dead air

The callers often seem confused; there is dead air, and Mulaney, who does not hold the tightest rein over the show, will summarily end a conversation by asking what kind of car they drive.

But the film’s scattershot writing leaves its punchlines hitting dead air before falling smack against the floor.

Instead, the backing track squawked for a second and then dead air filled the room, with nary a patriotic chord to be heard.

For decades, people have been screaming into dead air about acknowledging the hurt and mistreatment of Indigenous people in Hollywood.

The entire commentary shines with a very knowledgeable director explaining his craft and his motivations with only a few areas of dead air.