or is he where where is his head?

37:55 I think in the in the world of figure skating I'm guessing this I think we're genuinely loving minions. No disrespect but it doesn't feel very tongue and cheeky. It feels playful. You know what? You know, I would say Minion's the type of property that is like, "Oh, this is a this is a let's call it cheeky is my guess. It's like a cheeky way to to move through it all,

38:15 right? Yeah. I wonder. I mean, at that point, they should just have everybody be like sort of like IP related. Imagine if there was a Miss Piggy.

38:24 Oh. Uh, ice skating. Imagine if there was a uh Pikachu. Oh my god. Imagine if there was a Melania.

38:32 Oh, a Melania ice skater. Oh my god. Just the hat. glasses flips and they spin without hat. Oh my god. Suddenly they're like, "What are the scores?" And there's like instead of tens, they all get $40 million paychecks and Jeff Bezos is up there with a big smile and thumbs up. It's like way to go.

38:49 That would be great. Yeah, I'm I'm looking for I'm I'm pulling for him. Unless anybody has better IP.

38:55 I was going to say, yeah, I don't know what soundtracks they're using. Like if somebody does the Inception soundtrack, like that is a really moving one and maybe they could use that. Wasn't there a guy that Yeah, I feel like that the music choice is actually pretty huge. I'm trying to remember from the last Olympics. I feel like there's maybe

39:08 Do they tend to use movie soundtracks? Can they? I don't know. What What What would be your song? Not to put you on the spot. [gasps]

39:17 Probably Kid Rock cuz you're from Detroit. I love I would love Kid Rock. No, I would do that. I would do the Tenant soundtrack. Uh

39:24 just a lot a lot of that. A lot of skating backwards. People be very confused. What What is going on here? Why is this person on the ice? What's happening?

39:34 Right. Were you ever being a Michigander? Were you Was winter sports ever in your

39:40 Well, this is what I This is what I [ __ ] love about being the Michigander here in New York City. Everybody Everybody treats me like I'm from I'm from the North Pole like maple syrup every year.

39:52 I was there. There's We got a lot of We got We got skate culture, a lot of hockey in Michigan for sure. My sister was a skater. Oh, nice.

40:00 She did like synchronized skating. Oh, which was you you're with You're with like 13 other people dressed the same, skating the same.

40:09 Wow. What What was it called? It was called Sorry, Casey, if I'm I'm u Yeah. But it was a team based skating sport. So, I I watched a lot of a lot of skating as a kid.

40:21 Yeah. Yeah. I could not skate. Still can't skate. I'm too tall. I'm like a giraffe out there.

40:25 Yeah. Not ideal. Um Yeah. I feel like I've I we're like at in Prospect Park they they'll have like those little

40:31 hey we we put up a little ice ring and I did that for the first time years ago when it was not great and there's lots of just it's there's so many kids that are just flying into you who are skating for the first time. So it's like a

40:41 it's dangerous but fun. You I I I you kind of have a you you got a hockey a hockey body.

40:47 I thank you. Yeah. Uh that's very hot right now. Run that by HR. Um yeah. No, I I grew up playing a lot of roller hockey.

40:54 You did? But never never got to I was I I mostly focused on soccer. I was a big soccer player, but I um I could have Yeah, I'm but I'm also not tall enough. See, we we should combine bodies.

41:10 Again, this is getting you have to stop these texts enough with the wiener documentaries and the combined body pictures. It doesn't play.

41:17 We should just combine bodies. This is You can't How come you can't tell a coworker that anymore?

41:23 I'm HR. Is HR here? Allan, can you get HR on the phone, please? Alan, please. HR's out today. Don't don't bother. Um, speaking of Allan, our podcast producer Allan, we are break trying a new segment because there's so much awfulness happening in our country. Allan is Canadian. And so, we're going to check in with Allan uh just to see what news is happening north of the border. Allan,

41:47 hi guys. Hey. So, yeah, north of the border, you know, people are stressed out. They're looking south. My mom's not happy. Uh, we picked a headline for this today that combines some of the stuff you guys have been talking about. We got the culture wars, we got the Olympics, uh, spilling over into uh, pop culture. Tate McCrae, pop star Tate McCrae that you guys are both very familiar with.

42:11 Pop Tate McCrae. We're both mccrainiacs. Yeah. Tate McCrae. Tate McCrae sounds like something a 14-year-old would say to me about something wild that happened I wouldn't understand. Oh, it's like a

42:22 Oh, that's Tate McCrae. That's totally Tate McCrae. Oh, yeah. It's totally Tate McCrae. Oh, that person is Tate McCrae.

42:27 She participated in a uh Olympics commercial for NBC for Team USA, and Canada has branded her a traitor

42:34 despite being Canadian. That's Stolen Valor, too. So, I'm pissed now. I don't know. I'll I I'll I'll pile on Tate McCrae. You shouldn't have done it, Date.

42:44 Wait, what? I'll I'll Everybody's mad at her and I'm piling on. Um Okay. I'll I'll get I'll get angry at it. Why not? Why? Why not?

42:53 Yeah, sure. Yeah. Come on. Yeah. You know what? Why you doing that? T McCra, you're a Canadian. You need to love the Can Canadians? I'm sure. What? You're going to do this for a paycheck? Is that what everybody does now? Anything for a paycheck? What?

43:02 Sell out their own country. True patriotism. You do it. You do it because you love your country and the things your country stands for. And it's crazy to do it for America at this day and age.

43:11 Cray to do that. It's that boy. That is great. Um, wasn't Katherine O'Hara Canadian?

43:16 Yes, she was. Rest in peace. I was going to say we lost like a great Canadian. So many one of some some of the greatest comedians of all time. Yeah. Martin Short, all the SCTV people.

43:26 There was at the Westminster dog show a moment uh where they showed clips and thank you for Katherine O'Hara which was uh h heartbreaking to hear that. Right.

43:36 Yeah. That that that's one of the funniest movies of all time. She's one of the funniest people of all time.

43:41 Yeah. I think she she's she's a a comedy actor's Mount Rushmore, right? Yeah. Right. I think that's I mean she she is up there

43:48 totally and she's yeah just seemed so lovely and it came out of nowhere so gutting really.

43:53 Do you have a favorite Katherine O'Hara movie? [sighs and gasps] Um, I mean, best in show is a I mean, any of the Christopher guest movies are

44:04 and I I I mean, I did I saw Beetlejuice for the first time um like a few years ago like it's just like unbelievable that movie a it was made and b like had all these stars in it and was a hu like really big hit. It's it's such a it's such a strange movie. Um but but she's like so incredible in that. Um I don't know any any big ones for you.

44:29 I mean I Yeah, I love them all. Shitz Creek. It's such a like perfect distillation of like like that's just her hitting home runs. Yeah. Every that's that's like right over the plate for her which was always so fun to see. I watched Home Alone with my family a bunch this holiday and she's just such the glue there. That scene with her and John Candy is just

44:49 just perfect and lovely and knowing that they knew each other but like it's just it's just so simple. Pa poka poka. Yeah, that that is like that is that is such a classic.

45:00 I love my all-time favorite though is I mean uh Waiting for Guffman is one of my all-time favorite comedy movies and again her and Fred Willard are so funny in that. But there's that there's the classic audition scene that makes me laugh so hard and I I watch that I watch that every year a few times. But the scene where she plays drunk at dinner is one of the best

45:22 comedic drunk scenes I've ever seen. It's so funny. She's had too much to drink. She can't stop talking about how Fred Willer had a penis reduction if I could kill and Eugene Levy is so awkward at it. It's just Oh, I could I could sit in that scene forever. She is a uh she's on the Rushmore. She's so such a wonderful, hilarious, beautiful person.

45:43 Yeah. Best in show. I I I need to rewatch some of Go to the Westminster dog show. Watch re-watch best in show. The This world is going to the dogs and that's uh that can be a good thing.

45:54 Home Alone is just like one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. I think it's it's played on TBS 24 hours a day for a reason. You were you watched as a little kid and you're like, I just want to be home alone so I can booby trap my house and like hurt robbers. Like I remember watching that as a kid like that being the thought. But then but then you watch it as a parent, you're like [sighs] you can kind of like you she she she humanizes it in such a way of like okay like I've made this really bad mistake and I will do anything I can to like help my son. It's so it's so beautiful.

46:27 It is a wild thing to watch as a as an adult. It is still such a beautifully made film and it's so funny and it it resonated with my my son so much. It was really fun to watch like a 5-year-old watch a movie well laid out and then the last third of that movie is so funny and such

46:45 it is such like a Bugs Bunny thing at the end. It's so it's so well done and so funny. But after I showed Home Alone to my my son for the first time, we he got in a little fight with me the next day and he made the Home Alone wish like kind of under his breath, which is what I think is like I I want to be alone or I

47:03 wish my family would disappear. I wish my family would disappear. He he made that wind. He threw it out there. I was like, "Whoa, whoa." And I I let it dangle. I was like, "Okay."

47:14 All right. I I hear you. I hear you. Did part of you want to like hide the next morning?

47:22 No, I think I think out of sheer fear that if I hid the next morning and he was so happy, it would it would it would break me for the rest of my life.

47:29 It would backfire. Yeah. All right, Cleer. Time for something we call the Daily Show and Tell. This Daily Show and Tell segment is brought to you by Ninja Lux Cafe. The threein-one machine that makes espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew. No barista skills required. And I'll I then I then I'll combine all three into a super drink.

47:54 Really? Yeah. Cold brew, espresso coffee, and um that's a I got a real heart issue because of it.

48:00 That's going to make your your heart just jump right out of your chest. I drink

48:04 up to no that's no fault to the Ninjalux Cafe. That that's that's just something I do. I just have a a problem.

48:12 Yes. So we're we're not we're not bismerging the brand. I My idea for this daily show and tell was inspire. I was thinking about Super Bowl performances. So many great halftime shows over the years. If there is a but I wanted to broaden it out. That's I was going to say I was my my idea was to ask you what your favorite live m like if we put up YouTube right now. We're like what's let's watch some classic performances. What's what's a a favorite cleer live music performance because I know you're a big music guy.

48:42 That's a great question. You know what I would do? Uh first thing that jumps in my head, I would do Death Letter by the White Stripes under Blackpool lights.

48:50 Oh, okay. I think one of one of the greatest live shows I've ever seen was a White Stripe show down in Santiago, Chile. It was like it was incredible. Uh I saw Jack White perform the song Death Letter, which is a Sunhouse, an old blues cover.

49:05 Okay. And it's this really gritty great blues standard that the White Stripes does, and they just rip [ __ ] with it. It was it was amazing. And so that sort of has lived large in my head as this live performance of this great blues cover. So [clears throat] I always search for like they do it they used to do it live. Jack White rarely does it I think as a solo performer but the the under blackpool lights I think if I have it correctly that version of it to me is gritty and beautiful and awesome. A man gets a letter that this person that he loved is dead and he goes back to carry her coffin and bury it in the ground.

49:44 So, it's like this deep dark blues heavy thing and it's Jack White singing this on stage with his ex-wife

49:53 and and there's just always a tension and a drama between those two there. So much of that is projected and what have you and performative, but there's just something about like this is a couple who's performing this raw dirty blues song on stage together and there's a dance that's happening and there's already a dance that's happening with like the blues and garage rock, but Jack White is just in this space performing the song and there's like a a moment where he

50:20 he he chooses to vamp and more often than that when he did this song live like in traditional blues culture you would pull bits and pieces of other songs and throw them in the middle of a blues song. They were they were folk in that way. They were like they were temporary and modular in that sense. And so a lot of times he would in the middle of this song throw in old blues songs and then and then turn to Meg and see them. I believe in this one he uses an old um what's the song? Is it like John the Revelator? I forget what it is. But he he basically he basically takes another blues song, makes it into a spoken rant that he goes from performing to the audience to performing to Meg.

51:01 That's I believe the line, it's so hard to love it's it's so hard to love someone who doesn't love you. That he's [ __ ] singing to his ex-wife.

51:09 Wow. On stage and he's like he's like chanting. He's emotional. He's sweaty and he like drops it and then he like turns drops to his knees and then goes into the guitar solo which is just like to me it's it's kind of everything all in there. Like you can read into it or not, but this is like a couple creating music, borrowing blues and storytelling like chopping it up and making it about what's happening right here and now. Oh, it's I love this. I What one of my favorite rock songs and rock performances for sure.

51:40 Great. Yeah, I'm going to I'm going to watch this whole version after. I I love it. All the live versions of this are great, but this is one of my faves. What about you?

51:49 Um the Super Bowl makes me think of the Prince Super Bowl performance, which is great. And then also the

51:55 there's a like um maybe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance that he does. I don't know if it's the Beatles are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or George Harrison, but they do while My Guitar Gently Weeps with Tom Petty. and Prince

52:09 often considered the greatest uh guitar solo of all time. Yeah. It's like I feel like I was thinking about it like guitar solos can be sort of so like can be cheesy and eye rolly but like or they can be the [ __ ] coolest thing you can do and I feel like that is like yeah that um I mean that's classic that's that's not too much of a deep cut but I will I was at my brother's 40th and we were just deep in a YouTube music sesh and someone put on um a letterman performance TV on the radio wolf like meen that it's it's great and not that's just like an alltime song for me and they just perform the hell out of it and then you know Letterman comes on he's like hey how about that like that kind of thing but the uh the performance is so good we like watch it like it was like just like 20 guys drinking beers nodding their head to this song at this party it was it's such a good performance I I highly

53:05 recommend there may be no better experience than hanging out with pals and just like YouTube hopping back and forth between like favorite live song performances. Yes. That that to me is I don't need a Super Bowl. I don't need your fancy tickets. I just need a YouTube subscription. Is that how it works? Maybe

53:20 with think you need a subscription. You can watch ads without Yeah. Yeah. I'll take the ads, you know. I'll I'll be fine. I'll be fine with the ads. I'm not going to pay extra for it. Just watch me some some deep cuts.

53:29 That is so good. I don't know if I I didn't mean to hijack the Daily Show and tell. I don't know if you have any other um uh things that you'd like to plug. Do you have you have any shows coming up?

53:38 I do have a show coming up. Uh, I'm doing I'm doing my show Suffering Fools in North Adams at Mass Mocha on Valentine's Day.

53:46 Yeah. So, I'm gonna I'm going to celebrate Valentine's Day with uh uh with giving people my stories, you know. Uh the thing that I love most about Valentine's Day is getting the validation of live performance in front of

53:57 audience. That's your real That's the real relationship. That's the real relationship there. I'm sure my I'm sure my wife will be happy about that choice.

54:03 Thanks, Clapper. This daily show and tell segment was brought to you by Ninja Lux Cafe, the threein-one machine that makes espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew. No barista skills required. Okay, that's this week's precap. Uh, and we've had a great time. It was enjoyable.

54:23 A delight. Uh, I'm Zach Lanzo. Catch Jordan Cleer hosting the Daily Show this week on Comedy Central Paramount Plus and right here in podcast form on the Daily Show ears edition. Cleer, have a great weekend. Enjoy the Super Bowl. I'm looking forward to you hosting next week.

54:38 You too. We'll have fun next week. All right. Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching The Daily Show wherever you get your podcasts. Watch The Daily Show week nights at 1110 central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "The Arts Get MAGA'd with “Melania” Doc, TPUSA Halftime Show & Trump Kennedy Center | The Daily Show"?

Zach Danzo (Host), Jordan Klepper (Host), Allan (Guest).

What is "The Arts Get MAGA'd with “Melania” Doc, TPUSA Halftime Show & Trump Kennedy Center | The Daily Show" about?

The discussion centers on the recent premiere of a documentary titled "Melania," which took place at the Trump Kennedy Center, highlighting the absurdities of the venue's renaming and its implications. The conversation also touches on the broader theme of how arts and culture are being intertwined with political narratives and branding in contemporary America.

What is mentioned in this The Daily Show episode?

16 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Donald Trump, Jordan Ker, Zach Danzo, Westminster Dog Show, Blaine & Robert Trump, Kid Rock. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Arts Get MAGA'd with “Melania” Doc, TPUSA Halftime Show & Trump Kennedy Center | The Daily Show"?

The episode runs 55 min; the transcript is about 11,617 words in 244 timestamped sections.

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