I don't know why you are complaining about him going quiet when he plays a hand. That's what most everyone does. You kid and joke when you aren't playing, and then when you play, you're in the hand, in the zone. Not sure what you are bitching about here.
Also, Laak wanted to know for future reference what the deal was with that angle shot Brunson did. Of course you get serious here, whassamattawityou?
I love having Laak at the table, as Kaplan first said, he's a master of conversation. I love all the "quadrant" talk he has.