Should It Be Legal to Dislike Martin Short?
I must say
The other day, Slate dot com published an article with a deliberately provocative and divisive headline:
“Why We Keep Putting Up with Martin Short”
I haven’t read it and I’m not going to, because it’s Slate and I’ve known better for 20 years. But I’m watching the widespread reaction to that hit piece, and it sucks.
People are outraged that some Slate hack called Short’s schtick “exhausting, sweaty, and desperately unfunny.” Like it’s the first time anybody has ever criticized a generally well-liked public figure.
And you know what? It’s not entirely wrong. Mostly wrong, but not 100%.
As a kid, I loved Ed Grimley. As an adult, I loved Jiminy Glick. In retrospect, I enjoyed both characters for the same reason: Martin Short will do absolutely anything for a laugh.
I don’t mind it, most of the time. I’ve liked Short in most of his stuff I’ve seen.1 But I don’t think that critic is entirely off-base. Martin Short can be a bit much. That’s his whole brand! He’s a pain in the ass. That’s what he does. You know what you’re getting with him.
Some people like it. Some people don’t. So what else is new?
But these days, anybody who disagrees with the majority about the quality of a popular artist’s work must be harangued. We saw it a few months back, when some guy dared to publicly opine that Meg White isn’t good at drumming. A film critic for Variety almost got fired for mildly criticizing Carey Mulligan. Other examples that I may or may not add before I get sick of looking at this post and just hit Send.
And now we’ve got stuff like this:
That last one is particularly amusing, but not for the reason Patton Oswalt thinks. It’s not a funny joke, but at least the premise is moronic. Libs have always confused facts with opinions, and vice versa.
Anyway, it’s fine to defend an artist you appreciate, and in this case I tend to agree. I think Martin Short is really funny most of the time. I’m just not morally outraged that somebody I’ve never met has a different take than I do.
It happens every hour of every day. Why, there are actually people who think this is a bad movie:
There are actually people who think this is a bad song that is not appropriate for any time of year:
People have all sorts of stupid, bad opinions about popular culture. But I don’t hate them for it! I merely pity them. The benighted fools.
It’s okay not to like Martin Short. He’ll get over it. And if not, a pity laugh is still a laugh.
Speaking of stuff I like and don’t like: This one is both.
The first time I heard this song, I hated it. Sounds like a bunch of old men reliving their glory days.
“Hey, it’s me! Mick! Remember? I’m yelling some more, you guys!!”
“Keith here, folks! May I interest you in a dumb riff pounded into your head 158 times in four minutes?”
But I’ll be damned if this thing isn’t an earworm. I can’t get it out of my head. Is it the greatest song they’ve ever recorded? No. Is it anything new? Hell no. But it’s a simple rock tune with simple lyrics and a simple melody, played by guys with real instruments. In 2023, that’s positively old-fashioned. And it works!
At their age, most people are either in a nursing home or the White House. Mick and Keith are still rocking. That would be inspiring even if the song was garbage.
As for the video: I have no problem whatsoever with Sydney Sweeney and her massive talents, but all that AI stuff creeps me the hell out. It’s a cute idea, but putting new lyrics in young Mick’s mouth is just unnerving. It looks wrong.
You’re old, Mick. Just be old! It happens to everybody. The lucky ones, anyway.
Well, at least the song itself isn’t AI.
I think?
Hey, you scrolled all the way down here. Thank you.
One of the things keeping me from posting more often is that my other job feeds from the same inexhaustible well of “content.” I read dozens of news stories every day, and every time, I have to decide both whether I can write about it and where I should write about it.
And each of my two current jobs requires a different approach. Shifting between the two takes time and effort.
Not too long ago, I didn’t have any jobs. Now I have two. Which is nice when you’re trying to pull yourself out of debt, which I’m well on my way to achieving.2 But there are only so many hours in a day, and my poor brain ain’t gettin’ any younger.
So if you’ve unsubscribed recently, I understand, but I hope you’ll reconsider. I’m trying my best. Honest.
And if you’ve stuck with me as I figure this out, I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.
I can’t get into that podcast/mystery/comedy thingy he’s doing on Hulu, but that’s only because I hate podcasts and the people who listen to them.
I hate being in debt. I loathe owing anybody money. I absolutely despise monthly payments. Yet another reason I hate politics, which demands such things as a matter of course.
So. . . has anyone considered that all this. . the article and the comments defending Martin Short . . .is merely BS? It has appeared to me to be a tactic for "clicks" and attention. Write something completely absurd. . then watch the engagement! Make $$, oh, and provide a platform for my "friends" to chime in and provide their unique perspectives and analysis as though it means something. . oy vey these things are tiresome. Tiresome to see, tiresome to read, and causes me to get a headache from rolling my eyes so much ~
Let's see. I've never found Short all that funny. Maybe because most of his bits seem to be about 3-4 times too long.
I've never seen Hancock, but maybe I'll give it a shot.
I don't care much one way or the other about McCartney's Xmas song, but like all but the religious-type Xmas songs it gets played so many times during "the season" I eventually want to hurl when I hear it.
The Stones were/are easily my all-time favorite band, but nothing they have written since 1985 or so has grabbed me the way the earlier stuff did. Maybe that's on me.
I've been very deeply in debt (and bankrupt once) but have been essentially debt free for 15 years. It feels good. I hope you get there soon. I'm staying.