Garden grows laughter from Elon crowd, fertilized by a healthy dose of sarcasm
By Hannah Williams
Oct. 29, 2008
ELON, N.C. – Joe Garden entertained the Elon community with The Onion’s satiric headlines and faux news broadcasts mocking the media’s political coverage over the past few campaign cycles in Whitley Auditorium at the university Wednesday.
“I think we need more people that are reading the real news,” said Gardner in the question-and-answer session that followed.
Garden is a senior writer at the weekly online newspaper that provides an interesting take on current event by making fun of the media.
Those who read the real news are better informed and can better appreciate the comedic value of entertainment like The Onion, The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, said Garden.
“What we end up doing,” said Garden, “is reflecting current events, because that’s what’s in the media. “
Garden said he considered himself a writer, rather than a “satiric informer,” as proposed by one student. He said his role was to mock the media.
“Stephen Colbert plays a character. His responsibility is to be true to his characters,” said Garden.
Of Jon Stewart he said, “I think as an entertainer, his responsibility is to the joke first, and to the current events second.”
“My job is important to the paper,” said Garner, “but my job is not important to the public at large.”
“People who read The Onion are a minority. People who read past the headlines are an even smaller minority,” he said.
Garden landed his job with The Onion while he was attending University of Wisconsin – Madison and working in a liquor store where he met Onion staffers with whom he shared his writing.
“Just write,” Garden advised students seeking jobs similar to his. “Try to write as many things as possible, and just get out there and meet a bunch of people.”
Working on The Onion is a lot of fun, said Garden. “We’ll talk about pretty much anything as long as we find the right angle.”
“We draw the line at nudity,” he claimed. Then he projected a photo of a nude man with a censor bar blocking his genitals, which was met with roaring laughter from the audience.
Writing for the paper is a collaborative, diplomatic process said Garden. “Everything we do is voted on,” he said.
Garden said it is becoming increasingly difficult to satirize the media, as the media itself becomes more outrageous.
He cited one of his favorite stories, written at a time when 3-blade razors were the big trend, titled “Fuck everything, we’re doing five blades.” Shortly thereafter Gillette launched a 5-blade razor and made Garden’s piece null.
Garden said he doesn’t watch a lot of TV and doesn’t read reader emails. “Then we really start not being true to ourselves and chase after something,” he said.
Garden said he doesn’t watch a lot of TV and doesn’t read reader emails. “Then we really start not being true to ourselves and chase after something,” he said.
Still, Garden is vying to replace Conan O’Brien on The Late Show; however, seeing as NBC has hired Jimmy Fallon, Garden said his campaign at votejoegarden.com is basically moot.
Fortunately, Garden has a successful career at The Onion to fall back on.
