TVSquad

Last Monday (March 31), I went on a pilgrimage to the Daily Show studio in midtown Manhattan to attend a TDS taping for the first time. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting on the way to the studio. Actually, that's a total and complete lie, because I definitely had expectations. I wanted to enter that tiny little studio and have the most epic adventure ever. My first time at a taping of any sort was February's super-intense trip to the Colbert Report, so I guess I started with the bar set really, really, really high. I mean, after dancing like a trashy high schooler with the host, anything normal just pales in comparison. Speaking of comparison, that's all this post is going to be. Really, it's damn near impossible for me to not compare my TCR experience with this one, since the set-up is so similar.

So, with that in mind, I'm a little sad to report that my visit was disappointingly average. While queuing and sitting around the audience, I picked up a few tips and tricks to help make the adventure a little more epic, though. For future reference, you see.

Just like the with the Colbert Report, it's best to start lining up around 2:00 if you want to be first in line. That's exactly what my friends and I did (oh, and as previously alluded: We stopped by Rice to Riches on Spring St. and I bought chocolate chip rice pudding). We waited outside until 5:30-ish and then we were brought into the waiting area, where three large posters of Rob Corddry, Ed Helms, Jon Stewart and Samantha Bee glared over us. I was pretty comfortable in there, knowing that I was the first person there. Thinking logically, being the first in line should guarantee a pretty good seat, right? Wrong. Oh, so wrong. When it was time to go in to the actual studio, there were fifty-some VIP ticket-holders that were let in ahead of me and my two friends. Again, we were the first three in line. Here's a doodle that I did after I left the studio:


That box! I was in the middle of the front row! It was crap! Exclamation point! That's where two of the last VIPs and my friends and I sat. I mean, come on. The stragglers got front and center and the early birds got screwed. I think it was around this time that I started murmuring repeatedly, "Tickets are free, tickets are free" to curb my complaints. I didn't include it in the doodle, but way off to the left, close to the green screen was the big VIP box, where the first fifty-some VIP ticket holders got to sit. Humph. Between the VIP box and the angry people box was this little table with monitors and three guys. I think they were writers, because they kept poring over what looked like scripts and went up to talk to Jon very intensely during commercial breaks. Anyway, TCR's seating, on the other hand, is set up in a way where it doesn't really matter when you come in, because everyone gets a decent view of Stephen. Plus, if you don't get front and center with his desk (like I did), you'll get a better view of him during the interview, because he uses both sides of the studio space.

I think the whole TDS studio is kind of poorly designed, honestly. I know I'm going to sound like an art school douchebag right now, but for good reason: I am an art school douchebag. There's random wood detailing all around the set, which sort of reminds me of old station wagons. It'd be so much more sleek if they just got rid of that. At least it's not that obvious on TV. And I've already expressed my feelings for the studio audience layout, which is just sad. I was surprised by how tiny the desk is, too. Maybe it's so as to not dwarf Jon even more.

The warm-up comic, Paul Mecurio, did his best to pump us up and have us make a lot of noise. He also picked on a few audience members, and just about all the jokes he did were real groaners. There weren't any cute anecdotes about him and Jon or bizarre experiences on-set. On the other hand, Pete Dominick, the warm-up at TCR, shared Stephen stories in addition to the usual audience-mocking. I think I preferred the latter, because if we're all there to see the host, it's kind of nice to treat the audience with a little something extra than the usual "Hey, you two are cute. How long have ya been married?" Anyway, Mecurio was all right. My friends and I kept trying to pinpoint where we've seen him before and we eventually came to conclusion that he's had his own Comedy Central Presents special.

When Jon finally came out, the audience went nuts, naturally. Despite sitting in the very front of my section, I was still very far away. The first thing I was struck by was not Jon's height, but how much better looking he is in person. His salt-and-pepper pompadour is much more pronounced in the studio light and he looks much more handsome walking around and giddily talking about the Mets. I actually didn't really notice how short he is, possibly because there wasn't anyone near him for a height comparison. Anyway, he greeted us and asked if we had any questions for him. The first question was from man in the back of the audience who wanted to know if Jon lived next to Bruce (Springsteen). Jon said yes, but only in the sense that New York and New Jersey are adjacent to each other. The second and third questions were about the possibility of bringing President Bush on as a guest. They've asked him, but obviously, he's said no. I had a question prepared for Jon, but there was no way in hell he could see me with a giant camera crane directly between us. I won't divulge what my question was, just in case I get an opportunity to ask it again next time. Oh yes. There will be a next time.

The taping started with little fanfare. Sometimes I was caught off-guard by when they came back from commercial break because there was almost no warning for applause. The stage manager would suddenly flail his arms and we'd break into cheers. At least the TCR guy would give us a countdown.

The best part of the taping was John Oliver's over-excited Jay-Z moment. It was fantastic (from what I could see). Most of my time was spent watching from the monitors all around, and I had to keep reminding myself to try and watch some of the live-action because, well, I can watch the monitor-version from my own TV. But when I tried to see what was going on with John, Jon's camera was blocking his entire body, and when I tried to catch Jon's reaction, John's camera was blocking most of the desk. I did see Jon cracking up during the dance though, which was lovely. As quickly as it started, it ended.



Boom, boom, boom. Jon's a pro and gets things done. He screwed up once, so before we left, he re-recorded some audio to go over video. He thanked us. We left. The money was left on the dresser.

Final verdict: As I walked out of the studio, I pondered over what made the trip (relatively) unsatisfying. After ruling out the obvious difference that I had a direct interaction with Stephen but not Jon, I realized that TDS and TCR have very different approaches to their audiences. The audience absolutely has to be enthusiastic and wild for TCR, because the crowd is a character. The crazier the better. Truly, without the rabid Colbert Nation, the show would be half an hour of a self-righteous jerk yelling at the camera. Really, a pundit is just a jerk if he doesn't have a disturbingly devoted mob to back him up. The Audience Coordinator made it explicitly clear that Stephen feeds off the crowd's enthusiasm and it's really obvious during the taping. When Stephen's not reviewing notes with his producers and writers during commercials, he's making weird gestures and silent little jokes to audience members that happen to make eye contact with him. On the other hand, Jon, super veteran comedian man, has got this business down to a science and he's very focused on the job. In the case of TDS, the audience is just an audience and nothing more. That is not to say that we were not appreciated, because I'm sure we were, but we were just there to supply laughter. Jon did share an adorable little story about his son's lack of enthusiasm for the baseball season after the Moment of Zen, but that was about it.

In just a week, I'll be off to see TCR again, this time in Philadelphia for their on-the-road special. We shall see see if my theory still holds up!