Anybody see Al Franken on Letterman last week? It was a typical Franken talk show appearance: A few deadpan jokes, some awkward silences punctuated by scattered laughs, etc. But then at the end of his segment, he told a story about how his mom died a couple of months ago, and some shithead* used the Amazon customer reviews for his book to say something like, "You know what happens to people who write books like this? Their moms die." Which is depressing in many ways, not the least of which being that Franken thought he had to bring it up on national TV. A very strange, embarrassing moment, even for Franken.
And now this. Dear Al: Please take a break. Work out whatever's going on in there that you obviously need to work out, and then come back to us refreshed and ready to make America say, "Okay, I can see how that might be sort of funny."
P.S. Daniel Frank points out that Franken did have a punchline about how many Amazon users thought that meanspirited review was helpful. I did hear that punchline, and I also heard him mutter something about how it was a typical right-wing move. "Just goes to show the right-wing mentality," something along those lines. Really gut-busting stuff. It was painful to watch (and, judging by Letterman's reaction, to sit next to), and evidence that Franken is headed for some sort of breakdown. If he didn't already have it at the Dean rally.
*He didn't use that word, but it's really the only appropriate description.
Posted by Jim Treacher at January 27, 2004 12:24 PM