Every scientist who writes a popular-level book harbors a secret (or maybe not-so-secret) ambition: to be invited on the Colbert Report. Not only because Stephen Colbert is a funny guy, and it’s a good way to sell books — although there is that. The truth is that Colbert (and the Daily Show) love talking to scientists. The sad part of that truth is that more people are exposed to real scientists doing cutting-edge research by watching Comedy Central than by watching, shall we say, certain channels you might have thought more appropriate venues for such conversations. But the happy part is that Colbert and Jon Stewart help bring some fun to science, and expose it to an audience it might not otherwise reach.
So, mark your calendars: I’m going to be on Colbert on Wednesday, March 3. (Scheduled to be, anyway — updates as events warrant.) I have a book to sell, not that I would have turned down the opportunity otherwise.
The precedents are pretty formidable — below the fold I’ve put some of Colbert’s recent interviews with some famous physics/astronomy types. Two things seem immediately obvious: (1) for scientists, these folks are very good at doing entertaining interviews, and (2) Stephen Colbert is an amazingly good interviewer, managing to mix topical jokes and his usual schtick with some really good questions, and more than a bit of real background knowledge. I think this is going to take some preparation.
Anyone want to venture some guesses as to what questions he might ask? Every little bit of anticipation helps.
(Note on above link to the Onion: “Punkin Chunkin,” “Manhunter,” and “Heavy Metal Taskforce” are all real Science Channel shows. “Extreme Gravity” is, as far as I can tell, not.)
Brian Greene
Janna Levin
Mark Devlin
Lisa Randall
Brian Cox
George Johnson
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Wow! You’ve made it!
Congratulations! I’ll be watching.
PS. Sean, you need to throw him something to catch him off guard, you know, like what he does to his guests. (A curve ball he wasn’t expecting.)
I appreciate how he delves like he does. He makes it funny but always manages to ask “Why should I care?” I don’t think everyone sees how well he presents multiple sides to his audience. Also, grats! I hope he doesn’t ask anything too pointed 🙂
When Colbert says that God created time, hit him with some Sagan: “It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.”
Of course, he’ll say that you’re delusional if you don’t believe in Jesus (so watch out for his rebuttals to your rebuttals!).
“You’re known as the Bad Astronomer. Why are you so bad at it?” He’ll definitely do something along those lines so prepare for that. Congratz on (finally) getting on his show. I thought he’d have loved to have you on when DFtS came out because of the subject of the book.
Ask him why his zeppelin hasn’t come to visit us at USA TODAY, if you need a curve ball. We are feelin pretty snubbed after he promised to visit us last year.
Although, I’m told he usually punishes folks who try to out-funny him. I think George Johnson did a good job by bringing him a prop to play with and distract his character.
And congrats, go get ‘im.
Pingback: Cosmology? Human Cell Cultures? The Colbert Report, Of Course | The Loom | Discover Magazine
Congrats Sean! You may want to anticipate giving short answers, 3-4 sentences at a time – before he cuts you off with a joke or changes the subject real fast. I’ll be watching.
Cool!
Mhm…suggestions…
Try not to start a sentence with “Einstein told us that…”. Everyone does it 😛
And it would be sooo cool if you sneak in an hightliy non obviouse physics reference.
Congratulations. Have you also mentioned to your readers (I didn’t see it anywhere, although I am fallible) that you will be on the Guardian science podcast? My favorite blogger on my favorite podcast. Can’t wait.
Brian G … wrong blog? 🙂 We’re still waiting for Phil to get his Colbert interview!
Congrats Sean! I’m looking forward to it
Congratulations. You will be there on my birthday, so an added present for me.
Congrats! That is incredibly awesome!
Colbert is a wonderful guy.
Just have fun!
I highly recommend watching his Charlie Rose interview before meeting with him to get an idea what makes him, him.
It is a touching and inspiring interview, IHMO.
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/93
Can’t wait!
I’d say don’t over-prepare.. and when the interview is over and they go to ads don’t get up to leave, it always strikes me how people who are used to TV (reporters, politicians, etc) stay around to chat (for the camera? ), while non-TV people like authors/scientists just get up and are ready to leave–at which point they are pulled back by the interviewer.
Sorry, living outside the US, this is the first time I heard of Colbertnation, and tho it certainly is entertaining, I’m afraid it is little else. I only watched the Randall clip (OK, the one element sample of what is already a non random sample doesn’t tell much), but really, … I admire the way dr Randall managed to cramp a lot of information in a few terse sentences, but I’m afraid it was all lost in this incredible amount of “entertaining noise”. Just my $0.02 worth.
Einstein’s phrase “puny demigods on stilts” comes to mind after seeing that list of speakers, especially the last one.
Johan:
What you need to know about Colbert is that he’s doing a satirical sendup of politically right-wing blowhard commentators who aren’t nearly as smart as they think they are. But he’s really on our side. When he talks to scientists, he’s actually setting himself up for the fall by asking all the wrong questions. Well, exceptio probat reglum, he had Michael Behe on the show once, and he got Behe to take the fall by playing the part of a true believer in ID creationism who was thrilled to talk to someone who was against all that evolution stuff. Then Behe started in on his Irreducible Complexity spiel and Colbert just took his argument apart, right down to the mousetrap!
Woot!
Maybe you can describe warped space-time in terms of the “Colbert Bump”… he’ll love the flattery and then you’ll probably get a chance to throw in some more science!
Good luck!
Wait, those WEREN’T satire? Oh dear God….. I thought Punkin Chunkin HAD to be a joke. This is the first time the Onion has been truthful since:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29842
Congratulations Sean!
OMG, I wouldn’t be able to sleep the night before. Yes, Colbert interrupts a lot – after every sentence, I think, not after every 3 or 4 like an earlier commenter suggested – but that’s his shtick, and part of the reason he has so many viewers, so there’s no point in ever thinking bad of it.
There’s a line you’ll have to walk – the guests who don’t come off that well are on two ends of a scale. On one end are the ones who are so focused on what they’re trying to say that they grimace every time he interrupts and then try to continue on with what they’re saying. These people come off as too serious. On the other end are those that try to out-humor him, which never works because he’s a very, very funny man. Just be relaxed, play off of him when you can, and (like an earlier commenter said) through him a curveball or two, and you’ll sell lots of books 🙂
I keep saying this and hoping it doesn’t sound at all condescending, but I am so crazy proud of you.
Also? WHAT ARE YOU GONNA WEAR???
You could always break and egg and ask him why he, and Jesus, can’t put it together again. Also remember you are there to sell books, not just be on the Colbert Report. The more he talks about your book, the more the book becomes the centerpiece. And it is a very good book.
First of all congrats.
Second, note that they (Colbert staff) are very tech savvy. Thus they are either reading this blog regularly, or will read every bit of it beforehand. So, review your blog entries for any potential
problems. Are there any left-wing, anti-American, anti-religion posts? Well, I guess that is the bulk.
They probably will bring those up. Though they are on the same side as you (for the most part),
they will paint you as a left-wing, elitist, secular, etc. etc.
Just don’t try to out-fox or out-humor him, unless you feel you have the chops. You might wanna try some open-mic improv in LA first. That’ll tell you where you lie.
However, if you get in a pickle, tell him that you’re dating Charlene and that she is magnificent.
If Colbert can take apart a (now former, thank god) president -in his face- he can easily take you apart.
I would say, sell the book, not the ideas. You don’t have time in that forum to discuss the contents.
Or come up with a joke about the `free hand of the market’ and its relation to the evolution of the universe
(‘free hand of entropy’?). Wait the walls have ears…never mind all that, nothing going on here.
I’m stoked you’ll be on Colbert!
I’ve watched so many good people do bad interviews with Colbert. I really want yours to go well, so here are some thoughts.
Avoid the following mental/emotional states:
– the guest who laughs at all Stephen’s jokes (“I really GET you, Stephen!”)
– the guest who responds to every little comment Stephen makes (“This is YOUR show, Mr. Colbert, and I’ll let you steer it wherever you and your writers want… even if you’re clearly trying to let me take the wheel”)
– the guest who mistakes Colbert’s faux-conservatism rhetoric for direct conversation (“Somehow I’ve come on this show without knowing that the whole premise is to lampoon the right-wing dialog by turning up the contrast. I’m so offended that you’re attacking me, Stephen! Geez! How ’bout a taste of yer own medicine?)
– the guest who suddenly realizes that all this pageantry and fake hoopla belittles the message and is generally pissed off at having to wrangle with stupid questions, and wants Stephen to “get real” and take off his show mask (“As you and I both know, Stephen, this issue is really blah blah blah.” Stephen says, “What I know is that you’re wrong and I’m right!” [crowd knowingly cheers] Guest, “Well, maybe that’s cuz yer a big doodyhead!” [awkward beat and/or crowd boos as Stephen quiets the mob and turns up the fake posturing just to get thru the rest of the interview.]
I really hope the interview goes well. Good luck with it, and with the book!