What We Learnt From Alec Baldwin’s New Late Night Talk Show
Up Late premiered over the weekend in America. He's really into diner coffee?
It was not what we expected. That was the first impression made by Alec Baldwin’s new US late night program Up Late, which debuted on the American cable news network MSNBC over the weekend.
Baldwin has had an intriguing year, seeing off the much-loved 30 Rock, becoming a father again, jousting regularly with tabloid newspaper reporters and photographers and feuding on Twitter with his former Broadway acting colleagues.
All of which would have made fascinating fodder for his new weekly television platform. Yet, as some rather harsh critics have lamented, he chose to focus almost exclusively on politics.
As for the first show’s ratings, they were solid, but not spectacular.
So what else did we learn?
1. Alec Baldwin is not trying to be David Lettermen. Or Jimmy. Or even Jay.
We are accustomed to our night-time talk shows retaining a few things: a couch, a desk, a live studio audience and, if we’re lucky, some decent comic timing. Up Late happily goes against the grain, in that it possesses none of these.
For his debut, there was no live audience. Although a video-footage Manhattan backdrop behind Baldwin implied that it was evening, when the show was actually recorded was ambiguous.
Similarly, there was no monologue, nor was there much more than a formal introduction of the guest, leading New York City mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio, before we were straight into what turned out to be an in-depth 50-minute plus interview.
While the format of traditional talk shows allow for little substantial discussion to be exchanged, this long an interview on opening night was an interesting gambit.
2. Alec Baldwin Likes Diner Coffee
How else do we explain the set? It is a faux (albeit quite comfy looking faux) New York City diner with booths and wood paneling and green leather chairs. In fact, with its dim lighting and impeccable decor, it would not have surprised us to see Don Draper sitting in the corner sucking on an American Spirit, and stirring his Irish coffee.
The setting did allow the conversation between Baldwin and de Blasio to feel relatively intimate — although de Blasio could have done his host a favour and quietly said something about his hair between takes. Baldwin maintained a meticulous mane as Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock, yet here he had sculpted some kind of devil-horned fringe.
It was fairly distracting.
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3. Alec Baldwin thinks the wealthy — himself included — should do more
Although at times the conversation felt as is if we were eavesdropping on two men smoking cigars at the Friars Club on a Friday afternoon, Baldwin put forward a persuasive case that there is a strong group of wealthy liberals who are prepared to put their hand in their pocket and subsidise New York’s poorest.
His guest, who tellingly had spent much of the week talking with Wall Street and the big end of town, portrayed himself as seemingly of a like mind. “There is a profound sense of crisis,” he said of the city. “People feel economically insecure, and government has to address that. This idea is becoming mainstream.”
This led to Baldwin making a fairly coherent argument about the much-documented issue of income inequality in the US. Which leads us to our next point…
4. Alec Baldwin is clearly a wonk, but also maybe kind of a softy
Baldwin crisply delivered a couple of his thoughts on economics between questions — or, at times, as questions. He was particularly pressing on how de Blasio could potentially implement tax increases to fund his social programs. The two also talked about Mayor Bloomberg’s much-loathed stop-and-frisk program, before moving into the cuddlier territory of reflecting on their partners and family.
Baldwin revealed how he felt when he came to meet his current wife Hilaria, who was a yoga instructor. All of his previous relationships were a rehearsal for this one, he inferred with a twinkle in his eye. De Blasio then spoke of meeting his African-American wife Chirlane, and their life together with their children in Brooklyn.
There was a little irony in this, of course, considering Baldwin’s famously volcanic temper, and the press-leaked feuds with previous partners and his children. But naturally, that all went unsaid.
5. Alec Baldwin will not stop talking for commercials.
As the conversation warmed up, it was 15 minutes before there was an interruption for commercials. But rather than cut to a break, Baldwin just kept talking. Producers abruptly slotted in some jazz music that played over the top of Baldwin as he pressed on talking, seemingly oblivious that we couldn’t hear him.
6. Alec Baldwin will not let you hawk your latest “project”
It’s often stated – in the Australian market at least – that Andrew Denton’s Enough Rope is the best talk show of the modern era. Denton was brilliant at honing in on his subject and delivering meticulously researched, thoroughly entertaining interviews. Whether Baldwin is in that class is yet to be determined (although his brilliant podcast series Here’s The Thing stands him in good stead).
But Denton stated when Enough Rope began that the show would not be a promotional vehicle for celebrities to flog a new film, book or album. It would just be interviews, for interviews’ sake — an admirable aim, yet some of Denton’s best interviews were often with overseas stars who were on promo junkets in Australia, so it didn’t quite pan out that way.
Now Baldwin is stating the same thing. Up Late, he says, will be a “more personal than promotional” show; you won’t see Gerard Butler flogging his latest crappy film. He seems very firm on that, and he certainly has the charm and rolodex to make it work.
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You can watch Up Late online here.
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Andrew Murfett is a Melbourne-born writer and editor based in Miami. He has written for The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The West Australian, Faster Louder, Crikey, and AAP. You can read more musings at @amurfett
