On Friday, Billy Bob Neck, a.k.a. local comedian Paul Day, was surprised to find a video of his popping up on The Rachel Maddow Show. Billy Bob can be a bit hard to take if you don't know it's an act, and despite the obvious fun Maddow has been having with his accusation that she's a "lesbian vampire," some people have been taking it seriously.
The story has been on Maddow's blog, first here, where Maddow posted a photo of herself with fake (I think) vampire teeth and a pint of Ben & Jerry's Vein-illa Les-bean. Then Maddow's bloggers found my interview with Day and posted about it again.
The folks over at Blue Roots Radio also interviewed Day Monday. You can hear it here (click on the links under the "Dates" heading on the left side).
Boston comedy fans watching The Rachel Maddow Show Friday got to see a familiar face in the closing moments. Maddow showed a YouTube clip of fundamentalist commentator Billy Bob Neck exposing Maddow as a “lesbian vampire,” making fun of her appearance and wondering aloud why MSNBC would allow such a creature to comment on America. Much to her credit, Maddow played the whole clip, and it seemed to amuse her.
Neck, of course, is the character played by local comedian Paul Day in comedy clubs and on his Hour of Bein’ Good on BlogTalkRadio.com. And his appearance on Maddow surprised no one more than Day. He had not been contacted beforehand, and had no idea he was about to be on national television.
I asked him about it by e-mail this weekend.
First, the clip, then, the questions.
How did you find out you were on Maddow?
A friend from my days debunking some little parasite who said he blew Obama sent me an email. Mike Bent sent a message shortly thereafter.
What was your reaction?
Stunned, which gave way to frustration. Generally, MSNBC repeats Countdown and Maddow but, it being Friday, I guess the liberal viewers demand their dose of the documentary, Lockup. So I had to wait for it to get posted online. After that, I was elated. At the top of the show she talked about a “piece of tape” that had the office convulsed in laughter for more than an hour. It really doesn’t get much better than that. My wife was already asleep when I found out. I kind of nudged her and told her about it. She apparently thought I mean it was just on Maddow’s blog since she was a little freaked out in the morning.
Do you think they think Billy Bob is real?
I’m assuming not but you never know. Smarter people have fallen for it, but the whole notion that she’s a lesbian vampire because of two moles on her neck...it’s a little over the top. I think it’s one of the more blatantly THIS-IS-A-JOKE-PEOPLE bits that I’ve done. Still some people really do believe in vampires. I guess it just re-iterates the power of a book written a long time ago to influence people’s lives. ;-)
Have they been in touch with you yet?
Sadly, no. I’m hoping to get in touch with them. That’s the only downside of a Friday segment - the office pretty much closes. Obviously, it would be great to get a little commentary segment occasionally. I’d love to do an interview with Maddow. That would be a huge thrill.
The jokes on that bit were particularly harsh – are you surprised they used it?
Harsh? I thought it was pretty goofy and good natured in relation to saying that Sharron Angle believes that God had a good reason to let your father to rape you or the Burn A Koran song. On the whole, I think it’s pretty accessible. I felt a little bad about saying she had small breasts, but I think it was Newbower that said, “You can be a good person or you can be funny.”
Will Billy Bob continue to try to expose Maddow? What’s his reaction to all of this?
I thought about it. If Maddow fucks with Billy then he will certainly fuck back. I’m not sure that she’ll be a focus, though. He’ll probably just continue to rail against homos, liberals and those who shoot crack cocaine in their eye. There are far too many targets to shot at.
Last night's Comedy Studio Holiday Show was the usual bizarre affair, complete with bathroom wall poetry, gang rivalry, and fresh watermelon. People braved travel bans and packed the house -- it was standing room only by the time I navigated the North Shore to get to Cambridge. The Walsh Brothers, Josh Gondelman, MC Mr Napkins, Ken Reid, Billy Bob Neck (Paul Day), Barry Tattle (Chris Coxen), and Studio owner Rick Jenkins were predictably loose, if not always on topic for the holidays. Jenkins was honored by the comics with a donation to the Boston Food Bank, and a surprise gift -- an original piece of art illustrating one of the jokes he has told almost every night he has hosted. I caught a bunch of the comics (and the house band for the night, the Grownup Noise) after the show at the party to get their holiday greetings.
Rick Jenkins, making a reference to the joke in the illustration.
