# Why does Kanye West continue to try and test the boundaries of assholish behavior? \[VMA Spoiler\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 14, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991 "2009-09-14T01:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/161 "2009-09-15T02:17:17Z")
I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan: my daughter and I listen to her music quite often. Normally, I wouldn’t be in the market for a Beyonce album. After the class she displayed last night, however, I may just have to go buy one. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/162 "2009-09-15T02:22:27Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I’m just frustrated that we’ll be (in my prediction) subjected to a storm of media bullshit about how Obama’s once again making hasty comments. I agree with Obama, I’m angry about the leak. I don’t think so at all. This is a bipartisan issue in which everyone already agrees with Obama anyway. When I heard Obama called West a jackass, my response was “Duh.” A knee-jerk reaction presupposing stupidity on the part of law enforcement officers based solely on the allegations of one hot-headed Harvard professor is another matter entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/163 "2009-09-15T02:22:53Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I’m just frustrated that we’ll be (in my prediction) subjected to a storm of media bullshit about how Obama’s once again making hasty comments. I _agree_ with Obama, I’m angry about the leak. You’re not serious, are you? Some wingnut is going to contradict Obama here? He just won the grudging respect of half the teabaggers, er, I mean, tea partiers. He came to the defense of a lil’ ol’ good ol’ girl and pwned the guy who called out GWB after Katrina. I think Joe Wilson posted a thank you note in the mail. Our resident knuckle-dragger in Austin, “Sergeant Sam,” will be singing Obama’s praises, right before he goes into a diatribe about his National Socialist tendencies. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/164 "2009-09-15T02:29:33Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I’m just frustrated that we’ll be (in my prediction) subjected to a storm of media bullshit about how Obama’s once again making hasty comments. I _agree_ with Obama, I’m angry about the leak. Believe it or not: the Freepers are joking about how they feel dirty for AGREEING with him. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/165 "2009-09-15T02:38:56Z")
You never see Kanye West and **Rand Rover** in the same place, do you…? ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/166 "2009-09-15T02:44:28Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Is she actually hot? She looks pretty on tv but I can’t tell for sure under all the makeup and soft lighting. [This picture](http://cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/78/17/taylor-swift.jpg) suggests to me that she’s probably pretty doofusy-looking when she wakes up in the morning. I have the feeling that she is well-aware that she is doofusy-looking. While the [video](http://www.youtube.com/user/taylorswift) in question is more than a little cliche, I think that noone can deny that she embraces her doofusosity. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/167 "2009-09-15T02:47:59Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Believe it or not: the Freepers are joking about how they feel dirty for AGREEING with him. :eek: I guess I’m not a “Freeper”; how could anyone _not_ agree with Obama in this instance? ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/168 "2009-09-15T02:49:52Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > And I will call him “Kayne” from now on. (Please, **Nutty Bunny** , don’t tell me that it’s a typo!) 🙂 > > BTW, I’d like to go with “douchehole” for new coinage. The other term is trying to accomplish too much. I’m sorry, but it WAS a typo. And I sort of agree with you on the word coinage. My brother and I have a “tool, douchebag or asshole” game and he coined the word because there are some people who are all three but “douchehole” falls trippingly from the tongue…I like it! ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/169 "2009-09-15T03:01:22Z")
A big thumbs up to Jay Leno for making poor wittle kane cwy. I almost turned it off when not one single person booed him; in fact the crowd went wild (disgusting!); however, Jay played the “Mother” card! Oh, SNAP! ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/170 "2009-09-15T03:05:16Z")
Kanye CRIED? Is this up on youtube yet? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/171 "2009-09-15T05:43:41Z")
> [@Roland\_Orzabal](#): > > \ > Now, however, I’m imagining Kanye pulling this shit on Trace Adkins. I do believe I’d like to see the results of that. At the very least, it’d be far more entertaining. My guess is he’d get a six-string massage. And no happy ending. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/172 "2009-09-15T05:49:35Z")
[Kanye West talks to Jay Leno.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkUWtuB6V7Y) (As an aside, Jay Leno has the biggest head in the world.) ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/173 "2009-09-15T06:51:24Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Is she actually hot? She looks pretty on tv but I can’t tell for sure under all the makeup and soft lighting. [This picture](http://cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/78/17/taylor-swift.jpg) suggests to me that she’s probably pretty doofusy-looking when she wakes up in the morning. I think she’s cute. I don’t think she looks particularly “doofusy” in that pic… but I kind of like the “doofusy look”, or “dorky”, or however Mary Lynn Raskub is or Felicia Day are to be categorized. I like some character. edit: I see the prob. But is she _“HOT”_? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/174 "2009-09-15T07:01:26Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Kanye CRIED? Is this up on youtube yet? Jay asked Kanye what his mom would think about what he said to Taylor last night. Kanye’s mother died rather suddenly after surgery-gone-wrong earlier this year. While I think Kanye is an epic douche and perhaps Jay had a point, that was low. [Video here.](http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/transcript-kanye-tells-jay-leno-i-need-to-take-time-off-and-figure-out-how-to-improve/) ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/175 "2009-09-15T07:23:37Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Jay asked Kanye what his mom would think about what he said to Taylor last night. > > Kanye’s mother died rather suddenly after surgery-gone-wrong earlier this year. > > While I think Kanye is an epic douche and perhaps Jay had a point, that was low. [Video here.](http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/transcript-kanye-tells-jay-leno-i-need-to-take-time-off-and-figure-out-how-to-improve/) What was low? Jay asking about his mother? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/176 "2009-09-15T07:24:57Z")
> [@Nutty\_Bunny](#): > > [tinfoilhat]So Jay Leno’s first musical guest on his first show (which is predicted to tank) is Kanye “toochehole\*” West? This CAN’T be a coincidence, right? Did Jay pay Kanye to be an asshole to build publicity for Leno’s show? [/tinfoilhat] Remember that the interview that really put Jay on the map was early in his late night career when he got Hugh Grant just a few days after the actor solicited a street prostitute. So I’m sure a savvy booker thought the Kanye thing was an excellent incident to capitalize on. No conspiracy here, just SOP for a show that needs some good early buzz (though whether it actually worked for Jay’s opener is another question). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/177 "2009-09-15T08:03:15Z")
So are Kanye, Taylor Swift and Obama going to have to have a beer together or what? Is she old enough to have a beer in DC? If I were Obama I would just have Taylor and Beyonce. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/178 "2009-09-15T12:16:58Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Remember that the interview that really put Jay on the map was early in his late night career when he got Hugh Grant just a few days after the actor solicited a street prostitute. > > So I’m sure a savvy **booker** thought the Kanye thing was an excellent incident to capitalize on. Had to read several times before reading the right word there! (I guess you could call West a media ho?) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/179 "2009-09-15T12:17:38Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > Great. Apparently that was from an “off-the-record” part of the interview and some moron in the studio tweeted it. I predict that this will now get dragged into the healthcare debate. The moron was Moran, I thought. That’s kind of appropriate. Somebody at ABC is going to get chewed out pretty harshly at over this. Which shouldn’t distract from the main point: Kanye _is_ a jackass and it’s nice to hear a president tell it like it is instead of being diplomatic. [By the way, Leno booked Kanye more than a month ago.](http://www.theinsider.com/news/2667406_Jay_Leno_Lines_Up_Jay_Z_Rihanna_Kanye_West_For_First_Show) It turned out to be good timing, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991/180 "2009-09-15T12:21:42Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Remember that the interview that really put Jay on the map was early in his late night career when he got Hugh Grant just a few days after the actor solicited a street prostitute. > > So I’m sure a savvy booker thought the Kanye thing was an excellent incident to capitalize on. No conspiracy here, just SOP for a show that needs some good early buzz (though whether it actually worked for Jay’s opener is another question). But when was he booked? If he was a last minute booking, I can see Jay wanting to take advantage of the publicity. But if he was booked a while ago–and I was mostly joking about this–you could say that it was a set up between Jay, Kanye, Taylor, whoever so Jay could get the same buzz that he got from the Hugh Grant interview. But it’s doubtful that Kanye’s ego would allow him to do Jay’s bidding. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kanye-west-continue-to-try-and-test-the-boundaries-of-assholish-behavior-vma-spoiler/509991.md?page=10)