 "Photo: Jesse DeFlorio/Greyhound")
Politics has always been a hard thing to translate through comedy - constantly worrying about what to say, what NOT to say and who might be potentially offended can leave even the most seasoned comedian shaking in their sneakers.
This problem rings doubly true if you're not from the particular country you're lampooning, but if the likes of Eddie Izzard, Hugh Laurie, Tracy Ullman, Ricky Gervais and the crew from Monty Python's Flying Circus have shown, it usually helps if you have a great accent and a biting wit to smooth things over if the crowd or the critics turn nasty.
Luckily, the Loyola College community welcomed comedian and foreign correspondent for Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, John Oliver, with open arms Saturday night at the annual fall comedy show.
Well known for his sharp-witted style of comedy both across the pond and nightly on The Daily Show, the excitement for the Cambridge University graduate's appearance had been mounting since its announcement in The Greyhound merely two weeks before. The night of the show, Reitz Arena was abuzz with anticipation over the evening's performance, with many speculating a special appearance from Oliver's co-correspondent and show's host, Jon Stewart.
While this wasn't the case, the crowd quickly forgot the rumors while watching the hilarious intro performance by the show's executive producer, Rory Albanese. Playfully ripping everything from the Baltimore train system, various digs at the residents of New Jersey and Long Island, and the school's location in relation to the rest of the Baltimore area: "It sure is great to be here with you all in this Waco-esque warehouse-arena tonight. I was half expecting the [events crew] to be passing out rifles from [the gun racks] near the exit [doors] on your way out," to the student body's persona and possible article topics found in the school newspaper: "Gotta go, late-breaking Frisbee story on the Quad!" Albanese left the crowd in stitches and thoroughly prepped them for the main event.
The arena quickly erupted in applause and cheers as Oliver, dressed in a brown and white striped shirt and light brown pinstriped trousers, crossed the stage.
Not missing a beat, Oliver recounted his journey to Baltimore on the train and how its harrowing nature had suddenly inspired him to start the "first British drug ring" in the city's history.
Next, he gave the student body a crash course in his perception of American culture, ranging from our past: "I don't see it [the American Revolution] as a revolution, so much as a kerfuffle," and our possible future "voicing a talking squirrel on Chinese television," to the Presidential election and the quirks of people both home and abroad; he admitted that his "frail British stomach" was no match for much of America's classic cuisine, namely the Midwest's obsession with cheese.
Still, Oliver pushed onward, cleverly recounting moments he had shared while on recent visits to both the Democratic and Republican National conventions, stating that regardless of who wins the election, there was already one true winner - Hillary Clinton: "she will show up on Inauguration Day, and…they will just swear her in to avoid the awkward conversation that will inevitably follow…She deserves it. She's been through a lot [this year]."
Other highlights of the show had Oliver's thoughts on the voting process - suggesting the Presidential election be decided through "voting by scratch card," the possibility of rice replacing money and diamonds as the new status symbol for rappers, and a hilarious 15-minute "dialogue" between his father and himself at the age of eight on his future career as a comedian.
Despite the countless yet playful jabs at American culture, Oliver was quick to admit his love for the country, stating that falling in love with America was much like "falling in love with a [beautiful] girl who's [been] throwing up everywhere for eight years, with the rest of the world holding her hair back, saying 'It's going to be all right, by January, this will all be over'."
By the end of the night, the crowd was equally in love with Oliver and Albanese, who stuck around to participate in an impromptu Q & A session with the students. Questions skewed from the silly to the patriotic, with students asking about Oliver's favorite moments from the show, his favorite soccer team, his hometown of Liverpool and why America is "The Greatest Nation in the World."
In true comedic fashion, each response was more outrageous than the last, even dispensing advice on how to work for the show and even allowing one of The Greyhound's reporters to publically redeem the paper's image by introducing Baltimore's newest superhero - "Raven Smith, Greyhound reporter by day…at night, she IS the Greyhound!"
As his final joke for the evening, Oliver discussed the traditional "last joke" of a comedian's set by recounting a particularly shocking moment on a metro train with a student that left the audience roaring with laughter. In the end, John Oliver served as well-needed breath of fresh air in the midst of the often-unfunny side of American politics, thus proving that jokes and journalism truly can go hand in hand.
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