Ricky Gervais Weighs in on “Fame”

I like Ricky Gervais, even though he constantly finds new uncharted ways to be obnoxious. Ah, here we are: last summer, I called him “affably irritating.” I think that still fits.

His newest, Life’s Too Short, premieres Sunday on HBO (I posted a great clip over here).

Anytime Gervais writes a column for the Huffington Post—admittedly, they’re all timed to promote his latest project—I always take notice. His newest article, “On Fame,” lends Hollywood some much-needed levity. It also goes far in explaining why he really gnashed his teeth at the Golden Globes last year:

But if The Office reflected those quaint docu-soaps of the 90s that followed ordinary people having their 15 minutes, Life’s Too Short reflects the more modern age—desperate, fame-hungry monsters who will do anything just to be on the telly.

You know, so-called role models living their lives like open wounds to accumulate column inches, so they can then get some ghost-writer to spread those inches over several “autobiographies” to cash in on their infidelity, drug abuse, life of crime and personal tragedy. You can’t help but think many should have called a doctor before they called a publicist.

I’ve always been fascinated by the subject of fame. Probably because I’ve never really understood it. Or rather, I’ve never really understood why people would put fame above all else. And it seems to be getting worse. A recent university survey asked a sample of ten-year-olds what they wanted to be when they grew up. They answered “famous.” Just famous.

I guess I always wanted to be eminent. That’s the old word for fame, by the way. Being known for something. Being known for being good at something. Maybe even the best at something. “Fame” used to be fused with “respect” in some ways. That’s what distinguished it from infamy. But not any more.

Ah, Ricky! Bombastic, wise, sage-like Ricky. Read the whole article! You might discover he doesn’t irritate you at all.