TWO HUGE PERSONALITIES, ZERO REASON TO PLAY IT SAFE
Some television pairings make sense because everyone involved knows how to be agreeable.
This one is fascinating for almost the opposite reason.
Joan Rivers appearing on The Dame Edna Experience in 1987 brings together two comic identities that were never designed to disappear politely into the background.
Rivers made a career out of saying what other people might hesitate to say.
Dame Edna, Barry Humphries’s magnificently self-important creation, could turn the very idea of gracious hospitality into a joke.
Put those sensibilities together, and even the familiar structure of a celebrity interview becomes more interesting.
The attraction is not simply that two famous comedians share a program.
It is that each represents a different way of taking control, making this vintage encounter worth approaching with your attention fully switched on.
THE INTERVIEW FORMAT IS ALREADY PART OF THE JOKE
Celebrity interviews generally operate on an unspoken agreement.
The host creates a welcoming atmosphere, the guest offers entertaining stories, and both sides help the conversation move toward a pleasant conclusion.
Dame Edna complicates that...
