The Laird Recommends: Da Ali G Show

I know most of you have HBO, so Ali G is probably old news to you. I got the first three episodes on DVD, and I've got to say, this guy lived up to my high expectations.

For those who don't know, Ali G is an alter ego of (white) British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. His TV show (which orginally aired in Britain) is now (in)famous for duping former senior U.S. government officials to be interviewed by Ali G, who asks lots of ingeniously stupid questions while keeping a straight face. The first three episodes treat us to Ali G "keepin' it real" with Brent Scowcroft (an awfully good sport), James Woolsey, Ed Meese, Newt Gingrich (extremely uncomfortable), and Richard Thornburg. The best sport he interviews is Boutros-Boutros Gali, whose name Ali G adds another "Boutros" to each time he says it. At the end of an episode, Gali delivers a message to the audience:

BBG: I am Boutros-Boutros Gali. Put down your guns, and listen to...
Ali G: Bob Marley.
BBG: ...Bob Marley!

Cohen's pranks are more painful when played on (more) innocent targets, such as when he goes through a day of police training in Philadelphia (waves the gun around everywhere, tells suspects "they fucked with the wrong cop," and won't touch guys when he pat-searches them), or when one of his other two alter egos, Borat, an extremely awkward and sexually frustrated Kazakhstani "news correspondent", plays out very embarassing situations with (what I presume are) unsuspecting people. Still, these are hilarious.

I took the time to transcibe this exchange between Ali G and Will Glaspy, a very earnest and serious-minded special agent for the DEA. Here, they are referring to a bag full of MDMA tablets:

Ali G: If kids out there absolutely has to take some, how many is it safe for them to take?

DEA Agent: For somebody to put even one of these in their body -- you know -- is absolutely crazy:

Ali G: Cuz' me mate Dave took 24 in one night. The next day, he was really buzzin', had loads of energy, and everyone on the Eggham to Langley Village bus said that he drove it better than ever before.