The Mirror

Need a sleep aid? Try watching Ezzzzzra Klein

Betsy Rothstein Gossip blogger
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The only things that could send you into a deeper slumber besides watching a “Vox Conversations” interview conducted by Ezra Klein would be to knock down a gallon of warm milk or pop one of MSNBC Mika Brzezinksi‘s Ambien pills.

Well, forget the Ambien and warm milk.

Watching Klein discuss cannabis policy with UCLA public policy prof Mark Kleiman in the latest 7-minute offering should do the trick.

In the video, your eyes will begin to glaze over as you notice that Klein’s mushroom-hued pants are the same color as the shitty slate flooring. Who would’ve thought Klein would have the sense to match his pants to the flooring? And what kind of room is that? It looks like squalor, the only interesting things in the background being a red star-shaped chotchke and a few bottles of liquor. The lack of a desk to shield the viewer from Klein’s waste down activity is especially distracting. The way he sits — legs crossed tightly, his dark cornflower blue boat shoes and blue-gray sweater only add to the swinging pendulum luring you into a siesta. He looks like he’s straight off the set of HBO’s new geek show, Silicon Valley. Your lids will get verrry heavy as you listen to Ezzz stare at his mind-numblingly boring interviewee and proceed to ask follow-ups that are about as interesting as Jim Lehrer during a presidential debate.

For his part, Kleiman, something of a hairy beast, looks like he hasn’t shaved or showered in a few hundred years.

A sampling of Ezzz’s questions and commentary: “When you dug into the evidence on how cannabis is actually used and how it might work under legalization what did you end up thinking were the difficulties of legalization?” And YAWWWNNN… “One of the questions about legalization policy is that while it’s bad for people to end up in the extreme heavy user category, it is incredibly profitable for a cannabis company to have people in that category.  If you legalized in a very broad way you would have incredibly strong economic incentives to add problem users as opposed to casual users.”

But since the operation is still brand spanking new, let’s give Ezzz the benefit of the doubt and let him find his sea legs and perhaps some pants that pop against the carpet. I’m not suggesting that he don the Washington uniform of a dark suit, white shirt and red tie. But how about some dark jeans and a blazer?

Maybe these interviews will get more lively as things progress. Maybe next time they could smoke something before the interview?

For now? Zzzzzzzzz.