Wed, June 18, 2003

The idea of I'm With Busey is far from unique. The Osbournes was first, and E!'s The Anna Nicole Smith Show has already been there as well. The concept is that you find some washed-up celebrity who's in a state of reduced mental capacity and follow them around with cameras until they do something stupid, then put that on television. This time, they've sent a so-called comedy writer along for the ride to provide narration, quip at Gary Busey's non sequiturs, and steer him towards humorous mishaps. The result is unconscionable, which is not to say that it isn't funny.

Based on my appreciation for Busey's insanity and his evident self-reflexivity in Comedy Central's promos, I felt compelled to check out an episode. I had managed to steer clear of all but the briefest clips of The Anna Nicole Smith Show, but this time I decided to set my conscience aside and go along for the ride. The result was mostly what I had expected, but with a twist. Busey's a wackjob, no doubt about it; however, there's just enough going on behind those eyes that you can't always tell whether he's having you on. Is he playing dopey because he knows what the show is about, or is he actually dopey? Forced to make a guess, I'd go with both. It appears to vary from moment to moment. That's what makes it somewhat entertaining.

He does have an artful command of the non sequitur. It would seem relatively difficult in this day and age to blurt out something absurd and random and get a laugh. We hear it so often, can anything still surprise us? Busey can. After threatening the self-professed comedy writer with Native American spears and performing an impromptu ballad accompanied by a tribal rain stick, Busey takes in breakfast at a Malibu eatery. The alleged comedy writer has never seen anyone eat oysters before, so Busey explains. He dips the oyster in horseradish and then salsa before sucking it down. The key, he says, is to let just enough of the horseradish off before plunging into the salsa.

Busey submerges the oyster in the horseradish, then holds it a few inches above his plate, bobbing it gently. Busey: "let it drip... let it pee..." Then on to the salsa!

I think the point of these shows is that celebrity is fleeting. These people have led these glamorous lives in the public eye for a certain period and we have certain expectations about what that must mean about them. About their wealth, their lifestyle, the kind of people they are. Having the bulk of their fame behind them, how has that affected their world view? That's what the point is supposed to be anyway. The real point is, let's laugh at Ozzy while he says funny things because he's coked his mind into oblivion. When I watch, however, I think a lot more about what it must be like to know that you're Norma Desmond. Osbourne may really be unaware of his current surroundings, but his wife is lucid. Busey appears to be as well. They know what part of their careers they're in. In the tenth grade, we called it "denouement."

So, how does that feel? When you're in the fame, it feels eternal. (How else to explain all the destructive behavior? If you didn't think you'd be a celebrity forever, you'd invest that cash rather than blowing it on bear whores and crack.) But when it's behind you, I wonder what that's like. Does Busey have regrets? Does Busey sign on for a show like I'm With Busey just for the money like we all suspect, or is it fun for him? Does he even need the money? Furthermore, I'm always transfixed by the "down time." Whether it's a result of wise planning or simply residuals, these people never seem to need to work. There's a lot of idle time. I go crazy if I have a five-day weekend. How does Busey survive it? What does he do with all the time when purported comedy writers aren't following him with camera crews? These sorts of questions will never be asked by I'm With Busey, but it does make me wonder.

As a result of Busey's evident awareness of the fundamental conceit of the show, I'm With Busey is at least somewhat watchable. Whether it will be redeeming enough to merit multiple viewings remains to be seen. I know one thing. After Busey wrapped up a self-designed experiment into the psyche of the fairer sex by dressing in drag and going to a dance club, he stepped onto the sidewalk and pulled off his wig to summarize his findings. That done, he turned to the putative writer and said "What are you doing later? You want to come over and smell clothes?" I laughed until I cried.

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