Dem
47
GOP
53
We actually wrote a schadenfreude on this subject a couple of years ago. Right-wing conspiracist Alex Jones was forced into bankruptcy, and the satirical newspaper The Onion bought the rights to the name InfoWars. Not long after we wrote that item, legal complications developed. and it took a long time for them to get straightened out.
However, the legal wrangling is over, and the brand-new InfoWars launched yesterday (the URL isn't updated globally yet, so that link is to the alternate domain name the Onion has owned for years). The creative who is taking the lead at the new InfoWars, at least for now, is Tim Heidecker, best known as one of the two stars of Adult Swim's surreal comedy Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!.
The highlight of the launch was the first edition of a show that is scheduled to be posted weekly, and hosted, in part, by Heidecker:
It is not easy to describe. It is definitely part Colbert Report, and part Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. If you know Phil Hendrie, who would adopt fake voices and have outlandish arguments on radio with himself, it's got some of that, too. For example, the launch episode featured an interview with a supposed CIA agent named Neil Riker, who wanted to indulge in some conspiratorial thinking. "Riker" said that he's looked carefully at the death of JFK, and concluded that Kennedy did not kill himself, and that he was, in fact, assassinated. He also opined that the 9/11 attacks were not an inside job, and instead appear to be the work of terrorists.
Much of the first episode was given over to Alex Jones, in various ways, since without him it would not have been possible. There was an obituary, occasioned by his having eaten too many Whataburgers, and having exploded in his SUV. There were also a bunch of "advertisements" for Jones-like products, like cross-shaped Band-Aids called "Demon Guard" that guarantee "24-hour holy protection from all dark entities" and Pure-O Oxygen Capsules, which will ensure that you get all the oxygen you need.
Heidecker also has a longer-term vision for the site. He wants it to become a hub for streaming comedy from up-and-coming young comics. And, in particular, taking note of Jones' long history of anti-LGBTQ speech, Heidecker says he wants to highlight trans comics in particular. If you suspect that may be tongue-in-cheek, take note of the new InfoWars logo, which is rainbow-colored:
We don't think they're joking about this, especially since goal #1 is to poke Alex Jones in the eye. And if it helps, (Z) has seen some up-and-coming trans comics live, and some of them are very good.
Anyhow, that is some Grade A schadenfreude right there. If only Jones had laid off the Whataburgers, and had lived to see it. (Z)