Consider This from NPR - As debate looms political impressionists get into character

Episode Date: September 8, 2024

Ahead of the presidential debate, host Scott Detrow talks to comedians Matt Friend and Allison Reese. They're two of the most prominent political impressionists out there, who are trying to channel the candidates.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President George W. Bush won Florida in 2000 by 537 votes. 537 votes, setting aside the U.S. Supreme Court and the Palm Beach County butterfly ballots and everything else. 537 votes, which means any number of factors could have persuaded just enough voters to go one way or another and determine the presidency. So there's an argument. My plan, Jim, is different. That Daryl Hammond's brutal impression of Vice President Al Gore on Saturday Night Live after the 2000 debates could have swayed the outcome. Sure, many people remember Will Ferrell's Bush. Strategery. But Hammond's Gore was a stiff, unlikable bore. And it was so good, it just about overtook the actual debate in many voters' minds.

You may think you know the location of the lockbox. And maybe you do. Or maybe that's a decoy. Or a dummy lockbox. By exaggerating mannerisms and riffing on real quotes to turn them into jokes and bits, impressionists can often get closer to the true essence of a politician than the politician themselves. In recent decades, comedians like Tina Fey

have become merged in many voters' minds with the politicians they roasted, like then-vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin in 2008. And I can see Russia from my house. Beyond SNL, Key and Peele's anger translator bit helped define President Barack Obama's aloof coolness. Concerning the recent developments in the Middle Eastern region, I just want to reiterate our unflinching support for all people and their right to a democratic process. Hey, all y'all dictators out there, keep messing around and see what happens.

Just see what happens. Consider this. These days, the most incisive political comedy and the best impressions aren't happening on TV. They're happening on TikTok and Instagram. Ahead of this week's big debate between former President Trump and Vice President Harris, we'll talk to two of the most prominent political impressionists out there who are trying to channel the candidates. From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow. It's Consider This from NPR.

Ahead of Tuesday's presidential debate, we thought it made sense to go directly to the candidates, starting with former President Trump. All right, so Mr. President, welcome to All Things Considered. And I just, it's always hard to book you, so we're thrilled to have you. Well, thank you very much, Scott. Thank you very much. You hung up on us last time. Well, you know, Scott, this is a nasty broadcast. It's a national publication. You hung up on us last time. We were talking about it. Just so sad, the state of the media. I think a lot of listeners have probably picked up that I'm not actually talking to Donald Trump right now. I'm talking to comedian impressionist Matt Fred. Welcome to All Things Considered.

That just took me over. Thanks for having me. Excited to be here. I feel like one of the things you do really well and that sets you apart is the way that Trump will, like, speed up or slow down sentences and go either like surprisingly hard or soft on a certain key word in the sentence. Yeah. And his new thing, he goes, that's his new sound effect. I don't know if he's using it to pause or to think, but there are definitely a lot of bizarro speech patterns that he has. Like the accordion he plays with his hands, his voice is also an accordion.

Very unfunny to ask deep questions about comedy, but here we are, so, you know, I'm going to keep going with it. Let's go. Why do you think people are so drawn to impressions, political impressions especially? You know, I think especially in America, there's such a rich history of it and a great tradition of it,

and I think it kind of shows truth to power in a way that maybe other forms of comedy just don't. We're seeing actual sort of alternate representations of people that we might like or people that we might not like. And it's just a fun thing, like not even to get too deep, but just fun to see what others might sound like. Is it fair to say that Trump haters and people who like Trump kind of like your stuff just as much? Or do you think your mentions are one sided or another? I think that everybody's commenting on it. And now an interesting thing is happening where if I do an impression of him, there's some people that say

like, you're too left or you're too woke. And all I'm doing is repeating exactly what he's saying. I mean, like, it's like, I'm just taking exactly what he said, but ideally I can make the whole country laugh. You do go in a lot of different directions. Yes. I particularly like your Ron DeSantis. You do McConnell, Obama, Bernie Sanders. How do you go like,

oh, that's somebody I'm going to work on? Like, how does somebody make your set list? You know, I just look at who's popular, like who people are talking about in the news. I was watching Chuck Grassley during the Kavanaugh hearings, and I liked when he would go, Senator Leahy, we're going to be motioning to the floor now. Senator Leahy. I'm convinced Grassley's still calling for Senator Leahy somewhere in his house.

Senator Leahy, I'm going in the shower. Senator Leahy. And then McConnell, obviously, he's freezing. So I have to just do a little Mitch. That's very fun to do, and he's got a very specific vocal pattern. But I just kind of look at who people are talking about, and then I try to make something happen.

So we're talking right before the debates, and I feel like, historically, the debates are quite the opportunity for impressionists. I feel like the SNL stuff that, that lives decades later is like, you know, the post debate performances. How are you thinking about it for what you do?

And are there any like classic debate related things that, that were some of your favorites? There were some of the things that you were drawn to initially, you know, debates are like, whether it was Bush, I think he's the one who checked his watch, you know, or like obviously the, you know, Jack Kennedy. And so, you know debates are like whether it was bush i think he's the one who checked his watch you know or like obviously the you know jack kennedy and see like there's so many legendary quips and things

to point to it does seem like you actually like politics is that i do i do i'm very interested in it i'm pulling out some great references here not googling them it's all in my head but i mean even like the obama stuff to the obama romney ob, Obama McCain, seeing how calm and collected he was. And I just got to meet Obama, too. So that was a another layer of the impression doing it next to the actual person. Did Obama like your Obama? Oh, it was so great. It was that that was a lot of fun. And he was great. Yeah, it was the craziest moment for sure. Aside from being on NPR, the two highlights of the year. We're happy to have you. So that's comedian and oppressionist Matt Friend. And Matt, I wanted to end, if you can channel Trump one more time, if there's anything you want to directly say to Vice President Harris ahead of the debate.

Well, first of all, I will tell you that it's been one of the worst honors of my life to be on the failing NPR. But I will tell you that Kamala is a real threat. She's a danger. Crazy Kamala is a really, she's a crook. She's a fraud. She's a nasty woman. We are going to destroy her. We're going to make this country great. And we're all going to be bing bong, very happy. So thank you very much. And I think it's only fair to get a response from the vice president, Kamala Harris, to that statement. So floor is yours. Yeah, I heard you, Donald Trump.

And that was more unhinged than a door hanging off the frame. And in the context of what he's saying is a lot of lies. A lot of stuff that just isn't true. I'm dangerous, honey. Look in the mirror. Okay? Just look in the mirror. You'll find the danger. Got him. And this

is comedian Allison Reese, who is probably one of the most prominent Kamala Harris impersonators out there. Welcome. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me. I'm really looking forward to talking to you. And I want to start with, I'm wondering what you start with when you are thinking of how to channel the Kamala Harris that you do. A lot of people are drawn to the laugh. Is that what you think about first or how do you build it out?

I mean, that is kind of, the laugh is like my North Star as of late. That is kind of what I start with when I'm like, all right, time to get into Kamala. It's either the laugh or like, okay, all right, let's go. I'm just kind of getting into it. How much do you focus on accuracy or the vibe or just going for a funny situation? Oh God, I would hope that it's an even split. I want the accuracy, of course. But I find impressions are so fun when you add your own flavor to it. And I add a lot of my own flavor, a lot of my own sassiness and my own quirks to it. A lot of the stuff I say is stuff I'm sure she would never say. Yeah, I add a bit of me, but I also try to keep it as accurate as possible.

What do you think is the funniest part about the Kamala Harris character that you do? Oh, I think it's just that it's so unexpected. And so I say the things that she wouldn't say, I think that like you maybe would want to. So I think that's a lot of fun for me. And just being like taking whatever's fun or joyful or funny with her and like heightening it to the nth degree and just making it absurd in that way. That's where I have the most fun and improvising around that. You know, one of the things that we were thinking about with the story is the way that there's been moments where a high profile impression of a political figure,

of public figure is kind of like almost overtaken them and clearly influenced the way people think about them. And on one hand, you have Donald Trump, who people have been doing impressions of for like 40 years at this point, right? This is like this cast in stone known figure. But one of the interesting things about Harris is even though she's been vice president, there's a lot of Americans who are kind of still forming an opinion of her. Do you think about that at all when you're putting your material together? I mean, I know you said to the New York Times that you're trying to be funny, but you're also trying to be intentional and thoughtful. How do you think about this?

I think about it a lot, to be honest. I mean, I know that comedy has a really powerful influence on folks and tends to have a hold and is a way that people can retain information better, in fact. So it is not lost on me, the gravity of me doing an impression of her and how it will be in people's minds and, like, voters' minds. I mean, I don't know that anybody who is going to make a decision based off of an impression is, you know, any sort of thing to look at. That was polite. It's not lost on me that that is important.

And I've taken a lot into consideration with that. Do you ever think about whether Vice President Harris has seen your videos? You know, I do think about that all the time. I used to have bad dreams where she would be there and be like, oh my God, it's Kamala Harris. And she would see me and go, oh God, it's you. And be like she would be there and be like, oh, my God, it's Kamala Harris. And she would see me and go, oh, God, it's you. And be like, roll her eyes and be like, come on, Doug, let's go.

It's that girl. But I hope she's seen it. I know that folks on her staff have seen it and they really like it. So I'm like, okay, that probably is good. Also, like, you know, being an artist, you want to have that, that space a bit when you're impersonating somebody, uh, just to keep it pure as well as like honest and respectful. And yeah,

that's comedian Alison Reese. Thank you so much. Thank you. This episode was produced by Michael Levitt and Kira Joachim. It was edited by Adam Rainey. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. One more thing before we go. You can now enjoy the Consider This newsletter.

We still help you break down a major story of the day, but you also get to know our producers and hosts and hear some moments of joy from the All Things Considered team. You can sign up at npr.org slash consider this newsletter. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow.