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The stretching-out-the-awkwardness lane of comedy is usually a matter of taste, people either love it or not. I love it. I mean, I really enjoy watching excruciatingly painful moments in my film/tv watching. (Yes, I’m in therapy.) Zach Galifianakis hosting Between Two Ferns was always up my alley–yes the interviews could run long, but I was willing to stick it out for the moments that really landed. I also enjoy Zach as a “serious” or “straight” actor (he was criminally under-used in Birdman). So I guess now I’m finally gonna have to subscribe to Apple TV+ to watch The Beanie Bubble, a movie Zach produced and stars in as Ty Warner, creator of Beanie Babies and every 90s parent’s worst nightmare. The movie is out now, and Zach recently spoke with the New York Times (before the strike) to promote it:
Life in the cringe: In his latest film, “The Beanie Bubble,” he portrays the billionaire behind Beanie Babies, the stuffed animals that were a cultural craze in the 1990s. There are moments when viewers might not know whether to laugh or cringe. “You don’t see it much in movies because movies want to sometimes show a different side of humanity,” Galifianakis said. “I live in the awkward and cringe because I find life can be like that.”
Poetry in the woods: “I grew up rural, and all I wanted to do was run to the city. Now that I’m older, all I want to do is run back to the woods. I always tell people: Don’t forget about the woods, because as city dwellers, as urbanites, as suburbanites, we forget. There’s a lot of poetry in the woods.”
What he values about Greek & European culture: “This is the thing about Greece, where my dad’s family is from, and Europe in general: It’s about walking to go get a coffee. It’s about sitting down and having a conversation. I feel like these older societies have their priorities a little bit more in check sometimes. They’ve been through it. They’ve seen it. So there’s a coolness to me about Greece. And I just agree with the lifestyle. Also, the history there is unbelievable.”
He wants you to know he reads books: “When I read a book, I want everyone to know I read books, so I talk about it to everyone. ‘Stolen Focus,’ by Johann Hari, is basically a deep, deep dive into the phone and social media. When you finish this book, you’ll go: We’ve all been duped, especially young kids who feel social media and constant contact is a must. I highly, highly recommend it, especially for parents.”
He goes into Twitter glaze: “The biggest crime of social media is that it’s so boring. I’ll hear people say: You should see what I just tweeted out. As soon as I hear ‘Twitter,’ my face glazes over. For somebody like me, I have to observe. I need to see the small spaces in life as an actor, as someone that tries to make people laugh. I’m not going to get that from Twitter. But, look: I’m 53. I’m old. I’m out of the loop. Nobody should listen to me.”
Yes! Yes to all of this! I’m (technically) a millennial. I remember Facebook emerging when I was at the end of high school/beginning of college. I can’t fully say why, but my gut reaction to it was “nope, not for me.” It wasn’t really that I thought it was “boring,” like Zach, but more that I thought it wasn’t real. Granted, I was already an introvert, already bookish. Like Zach talks about, I became very observant. Too much so, my parents might say, though I’ve come to cherish the activity and skill.
Because my decision to stay off Facebook (and later Twitter and Instagram) was a-typical, I’ve taken a lot of flak for it from all sides. People have said to me “oh, if you’re an introvert then social media would help you!” Or the other big argument was it would be detrimental to a career not to join. Both those statements are probably true! I know there are connections I’ve missed out on, both personal and professional, because of my abstinence. I can’t honestly deny that. But I’m stubborn and independent and apparently committed to taking the long way. So that’s what I’ve done, because it felt right for me.
So Zach, I’m not 53 (actually 35 at the end of the year), I’m also out of the loop, and I’m listening to you.
Photos credit: Apple press and Getty Images
Social media is so boring. There are so many “influencers” trying to trick you into looking at them. So many stolen post. They bury the lede but expect you to respect them. Blah.
Social media is boring because people are boring. I mean, if I think about my life, I can can come up with some interesting anecdotes and maybe some information I could share with others, but mostly my life is ordinary and undramatic. Or, if there is drama, it’s the same drama that everyone faces.
Privileged white straight male says that worst thing about platforms being used to incite hatred and violence against women, minorities, LGBTQ+ is boring. It’s only boring, Zach, for white straight men. Otherwise it’s potentially terrifying and life threatening. What an idiot. Tell me you’re privileged without saying you’re privileged, Zachie boy.
Social media has just become fantasy. People portraying fake lives…and not to mention all the photoshop, facetune, and filters. Everyone looks like a cartoon. It’s so far from reality you just have to laugh.
I love everything he is saying here. I always feel like — is it just me? It IS so Boring. And lacking in connections. Whenever I participate, I feel like I’m screaming into a void and it just makes me feel lonelier. You need true connections and sure, if you’re lucky you could jump into a web on social media that includes your real friends who participate a lot an it might feel fun in a true sense, but I think most people don’t have that and that’s also why a lot of new social media companies fail — because even twitter when it started relied on true connections in a small group and growing slowly in context.
And, strangely, my most successful friends all don’t participate in social media (even in careers like communication) and I always thought they were being rebellious because how could that not hurt them? But they just do their day job well and they keep their private lives private.
I couldn’t agree with this interview and article more! Thanks, Kismet!
I’m 40, older millennial, and distinctly remember my teenage knee-jerk aversion to social media and internet culture when it first emerged. It felt (and still largely feels) juvenile to me, to need to spout off online. Not everyone desired to jump into an online public square and just start yammering out their most banal thoughts for all to see (facebook); I was in early college when it was created, but before that as a high-schooler there were others: Livejournal, Myspace, etc.
Especially after early experiences as an unsupervised pre-teen playing in the wild-west chatrooms of anonymity with my fellow 11-13yo friends in the dial-up era, with shady adults running wild and unchecked online, I wasn’t chomping at the bit to offer myself to the masses. Accompanied by the technology itself, the newness of immediately connecting with strangers from your own home… it wasn’t something that felt welcome or necessary.
When I was 30, after my son was born, I gave social media a “real” try, mainly to keep family involved in his development, but I also connected with all sorts of people from my past and learned how boring and sad social media websites are. I hopped off after about 4 years and haven’t looked back.
I still don’t care what people ate for their meals or what they are doing every minute of the day, or even about the people themselves (they aren’t really in my life), and it is an *amazing* con that influencers have become a thing. They’re spokespeople, paid to create content for advertisers, and most are without any interesting opinions of their own. And yet, more power to them, I feel – there are some young, wealthy grifters out there. But, again, what a freakin Boring way to live!!
It is so BORING online. He is right, people: “There’s a lot of poetry in the woods.”
(Yes, I’m commenting here online, but I’ve read this loveable blog for 15-16 years, since the early days of the Cracken, Paris & Nicole, Jen/Brad/Ang, and original-faced Kim, so I’m hoping I’ve earned some older lady bitching rights. I am very selective about what I let into my life from the internet these days, and CB is one of only a few websites I visit daily. ❤️)
I’ve always been a huge Zach G. fan and everything he’s done creatively (whether critically successful or not) has been genuine to himself, which I very much appreciate, and I really respect his comments here.
Can’t wait to see his beanie baby movie too… living through THAT era was a drama unto itself!
I’d say that the biggest crimes of social media are the spread of misinformation and disinformation, and the platform that it gives to hate speech and bullying. But I also agree with everything that Zach said here! Social media IS boring.
I watched Beanie Bubble this weekend and, as someone who was a teen during the craze, really enjoyed it.
ZG is particularly great! Definitely worth the watch.
I am self-employed so I use LinkedIn as a business card and also info resource on business news.
Yes, social media is boring and you and your personal info are the products (Shoshana Zuboff etc).
Can’t speak about inciting hatred and misinfo on SM as I don’t know too much about that. However, will say this: I’m a little younger than Zach and a Gen Xer and I was in my late-20s when FB really took off. I am grateful for the time I had to grow up without social media especially as a woman. I don’t use SM but do have dummy accounts to follow news and access stories and content from public figures. I don’t have kids but my friends’ daughters accounts are usually public and visible with a basic google search. Can’t believe some of the stuff younger girls post and the creepy accounts that comment on their posts. They have a lot of peer pressure to be sexually alluring and look hot. The parents are not neglectful but are fairly wealthy and send their kids to good schools BTW. My friend’s daughter has an IG account where she sells her unwanted clothing and there were disturbing, inappropriate comments from older men.
Social media is poison and I think every generation will have their point of no return / exhaustion and abandonment like Gen Xs have (no one posts on FB anymore, according to my friends, for example).
And forgot to add, although I think there’s an exhaustion point for everyone and every generation when it comes to SM, you have to wonder at how much damage it’s already done when people are at that point.