Le Rouge À Lèvres Sur Un Cochon

by hilzoy

You may, by now, have heard about the prank call made to Sarah Palin by two Canadian comics pretending to be Nicholas Sarkozy. If not, here it is:

And here's the Palin campaign's response:

"Gov. Palin received a phone call on Saturday from a French Canadian talk show host claiming to be French President Nicholas Sarkozy," emailed spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt. "Gov. Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy, and other celebrities in being targeted by these pranksters. C'est la vie."

Now: I do not want to make fun of Sarah Palin over this. (I would be prepared to make fun of whomever it is who screens her calls, but that's different.) After I first heard this, I tried to imagine being in her position -- wondering what on earth was going on, not wanting to say "huh?" to someone who might, after all, be Sarkozy, etc. And sometime around the point at which the non-Sarkozy says" "I love the documentary they made on your life -- you know, Hustler's "Nailin' Paylin"?", it seemed pretty clear to me that she had caught on. (That said, I do think she should have known the name of the Prime Minister of Canada.)

What I want to do is footnote the call, because it's funny. (This was definitely a moment when it would have been good to speak French: she would have caught on a lot quicker. I was in stitches.) Here are the bits I've figured out:

"My special American advisor, Johnny Hallyday": Johnny Hallyday was an established rock star back when I was in junior high. During the Ford Nixon administration. I believe that Jimi Hendrix played his first concert opening for Johnny Hallyday. This YouTube is kind of funny, both for the alarming 60s-esqueness and for the little "Waoww!" bits on the bridge, which for some reason reduced me to hysterics.

Hunting: "Like we say in French, on peut tuer des bébé phoques" -- trans.: we could kill some baby seals.

"The Prime Minister of Canada, Stef Carse": this one I only know because Politico flagged it (though I did know that whatever the comedian said, it wasn't "Stephen Harper".) This YouTube is definitely worth checking out: it's his French version of 'Achy Breaky Heart'.

I don't know who the comedian says is the Prime Minister of Quebec, but it's not Jean Charest.

The song Carla allegedly wrote for Palin: "Le Rouge À Lèvres Sur Un Cochon", or: Lipstick on a pig.

Anyone else catch other funny bits?

***

Update: not funny, but in the interests of completeness:

From the very beginning: "This is Franck Louvrier; I'm with President Sarkozy..." Franck Louvrier is, in fact, Sarkozy's communications advisor.

Comments

[publius]

best thing EVER!

[cvcobb01]

I thought this line was funniest, hands down:

"Gov. Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state..."

Sarah Palin? A head of state? Hahahahahaha!

Oh, wait...

[Lindsay Beyerstein]

Faux Zarkosy claims that Mr. Richard Z. Sirois is the "prime minister" of Quebec.

Sirois is a broadcaster and comedian in Quebec.

[publius]

did i mention that was the best thing ever

[hilzoy]

You should definitely watch the YouTubes... *giggles*

[matttbastard]

Transcript here.

[Adam]

Sarah Palin was focusing so hard on the Russians that she didn't see those dirty Canucks sneaking up on her. Alaska is under siege, myfriendsmyfriendsmyfriends.

[ricko]

Hilzoy, if you think she was catching on then I have a bridge to sell you in Alaska. She was totally clueless.

[Bellwetherman]

She thought President Sarkozy was ringing her up to chat? Or that he had some important message to relay to her? Or what?

I'm sorry, but this level of gullibility is inexscusable. Sarah Palin is a nitwit.

[David]

BTW. that should be Le Rouge À Lèvres Sur Une Cochonne, a sow not a boar.

[David]

Just for completeness, I should add that cochonne is slang for slut!

[byrningman]

How on earth do you fall for this?

[Marshall]

"Sarkozy": "I just love killing those animals. Mm, mm. Take away a life, that is so fun!"

Palin: Ha! Ha! Ha!

Maybe this was uncomfortable laughter, but if Palin wasn't catching on by that point, then she is definitely tone-deaf to satire.

[pete]

It's amazing the the VP candidate for the republicans doesn't know the name of the Prime Minister of the country that is the US's biggest trading partner, Canada?

There's only 2 countries that border the US and she doesn't know the name of the Prime Minister of one of them?

Alaska is next door to Canada, so how hard can it be to not know the name of the Canadian Prime Minister? After all, she can probably see Canada from her front door too:)

Mrs energy expert doesn't even know the name of the prime minister of the country that is the biggest supplier of energy to the US?

Let alone her not knowing the name of the Premier of Quebec, the 2nd largest Canadian province. Or that there is no prime minister of quebec, it would be like a Canadian thinking there is a president of the state of Florida.

All politicians get pranked, no big shame in that. The big shame is that she's so clueless about the country next door to her. And she's want's to be one heart attack away from the presidency.

What an embarrassment. The US has already had one joke as president, does it really need another as VP?

[eglantine]

I didn't think it was funny. They made fun of her by means of an elaborate deception. I find the whole thing unpleasant.

[wonkie]

What really amazes me is that someone can just call Sarah Palin up. Isn't she busy? Isn't there some sort of formal procedure whereby the employees of one Very Important PErson negotiate contact on their employer's behalf with the employees of Another Very IMportant PErson, a procedure prehaps taking days or weeks, before the actual contact is made?

[Jack]

It was a funny gag. But, I'm not sure that the joke was only on Palin. When did this happen? I assume that it was recent. If so, how the hell did they find her as she's been a busy girl, doing several cities each day? And, I doubt that the Secret Service publishes her hotel plans nor allows un-screened calls through. Like Wonkie wrote, if the president of France was going to call, wouldn't someone from his staff take some time to arrange it, rather than a cold call? I fear that the joke is on us, and a good one at that.

[Paul Gowder]

Why did I listen to this? The pain. The pain. It's just amazing the sort of ditzy "oh wowwww" that is her response to odd behavior by someone who she thinks is the President of France.

[Paul Gowder]

Actually, on second thought, it does sound rather fake. Has anyone actually confirmed that it was really Palin?

[DJA]

According to this article in La Presse, they spent five days setting up the call, and passed Secret Security clearance.

[Natasha October]

Oh, I think you have to cut Palin some slack on this one, but the person screening her calls will never, ever work anywhere but Kinkos ever again.

[Gary Farber]

I found it painfully embarrassing to listen to, myself, rather than funny. I wanted to pull something over my head, rather than listen.

[Bernard Yomtov]

I thought parts were hilarious, especially when "Sarkozy" told her that when he looked out his window he could see Belgium.

[hilzoy]

Gary: yeah, the Palin parts. I was all torn, though, because whenever Palin would speak, I hated it, since I could imagine being in that situation, except for the international media interest, anyone caring enough to pull such a stunt, etc.; but having caught the Johnny Hallyday reference initially, whenever the guy spoke I couldn't stop laughing.

I mean: when I was in -- 7th? 8th? -- grade, I spent about three weeks on an exchange program, living with a family in Paris. Johnny Hallyday was a Big Pop Star at the time, though I didn't care for him much. I hadn't given him a moment's thought since then. Major blast from the past.

[david kilmer]

What would be super funny is if someone put a big "kick me" sign on her back. She wouldn't even know it was there, but we'd all see it right there on her back! And she's so dumb, she'd fall for it!

[Deborah]

Why do we have to excuse Palin for this? Her behavior was utterly unprofessional: why should we excuse her for gushing, giggling, and even flirting with who she thinks is a foreign head of state? Why should we excuse this kind of naivete in someone who could very well be president in a few months? She is shockingly ill informed about the world, we all know, but she is also shockingly ill behaved. Why does she not ask questions? I think what is on display is her complete and utter narcissism: she thinks Sarkozy has actually called her up to chat inconsequentially; she brings the conversation around to his wife, with whom she clearly and sadly identifies, etc. She doesn't catch on because she doesn't think. It's funny but it's far worse than Bush's ignorance, IMHO.

[Gary Farber]

"I hadn't given him a moment's thought since then. Major blast from the past."

I run across references to Johnny Hallyday now and again. The concept of him is funny in an American context. I thought some of the stuff thrown at her was faintly clever, smileworthy, but mostly I was just embarrassed for her.

I tend to just have empathy with people who make themselves look stupid. Even when I despise them.

I never could stand the Three Stooges, either.

I've never liked comedy that makes people look dumb, much, either.

This is not a criticism of those who found this prank hilarious. In fact, I almost never find prank humor funny as a genre, either, for the same reasons. I just hate seeing people put in bad situations, no matter how much they deserve it. Except when, of course, I find an exception.

[Gary Farber]

I sense sarcasm on behalf of david kilmer, because I am wise and sensitive in such matters.

I guess cheap shots aren't the best shots.

But maybe I just need to take more drugs. And I'm such a damn killjoy. (But loveable, damnit!)

[Gary Farber]

I've had a lot of folks try to make nice to me, via phone or email or IM, despite getting facts wrong, over the decades. It's often involve awkward giggling or the equivalent in text or talk. It tends to involve babble and spinning for minutes.

It's embarrassing and awkward.

It's painful.

Hearing anyone put through it doesn't bring me joy. It just strikes me as a form of being creepy.

When loved ones spun me, I was sad that they felt it necessary to spin me. When anyone does it, I'm sad.

I've always been struck by how if anyone is willing to spin me on the way up, that they'll be willing to spin me on the way down.

And so it has gone. With people who approached as friends, and people who approached as lovers.

Fakeness is fakeness is... stuff I hate and despise.

That there's political advantage to it simply makes me dislike our popular culture.

I am, indeed, a killjoy. But, hey, enjoy. Call me a stupid innocent.

[david kilmer]

Yeah, I was being sarcastic. I don't know what came over me. Maybe I need some drugs.

I just don't like seeing people embarrassed. Embarrassing people is a form of cruelty, however mild. Cruelty seems - to me - our ugliest instinct. The enjoyment of cruelty is second.

I'm aware, though, that I'm simply way too sensitive about it. I was "different" in several ways as a kid and got picked on a lot. As an adult, I've also been "spun" - in both directions.

I do realize that cruelty has played an important part in human social evolution. It's probably as necessary as aggression. But I've always preferred cruelty that at least risks something.

[david kilmer]

"Except when, of course, I find an exception."

The only exception I can think of off the top of my head is the Colbert interview where he asks the Congressman (Westmoreland?) to name the ten commandments. That guy truly deserved it.

I felt bad for him, though.

[Marshall]

I too found the prank more painful than funny. Still, I'm amazed that Palin didn't catch on sooner. There were lots of clues. I can certainly understand missing one or two of them, but almost every sentence uttered by "Sarkozy" was off-key in one way or another -- and Palin seemed oblivious until near the end. I mean, would he really be talking about seeing Belgium from his house, how much fun it is to take a life, or how hot his wife is in bed?

On the other hand, I can understand how confusing it might be if one thought there was the slightest chance that the caller might actually be Sarkozy. That's not an easy situation to navigate gracefully. I thought I sensed discomfort in Palin toward the end, and I did feel sorry for her.

[D.R.]

Haven't you ever had to talk someone who was supposedly an 'important' person who turned out to be a boob? I have had that happen plenty, and if you're raised to be polite, you simply try to chuckle your way through it and get to the end. If you could see the cartoon bubble over Palin's head during this call, it probably would have been 'WTF?', but she assumed (because the call had been vetted, for cripe's sake!) that this guy was really Sarkozy or Sarkozy's minion. I think this was a lousy, dirty trick and I agree with Gary that it just isn't funny at all.

I'm absolutely no Palin fan, but this is just stupid and it's a cheap shot. I'd rather hit her on her actual shortcomings, not her gullibility to a couple of juvenile comedians.

[MandyW]

I'm with Gary and others who found the cruelty of this prank more painful than funny.

Probably that's because I'm not so smugly sure that I wouldn't have fallen for a similar gag, either as a call screener or a candidate.

The Wikipedia entry for the Masked Avengers, explains that comedians Sébastien Trudel and Marc-Antoine Audette have fooled a lot of high-profile people. Most notably, in January 2006, they convinced French President Jacques Chirac that he was talking to newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Palin has been rightfully criticized for some despicable campaign rhetoric. But all this call proves is that [a] she didn't recognize a few pop-culture names well known to Canadians and/or French speakers and [b] she continued being polite and giving the caller the benefit of the doubt for a minute or so even when she may have had her doubts.

Snotty, hypercritical nit picking over trivial offenses gives Palin defenders grounds for dismissing legitimate criticisms as just partisan bias.

Dehumanizing the people we disagree dehumanizes us as well.

[hilzoy]

To be clear: I do not, in fact, mean to be poking fun at, still less dehumanizing, Sarah Palin. As I said, I can easily see reacting the way she did.

[byrningman]

I'm with Gary and others who found the cruelty of this prank more painful than funny.

I don't see how the prank is at all cruel. Is Sarah Palin ten years old? I was under the impression the she was a notably combative politician.

I also think your enjoyment of it depends entirely on getting the Halliday reference at the beginning, which is laugh out loud funny, and sets the rest up. Basically their MO is to get more and more outrageous during the call.

[matttbastard]

I would likely react the same way, too -- which is partly why I found it to be so funny (if you can't laugh at yourself...). Far from "dehumanizing" Palin (*eyeroll* holy fainting couch, Batman), her all-too-familiar response was, IMO, one of the most unvarnished, 'Average Jane' moment in an election in which fauxpulist affectation has been de rigueur.

[MoeLarryAndJesus]

I'm supposed to somehow feel badly that this ruthless Cheney-like woman who gets off on slaughtering animals from the air was mildly embarrassed by a 5 minute phone call? Seriously?

Not even for a minute.

[Larv]

OT, but anyone who hasn't read http://fafblog.blogspot.com/>Fafblog today should do so immediately.

[david kilmer]

"I'm supposed to somehow feel badly that this ruthless Cheney-like woman who gets off on slaughtering animals from the air was mildly embarrassed by a 5 minute phone call? Seriously?"

Did anyone suggest that you had an obligation to feel a particular way?

Anyway, that would obviously violate your first amendment rights.

[wonkie]

If I was a good Buddhist I would share the sentiments expressed upthread: empathy for Sarah Palin, discomfort with her embarrassment.

But at least the phone prank wasn't personal. The two pransters just target famous people.

The SNL sketch on the other hand...McCAin comes off as funny and self-depreciating but Tina fey plays Palin as a shallow, mercenary backstabber who is running for President.

Which is remarkable since McCain was right there, star of the skit which was so vicious (albeit accurate, in my opinion).

So he ws complict.

His wife, by the way, had a Vanna White role: she stepped into the scene, looked blonde, and left).

Sarah palin can write off the prank as a sort of weird compliment: proof that she's famous enoiugh now to be pranked by famous pranksters. But to have her running mate participate in a TV show that makes her look like the Holly Hunger character in "THe Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom"? Way worse.

But thoroughly deserved.

[mason]

Johnny Hallyday is a pretty big star in France even today.

Maybe worth noting that "Franck Louvrier" could be translated as "Frank the Worker."