Adam Carolla - Dennis Prager evening

While on vacation in Southern California this past week, saw a performance of Adam Carolla and Dennis Prager's touring conversation show at Cal State Northridge on March 16. As a frequent listener to Carolla's podcast, but less familiar with Prager, a conservative syndicated radio talk show host, it appeared to me that Prager, who may be more well-thought out on his own air, lost some of his logic in trying to keep up banter and witticisms back and forth with Carolla.

At one point, remarking on political correctness, Prager said we are choosing between fighting evil and fighting carbon emissions, which is really a false choice. Just because we ought to fight evil, it doesn't mean we shouldn't also be concerned about global warming, or can't be. Prager also pulled up another example of what he believes is liberalism gone too far -- President Obama's admittedly misstated remark, "you didn't build that," made while attempting to explain the benefits government can provide, like an interstate highway system. But again, Prager couched his criticism using a false choice, saying that the same roads liberals want to claim credit for as infrastructure that supports commerce -- are also the same roads rapists use. Well, sure, but society would never build anything if it went by the possibility that it could conceivably make crimes possible on a very tangential basis.

In contrast, Carolla is experienced at making what could be considered political points and doing so humorously, which showed on this evening. Further elaborating on those who allege that there is "white privilege" in society that ought to be compensated, he tells a story of applying to be a firefighter in L.A. when he was 19, and not getting called to take the test for nine years. Carolla decided to go take the test anyway at that point, and of course found minority applicants in line to take the test who had only just applied that week. Skillfully told, as you might agree.

Carolla may enjoy working with Prager and the banter they have, but I expected a bit more after having enjoyed a previously recorded version of this show that the duo did last year, in which they seemed to draw the humor more organically out of their conversation. On this night, Prager sounded more unglued, possibly out of an effort to try and keep up with Carolla's wit, or to be as entertaining or funny, when that isn't really his forte.