Jay Leno might actually be a flawed, interesting person

Jay Leno, the human inside the joke machine. (Image via Wikipedia)

Forget all the talk of economic realities, business decisions and doing well in key demographics. Ignore the stories about how underwhelming ratings for “The Jay Leno Show” are decimating NBC affiliates’ 11 p.m. news revenues, how affiliates are hopeful the situation will change and how the entire scenario may end up reshaping NBC as we’ve known it for the last 50 years.

Put all that aside… because the most fascinating part of NBC’s decision to create a low-cost 10 p.m. show for Jay Leno five nights a week is that Leno’s amiable, anything-for-a-laugh, good-guy-and-loyal-corporate-soldier mask might finally be slipping. And, dare we say it, Jay Leno might actually be an interesting person. (Note: That’s not the same as saying his show is any funnier, but it does mean he’s getting a lot more interesting to read about.)

In a candid interview with Broadcasting and Cable magazine — and at a time when he’s getting savaged by the press for his new show and NBC’s decision to air it — Leno actually took off his metaphoric NBC employee ID badge and his just-a-guy-telling-jokes smile long enough to speak rather honestly, with tinges of bitterness, feistiness, flaws and realism… you know, like a real person instead of a robotic joke machine.

It’s surprising, only because for so long Leno and NBC have carefully stage-managed the Leno persona as the happy-go-lucky worker bee, the lone sane guy in a business of neurotics and crazies; a Mr. Stability and Loyalty who never wants to piss anybody off, he’s just trying to get a laugh. Whatever needs to be done, Leno’s the guy who can do it.

Well, it turns out that Jay Leno is a more complex person than that.

He’s frustrated by all the bad press, much of which he thinks is misdirected at him when it should be NBC taking the heat for removing 5 hours of scripted shows. But he’ll take the hits because the show’s got his name on it — and that’s what he gets paid for. “I’m not happy to do it, it’s my job. Grow up, people. Here’s a lot of money, go out and do this. It’s the way it works. I’m not protecting Jeff Zucker, nor am I hiding behind him.”

He admits that if NBC asked him to move back to 11:30, he’d be happy to do it — not exactly a comforting pat on the back to Conan O’Brien. So much for glad-handing and good corporate soldier. That’s going to be some office Christmas party.

And as for that famous Leno loyalty? “As long I’m making money for the company, I will be here. When I’m not making money for the company, I won’t be here, and I understand how that works.”

And in the weirdest bit, Leno lays out his strategy for making “The Jay Leno Show” successful: just keep absorbing the emotional body blows until the press and the audience get tired of making him their punching bag: “The one thing about TV is the longer you’re on, the longer you’re on. If you get past an initial point, then you’re there… I do take a certain perverse pleasure in this. See how low you can go, rock bottom, before you can keep crawling back up again.”

Read the whole interview at BroadcastingCable.com. It’s worth it.

Jay Leno and “The Jay Leno Show” aren’t any funnier today than they were last Friday. And their effect on the future of NBC isn’t any clearer than it was last Friday. But at least for today, Jay Leno has finally shown something his show — and his stage persona — have always lacked for me: a little grit… some rough edges. Something interesting worth watching.

Too bad we never see that on his show.