Very bad comment by Bill Maher about the Beach Boys/us

[Dave in KC]

He just said on Leno something to the effect that we have it going for us in that Republicans are dying off faster than Beach Boy fans. I was shocked and will drop HBO, at least consider it, from my home. This was very bad Bill. Have another vaporizer hit. Goodbye Bill. You ain't no George Carlin.

[pixletwin]

Bill Maher is a conceited narcissistic douche bag. He can be funny to though.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I don't like Bill Maher. But if you think about it, he might be right. Republicans aren't dying off any more then democrats. It goes back and forth. He probably didn't realise how well TWGMTR did, and how well BB greatest hits continue to sell. So if anything, the stock of the Beach Boys has gone up, while more and more people have become unhappy with both major US parties.

[Justin]

He just said on Leno something to the effect that we have it going for us in that Republicans are dying off faster than Beach Boy fans. I was shocked and will drop HBO, at least consider it, from my home. This was very bad Bill. Have another vaporizer hit. Goodbye Bill. You ain't no George Carlin.

 

A little over the top, aren't we?

[dwtherealbb]

I like Maher but why does he have to tie the beach boys in with politics? It doesn't really mix.

[Dave in KC]

He just said on Leno something to the effect that we have it going for us in that Republicans are dying off faster than Beach Boy fans. I was shocked and will drop HBO, at least consider it, from my home. This was very bad Bill. Have another vaporizer hit. Goodbye Bill. You ain't no George Carlin.

 

A little over the top, aren't we?

What do you mean?  Nothing?

[?]

Eh, it's just a joke.

[Mikie]

Republicans are dying off.

Let's just leave it at that and call it a day, eh?



I'd rather watch Piers Morgan on CNN resisting the NRA idiots trying to deport him.

[Shady]

And I thought I couldn't hate that guy anymore

[Andrew G. Doe]

Just a general observation - I very much doubt he knew about Les or Derek. Unfortunate timing, is all.

[John Manning]

Who Bill Maher? He's so well known here in the motherland and his opinions so eagerly sought… could he and Piers Morgan be cut from the same cloth? Could we also send you Andrew Neil, Jeremy Kyle and Jeremy Clarkson?

[Mike's Beard]

If Jeremy Kyle goes where will all those douchbags with the tattoos on the side of their necks go to take lie detector tests?

[ontor pertawst]

He's dropped a few Beach Boys jokes this year, including one mentioning bringing Chris Rock to a concert. I wouldn't take it too seriously.

He's definitely a bit of a dick, but is in no way Piers Morgany. Blegh!

[debonbon]

I love when fans get overly upset over jokes. Seriously, this upset you that much?

[Justin]

He just said on Leno something to the effect that we have it going for us in that Republicans are dying off faster than Beach Boy fans. I was shocked and will drop HBO, at least consider it, from my home. This was very bad Bill. Have another vaporizer hit. Goodbye Bill. You ain't no George Carlin.

 
A little over the top, aren't we?

What do you mean?  Nothing?

Well....if you watch Leno...it's no wonder a little crack like that would offend you

[Myk Luhv]

I hope Bill Maher makes fun of this thread on an episode of his show.

[runnersdialzero]

He just said on Leno something to the effect that we have it going for us in that Republicans are dying off faster than Beach Boy fans. I was shocked and will drop HBO, at least consider it, from my home. This was very bad Bill. Have another vaporizer hit. Goodbye Bill. You ain't no George Carlin.

Maybe relax.

[Cabinessenceking]

At least he acknowledges our continued existence! 

[shelter]

All he said is that The Beach Boys have a lot of older fans. Which is true. So I don't see the problem.

[AndrewHickey]

Who Bill Maher? He's so well known here in the motherland and his opinions so eagerly sought… could he and Piers Morgan be cut from the same cloth? Could we also send you Andrew Neil, Jeremy Kyle and Jeremy Clarkson?

He's actually rather different from that lot -- politically he's (mostly) liberal in the UK rather than US sense of the word, and he's fairly respected as a stand-up comedian. You may remember his film Religulous, which had a brief cinema release over here a few years ago (it was a not-very-good documentary in the Michael Moore style, saying "aren't religious people incredibly stupid?").

As for the comments here -- they're just a joke. Not a particularly funny one, but far more offensive, I would have thought, to Republicans than to Beach Boys fans. And even I, living in the UK and not owning a TV, know enough about Maher to know that he doesn't like Republicans, so I would have thought very few of them would be watching him anyway.

[MBE]

He's always been a jerk in my eyes.

[onkster]

While Maher does tend to reek of vinegar and water of late, it's still not as bad a comment as when D-lister Kathy Griffin slagged off Brian with a one-off about being a total drug casualty.

Her mean-spiritedness in making that crack did make me realize: she stopped being funny around that point anyway.

[guitarfool2002]

Bill Maher tries to make a living by being an angry cynic, and that anger is what his body of work will be remembered by more than his comedy. He vilifies and tears down those people or institutions which he disagrees with, and does it in a way that feels more personal and more deep-rooted in legitimate anger than similar commentators and media gadflies who play it up for entertainment's sake. That's the life and reputation Maher himself has chosen by seeming to be angry or negative about something whenever he's on television. And he doesn't hesitate to find people to attack or to make a part of his vitriol.

I don't find him entertaining at all, and I really do not care to see someone who more often is angry and critical of something or someone than he/she is being positive or at least somewhat happy about something...and misery loves company, so I choose not to wallow in someone else's public anger, especially when they make a career out of doing so.

On the other hand, for a majority of people who are not as studied on the band's history and backstory as those on this board, what is the legacy of the Beach Boys and their work? I'd say they ultimately make people happy with their music, whatever incarnation of the band you may be hearing or seeing and no matter what kind of backstory went into making that music.

People get enjoyment from the Beach Boys and their music, and they get a chance to have fun and smile for a bit when hearing these songs.

That to me is priceless, and a much better legacy to leave with a body of work than to be remembered as an ersatz social commentator and stand-up comedian who was angry and bitter more often than he was happy about something.

Make the choice. I've been preferring "happy" and "smiling" recently, myself. Plenty of that to be found in the music.  

[SufferingFools]

Who Bill Maher? He's so well known here in the motherland and his opinions so eagerly sought… could he and Piers Morgan be cut from the same cloth? Could we also send you Andrew Neil, Jeremy Kyle and Jeremy Clarkson?

Clarkson might be a good fit.

I think Maher must suffer from a Beach Boys ignorance all too common among Americans, where the early surfing stuff is the only thing they know about.  Pet Sounds was marketed poorly in the States, and not much attention was paid to them again until they had remade themselves as the Reagan-era nostalgia act.  So to your average American, there's only the stuff like "Surfin' USA," "Barbara Ann," and "Fun, Fun, Fun."

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I think Maher must suffer from a Beach Boys ignorance all too common among Americans, where the early surfing stuff is the only thing they know about. 

Or how about this? He is making a joke and he wants people to laugh so he makes a reference that an audience can understand. So, as a poster in this thread already noted, he made a joke a while back where it was necessary for him to be a Beach Boys fan:"I haven’t seen a black man look that disinterested and annoyed since I dragged Chris Rock to that beach boys concert."

Look at the construction of the joke (and remember that it is a joke): He's NOT making fun of the Beach Boys or their fans - though he is somewhat in the Chris Rock joke though he includes himself as part of the crowd he's making fun of. It's pretty boring to have to explain a joke but it's also really strange to see people not getting one.