President Nazarbayez Meets Borat
Kazakhstan’s funniest moments
LET’S talk about comedy with Sacha Baron Cohen, a Jewish comedian in the mould of Lenny Bruce, The Marx Brothers and the great Jerry Sadowitz.
There are few things more awful than discussing comedy – a night with Hale & Pace being one.
And the chance to listen to Cohen talking about the motivation for his Borat character and what makes a good joke is like listening to the nodding heads that pepper such show as 100 Greatest TV Funny Moments and An Audience With Freddie Starr.
“Borat essentially works as a tool,” says Cohen in the Sun. “By himself being anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice.”
That and the galgenhumor are what make the Borat show watchable and laughable for many. Although anti-Semites, not known for their grip on irony, may view Borat’s song Throw The Jew Down The Well as a musical how-to guide.
Of course, Cohen’s remarks coincide with the arrival in the UK of Kazakhstan’s President Nazarbayez, the country’s leader since 1991 and re-elected last year for seven more years of fun and laughter with an impressive 90 per cent of the vote.
And having met the Queen and Tony Blair, President Nazarbayev found time to comment on Sacha Cohen’s film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
It cannot be denied that Cohen has raised the profile of this vast central Asian land. And as Nazarbayev says: “There is a saying that any publicity is good publicity.”
There is also saying about Kazakstan having loads of oil and gas reserves. Tony Blair might have heard it…
Posted: 22nd, November 2006 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
