For the cover story of Rolling Stones TV Issue(on stands Friday)former Daily Show correspondent and Last Week Tonight host John Oliver takes senior writer Brian Hiatt behind the creation of his acclaimed weekly show andsheds some light on the historyof the man behind the acerbic, cynical humor.
Oliver discusses how working alongside his mentor Jon Stewart for seven and a half years on The Daily Show prepared him for Last Week Tonight, but notes the difference between Stewarts show and his own. I wanted to take everything Jon had taught meand think, What could I do differently?, Oliver says of the weekly show. And that would be depth and length. Theres loads of responsibility that comes with getting extra time, and you better fucking use it.
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Fans of the show get an unprecedented look at how its created, from discarded jokes and 11th-hour rewrites to lawyer requests and LBJs bunghole.Here are five revelations from the cover story:
Ricky Gervais was keytohis success.
After appearing on friend Armando Iannuccis Daily Show-esque British show Gash, Oliver was spotted by Ricky Gervais, who recommended the comedian to Daily Show scouts without ever meeting him. Oddly enough, Gervais didnt tell Oliver about the recommendation.
His future wife saved him from deportation.
At the 2008 Republican National Convention, Oliver met his future wife Kate Norley after secretly entering an unauthorized area and being chased by security. Facing deportation if caught, Norley hid the host and his co-workers. The couple went on their first date a few months later.
He had a very different upbringing than Kanye West.
When Hiatt brings up Kanye Wests mom and her certainty of her sons genius at an early age, Oliver contrasts that with his own parents. This is, unfortunately, another way in which Yeezus and I are different, he says, cackling. I dont think there was ever the sense of You are a shining light who will go on to make some of the most artistically important music of your generation, and you should keep telling people that, even if it turns out only to be quite good. No, I did not experience the Kanye form of parenting.
His childhood dream was to be a professional soccer player.
Oliver didnt take comedy seriously until college, focusing his childhood on becoming a soccer player despite lacking the necessary athletic ability. As a child, the host would attend soccer games in full uniform on the off-chance the team ran out of substitutes and needed someone. It didnt border on delusion, recalls Oliver. It set up house in the epicenter of delusion.
He doesnt watch his own show.
Unlike fictional talk show host Larry Sanders (Garry Shandling), Oliver does not spend his nights watching and rewatching his show to parse every detail and nuance of each episode. Fuck, no, Oliver says. Because theres too many things that would be annoying to me. Theres no point in putting myself through that. Its better to just draw a line under it and move on to next week.
The TV Issue also includesa full fall televisionpreview, a feature on the trippiest show on TV (Adventure Time), the best shows that were never made and an interview with the original son of anarchy (Kurt Sutter).
Also in this issue: Tim Dickinson on the Koch Brothers toxic empire, Smokey Robinsons life in 15 songs, an encounter with Lenny Kravitz, a Q&A with Stevie Nicks, Peter Travers on Gone Girl and more.