Daily Show interviews?

[Wag]

When the Daily Show does their interview pieces, are they straightforward with the interviewees about who and what they are?

I ask this because the last few nights they were particularly funny, tonight Stephen Colbert doing a bit on smoker discrimination, and the other night a hilarious interview with Ed Asner. Both sides seemed to be playing it straigh, but Ed Asner was giving such outrageous answers it's hard to believe he wasn't playing along.

 

[sandorski]

Hehe, that's a question I have asked myself numerous times.

 

[Strk]

It's called satire.

 

[Martin]

I wonder that too...like the libertarian who wanted to give toy guns to harlem kids..

or the porno guy....damn, that guy was quite a character

 

[DealMonkey]

They totally edit those interviews and splice together stuff that makes the interviewee look like an monkeyass half the time. They do a good job of it though - that's what makes it so funny. If you see the back of someone's head during a question or a response, that's usually a dead give-away.

 

[MonstaThrilla]

I think the interviews of nobodies are real, like that wacky libertarian. But as for the celebrity or politician interviews, I think there's some acting going on.

Hilarious nonetheless. The Strom Thurmond bit tonight was sidesplitting.

 

[Wag]

I know what satire is.

Yeah, but they must identify themselves saying they're from the Comedy Channel, right?
The funniest interviews are always the ones with people who take themselves too seriously.

But the interview with Asner was pretty funny- but he was swearing at the guy left and right, so I wonder if he wasn't hamming it up a bit.

 

[sandorski]

It may have been the interview of Strom Thurmond(that Monsta mentions)that had one great line in it, "Who is this guy?" the look on the old mans face was hilarious.

 

[Cerb]

I think they probably are.
Think about it...most people either a) would love to get on the Daily Show, and would laugh themselves to death (well, maybe not that far, but I'd keep my inhaler handy) when they saw the show, or b) are so freaky they don't even realize who these people really are.
(and we don't care about the people in category C, who aren't crazy but still lack any sense of humor)