"Stephen Colbert" vs. Stephen Colbert

[Kromm]

The place to talk about the differences between the fake man and the real man.  This topic will become increasingly relevant of course as The Colbert Report ends and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert gets closer to airing.

Here's a fascinating video, for example, with Colbert backstage briefing John Kerry on how to deal with his idiot alter-ego:

And here's part of the Oprah interview he did last a few years ago:

[trow125]

I always feel a bit of the real Stephen comes out when he interviews science folks like Neil DeGrasse Tyson (who will surely be a regular guest on the new "Late Show"!). With guests that he's REALLY interested in, I have gotten the sense that he feels a bit limited as "Stephen." Hopefully he can have fun with guests while being more sincere. I think his Jane Goodall interview from a couple days ago was a perfect example. She was a great sport but he didn't act particularly "Stephen"-ish and confrontational. He was playful and appropriate.

[Victor the Crab]

I think, as host of The Late Show, Stephen's guest wish will finally come true when he'll have Jon on.

[Kromm]

An interesting middle ground for people to study is Colbert Christmas Special Stephen. It's not real Stephen, but it's not the Colbert Report Stephen. It's a kind of melding of real Stephen, with one or two touches of the Colbert Report version just so it seemed familiar, crossed with Bing Crosby.

BTW: an annoying as it can be to watch anything with Oprah, it's edifying here to watch or rewatch that interview because he talks about his love of Johnny Carson.  If anyone ever doubted he's been aiming for a more traditional talk show, quite intentionally I mean, you only have to hear that to understand this is nothing new.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Kromm

[mtlchick]

I was bored so was watching Youtube for Emmy videos of the best writing for a variety series.  

 

Dear Stephen: you need to say you're clairvoyant!  

[Kromm]

While I'd argue he's been holding back on "Stephen Colbert" (or what I've also started to refer to as "Stephen Colbert: American") on The Late Show, and showing a lot more of Stephen Colbert (no quotes), there are small exceptions.

 

I don't count the audiences' "Stephen, Stephen, Stephen" chant since he (or the show warmup people) may not be prompting that.

 

And if some of the absurdist bits seem similar to stuff "Stephen" did, well, that's because that part of the character was always Stephen (no quotes).

 

But in the credits, there's a mini-Colbert above Times Square vigorously waving the American Flag. Which we KNOW is a "Stephen" move. That's such a deliberate place to place a call-back like that, it's certainly no accident.

 

 

He's only done the "Nation" thing once so far though. 

[SignGuy]

I doubt he breaks out "Nation" again. It was a perfect one-time-only rite of passage to transition between gigs.

Surprised at how much leeway he's got from the network to refer to his old show.

[Inquisitionist]

Have a "meeting Stephen" story you'd like to share?  Here's just the thread for it!

 

My encounter happened in 2003, at a book-signing after Stephen, Amy Sedaris, and Paul Dinello performed Wigfield.  I was happy to meet Amy and Paul, but thrilled to speak with Stephen.  I asked if he would sign my book "Ta-da!" but he didn't quite hear me and asked "To Da?"  I replied, "No, Ta-Da!  As in The Ta-Da! Ballot."  He laughed and graciously complied, then shook my hand, which I didn't wash until the next day.  ;-)

[Milburn Stone]

I saw them when they toured in support of the book, at Barbara's Bookstore in Old Town in Chicago. Oh yeah--now I remember we also saw them immediately after, when we went to the neighboring sushi place and it turned out they'd gone to the same place. They seemed surprisingly mortal. :)

[Padma]

Loved tonight's effort to answer that question (while playing along with the psychologist just like in the old DS days).  Love that Myers Briggs pegged him as "INFP" which sounds like a pretty nice fit for "real Stephen" and not at all what "TCR Stephen" would have received. http://www.my-personality-test.com/personality-type/?killsession

[The Bullpen]

The closest I had to a close encounter was asking Stephen a question when I was in the audience for a taping of The Colbert Report.  I asked if we'd ever again see a "toss" between him and Jon at the end of The Daily Show.  (The tosses were loosely scripted things of beauty, and many people on the interwebs had bemoaned the fact that they had faded away.)  Stephen's answer was that the tosses were a means of promoting The Colbert Report when it first began, and as time went on they were no longer needed, although he'd love to do one again because they were really fun.  The person next to me whispered "Good question!" after Stephen finished answering.  I was pretty psyched, since a) I was really nervous when I got called on, and b) according to taping reports, so many people asked REALLY dumb questions to both Jon and Stephen before their shows.  Judging by Stephen's reaction, my question was probably an original one. 

 

I know, not really a personal conversation or run-in with SC, but I'll always remember it fondly. :)

[Victor the Crab]

Along the lines of The Bullpen, I too had a close encounter with Stephen as a member of the TCR audience.

 

Five years ago, I went to New York to attend tapings of both TCR and TDS. When I got to the TCR studio, the staff told us, more than once, to make lots and lots of noise for Stephen when he came out because he feeds off of the audience's energy. When Stephen did come out the audience responded with wild cheering as asked by the staff. Stephen started running by the front row of the audience with his hand out to collect high fives from the audience. I was sitting in the second row on the right aisle of the steps and was able to stretch my arm out as Stephen grazed the tips of my fingers.

 

Stephen then stood in the middle of the stage to soak up the applause of the standing audience. I wanted to give Stephen the kind of energy his staff had asked, so I had one foot in front of my chair and another foot in the middle of the aisle step with my knees bent, and my fists pumping in simulation shouting "STEPHEN! STEPHEN!" as loud as I possibly could.

 

As we settled down and got into our seats, Stephen came up to me with his hand out and thanked me for that enthusiastic support I gave him. I couldn't believe it, I was shaking Stephen's hand! That was such an awesome thing for him to do. And just before the taping began, he took off the Wriststrong bracelet he was wearing and fired it directly to me, where I automatically put it on. That was the most amazing thing I could ever experience. And that Wriststrong bracelet is a prized possession of mine.

 

I've said this before over at TWoP as EmperorJon, but I can't help repeating it because, damn I still get a thrill thinking about it!

[Arcey]

I'm starting to wonder if the ego and preening self-involvement he displayed as the Stephen "character" on TCR doesn't have more elements of his true personality than his fans would like to believe.

I've wondered the same thing. Ego is one thing, but I think he overdoes it sometimes.

Me three. There's something a little off-putting about his supposedly "real" personna. Having seen him as a guest on other shows (while he was on TCR), and hearing him a number of times on radio interviews, I think the "real" Stephen isn't a pompous ass -- he's a warm, smart, funny, gracious, humble guy. But his act on this new show has a little too much of the old show Stephen, without the irony. I think he's actually being ironic, but there's such an overlap of the old character and this new one (which I don't think is the "real" SC), it's hard to tell what's irony and sarcasm and what's just jerkiness. I love Stephen so much, that I hate to see him become "late night audience" Stephen. He has that phony laugh too that I really dislike. I don't think I ever heard that before from him.

With all that though, he still looks like he's having an absolute ball. I hope he settles in soon and finds the right tone. I don't think this is it yet.

ETA: Oops, I thought I was posting this in the "LSSC: All Episodes" thread. ;^) Not sure how that even happened.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Arcey

[Ursula Parrott]

This is a long interview, but it's the smart, delightful, quick-witted real Stephen Colbert:

 

[Kromm]

Note that like all comedians (and intellectuals) he likes to talk a lot. That interview makes it pretty clear. This is what's being spun as him being "an egotist" by some on the new show. That's really a matter of opinion, I think. If the good Father steered the conversation more, perhaps it would be more of a dialogue and less of a monologue, but the Father seems to be more of a listener by nature.

Edited October 29, 2015 by Kromm

[Inquisitionist]

ETA: Oops, I thought I was posting this in the "LSSC: All Episodes" thread. ;^) Not sure how that even happened.

 

The moderators probably moved it for you, as they requested that the Stephen-centric discussion continue here rather than in All Episodes.  :-)

[Ruby25]

I think the problem is we thought we were going to see the "real" Stephen on this new show and it still seems like an act. I too have heard and seen the real Stephen in interviews, and this is not him. It'a basically a different character- it's "Late Night Stephen" instead of the blow hard conservative on TCR, but there's a lot of that TCR character still in there.

 

It's not like all hosts don't act somewhat when they go on TV, but with guys like David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, etc (not sure about Leno)- we kind of knew them and their personalities in a way Stephen doesn't really let us in on.

[Deanie87]

I think the problem is we thought we were going to see the "real" Stephen on this new show and it still seems like an act. I too have heard and seen the real Stephen in interviews, and this is not him. It'a basically a different character- it's "Late Night Stephen" instead of the blow hard conservative on TCR, but there's a lot of that TCR character still in there.

 

It's not like all hosts don't act somewhat when they go on TV, but with guys like David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, etc (not sure about Leno)- we kind of knew them and their personalities in a way Stephen doesn't really let us in on.

 

And I am completely okay with this, because I find pompous "Stephen" to be really, really funny, whoever he is.  There is no part of me that doubts that family/friend/citizen Stephen is anything other than lovely, compassionate and very, very deep and I enjoy interviews and segments where that part of him comes out.  But I also really enjoy the more arrogant and narcissistic side of him (that probably is a small part of his personality as well) because I find that it is a good vehicle for his wit and satire which I enjoy immensely.  So after these few months of trial and error, if he has come to the conclusion that he needs a bit of "Stephen" to feel comfortable, then it works for me.

[TVJunkie93]

This was made the week before Colbert's new show started. It tracks and summarizes his youth, comedic beginnings, and career up until The Late Show. You'd be surprised how much Stephen has had to go through to make it to where he is today.