Shelley Berman on writing for Steve Allen's Tonight show; on his first appearance on the show and realizing he was a comedian
Shelley Berman on when he realized he had become a comedian through his work at the Compass Players (which later became Second City)
Shelley Berman on becoming a recognized performer and how it affected his performance as a comedian
Shelley Berman on doing stand-up comedy at the various clubs in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago in the 1950s
Shelley Berman on coming up with new material for his 22 Ed Sullivan performances; on not worrying about censors
Shelley Berman on playing both comedic and dramatic characters on TV
Shelley Berman on his advice to an aspiring performer
George Carlin on getting fired from the Copacabana and being relieved to finally leave mainstream comedy
George Carlin on the origin of his famous routine "Seven Dirty Words"
George Carlin on the evolution of his comedy
George Carlin on getting to write about the "freak show"
George Carlin on defining himself and his role as an entertainer and a comedian
George Carlin on his creative process
George Carlin on why he never gets tired of performing his routines
George Carlin on advice he gives young comedians: write it down and classify everything
George Carlin on advice he gives young comedians: write it down and classify everything
Margaret Cho on what she enjoys about comedy and why performing in front of an audience feels safe
Margaret Cho on what she learns from bombing on stage
Margaret Cho on how her act developed
Margaret Cho on her first comedy show/special after All-American Girl, I'm The One That I Want, and how comedy helped her at that time
Margaret Cho on the craft of comedy and her writing process
Margaret Cho on her comedic influences
Margaret Cho on her comedic influences
Margaret Cho on getting to work with her mentors
Margaret Cho on advice from other comedians that she's taken to heart
Margaret Cho on balancing serious topics and humor in her comedy; on cancel culture and on whether she's ever felt restricted in her comedy
Margaret Cho on the role of comedy in today's political climate
Margaret Cho on being a role model for Asian-American female comedians
Margaret Cho on advice to an aspiring comedian
Margaret Cho on what she wishes she had known when she first started her career
Margaret Cho on advice for young women entering the industry
Paul Rodriguez on developing his early stand-up routine, and on being Richard Pryor's runner
Paul Rodriguez on being inspired by Richard Pryor to use his Mexican heritage and identity in his act, and on the language he uses in his act
Paul Rodriguez on the importance of comedians taking chances, and on basing his comedy routines around his life
Paul Rodriguez on dealing with agents and managers in his career, and on longevity in his career
Dick Gregory on what comedy can do and cannot do for society
Dick Gregory on what he wanted to accomplish with this stand-up comedy, and on his early experiences with nightclubs
Dick Gregory on coming up with material for his act
Dick Gregory on defining what a comedian is
Dick Gregory on using his life experiences as fodder for his act
Dick Gregory on advice to aspiring comedians, and on profanity in comedy
Dick Gregory on comedians developing a technique
Dick Gregory on the role of the comic in society
Shelley Berman on the type of performer he is, and on developing his early nightclub act
Shelley Berman on stand-up comedians using a stool, and various other props of the trade, and on the challenges faced by a stand-up comedian
Shelley Berman on the comedian Jim MacGeorge, and on his own poetry
Shelley Berman on the source of comedy in a script or situation, and on "teaching" comedy
Shelley Berman on the construct of comedy, and the difficulty in pinpointing what is funny or why people laugh
Shelley Berman on the importance in comedy of the audience relating to the comedian, and on the evolution of comedy in terms of explicit language
Shelley Berman on the importance of comedy in his life, and American life in general
Shelley Berman on his reputation for being difficult, and on the ups and downs of his life and career, including the loss of his son
Bill Dana on the importance of having a good agent
Bill Dana on the difficulties comedians face
Bill Dana on comedy being a difficult job, and on the most important quality of a comic
Bill Dana on comedians using situations and constraints to their advantage, and on the impatience of audiences
Bill Dana on learning to use humor as a weapon to disarm
Bill Dana on when he first learned he could make people laugh, and on attending Emerson College
Bill Dana on his early comedic influences
Bill Dana on what he's learned about the business side of the entertainment/comedy industry
Bill Dana on comedians stealing each other's material
Bill Dana on the source of his comedy, and his characters, and on Jonathan Harris as "Mr. Phillips" on The Bill Dana Show
Bill Dana on his answer to the question "What is funny?"
Bill Dana on the need for a performer to pay their dues
Bill Dana on his answer to the question "Was it worth it?"
Bill Dana on ethnic humor, and on the importance of good representation
Shecky Greene on why he started in comedy, and on his earliest gigs
Shecky Greene on the relationship between laughter and depression
Shecky Greene on developing his comedy act, characters in comedy, and his role in creating the Comedy Store
Shecky Greene on doing dialects in his act, and on working for the mob
Shecky Greene on what he has gotten out of his comedy career
Shecky Greene on his comedic persona, and on appearing on Today with Katie Couric
Shecky Greene on surviving in comedy
Shecky Greene on the then-current state of comedy, and on Jewish comedy and the joys of performing
Shecky Greene on summing up his career
Carlos Mencia on making a connection with his audience as a comedian, and the commonalities between people of different backgrounds
Carlos Mencia on the risks and rewards of doing edgy or racial humor
Carlos Mencia on aiming to inspire people, as well as make them laugh, though his comedy
Carlos Mencia on how comedy can heal divides, and solve problems in society
Carlos Mencia on his reaction to the notion of political correctness in comedy, and in life
Carlos Mencia on using "blue" material in his act, and how the choice of words can affect comedy
Carlos Mencia on comedians tailoring their acts to their environments
Carlos Mencia on being responsible to his community in his comedy
Carlos Mencia on having been accused of stealing jokes from other comedians
Carlos Mencia on advice to aspiring comedians
Eddie Brill on learning comedy
Eddie Brill on developing a comedic voice
Eddie Brill on comedians using blue material
Eddie Brill on learning from older comedians
Eddie Brill on comedians being born or made
Eddie Brill on dealing with the business end of show business
Eddie Brill on the comedian's relationship to their audience
Eddie Brill on auditioning, and on working with Aretha Franklin
Eddie Brill on writing jokes, and on the power of laughter
Eddie Brill on what he gets out of being a comedian
Lewis Black on his early interest in drama, and on becoming a comedian
Lewis Black on doing open mic nights at Catch a Rising Star in New York City
Lewis Black on working out his stand-up routine in front of audiences
Lewis Black on developing his comic persona
Lewis Black on the source of the anger in his comedy, and learning how to use the anger
Lewis Black on audience reaction to the evolution of his angry character
Lewis Black on doing political humor
Lewis Black on judging how far he can go with audiences
Lewis Black on whether comedy can be taught
Lewis Black on dealing with the business end of show business as a comedian
Lewis Black on longevity in a comedian's career
Louis Nye on his process for learning dialects
Louis Nye on the Pagliacci syndrome and the prevalence of depression among comedians
Louis Nye on what drew him to comedy
Louis Nye on the value of humor
Louis Nye on bringing back Old Vaudeville in his characters
Louis Nye on his characters potentially being offensive and on working with Jack Benny, Bop Hope, and Jimmy Durante
Louis Nye on tools he learned for getting laughs
Louis Nye on the business of comedy
Louis Nye on his work in nightclubs and on Broadway
Louis Nye on how comedy has changed since he started his career
Louis Nye on advice to students about a career in comedy and on sacrifices he made to be in the business
Louis Nye on what drove him to be a comedian and on his career longevity
Louis Nye on people expecting him to be in character
Louis Nye on originality in comedy
Louis Nye on whether it was all worth it
Pat Morita on getting his foot in the door as a comedian, and on knowing Flip Wilson in the early years
Pat Morita on tailoring his stand up act for television, and on using his Japanese heritage in his act
Pat Morita on starting to make the transition from comedian to actor
Keenen Ivory Wayans on finding out about the Improv in New York and changing his life to move back to the city and become a standup; how it changed his approach to comedy
Keenen Ivory Wayans on the advice his mentor Chris Albrecht gave him about comedy; make it specific
Keenen Ivory Wayans on the "comedian's code" during his time at The Improv in New York; about stealing jokes
Keenen Ivory Wayans on his stand-up act then and now
Larry Wilmore on doing his early stand-up comedy routines and on doing improv
Larry Wilmore on his comedic influences
Larry Wilmore on his stand-up act
Larry Wilmore on transitioning from writing jokes for himself to writing them for other people, and on finding his voice as a comic
Larry Wilmore on considering himself to be primarily a producer, and on his kinship with standup comedy
