# 30 Rock, Oct 22 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 23, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-oct-22/514811 "2009-10-23T02:02:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-oct-22/514811/21 "2009-10-26T13:56:53Z")
> [@chique](#): > > I just watched it on tape and nearly fell out of my chair laughing at the “I have mercury poisoning from obsessively taking my rectal temperature” line. Exactly how many people has Jeremy Piven pissed off? I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t even make that (supremely obvious) connection. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-oct-22/514811/22 "2009-10-26T14:16:47Z")
For the Tracy Morgan doubters, I highly recommend his interview on NPR’s Fresh Air last week. Here’s a link to the story, which also has the audio at the top (which you can download if you like): > **[Tracy Morgan On Being 'The New Black'](https://www.npr.org/2009/10/22/114009203/tracy-morgan-on-being-the-new-black)** > > Tracy Morgan, a Saturday Night Live alumnus and one of the stars of NBC's 30 Rock, has a new memoir — I Am the New Black — about growing up in what he calls "Ghetto, USA." I’m constantly amazed by interviews on this show, and this one has been, by far, my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-oct-22/514811/23 "2009-10-26T22:59:19Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t even make that (supremely obvious) connection. I still don’t get it. A little help for the culturally ignorant? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-oct-22/514811/24 "2009-10-26T23:05:58Z")
> [@quixotic78](#): > > I still don’t get it. A little help for the culturally ignorant? [Jeremy Piven Quits Broadway Show](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/18/jeremy-piven-quits-broadw_n_151987.html). He claims mercury poison is to blame. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-oct-22/514811/25 "2009-10-26T23:18:26Z")
Tracy Morgan is disgusting. I love him. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-oct-22/514811/26 "2009-10-27T03:56:54Z")
I disliked Tracy in the beginning, but after several episodes either he got better or I did. Now I think he’s hysterically funny. I think my favorite episode was when he fired his entourage and didn’t know that he couldn’t really slam dunk a basketball without being lifted. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-oct-22/514811/27 "2009-10-27T04:32:23Z")
I loathed him on SNL (though re-watching the Brian Fellow segments, I can appreciate the utter absurdity), but agree with the others who say he’s the funniest thing on the show. The Andy Kaufman comparison seems apt: Is he really that clueless, or is that just his schtick? I know for sure Tina Fey’s not stupid, and she’s definitely written the character to maximize the impact of the lines when spoken with Morgan’s unique line readings. I’m of the opinion that the whole “Is he a total moron?” confusion is all part of the joke. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-rock-oct-22/514811.md?page=1)