Mo Rocca, the head correspondent for The Daily Show on Comedy Central, waited in the corner of the room. Forgoing the usual bowtie, Rocca was wearing a red t-shirt with "Stevenson's" printed across the chest, a pair of plaid pants, Birkenstocks and a trademark of his: a pair of oddly attractive rectangular glasses.
The room was completely filled with students, way more than the number of chairs (or the fire code allowance), but it didn't seem to bother anyone, everyone was waiting excitedly.
We all sat through the normal amount of technical errors associated with a small college presentation: an accidental heavy-metal music video blared on the screen for a few seconds before being stopped, and there was the occasional buzzing microphone and feedback.
Then came the moment we had all been waiting for.
Rocca started the show in rock-star style, leaping up onto the small stage. "You know this is a big occasion, because I'm wearing my clown pants," Rocca laughed.
Rocca referred to himself as, "a noted fake reporter for the leading fake news program in the country," and told us, "I can educate you on how I make a living as a professional a*hole."
The lecture consisted of clips from his Daily Show field pieces.
"I might as well buy myself a one-way ticket to hell," Rocca chuckled, because of the mocking of the interviewees during his pieces.
Rocca showed clips of a teaching man that had seen the Broadway show "Cats" hundreds of times how to move on with his life, with Rollerblading and other activities.
He showed a clip of "Bo Rocca," undercover cheerleader, uncovering the illegal use of glitter and Mountain Dew addictions among adolescent cheerleaders by going undercover as one of the cheerleaders himself.
He showed a clip of Gary Baur falling off the stage during a primary and a clip of a man so obsessed with speaking on camera that he didn't acknowledge Rocca's pushing him in the face with the microphone.
The last clip he showed started out as "Too Hot For The Daily Show" flashed on the screen. The clip was of Rocca's coverage of the Adult Video News Awards, and included naked breasts, Rocca poking a porn-stars breast during an interview and a mock coverage of the awards as an Oscar-like atmosphere. The clip got huge laughs from the UConn audience, but wasn't shown on The Daily Show because of the fear that it would offend women.
After the show, Rocca answered questions from the audience. When someone asked him "to become a professional a*hole, what major do you suggest," Rocca answered laughing, "Proctology?"
"Yes I did go to Harvard," he answered another student, smiling. "My parents are really psyched that I'm doing this now."
Another person asked him, "How many times have you been laid because of this job?" Rocca responded, "I keep a ledger."
Rocca was asked how he felt that The Daily Show is the only source of news for many people in the country. "Terrified!" he answered, but continued that he thought that watching mock news is better than no news at all.
After one student asked a question, Rocca said, "Aww, I thought you were going to ask if I had a stalker. I don't, and that really sucks."
At the end of the questions, Rocca ran in place and poured water on his face, like he had just finished a marathon. He shyly thanked the crowd for showing up.
Rocca took time to shake hands, sign autographs, talk, hug, take pictures and answer questions from all of the students, and seemed to love every second of it.
My Twelve Questions with Mo Rocca
Interviewing Mo Rocca was as cool to me as a Pre-Med student interviewing Dr. Lee. Here are my questions and the answers that are as original as we can expect from a man that went from writing for children shows to a nude magazine, to The Daily Show.
Q: Which do you prefer, the work you do as a correspondent for The Daily Show, or writing articles for Newsday and other publications?
A: Well, The Daily Show is the best of both worlds. I get to perform and write and participate fully in the production process.
Q: Do you and the other members of the Daily Show get along?
A: We get along very well, which is a fortunate thing on a show where things are fairly loosey-goosey on a nightly basis.
Q: If there was a fight between you and Stephen Colbert, who would win?
A: I'm younger, I'm sorry, but I can run... but I think he is old enough to legally own a handgun, so it'd be over before it began. I also took a boxing class, so I could finish him off with a left hook and a right cross, but again, I think he is old enough to legally own a handgun.
Q: Who is easier to please, the dog from Wishbone, or Jon Stewart?
A: Jon can be difficult, but Milkbones always seem to melt his heart.
Q: On your show, you asked Senator John McCain a very important question, and I'd like to know the answer. What is the biggest pop star to come out of Iceland in the 1980s?
A: Senator McCain got it right, with the help of an aide standing next to him. The answer is Bjork.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: "Network" with William Holden and Faye Dunaway. It doesn't feel dated at all.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: I love sushi. I also like Uni. It's Sea Urchin, it's like yellowish, and it has the color and consistency of bird sh*t.
Q: Favorite Drink?
A: I like Rolling Rocks, but I've tried to be more grown up and drink Jack Daniels. The pendulum has swung completely though, because lately I've relapsed to Shirley Temples. Extra cherry.
Q: I hear you speak "un poco espanol." What is your favorite Spanish word?
A: Well of course, "Amor." I also like the word Muebles, which means furniture. Oh, and I also like the work biblioteca. By the way, Donde esta la biblioteca?
Q: How do you feel about President George W. Bush?
A: I think the president looks tired, and that's how it should be, considering the age we live in.
Q: Are you still single and living in the city?
A: I am still single and living in the city, and that's a good thing. To be single, it is great to live in the city, and to be in the city, its great to be single.
Q: How do you like UConn?
A: It is warmer than the Northwest Territories. And Alaska.
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