That's The News, And I Am Outta Here

“But I believe in this - and it’s been tested by research,
that he who fucks nuns will later join the church”

-The Clash, "Death or Glory"

Still the greatest line in the history of rock. In the song it was part of a critique of rebellious musicians, but I always associate that quote with either Joan Rivers or Dennis Miller, two great comedians who turned into the sort of people that their younger selves would have made fun of. When Rivers died, some younger people were genuinely surprised at what positive feelings she elicited from so many people. I guess that's understandable: to many adults today, she was known only for catty red carpet coverage and work on the shopping channel. I always wondered what 1970’s Rivers would have had to say about a person like that.

Miller turned off a lot of fans with his drift to the right in the last decade. Defenders have pointed out that he was never really lefty, and his SNL colleague Al Franken has said he doesn't find Miller’s current work surprising.

But to me the disappointing part wasn't his ideology, but his partisanship. Though he may have leaned right in the past - or more accurately, libertarian - the joy from his routines came mainly from his ridiculing the stupidity of society in general and politics especially. Now he's not really a conservative, but a loyal Republican. Or to put it another way, is hard to believe the guy who said of Reagan and nuclear weapons,

"There's no more frightening image in the world, than the finger having access to the button, having a string tied around it."

...later said,

“I’d like to thank George (W) Bush for allowing me to respect the American presidency again.”

But now we can add another to the list of those joining the church later in life, and that is Miller's former show, Saturday Night Live. They’ve announced that Donald Trump will host an upcoming show. Of course, this isn’t the first time they’ve had a politician on the show - Hillary Clinton was on just a few weeks ago. These appearances can be fun, even though they are usually awkward and even though everyone knows it’s just the politician trying to look human by displaying a sense of humour. But most importantly, politicians’ cameos are always short, allowing the show to go back to what it should be doing: making fun of things, often including those politicians.

I realize political satire has never been the focus of the show, but it’s always been a component. And we rely on political humour to puncture the egos and highlight the flaws of our leaders and candidates, rather than assist them. Having a politician host the show means softening the satire, and that’s really unfortunate in this case. Trump is the biggest story in politics at the moment, and someone who is pushing politics in troubling directions. He should be a target, rather than a performer.

But it’s not hard to understand why the show is doing this: As the focus of so much attention right now, Trump drags viewers wherever he goes. Whether it’s his supporters, or people who just can’t look away from a trainwreck, Trump’s SNL episode is sure to be a ratings winner. And that’s another difference from other political appearances on the show: instead of SNL assisting a politician in forming their image, here the politician is helping the show, which just emphasizes what a clear example of selling-out this is.

Historically, the Saturday Night Live bandwagon has had a widely-varying number of passengers. Many people may be jumping on for the Trump episode, but I’ll be leaving it.