Men & Monkeys
By Brian on Oct 20, 2006
The Colbert Report last night featured Nobel Prize winner Peter Agre. Here’s part of the exchange:
Colbert: You’ve said that anyone who grew up on a farm knows that evolution exists. Are you saying that a monkey can milk a cow?
Agre: Well, if I can milk a cow I expect that a monkey as smart as I am could milk a cow.
Colbert: Are there monkeys as smart as you?
Agre: I’m sure there are quite a few.
Colbert: Really? Do they give a Nobel Prize for throwing your own feces?
Dude, you lef tout the next line–the punch line.
Agre: I believe that goes to Economics.
Roch101 | Oct 20, 2006 | Reply
The econ line was okay, but since it was tangential to the whole dialogue I left it out.
I can’t imagine the level of difficulty for anyone, especially someone who’s not used to dealing with the media, to be interviewed by someone like Colbert who’s playing a role but asking semi-real questions (not a pure comedy sketch like SNL or others). At its worst it creates really awkward dialogue that doesn’t go anywhere, but at its best it can be brilliant, like getting a Nobel-winning scientist to say monkeys are as smart as he is.
And, to his credit, to come back with the line about economists.
Brian | Oct 20, 2006 | Reply
Having met a few medicine nobel laureates and the apparent conceit that comes with the cheque, and having met agre, I can say that he’s one of the most down to earth scientists of his stature I’ve ever met. he’s very forthcomign with his discovery being predominantly beign in the right place at the right time. . . That said I don’t think Colbert talked him into saying a monkey was as smart as he was . . . he seems to have been making a jab at the iq of the average scientist. They’re both brilliant though.
Steve | Oct 24, 2006 | Reply