I had a conversation with a friend of a friend recently who was not from around here. That is to say, she wasn’t from America at all. She grew up in South England and this was her first trip to New York. She informed that while she grew up on a steady diet of American pop culture, she was no expert on the subject and felt very lost in New York City (“It’s nothing like Sex in the City,” she informed me.) She was telling me about how she couldn’t quite describe Manhattan in relation to other cities she had visited, how Manhattan felt like so many places at once, a complicated puzzle nobody could solve, and I informed her that trying to summarize New York City is a fool’s errand. She then asked me what movies or TV shows felt best captured the essence of New York City, and it sent my brain into a tailspin. A lot of things popped up at once. Some were obvious answers. Most Woody Allen films, for starters. Taxi Driver, Dog Day Afternoon, The French Connection. Then you got your TV shows, all of whom do the city justice. Seinfeld, of course. 30 Rock is a staple. Broad City is brilliant and captures the essence of being young, lost and stoned in New York City (unlike it’s melodramatic cousin Girls.) It seemed like a great recommendation, until I remembered Billy on the Street. At first, it seemed like a game show with such games as “Rapper or Nic Cage character?” doesn’t quite fit the profile, but Billy Eichner sure as hell does.
Billy Eichner yells. He yells a lot. It’s his thing. His shtick, as far as most people are concerned (“The best part of that is when you scream at me,” declared David Letterman with zero irony after playing a game with him entitled “Celebrity Child or Kentucky Derby Winner.”) In his game show and most of his media appearances, he asks trivia questions related to pop culture. Though it starts with a calm explanation, it frequently escalates into comedic explosion as Billy grows frustrated with the participants lack of knowledge. He has other moves in his comedy toolkit yet people seem to focus only on the fact that, yes, Billy Eichner yells a lot, and your amusement of this may vary.
His profile has increased dramatically in the past year. The third season of Billy on the Street aired and featured a murderer’s row of special guests (Olivia Wilde, Neil Patrick Harris, Paul Rudd, to name a few.) He’s done rounds on pretty much every major talk show in America. He has a recurring role on Parks and Recreation. His new show, Difficult People, an Amy Poehler-produced comedy starring him and Julie Klausner, was picked up for a full season on Hulu and will debut next year. He had a featured bit at the Emmys that killed and was perhaps the only saving grace in an otherwise bland evening of typical award show charades.
Despite this, Billy has caught a lot of unnecessary flack. There are people who call out his shtick, persona, whatever you want to call it. It’s grating. It’s annoying. It gets old fast. Not that we should ever live our lives by YouTube comments (or even look at them to begin with), but for every ten comments that are positive, there’s at least one negative person typing “this faggot isn’t funny.” I really don’t think Billy Eichner is disliked because he’s gay, though there are certainly some homophobic ass holes out there who beg to differ. I don’t see straight people, specifically males, watching Billy Eichner and thinking “Well, he’s gay, and I’m straight, so I can’t actively watch this guy.” I’m pretty sure we’re getting better on that front. Most Americans aren’t looking at it through that viewpoint.
The Post-Academy 