The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Correspondent Spotlight: The Best of Mo Rocca

Episode Date: October 2, 2023

Former Daily Show correspondent Mo Rocca scours the globe for the big and important stories that would otherwise go untold. Mo meets America’s most preeminent porn librarian, Britain’s most laid back football hooligan, an Oregon town riddled with pinochle debauchery, and a man committed to the singular mission of taking down a local clothing store. He also sits down with Jon to discuss the subjective nature of scoring in sports and chats with Trevor about presidential pets and the interesting people he profiles in his latest book, “Mobituaries.”   For more Mo Rocca, listen to his podcast "Mobituaries" — each episode covers his favorite dearly departed people and things worthy of their overdue moment in the spotlight. Listen now https://link.chtbl.com/TDSMobitsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Stewart here, unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show, we're gonna be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. You're listening to Comedy Central. My guest tonight is a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and a best-selling author whose latest book is called Mobituaries, Great Lives Worth Reliving.

Please welcome, More Rocker. Welcome to the show. Well, thank you. Welcome to the show. Well, thank you. And congratulations on another book. Another book that's right. Thank you for remembering. What's fascinating is you you wrote a book before this there was a smash hit it was about presidents and

their pets, right? That's right. And then... Smash hit part but okay it was yes about presidential pres. It did very well for a book about presidents and their pets. It was the best performing presidents and their pets. Exactly. Thank you. That's a hit in my book. I love to spend. Right. And you didn't do that again.

Is it because Trump doesn't have a pets? That is true that he's, but my understanding is he had a goldfish. I'm not making this up. But Donald Trump does not have a pet. Right. Miller to Film War also didn't have a pet, but he was the vice president of the ASPCA for the Buffalo chapter when he left the White House, so that counts. What I always find really freakish, freakish about you is that you, you just just th, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, that thi, that thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi thi thi thi thi, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, to to thi to to thi thiiiiiiiiiiii thii thi, thi, thi,ish about you is that you just have all of this information in your head. You're like a presidential buff.

Like you just love information about president. Any trivia about presidents? Yeah, I love presidential factoids. And I grew up outside of Washington DC. And seriously when you grow, when you grow up in the D.C. area, the president is kind of the above the title film star. I imagine it's the equivalent of growing up in LA and looking through the paramount gates, in a way. But so I've always been kind of fascinated in the presidency.

This book is interesting though, because you wrote about people in this book. It's like mobituraries, which is a play on your name, but obituaries as well. Great lives worth reliving. You went with all of the people who we almost wouldn't know about, you know? So it's not about Jimmy Carter, it's about someone in Jimmy Carter's family. You know, it's not about Rosa Parks, it's about another woman of color, a black woman who decided to ride on a tram when she wasn't allowed to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to, the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the try. try. try. themoooe. themoooe. themoe. the the the the the tooe. toe. toe. to you choose these characters? How did you find them? You know, this kind of marginalized history, these people that I don't think got the send off they deserve. And it's, I know it sounds silly when we're talking about serious subjects, like Elizabeth Jennings, the Rosa Parks of New York, but it feels good. It's fun to know this stuff. And I thi I th I th I th I th I th I th I th I th I thi th I th I th I thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thin thi thin thin thi thin thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi th that I don't that I don't that I don't that I don't th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin, I don't thin, I don't thin, I don't thin, I don't thin, I don't thin. thin. I don't thin. I don't think thin thin thin. I don't thin thin thin thin the of pockets of progress that have been forgotten,

I think are important to know about that history doesn't move in a straight line. So somebody like Elizabeth Jennings, almost exactly a hundred years before Rosa Parks, she's booted off of a street car in New York City and she hires a future president, in fact Chester Alan Arthur, I can't believe this a future president. In fact, Chester Alan Arthur. I can't believe this is the first interview ever where Chester Alan Arthur has been named checked twice. She hires a young Chester Alan Arthur to defend her in civil court and she wins.

And this leads to the integration of New York City's transportation authority shortly after the Civil War. And I thought that's kind of nuts that people don't thoe Every single story in this book feels like stories you would want to just have in your brain to be the most interesting person in a room. Yes. Right? Because, no, really, because it's like one of the stories that blew my mind here is when you were like, I didn't know the history of the termtwins from a region that was once known as Siam, which was Thailand, and you tell this story, which is fascinating, because they're

conjoined twins, and then they come to America, they're a side show, then they go on to become slave owners. Right. So you're like cheering for them just screwed it up at the last second. You had to go and become slave owners. Right, ah. But that made it to me, it's certainly a more complicated story, a richer story, and a story more worth telling. I mean, they are kind of, their immigrants, their names are Chang and Engbunker, they're

two of the first celebrities in America, they're wildly famous. They're pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. They win their freedom, and then they own slaves. And it's sort of like the story of America, the good and the not good, all in one. I mean, they pack it all into that story. And I was drawn to them because I remembered as a kid growing up. People my age will remember in the Guinness Book of World Records there was this picture of them. It's like the picture of the conjoined twins and and there was this whole story behind that. What is your favorite story like that everyone

you think should know about that they don't know about? Oh boy I have so many that I love. I love the story of Billy Carter. Billy Carter, the younger brother of Jimmy Carter, is remembered by most people, if at all, as kind of a buffoon, kind of a joke, a caricature of a redneck. And he, in fact, I went and I talked to President Jimmy Carter about him to his widow and his six kids. And they describe a man who was hardworking, who was very funny, and we know this from interviews, profiles that were done of him.

And a man who was struggling with alcoholism, and in the last proud chapter of his life, ministered to people that could relate to him about this. And here he is in a small, tiny town in southwest Georgia, living his brother decides to run for president. The media descends. I mean, how would you, how would anyone handle that? The business, the family business was then put into a blind trust.

Right. Quaint, I know. And those were the days. And so he has no choice but to make his living at being Billy Carter. Kind of being a caricature of himself, but a complicated and decent man, like when you really learn about him. And so I wanted to be generous and I wanted to be compassionate. I think obituaries are the one place in journalism where the rule of thumb is and I think should be giving people the benefit of the doubt. Oh, that's interesting. Giving people the benefit of the doubt. Oh, that's interesting. Giving people the benefit of the doubt.

When you die, I mean, come on. You're gone. Right. I mean, unless you're a war criminal, that's different. Oh, then no doubt. Yeah, you don't. Some doubt or no doubt at all. No benefit of doubt. No benefit of doubt. No, noti No nice. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No no. No no. no. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. No. No. Got it, got it. What if it was like puppy loving, war criminal dead? Or would you not even include the puppy loving part?

Two part series. Ah, war criminal dead also loved puppies. Yeah, that's an insect. Ah, we put that deep inside the story. If you get that far, also love puppies. We want to make sure you get to the war criminal part. Got it. Got it. Got it. Got it. Got it. P, got it. Got, got it. Got, got it. the, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, got, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the the the the the the the the th.. th. th. th. th. thi. to. too. toooo. too. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. tho. the tho. Right, right. Thank you so much for being on the show. A fascinating book. Hey, everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast,

the weekly show coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to We're gonna be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart,

wherever you get your podcast. Historically, librarians have played a respectable and conservative role in our society. Recently, Mo Rocca met a Washington, D.C. Archivist who breaks that stereotype. The library of Congress, the largest library in the world. Hundreds of miles of shelves of books, covering every subject in the history of the world, except one. But that subject does have a place in this Clinton-Maryland home. Library of Congress, employee and archivist, Archivist, the world, except one. But that subject does have a place in this Clinton-Maryland home. Library of Congress, employee and archivist Ralph E. Whittington has been compiling his private collection here for 35 years. Would you describe yourself as a hardcore archivist?

I consider myself a erotic arousist. My business card says that. Call it erotic, call it adult, call it legally questionable. Ralph is chief librarian of his own Library of Pornography, covering every corner, crack, crevice, and fold of this wide open subject. This is your library's main reading room. Yes. And it's also your bedroom. In your mother's basement. Yes. And it's also your bedroom? In your mother's basement.

Yes. Right. So how much smut are you hoarding in your mother's basement? I guess 500 videos and thousands of magazines. Does the sea of pornography ever distract you from your crocheting? No. He doesn't bother me with that. I'm upstairs and he's downstairs. When Ralph was born and you held him in your arms and you looked into his eyes, did you say, one day this kid of mine is going to be hoarding a basement full of smut? Oh no, I never thought of such a thing then.

Ralph is not just hoarding smut, implementing the same system he uses at the Library of Congress. He catalogs and files every choice piece of porn. I'd like to talk to you about Poontang. Is it one word or two? Poontang is one word. What about the title Happy Ass, Lesbians? Will we file it under subject Ass or Lesbians? Lesbians.

Could it be cross-referenced under Ass? No. So the world's biggest gangbang is going to appear in the performer index under Chong and under the subject index under the world's biggest gangbang. Yeah. This title really says it all. Oh yes. Nurse McPringle never shrinks from a challenge. So puppets are not just for kids.

Tell me about it. The reason why I bought it is the only X-rated film that has puppets as the actors. Librarian, archivist fan, Ralph E. Whittington has immersed himself totally in in in in in in in in th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. th. th, th, th, the actors. Librarian archivist fan, Ralph E. Whittington has immersed himself totally in his passionate pursuit. Would you describe yourself as hands-on? Now I do, because I made an X-rated film with Chessie Moore. Was this a dream come true? Dream come true. What is it about Chessie Moore that captivated you?

Availability. What does Mama Whittington think of her son's collection? Well, I feel that he's his own man. I feel that he could have done worse. The end. Every great movement begins with an individual act of defiance. Moses stood up to the Egyptians. Gandhi stared down the British. MoRok and met a man in Syracuse, New York facing the mightiest foe of the mall.

For 17 long months, Fred Craig has crusaded daily against women's discount clothing chain, Fashion Baga. It all started with these. Fred Craig has crusaded daily against women's discount clothing chain, Fashion Bug. It all started with these. This is what happened to the fashion bug panties Fred bought for his wife after only one wash. They came apart. They shredded. So he bawled up his panties and demanded a refund.

She's like, yeah, those are underwear. We can't take those back. No refund, but Fred had found a nobler purpose. Trashing fashion bug. For over a year and a half, he's spent each day outside the mall spreading his message to women shoppers. Well, I tried to return something there one day,

and they treated me like dirt. Is that because of your your your your your your your your your your your your your your your your fashion their fashion their fashion their their fashion thery to return something in there one day, and they treated me like dirt. Is that because of your behavior? Not because of fashion bugs clothes. Don't be dissing them. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Encouraged by his supporters, Fred forges ahead single-mindedly. Yet somehow he finds time to paint, create helpful websites, and take relaxing drives. Fred's mother stands firmly behind

him. How proud are you? Proud? He is a complete idiot for doing. What would you prefer Fred do with his time? Work. Your son has a website. Why in the world would he have that? for other victims of fashion bug? The name of the website is a website. Why in the world would he have that? For other victims of fashion bug. The name of the website is to www.W.W.W.Fashionbug sucks. What kind of language is that? Jesus, God! To evaluate Fred's claims, the Daily Show Laboratories conducted a battery of tests

to simulate a typical day for a pair of panties. Our conclusion, these panties needed to go back to the store. Oh, hi, yeah. I want to return these panties, which I bought and they're not working. What's happening? Oh my God. Wow, that's mud! After only 45 seconds, Fashion Bug gave the Daily Show a store credit. But for Fred, the battle continues, with the support of his family.

This is the hoskostrue. I'm dreading Thanksgiving. That was my favorite holiday. But we're all getting together down my daughter's house, and I dreaded your friend being there, because the whole thing of being thankful is the idiot's going to say, be talking about fashion bug the whole time. Fashion bug, fashion bug, fashion bug, fashion bug. That's all he thinks about.

When he goes to bed, that's what he sleeps about. What he, can I do the next day for fashion bug? Geez him. Is he nuts? Really nuts. Is he crazy? Yes. So you love your son? Yes. But I don't want to be associated with them. That's hard-won.

Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to be swept back into office today, doing no small part to his promise to control the violent antics of England's soccer hooligans.

But as Morocker discovered, they're still out there and they're anything but under control. Soccer is a game of strategy and grace enjoyed by legions of devoted and impassioned fans. But among these fans is a dangerous hooligan. Her name, Peggy Ayres. This octogenarian thug perpetrated one of the most appalling acts of hooliganism in the UK. Are you a fan or are you a hooligan? A fan, definitely. Bollock, says psychologist Alex Haslam.

I don't think the person in this particular case is someone you would pick out and say that person is a hooligan. But clearly, if you were presented with the facts of the case, this is antisocial and unacceptable behavior. On Saturday, September 2, 2000, a day that now lives in infamy, Peggy woke up and started drinking. I just had a cup of tea. How many cubes of sugar, Peggy? It gets you hopped up.

Yes. You ought to keep me going anyway. With all that English breakfast junk coursing through her system, Peggy staggered to her hometown soccer stadium. She never made it inside. You went to the stadium. And this woman wanted to look at my bag. After a brief tussle my aerosol and she said, this is what we're looking for, isn't it? That's right, Peggy was carrying a concealed can of aerosol deodorant. Naturally, Peggy was ejected from the game. Peggy's reenactor was mortified.

Peggy was unrepentant. Could aerosol deodorant be used to blind somebody? No. Could it be used to set a fire by lighting a match to the spray? No. Could aerosol deodorant be used to rip a hole in the ozone above the stadium? What do you tell me that? What you an ecoterrorist?

I don't think so. Peggy was more dangerous than we thought. Peter Carter, Exeter City Grecian's administrator, blasted Peggy. These hooligans are hotheads. These hooligans are drinking too much. These hooligans are hotheads. These hooligans are up to no good. These hooligans must be stopped. And that's not all he had to say.

I've met one fan in particular who I've quite frankly found unnerving, intimidating. I'm speaking of course of Peggy Ayers. Mm-hmm. But just what is this hateful granny capable of? Our cameras caught this ghastly exchange. Why do you wear those long socks? Well, I, um... Why?

Well, I'm in Britain. This, um, is England. Yeah! But you mean, you think all Englishmen walk around in long socks? This is what our British correspondence wear. No! Soccer fans beware. When Peggy airs gets her fix. Sometimes we have soup. God help us all.

Well the winter Olympics are just about over. Yes, that's right. And no doubt the biggest story this year has been the controversy over the Olympic pairs figure skating competition. I can feel your outrage. It's a scandal that raises larger issues of fairness in figure skating judging and judging in general. To get a sense of the big picture, we turn to our daily show senior figure skating analyst, Mo Rocca. Mo, thank you for joining you. Appreciate it. Appreciate it. I appreciate it coming by. Indeed, last week's incident is about a lot more than just a corrupt judge. It points out the inherent difficulty in evaluating athletic competitions that are by

nature subjective. It reminds us that figure skating will always come down to a matter of opinion, like all sports. Well, actually not like all sports. I mean, baseball is not subjective. It's objective. Yankees nine, Orioles three. Yankees win, it's nine to three. In your opinion. Not in my opinion, in reality. Yankees win, it's nine to three. In your opinion? Not in my opinion, in reality. Let me give you a for instance, John.

Let's say the Yankees score nine runs, but the Orioles score ten. Wouldn't the Orioles then be considered the victors? Wouldn't the Orioles and be considered the victors? That'd be a, that'd be a, I mean, yes, they would be the victors in that game that you said. Would it, John? Or would we just be watching the same game from different perspectives? Think about that, okay? And even if the Orioles did score fewer runs,

those runs might have been scored with more flair, more joie de vive, whereas the Yankee runs could have been scored in a clunky and boorish fashion. No, I had... Though the Yankee costumes are much nicer and that of course would factor into the score for presentation. There's no score for presentation in baseball. The outcome isn't really open for that kind of debate, so... Well, John, I think it's just a little simplistic for you to say that the team that gets more runs is somehow the winner. I mean, take ballet.

I saw Swan Lake the other day. It came right down to the end. Are you going to sit here and tell me that just because the swan died in the end the end the end, he the end, he the end, he the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thee, thee, tiea, tiea, tiea' one, tiea, the thee, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the teamam, the the the the the the the the the the team, just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just, the the the tiea, tieawn is just, tieawn is just, tell you ballet isn't the sport. In your opinion. Okay. John, sports will always involve an element of artistry. Whether it's the complex ballet that is baseball or the complex baseball that is ballet. Well, we're almost out of time here. Is there any way to make figure skating more objective, less subjective? Well, starting this year, the skating union's going to try having 14 judges instead of nine.

And that's going to make it more objective. No, but they're also adding sticks, two goals and a puck. That should help. Now, the results of the 2000 census are in. And among the findings, a record number of Americans are fleeing the big city for a lifestyle that can only be found in small-town American. But what happens when big city life comes back to haunt them? Mo Rocca found out the hard way.

Pacific City Oregon. Right here in Pacific City, there's trouble. And that starts with T. And that rines with P. And that stands for Pinnacle. Once a cozy seaside hamlet, Pacific City has now been targeted by Pinnacle playing undesirables, who have petitioned, under House Joint Resolution 33, to officially declare Pacific City, the Pinnuckle Capital of Oregon. But Pacific City's upstanding citizens are just saying no. The proposal to make Pacific City

the Pinnuckle Capital of Oregon, what is your reaction? I think it's ridiculous. You got enough going on here. This town has an Italian restaurant. It has a Chinese laundromat. Can it tolerate Pinnuckle players? He doesn't have an Italian restaurant. I don't know where they got this idea of this. This was the Peanuck, Pinnuckle capital of the world.

Meet Pinnuckle King Pin-Pin, Roger Tracy, the mastermind behind the plot to Pinnacle Kingpin Roger Tracy, the mastermind behind the plot to push Pinochle on Pacific City. Civilization is coming, and like it or not, it creates change. And like it they don't, for all the usual reasons. It does bring in a different class of people usually. A different class. Yeah. And you get more people that are peddling dope and illegal things. They drive too fast.

They don't pick up back to their cells. Beer cans, pop cans all over the place. They don't pay their taxes. They don't take care of their light bills. They don't pay their rent. The next thing they do is sell their their their their their their their their they they th. they they they they they they they they they th. th. they th. th. th. thi tho tho tho. tho their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their ta. ta. ta. tauoeoeauoeauereeauereeauereeckeauereeckeauereeckeckeauereeckeaueree.e. taueree. taueree. their They don't pay their taxes. They don't take care of their light bills. They don't pay their rent. Next thing they do is sell their car and then they lose that money. Then the next thing that happens,

they're carrying firearms or something like that. Keep your Nairdewels. Keep your Nairdwells. You don't need riff, raf and Nairdewel's. We don't need pinnacle and their kind here. No, it's not only pinnacle. I don't have nothing against the game, but just the rift raft. But could the so-called riftraft be even worse than imagined?

Our undercover cameras were able to infiltrate this pinnacle den where I witnessed first hand the unspeakable depravity that is pinnacle. Pinochle games get. Well, uh... Uh... the... Uh, you mean you guys don't have any diamonds? It looks like the scourge that is, Pinochle, has firmly taken root. Pass. And everyone knows what that is Penuckle has firmly taken root. Pass. And everyone knows what that means. It's not unusual to see them take pictures and then with that Polaride camera and then

they pull it out, peel it off and just drop it. Sadly, this is the future of Pacific City. Goodbye, Seaside Hamlet. Hello, Sodom and Gamora. Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. Hey everybody, John Stewart here.

I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart wherever you get your podcast.