I loved the Larry Sanders Show with Garry Shandling, a sarcastic, humor driven look at life on a late night talk show. His flawed characters, full of insecurity and neediness, were people with such huge faults that I can’t help but laugh as I identify myself with them. Growing up watching Johnny Carson, the similarities are unmistakable, especially Hank the sidekick, who bears all the nuances of an Ed McMahon, a second fiddle character who unabashedly clings to the coat-tails of the shows star, Larry Sanders. And Hank takes a figurative beating in the show, often being embarrassed and laughed at, but at the same time, being so ego-centric and needy that he continually lands himself into those situations.
In this interview, Shandling talks about what was the underlying motivation of his show and I think he points out some truths that are quite profound. Authenticity is something Garry is looking for by using his characters to demonstrate his observation of himself and of us all. The metaphor is the show, the Larry Sanders Show. In suggesting that we tend to live our lives while wearing a false face over a curtain of emotions and dysfunction, the show has a literal curtain, but the dysfunctions are all there just as they are in real life. Garry seems passionate about this subject as he states firmly that the characters in the show are doing what all people (meaning every one of us) are doing, which is desperately searching to find love...somehow, someway.
In a clip from the show, Hank (a needy and insecure, yet ego-driven character) pleads with Larry to receive his acceptance and love when he asks Larry to promise to never abandon him again. Larry can’t really give this promise, but Hank is more than willing to accept whatever he can get, which in a humorous way falls dreadfully short of what he needs. I think Shandling illustrates in this scene that as desperate as we are for love, we cannot get this promise and love from other people. To do so, as Hank does, is to settle for something that is never going to be enough, it simply isn't able to do the job. Profound and true, I think, but Shandling does fall short of where this discussion should lead us to, which is to say that what we need and desire can only truly be found in Christ, who offers us everlasting love and tells us that “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I shall give him will never thirst."
This is Shandling in an interview with Ricky Gervais of the British TV comedy The Office.
In this interview, Shandling talks about what was the underlying motivation of his show and I think he points out some truths that are quite profound. Authenticity is something Garry is looking for by using his characters to demonstrate his observation of himself and of us all. The metaphor is the show, the Larry Sanders Show. In suggesting that we tend to live our lives while wearing a false face over a curtain of emotions and dysfunction, the show has a literal curtain, but the dysfunctions are all there just as they are in real life. Garry seems passionate about this subject as he states firmly that the characters in the show are doing what all people (meaning every one of us) are doing, which is desperately searching to find love...somehow, someway.
In a clip from the show, Hank (a needy and insecure, yet ego-driven character) pleads with Larry to receive his acceptance and love when he asks Larry to promise to never abandon him again. Larry can’t really give this promise, but Hank is more than willing to accept whatever he can get, which in a humorous way falls dreadfully short of what he needs. I think Shandling illustrates in this scene that as desperate as we are for love, we cannot get this promise and love from other people. To do so, as Hank does, is to settle for something that is never going to be enough, it simply isn't able to do the job. Profound and true, I think, but Shandling does fall short of where this discussion should lead us to, which is to say that what we need and desire can only truly be found in Christ, who offers us everlasting love and tells us that “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I shall give him will never thirst."
This is Shandling in an interview with Ricky Gervais of the British TV comedy The Office.
0 comments:
Post a Comment