Yesterday’s Zippy:
Bill Griffith has done a number of strips on Schlitzie, the movie Freaks, and sideshow attractions. That was then. Now we have a freak show on tv, one that specializes in demeaning revelations and angry confrontations. A dismaying take on social life.
On the man and the show, from Wikipedia:
Gerald Norman “Jerry” Springer (born February 13, 1944) is an English-born American television presenter. He is a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, news anchor, actor, and musician. He has hosted the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991 and debuted the Jerry Springer Podcast in 2015.
… In early 1994, Springer and his new producer, Richard Dominick, revamped the show’s format in order to garner higher ratings. The show became more successful as it became targeted toward tabloidish sensationalism. Guests were everyday people confronted on a television stage by a spouse or family member’s adultery, homosexuality, prostitution, transvestism, hate group membership, or other controversial situations. These confrontations were often promoted by scripted shouting or violence on stage. The show received substantial ratings and much attention.
Now in Griffith’s Barnum & Bailey version, some screaming hot topics:
ADULT
BABY
CONTROLLED
by MUPPETS
MARRIED
to HIS X-BOX
DRESSED
LIKE BARNEY
LATVIAN
STRIPPER
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