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-So, uh, 9/11...
4
00:00:14,389 --> 00:00:16,743
what's your stance?
5
00:00:16,767 --> 00:00:18,286
-Anti.
6
00:00:18,310 --> 00:00:20,747
It was a tragedy.
7
00:00:20,771 --> 00:00:23,583
I mean, we lost
19 of our best guys.
8
00:00:23,607 --> 00:00:26,711
- Huh?
- That was a joke, obviously.
9
00:00:26,735 --> 00:00:29,214
9/11 was a terrible tragedy,
10
00:00:29,238 --> 00:00:33,468
and it's not funny
to joke about it.
11
00:00:33,492 --> 00:00:34,802
-When I hear people make
12
00:00:34,826 --> 00:00:36,471
{\an8}9/11 jokes now,
13
00:00:36,495 --> 00:00:39,432
{\an8}I feel like,
"Oh, what a bunch of pussies."
14
00:00:39,456 --> 00:00:42,769
Back then
was the time to make them, yeah.
15
00:00:42,793 --> 00:00:48,650
Donald Trump has done so much
damage to the New York skyline,
16
00:00:48,674 --> 00:00:51,736
instead of calling him
The Donald,
17
00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,031
they should call him
the 20th Hijacker!
18
00:00:55,055 --> 00:00:56,449
[ Laughter ]
19
00:00:56,473 --> 00:00:58,117
{\an8}-It wasn't just an elephant
in the room.
20
00:00:58,141 --> 00:01:01,412
{\an8}It was a burning pile
of bodies and steel,
21
00:01:01,436 --> 00:01:03,623
you know, less than a mile away.
22
00:01:03,647 --> 00:01:06,000
-I saw the chief
of the New York City Police
23
00:01:06,024 --> 00:01:07,627
on the news.
24
00:01:07,651 --> 00:01:10,338
He said,
"We will never forget 9/11."
25
00:01:10,362 --> 00:01:11,756
I thought,
"I should... hope not.
26
00:01:11,780 --> 00:01:13,299
It's your phone number."
[ Laughter ]
27
00:01:13,323 --> 00:01:14,884
{\an8}-It was a need.
28
00:01:14,908 --> 00:01:19,555
{\an8}It wasn't like, "I'll do a chunk
on my mother-in-law,
29
00:01:19,579 --> 00:01:22,016
and I'll do this thing
about crazy taxi drivers
30
00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,227
and, yeah, I'll fit
some 9/11 material in there."
31
00:01:24,251 --> 00:01:25,895
It was like
I had to talk about it.
32
00:01:25,919 --> 00:01:29,440
{\an8}-The job of the comedian
is to push the envelope.
33
00:01:29,464 --> 00:01:31,859
{\an8}-Irony is always kind of
anti-establishment,
34
00:01:31,883 --> 00:01:34,654
{\an8}and it's difficult when
the establishment is lying
35
00:01:34,678 --> 00:01:36,781
{\an8}in smoking ruins at your feet.
36
00:01:36,805 --> 00:01:38,032
{\an8}I mean, that's what
"Saturday Night Live"
37
00:01:38,056 --> 00:01:39,325
{\an8}is most famous for,
38
00:01:39,349 --> 00:01:41,411
{\an8}is addressing
what's most topical.
39
00:01:41,435 --> 00:01:42,662
{\an8}How are we going to do that?
40
00:01:42,686 --> 00:01:44,497
{\an8}-I remember seeing just tears
41
00:01:44,521 --> 00:01:46,332
{\an8}streaming down people's faces
and a lot of the cast.
42
00:01:46,356 --> 00:01:47,750
{\an8}-You know, you don't realize
43
00:01:47,774 --> 00:01:49,127
{\an8}the whole world's
about to change on you.
44
00:01:49,151 --> 00:01:50,795
-There were a ton of people
that said,
45
00:01:50,819 --> 00:01:52,839
"You cannot do comedy.
You... No one can mention it."
46
00:01:52,863 --> 00:01:55,300
{\an8}-Maher's comments ignited
a firestorm.
47
00:01:55,324 --> 00:01:57,969
{\an8}-They need to... to watch what
they say, watch what they do.
48
00:01:57,993 --> 00:01:59,595
{\an8}-I mean, I could see
the writing on the wall.
49
00:01:59,619 --> 00:02:01,180
{\an8}This wasn't something
that we were going to send
50
00:02:01,204 --> 00:02:03,182
{\an8}a couple of cruise missiles
and call it a day.
51
00:02:03,206 --> 00:02:04,475
{\an8}This was a big deal.
52
00:02:04,499 --> 00:02:06,394
{\an8}-I was not a high-risk person
53
00:02:06,418 --> 00:02:08,229
{\an8}just by uttering
the word "Muslim."
54
00:02:08,253 --> 00:02:09,939
{\an8}-I didn't want to go to war
'cause, you know,
55
00:02:09,963 --> 00:02:12,775
I got the selfish reasons.
I'm... I'm originally from Iran,
56
00:02:12,799 --> 00:02:14,402
and "Iran"
sounds a lot like "Iraq."
57
00:02:14,426 --> 00:02:16,195
And I was worried that,
if there was one president
58
00:02:16,219 --> 00:02:17,989
who was going to mess it up
and bomb the wrong country...
59
00:02:18,013 --> 00:02:19,782
[ Laughter and applause ]
60
00:02:19,806 --> 00:02:24,037
{\an8}-It's more satisfying to
point out someone's hypocrisy
61
00:02:24,061 --> 00:02:26,247
while keeping a smile
on your face the whole time.
62
00:02:26,271 --> 00:02:30,668
-"Have you ever been or are you
now involved in espionage
63
00:02:30,692 --> 00:02:35,298
or sabotage or in terrorist
activities or genocide?"
64
00:02:35,322 --> 00:02:38,509
{\an8}Yes. How'd I get caught?
I accidentally checked "yes."
65
00:02:38,533 --> 00:02:40,178
-If four dudes
from the Middle East
66
00:02:40,202 --> 00:02:42,889
go down to Florida
to learn how to fly
67
00:02:42,913 --> 00:02:46,184
and don't nobody want to learn
how to land or take off...
68
00:02:46,208 --> 00:02:48,895
[ Laughter and applause ]
69
00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,356
something is [bleep] up.
[ Laughter and applause ]
70
00:02:51,380 --> 00:02:53,149
{\an8}-All of a sudden,
it's more complicated
71
00:02:53,173 --> 00:02:54,901
{\an8}getting to the plane
than flying in a plane.
72
00:02:54,925 --> 00:02:58,404
{\an8}-You can't even carry
a nail clipper on a plane.
73
00:02:58,428 --> 00:03:01,616
Are they afraid you're gonna go,
"Alright!
74
00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:04,869
Give me the plane or the bitch
loses a cuticle"?
75
00:03:04,893 --> 00:03:06,788
-Part of what comedy does
is it says,
76
00:03:06,812 --> 00:03:10,917
{\an8}"Yes, this is terrible,
but you can laugh about it."
77
00:03:10,941 --> 00:03:13,336
-I could eat pussy
in a horrible mood.
78
00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,380
Shit, I ate pussy on 9/11.
79
00:03:15,404 --> 00:03:18,549
[ Laughter ]
80
00:03:18,573 --> 00:03:20,259
Where were you?
81
00:03:20,283 --> 00:03:21,636
[ Laughter ]
82
00:03:21,660 --> 00:03:23,596
-It's 20 years on,
and for some people,
83
00:03:23,620 --> 00:03:25,348
it's still now too soon.
- Too soon.
84
00:03:25,372 --> 00:03:26,682
- Too soon.
- Too soon.
85
00:03:26,706 --> 00:03:27,975
- Too soon.
- Too soon.
86
00:03:27,999 --> 00:03:29,435
- Too soon.
- Too soon. [ Chuckles ]
87
00:03:29,459 --> 00:03:31,020
How... How about that? Hey.
88
00:03:31,044 --> 00:03:32,980
I did the name
of this documentary.
89
00:03:33,004 --> 00:03:37,801
{\an8}♪♪
90
00:03:41,972 --> 00:03:44,242
-The year before 9/11,
my boyfriend, Joel Soler,
91
00:03:44,266 --> 00:03:46,327
made this film,
and I produced it,
92
00:03:46,351 --> 00:03:47,954
and I wrote the narration
for it...
93
00:03:47,978 --> 00:03:50,832
It was a documentary
about Saddam Hussein's family,
94
00:03:50,856 --> 00:03:53,459
treating them
as if they were the Kardashians.
95
00:03:53,483 --> 00:03:55,211
-♪ I see la vie en rose ♪
96
00:03:55,235 --> 00:03:57,922
♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ♪
97
00:03:57,946 --> 00:04:01,134
♪ When you press me
to your heart ♪
98
00:04:01,158 --> 00:04:03,177
{\an8}-People, even though
they were afraid to speak
99
00:04:03,201 --> 00:04:04,429
{\an8}and they know the price.
100
00:04:04,453 --> 00:04:07,682
-November the 1st, 2000,
101
00:04:07,706 --> 00:04:10,685
we were sleeping, and some group
came to our home,
102
00:04:10,709 --> 00:04:12,311
took the giant garbage cans,
103
00:04:12,335 --> 00:04:15,231
filled them with gasoline,
and they set on fire.
104
00:04:15,255 --> 00:04:16,941
They had come in the house,
105
00:04:16,965 --> 00:04:19,026
and they put a piece of paper
on the floor that said,
106
00:04:19,050 --> 00:04:22,780
"In the name of Allah,
the merciful and compassionate,
107
00:04:22,804 --> 00:04:26,701
burn this Satanic film
or you will be dead."
108
00:04:26,725 --> 00:04:28,953
{\an8}♪♪
109
00:04:28,977 --> 00:04:31,497
I thought, "Can I make a comedy
out of this?"
110
00:04:31,521 --> 00:04:34,459
So I wrote monologues
for all these characters
111
00:04:34,483 --> 00:04:36,002
dealing with terrorism.
112
00:04:36,026 --> 00:04:37,962
It was called
"The Lowest Show on Earth."
113
00:04:37,986 --> 00:04:41,048
And the very first monologue
was Buddy Cole
114
00:04:41,072 --> 00:04:45,344
going to Afghanistan
to take on the Taliban
115
00:04:45,368 --> 00:04:50,099
and bring home a vial
of sweet-smelling anthrax.
116
00:04:50,123 --> 00:04:52,685
I start doing the show,
traveling around,
117
00:04:52,709 --> 00:04:55,980
and I landed a six-week run
in New York.
118
00:04:56,004 --> 00:05:00,026
{\an8}♪♪
119
00:05:00,050 --> 00:05:01,277
[ Indistinct conversations ]
120
00:05:01,301 --> 00:05:02,528
[ Horn honks ]
121
00:05:02,552 --> 00:05:03,779
[ Indistinct conversations ]
122
00:05:03,803 --> 00:05:05,656
[ Cheers and applause ]
123
00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,868
-Fans and celebrities alike gave
their regards to Broadway...
124
00:05:08,892 --> 00:05:11,829
Mel Brooks' new musical version
of "The Producers."
125
00:05:11,853 --> 00:05:14,123
{\an8}-Matthew and I once had a lunch
where we said,
126
00:05:14,147 --> 00:05:15,958
{\an8}"This will either
be the biggest hit
127
00:05:15,982 --> 00:05:18,127
{\an8}or the biggest flop in history."
128
00:05:18,151 --> 00:05:19,795
-You're looking at the man
129
00:05:19,819 --> 00:05:23,591
who single-handedly
changed the face of Broadway.
130
00:05:23,615 --> 00:05:25,676
Now it's permanently disfigured.
131
00:05:25,700 --> 00:05:27,094
[ Laughter ]
132
00:05:27,118 --> 00:05:28,638
-And it turned out to be
the biggest hit.
133
00:05:28,662 --> 00:05:30,014
-Since it opened in April,
134
00:05:30,038 --> 00:05:32,433
the show has smashed
box-office records
135
00:05:32,457 --> 00:05:35,353
on the way to becoming
the hottest show on Broadway
136
00:05:35,377 --> 00:05:36,938
in more than two decades.
137
00:05:36,962 --> 00:05:40,191
-Won 12 Tony Awards,
the most Tony Awards in history.
138
00:05:40,215 --> 00:05:42,235
It was the "Hamilton"
of its day.
139
00:05:42,259 --> 00:05:44,111
-There will never be
a bigger hit,
140
00:05:44,135 --> 00:05:45,738
and I will never be
more powerful.
141
00:05:45,762 --> 00:05:47,532
I'm the king of the world!
142
00:05:47,556 --> 00:05:51,285
[ Cheers and applause ]
143
00:05:51,309 --> 00:05:56,415
-My show was to open in New York
on September the 19th, 2001.
144
00:05:56,439 --> 00:05:57,875
This is going to be it from me.
145
00:05:57,899 --> 00:05:59,293
I'm gonna play
all these characters.
146
00:05:59,317 --> 00:06:01,128
It was gonna launch me
to the next level.
147
00:06:01,152 --> 00:06:03,798
And I thought, "I got to create
a poster that really...
148
00:06:03,822 --> 00:06:05,591
People are gonna talk about."
149
00:06:05,615 --> 00:06:08,135
And it was me
with a shaved head, right?
150
00:06:08,159 --> 00:06:09,804
Like,
as if I'd just been smacked,
151
00:06:09,828 --> 00:06:14,517
{\an8}and a giant glob of cum
going down my face.
152
00:06:14,541 --> 00:06:16,018
{\an8}September the 10th,
153
00:06:16,042 --> 00:06:17,979
I had 10,000 posters made,
154
00:06:18,003 --> 00:06:20,106
and they went all over New York.
155
00:06:20,130 --> 00:06:22,733
[ Chuckling ]
And I thought, "Oh, boy.
156
00:06:22,757 --> 00:06:25,403
I can't wait to see
how New York reacts to this.
157
00:06:25,427 --> 00:06:27,446
{\an8}♪♪
158
00:06:27,470 --> 00:06:30,408
{\an8}-I just gone through
the World Trade Center
159
00:06:30,432 --> 00:06:32,159
the day before, on 9/10,
160
00:06:32,183 --> 00:06:33,452
without knowing that
I'd be looking at it
161
00:06:33,476 --> 00:06:34,704
for the last time.
162
00:06:34,728 --> 00:06:36,080
{\an8}-I did Luna Lounge,
163
00:06:36,104 --> 00:06:37,665
{\an8}and I think it was
for the first time,
164
00:06:37,689 --> 00:06:39,500
{\an8}so I was really...
I was all pumped and excited.
165
00:06:39,524 --> 00:06:41,127
{\an8}And David Cross was the emcee.
166
00:06:41,151 --> 00:06:42,670
{\an8}-It was just loose and fun,
167
00:06:42,694 --> 00:06:44,880
{\an8}and then we all went to Max Fish
across the street.
168
00:06:44,904 --> 00:06:47,425
We were all just drunk,
partying.
169
00:06:47,449 --> 00:06:49,176
-I was a New York City
police officer.
170
00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,387
I was probably doing comedy
two years.
171
00:06:51,411 --> 00:06:54,473
{\an8}But on this particular night,
on September 10th,
172
00:06:54,497 --> 00:06:58,144
{\an8}I had done my regular tour
at work, went home,
173
00:06:58,168 --> 00:07:00,104
schlepped all the way
back into the city
174
00:07:00,128 --> 00:07:02,815
for this industry night,
and I did really well.
175
00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:04,692
I actually got like two people
that approached me
176
00:07:04,716 --> 00:07:06,110
and gave me a card.
177
00:07:06,134 --> 00:07:08,696
And I drove home, man...
I was, like, on a cloud.
178
00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,365
{\an8}♪♪
179
00:07:11,389 --> 00:07:15,620
-I believe it was
the last innocent day
180
00:07:15,644 --> 00:07:17,663
[Voice breaking]
America ever had.
181
00:07:17,687 --> 00:07:19,606
That's, of course,
a total crock of shit.
182
00:07:21,650 --> 00:07:23,544
-I woke up to Howard Stern.
183
00:07:23,568 --> 00:07:25,212
-You can tell
when a woman wants you,
184
00:07:25,236 --> 00:07:27,131
and you can tell when a woman's
just being friendly.
185
00:07:27,155 --> 00:07:29,091
-Yeah. I heard she was into
Beetlejuice, too.
186
00:07:29,115 --> 00:07:30,384
I heard she came on to
Beetlejuice.
187
00:07:30,408 --> 00:07:32,094
- Yeah, right.
- I don't mean
188
00:07:32,118 --> 00:07:34,388
to interrupt the fun, but this
is a breaking news story,
189
00:07:34,412 --> 00:07:36,182
a serious news story.
- What?
190
00:07:36,206 --> 00:07:40,102
-A plane has crashed
into the World Trade Center.
191
00:07:40,126 --> 00:07:41,354
-You're kidding!
192
00:07:41,378 --> 00:07:43,272
{\an8}-I was working at Goldman Sachs,
193
00:07:43,296 --> 00:07:46,359
so we were evacuated
immediately.
194
00:07:46,383 --> 00:07:49,528
Pretty much figured an amateur
pilot flying too low.
195
00:07:49,552 --> 00:07:52,948
{\an8}-Someone learning how to fly,
and they screwed up.
196
00:07:52,972 --> 00:07:57,203
{\an8}-I was a volunteer EMT,
went down to the Trade Center.
197
00:07:57,227 --> 00:07:59,997
I had a friend, a safety
volunteer at the Twin Towers.
198
00:08:00,021 --> 00:08:02,166
He told me where
the triage center was.
199
00:08:02,190 --> 00:08:05,503
And I stood there,
and he kept bringing me people.
200
00:08:05,527 --> 00:08:08,381
{\an8}-It didn't occur to anyone
that it was intentional
201
00:08:08,405 --> 00:08:11,133
{\an8}until the second plane hit.
202
00:08:11,157 --> 00:08:13,552
{\an8}-It was like, "Holy shit!"
203
00:08:13,576 --> 00:08:15,888
-And that's when people
started to figure out
204
00:08:15,912 --> 00:08:20,476
that this was
a premeditated terror attack,
205
00:08:20,500 --> 00:08:25,773
and that's when the paradigm
started to shift.
206
00:08:25,797 --> 00:08:29,694
{\an8}♪♪
207
00:08:29,718 --> 00:08:31,362
{\an8}- What do you got there, John?
- The Pentagon.
208
00:08:31,386 --> 00:08:32,863
- The Pentagon. What?
- Alright, here, we're going...
209
00:08:32,887 --> 00:08:34,490
-Stop it. What?
Is there another explosion?
210
00:08:34,514 --> 00:08:35,741
-Wait. What's going...
Is there another explosion?
211
00:08:35,765 --> 00:08:37,034
-At the Pentagon.
212
00:08:37,058 --> 00:08:38,494
{\an8}-They just attacked
the Pentagon.
213
00:08:38,518 --> 00:08:39,787
{\an8}- Turn it up.
- I'm walking down the stairs,
214
00:08:39,811 --> 00:08:41,789
{\an8}and this guy says...
And I quote...
215
00:08:41,813 --> 00:08:45,084
{\an8}"Yo, yo, 'Scary Movie 2,'
they just bombed the Pentagon."
216
00:08:45,108 --> 00:08:46,836
It's World War III and shit."
217
00:08:46,860 --> 00:08:49,296
-That's when it was just a big
wave of... of uncertainty,
218
00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:51,340
and then the fear came in,
and then the panic came in.
219
00:08:51,364 --> 00:08:54,135
-There's this sense of,
220
00:08:54,159 --> 00:08:56,262
"This was calculated
and we're under attack,"
221
00:08:56,286 --> 00:08:59,014
but we had no real
concrete information.
222
00:08:59,038 --> 00:09:01,975
Boy, the next couple hours
were just terrifying.
223
00:09:01,999 --> 00:09:05,354
{\an8}♪♪
224
00:09:05,378 --> 00:09:07,064
-And then I'm like,
"What are those things?"
225
00:09:07,088 --> 00:09:11,277
You could see what...
At first, I was like,
226
00:09:11,301 --> 00:09:12,611
"Furniture's falling," you know.
227
00:09:12,635 --> 00:09:14,530
Anyway, you know
what I'm about to say.
228
00:09:14,554 --> 00:09:16,449
{\an8}-I remember it.
I'll always remember it.
229
00:09:16,473 --> 00:09:20,286
{\an8}I don't want to look... see the
people jumping out of windows.
230
00:09:20,310 --> 00:09:23,122
{\an8}♪♪
231
00:09:23,146 --> 00:09:24,749
- And then they were just gone.
- Oh, no.
232
00:09:24,773 --> 00:09:26,083
- Wait a second. What happened?
- Oh, my God.
233
00:09:26,107 --> 00:09:27,334
- Tom, what happened?
- Oh, my God.
234
00:09:27,358 --> 00:09:28,627
- What just happened?
- Oh, my God.
235
00:09:28,651 --> 00:09:29,879
- Oh, the whole...
- What just happened?
236
00:09:29,903 --> 00:09:31,464
Look at that.
- God.
237
00:09:31,488 --> 00:09:32,715
-Oh, the whole World Trade
Center just collapsed.
238
00:09:32,739 --> 00:09:34,365
-The earth just shook.
239
00:09:36,409 --> 00:09:38,262
Everything was white...
Like, it looked like someone
240
00:09:38,286 --> 00:09:40,931
had just put a sheet of paper
in front of my face.
241
00:09:40,955 --> 00:09:42,475
At that point,
you can't even move.
242
00:09:42,499 --> 00:09:46,479
And then some guy was chanting
the "Our Father."
243
00:09:46,503 --> 00:09:49,940
That was probably the worst
experience in terms of,
244
00:09:49,964 --> 00:09:52,359
"Oh, this is it.
I'm... I'm going to die."
245
00:09:52,383 --> 00:09:53,611
[ Chuckles ]
246
00:09:53,635 --> 00:09:55,488
{\an8}♪♪
247
00:09:55,512 --> 00:09:58,282
{\an8}-I watched the footage
on television, the...
248
00:09:58,306 --> 00:10:00,743
{\an8}♪♪
249
00:10:00,767 --> 00:10:03,496
apocalyptic footage,
250
00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,499
things you might see
at the end of the world.
251
00:10:06,523 --> 00:10:08,209
-I'll never forget...
The girders looked like
252
00:10:08,233 --> 00:10:11,253
Satan's trident
coming out of Hell.
253
00:10:11,277 --> 00:10:12,963
-Then you started to think, uh,
254
00:10:12,987 --> 00:10:15,758
"Some... Something is different
forever."
255
00:10:15,782 --> 00:10:19,887
{\an8}♪♪
256
00:10:19,911 --> 00:10:21,514
-The night of September 11th,
I got a call
257
00:10:21,538 --> 00:10:23,265
from my commanding officer
258
00:10:23,289 --> 00:10:25,392
to go down and start working on
Ground Zero.
259
00:10:25,416 --> 00:10:27,686
You couldn't bring in
heavy machinery
260
00:10:27,710 --> 00:10:29,438
'cause it might cause cave-ins.
261
00:10:29,462 --> 00:10:31,816
{\an8}And we didn't know
if there were survivors.
262
00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,693
So we had to move as much
as we could by hand,
263
00:10:34,717 --> 00:10:36,570
pass empty buckets up,
264
00:10:36,594 --> 00:10:38,197
they'd fill them,
and we'd pass them down.
265
00:10:38,221 --> 00:10:40,533
And we worked 12 hours on,
12 hours off,
266
00:10:40,557 --> 00:10:43,869
12 hours on, 12 hours off
until the 18th.
267
00:10:43,893 --> 00:10:47,832
At that point, they declared it
no longer search and rescue,
268
00:10:47,856 --> 00:10:49,708
but search and recovery.
269
00:10:49,732 --> 00:10:53,546
-I worked every single day
from that point on...
270
00:10:53,570 --> 00:10:55,756
More than three weeks
of 14-hour days.
271
00:10:55,780 --> 00:10:58,050
We formed a chain of evidence.
They had a meat wagon...
272
00:10:58,074 --> 00:11:01,262
That's what they call
the Medical Examiner's Office.
273
00:11:01,286 --> 00:11:03,430
And anything that...
Any body part
274
00:11:03,454 --> 00:11:05,683
that they thought might be human
down at Ground Zero
275
00:11:05,707 --> 00:11:07,560
got its own body bag.
276
00:11:07,584 --> 00:11:10,271
They would extract DNA from it,
and then it would get a number
277
00:11:10,295 --> 00:11:13,399
so they can build up
that database to do comparisons
278
00:11:13,423 --> 00:11:15,693
between the people
that were, uh, missing
279
00:11:15,717 --> 00:11:16,944
and the people that they found.
280
00:11:16,968 --> 00:11:18,654
This firefighter comes in,
281
00:11:18,678 --> 00:11:21,282
and he's got
a pillowcase over his shoulder,
282
00:11:21,306 --> 00:11:23,951
and he dumps it on, um,
on my desk,
283
00:11:23,975 --> 00:11:26,495
and he goes, "There's 17
of my buddies in there."
284
00:11:26,519 --> 00:11:28,080
Inside the bags were, you know,
285
00:11:28,104 --> 00:11:29,790
whatever
they collected from the...
286
00:11:29,814 --> 00:11:31,458
The firefighters' locker...
A toothbrush, a hairbrush.
287
00:11:31,482 --> 00:11:34,420
That was it. I mean, that...
That hit home, like...
288
00:11:34,444 --> 00:11:36,380
That's when I finally had
my breakout moment
289
00:11:36,404 --> 00:11:38,173
and when...
When I started crying.
290
00:11:38,197 --> 00:11:39,800
{\an8}♪♪
291
00:11:39,824 --> 00:11:43,429
{\an8}-People were completely drowning
in it emotionally.
292
00:11:43,453 --> 00:11:45,598
{\an8}-It was like a mental war zone.
293
00:11:45,622 --> 00:11:47,391
{\an8}Even if you wanted to be happy,
you couldn't.
294
00:11:47,415 --> 00:11:48,684
{\an8}-I remember even trying to,
like,
295
00:11:48,708 --> 00:11:49,935
{\an8}get a little break
from the news.
296
00:11:49,959 --> 00:11:52,438
{\an8}And I turned on Comedy Central,
297
00:11:52,462 --> 00:11:56,984
{\an8}and even "South Park"
had a hotline to call.
298
00:11:57,008 --> 00:11:58,527
{\an8}It was just like, "Wow.
299
00:11:58,551 --> 00:12:01,864
{\an8}Even the Comedy Network
is depressing right now."
300
00:12:01,888 --> 00:12:04,116
{\an8}[ Laughs ]
301
00:12:04,140 --> 00:12:06,076
{\an8}-Everything changed
in that moment
302
00:12:06,100 --> 00:12:07,828
{\an8}for kind of a generation,
303
00:12:07,852 --> 00:12:10,539
{\an8}but it was hard to know what
the repercussions would be.
304
00:12:10,563 --> 00:12:13,292
-It was a really weird
and difficult time.
305
00:12:13,316 --> 00:12:15,753
{\an8}And I thought, "How difficult
is it going to be
306
00:12:15,777 --> 00:12:18,464
{\an8}for comedy to revive
after this?"
307
00:12:18,488 --> 00:12:20,633
{\an8}-I didn't know how anybody
could be funny again.
308
00:12:20,657 --> 00:12:23,552
{\an8}It was kind of like that song
"The day the music died"...
309
00:12:23,576 --> 00:12:27,431
It felt like the day
that comedy died.
310
00:12:27,455 --> 00:12:28,974
-I remember
calling Bernie Brophy,
311
00:12:28,998 --> 00:12:31,268
my manager at the time,
and even he was like,
312
00:12:31,292 --> 00:12:33,896
"I don't know, kid.
Might be out of business."
313
00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:35,439
-The comedy clubs closed.
314
00:12:35,463 --> 00:12:36,774
It was the first time
I'd ever seen them close.
315
00:12:36,798 --> 00:12:38,192
{\an8}-Are we even allowed
to be funny?
316
00:12:38,216 --> 00:12:40,486
{\an8}-How do you make a joke
ever again now?
317
00:12:40,510 --> 00:12:42,905
{\an8}-And I remember people saying,
"Can we laugh again?
318
00:12:42,929 --> 00:12:45,074
{\an8}When is it safe to laugh again?"
319
00:12:45,098 --> 00:12:46,867
-And who was going to show up?
320
00:12:46,891 --> 00:12:48,369
{\an8}-And then there was, of course,
321
00:12:48,393 --> 00:12:50,996
{\an8}the whole slew
of think pieces...
322
00:12:51,020 --> 00:12:52,831
{\an8}"Will we ever laugh again?"
323
00:12:52,855 --> 00:12:55,125
-Newsweek ... they used to have
in the front section,
324
00:12:55,149 --> 00:12:57,711
like,
little quotes from the week.
325
00:12:57,735 --> 00:13:00,923
{\an8}And that week,
there was a quote from me.
326
00:13:00,947 --> 00:13:04,635
{\an8}It really didn't feel to anyone
that irony made sense.
327
00:13:04,659 --> 00:13:06,220
You know, your...
Your irony is always
328
00:13:06,244 --> 00:13:07,763
kind of anti-establishment,
329
00:13:07,787 --> 00:13:10,933
and it's difficult to feel
anti-establishment
330
00:13:10,957 --> 00:13:15,062
when the establishment is lying
in smoking ruins at your feet.
331
00:13:15,086 --> 00:13:17,940
-Is comedy dead?
No, it's necessary.
332
00:13:17,964 --> 00:13:20,359
How the... do you think
you live every day
333
00:13:20,383 --> 00:13:22,987
in this goddamn world?
[ Laughter ]
334
00:13:23,011 --> 00:13:25,990
-I don't know how else to
process something that horrific.
335
00:13:26,014 --> 00:13:28,200
{\an8}-Laughter is, like, one of the
first few things people go to
336
00:13:28,224 --> 00:13:29,827
{\an8}in a terrible time.
337
00:13:29,851 --> 00:13:31,620
-A comedian's natural response
338
00:13:31,644 --> 00:13:34,999
is to try to find the...
The humor,
339
00:13:35,023 --> 00:13:37,334
even in
the darkest of situations.
340
00:13:37,358 --> 00:13:38,919
-Where comedy exists, I suppose,
341
00:13:38,943 --> 00:13:41,338
is... is between
what people are thinking
342
00:13:41,362 --> 00:13:44,591
and what is socially acceptable
to say.
343
00:13:44,615 --> 00:13:46,760
And we kind of push
the boundary a little bit.
344
00:13:46,784 --> 00:13:49,013
{\an8}-You need something to burst
the tension in the room,
345
00:13:49,037 --> 00:13:51,432
{\an8}and that's what comedy
is supposed to do.
346
00:13:51,456 --> 00:13:53,892
{\an8}-You ask any group of comedians
anywhere in the world,
347
00:13:53,916 --> 00:13:57,271
they'll tell you, like,
within 30 minutes or an hour,
348
00:13:57,295 --> 00:13:58,522
someone made a joke.
349
00:13:58,546 --> 00:14:00,232
-Stuff like, "Does this mean,
350
00:14:00,256 --> 00:14:02,943
uh, the Yankee game
is canceled?"
351
00:14:02,967 --> 00:14:05,904
-In that moment, that's what...
That's how you cry.
352
00:14:05,928 --> 00:14:08,323
That's how you process
grief and trauma
353
00:14:08,347 --> 00:14:10,909
and share your feelings
with each other.
354
00:14:10,933 --> 00:14:12,411
{\an8}-Before we even went off
355
00:14:12,435 --> 00:14:14,538
{\an8}and all the comics
came and gathered here.
356
00:14:14,562 --> 00:14:15,998
{\an8}It's home.
357
00:14:16,022 --> 00:14:19,168
{\an8}-I remember thinking, like,
"We'll open again
358
00:14:19,192 --> 00:14:21,378
{\an8}when people start calling the
club and want to see comedy.
359
00:14:21,402 --> 00:14:22,921
And when people
want to come out and laugh,
360
00:14:22,945 --> 00:14:25,132
that... we'll be here,
ready for them.
361
00:14:25,156 --> 00:14:27,468
But I'm not going to...
I'm not going to push it."
362
00:14:27,492 --> 00:14:29,678
-You saw, like, one of
the biggest cities in the world,
363
00:14:29,702 --> 00:14:31,263
just shut down.
364
00:14:31,287 --> 00:14:33,098
{\an8}-In New York, the set of
"Live with Regis and Kelly"
365
00:14:33,122 --> 00:14:34,892
{\an8}remained dark.
366
00:14:34,916 --> 00:14:37,686
{\an8}Fashion Week has been canceled
and will not be rescheduled.
367
00:14:37,710 --> 00:14:40,939
{\an8}All Broadway shows have been
suspended until further notice.
368
00:14:40,963 --> 00:14:42,524
{\an8}♪♪
369
00:14:42,548 --> 00:14:43,984
-It was still a little bit scary
370
00:14:44,008 --> 00:14:45,569
to be in Times Square.
- Yes.
371
00:14:45,593 --> 00:14:48,363
-There were police
absolutely everywhere.
372
00:14:48,387 --> 00:14:50,199
Is something else
going to explode?
373
00:14:50,223 --> 00:14:51,784
[ Siren wailing ]
374
00:14:51,808 --> 00:14:53,744
{\an8}♪♪
375
00:14:53,768 --> 00:14:55,204
-I thought my show
would still go on.
376
00:14:55,228 --> 00:14:56,914
I thought, "Oh, yeah.
377
00:14:56,938 --> 00:15:00,084
New York's gonna want
a comedy show about terrorism."
378
00:15:00,108 --> 00:15:01,710
I was so deluded.
379
00:15:01,734 --> 00:15:04,505
I really thought, "I'm gonna
help them through it."
380
00:15:04,529 --> 00:15:06,757
-The powers that be have decided
we're going to be depressed
381
00:15:06,781 --> 00:15:08,675
{\an8}over this thing for a minute.
382
00:15:08,699 --> 00:15:11,637
{\an8}And anybody who tries to break
the depression
383
00:15:11,661 --> 00:15:14,681
is considered
an insensitive asshole.
384
00:15:14,705 --> 00:15:17,601
And you could... up
your career forever.
385
00:15:17,625 --> 00:15:19,311
-I'd worked so hard for this.
386
00:15:19,335 --> 00:15:22,147
Like, I'd put
my heart and soul into it.
387
00:15:22,171 --> 00:15:23,690
It was the best thing
I'd ever done.
388
00:15:23,714 --> 00:15:25,692
A few months later,
I remounted it in Toronto,
389
00:15:25,716 --> 00:15:27,653
but it was a disaster.
390
00:15:27,677 --> 00:15:29,822
People were, like, disgusted
391
00:15:29,846 --> 00:15:34,076
that I would talk about
these things so soon after 9/11.
392
00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:35,619
And that was the end of it.
393
00:15:35,643 --> 00:15:38,539
My career, I don't think,
ever really recovered.
394
00:15:38,563 --> 00:15:40,916
-Terrorist comedy show.
That's a...
395
00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:42,876
Talk about bad timing.
- Yeah, that's bad.
396
00:15:42,900 --> 00:15:44,128
I wouldn't know how to...
- Yeah.
397
00:15:44,152 --> 00:15:45,796
- work my way out of that.
398
00:15:45,820 --> 00:15:48,340
-I thought that we wouldn't be
going back to the show
399
00:15:48,364 --> 00:15:51,802
for a while,
that this would be a long break.
400
00:15:51,826 --> 00:15:54,888
And then that was when
Rudy Giuliani...
401
00:15:54,912 --> 00:15:56,974
Remember when we... this is
when we used to like him...
402
00:15:56,998 --> 00:15:59,351
When...
When he hadn't gone insane
403
00:15:59,375 --> 00:16:02,062
and he was America's Mayor...
He was saying
404
00:16:02,086 --> 00:16:04,356
we should go back to work...
It was important.
405
00:16:04,380 --> 00:16:07,317
-We're going to, uh,
go to public events
406
00:16:07,341 --> 00:16:11,488
and we're going to do the things
that we normally would do.
407
00:16:11,512 --> 00:16:14,324
-New Yorkers were going on
with their lives,
408
00:16:14,348 --> 00:16:19,496
and it was open for business,
and... but it seemed very...
409
00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:21,623
It was literally,
wasn't it, a Thursday?
410
00:16:21,647 --> 00:16:24,293
-Yeah,
the attack was on a Tuesday,
411
00:16:24,317 --> 00:16:26,461
and the show was on Thursday.
412
00:16:26,485 --> 00:16:29,548
-It did seem too soon
to go back.
413
00:16:29,572 --> 00:16:31,675
Like, who... and who's going to
show up and why?
414
00:16:31,699 --> 00:16:33,135
-Yeah, who can get in
from the...
415
00:16:33,159 --> 00:16:34,511
- And who wants to see this...
- In America.
416
00:16:34,535 --> 00:16:36,722
- nonsense now?
417
00:16:36,746 --> 00:16:38,581
[ Applause ]
418
00:16:43,336 --> 00:16:44,813
{\an8}-Giuliani has asked that
we put ourselves back up.
419
00:16:44,837 --> 00:16:48,609
{\an8}-It just seemed wrong.
It felt truly wrong.
420
00:16:48,633 --> 00:16:50,319
And yet, you know, we were try...
421
00:16:50,343 --> 00:16:52,446
Doing what we were
being asked to do.
422
00:16:52,470 --> 00:16:55,073
-We all want to do something to,
you know,
423
00:16:55,097 --> 00:16:57,576
help the city, you know,
in this terrible time.
424
00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,746
And, uh, so it's always great
to have an opportunity.
425
00:17:00,770 --> 00:17:03,457
So we're all just happy to have
a little way
426
00:17:03,481 --> 00:17:05,626
that we can help
get the city going again.
427
00:17:05,650 --> 00:17:09,296
-The show started. It was a...
A smaller house, of course.
428
00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:10,797
It was very quiet.
429
00:17:10,821 --> 00:17:13,717
And the opening number,
which is raucous and fun
430
00:17:13,741 --> 00:17:16,261
and... and always brought
the house down...
431
00:17:16,285 --> 00:17:17,846
It was... it was... it...
432
00:17:17,870 --> 00:17:20,015
Everyone was a little tentative
about all of it.
433
00:17:20,039 --> 00:17:22,351
-♪ Opening night,
it's opening night ♪
434
00:17:22,375 --> 00:17:26,146
-Then, slowly but surely,
the audience started to engage
435
00:17:26,170 --> 00:17:29,858
and feel, obviously,
that it was okay to laugh.
436
00:17:29,882 --> 00:17:33,654
-It's gonna be our job to fill
that safe with $2 million.
437
00:17:33,678 --> 00:17:34,905
-$2 million?! Gee!
438
00:17:34,929 --> 00:17:37,032
How much do we put in?
439
00:17:37,056 --> 00:17:39,868
{\an8}[ Laughter ]
440
00:17:39,892 --> 00:17:42,871
{\an8}-I remember feeling cheered
by the fact that
441
00:17:42,895 --> 00:17:46,708
people were still able to come
and sit in an audience,
442
00:17:46,732 --> 00:17:49,169
look at people in costumes
and play along...
443
00:17:49,193 --> 00:17:52,506
That that still was possible
was a great relief.
444
00:17:52,530 --> 00:17:56,593
{\an8}- ♪ He's the celebration
of love ♪
445
00:17:56,617 --> 00:17:58,679
-It was an... also an escape,
446
00:17:58,703 --> 00:18:02,182
gave them two hours
not to think about
447
00:18:02,206 --> 00:18:04,393
what was happening outside.
448
00:18:04,417 --> 00:18:07,104
It was a bit of a miracle
that it...
449
00:18:07,128 --> 00:18:08,814
When it all comes together
that way.
450
00:18:08,838 --> 00:18:11,525
It was just the right show
at the right time.
451
00:18:11,549 --> 00:18:14,987
[ Cheers and applause ]
452
00:18:15,011 --> 00:18:16,822
{\an8}♪♪
453
00:18:16,846 --> 00:18:20,075
{\an8}-The comedy clubs opened up,
I think, the Friday after.
454
00:18:20,099 --> 00:18:22,369
-And I remember finding my way
to the Comedy Cellar.
455
00:18:22,393 --> 00:18:24,204
{\an8}It was a small crowd.
456
00:18:24,228 --> 00:18:26,498
I go,
"What's wrong with you people?
457
00:18:26,522 --> 00:18:29,209
Don't you have anywhere else
you could be?"
458
00:18:29,233 --> 00:18:31,503
And in some cases,
people just did it.
459
00:18:31,527 --> 00:18:34,381
{\an8}-People needed to do something.
I don't think they knew,
460
00:18:34,405 --> 00:18:36,008
{\an8}but they needed to get out
461
00:18:36,032 --> 00:18:38,218
{\an8}and, you know,
be around other people.
462
00:18:38,242 --> 00:18:41,513
{\an8}-I had to find a way
to also make myself feel better.
463
00:18:41,537 --> 00:18:44,891
{\an8}So I would just try
and tell jokes,
464
00:18:44,915 --> 00:18:46,893
{\an8}but it felt weird to tell jokes.
465
00:18:46,917 --> 00:18:49,896
{\an8}-It's not scripted.
It's not a TV show.
466
00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,316
{\an8}It's not on Broadway.
It's not theater.
467
00:18:52,340 --> 00:18:54,526
You don't know
how the comic feels
468
00:18:54,550 --> 00:18:56,278
when he walks in
through that door.
469
00:18:56,302 --> 00:18:58,155
You don't know what
the audience member feels.
470
00:18:58,179 --> 00:18:59,948
-You know,
nobody knew what to do.
471
00:18:59,972 --> 00:19:01,825
{\an8}And are you gonna bring it up?
How do you not bring it up?
472
00:19:01,849 --> 00:19:03,660
{\an8}And it was those discussions
going on.
473
00:19:03,684 --> 00:19:05,912
{\an8}-Talk about sensitive topics...
474
00:19:05,936 --> 00:19:10,250
{\an8}how the audience would react
to anything light or funny.
475
00:19:10,274 --> 00:19:12,878
{\an8}-We didn't even know if we were
supposed to touch on the topic,
476
00:19:12,902 --> 00:19:14,463
{\an8}not touch on the topic.
477
00:19:14,487 --> 00:19:15,839
{\an8}You talked about something,
and somehow it was like,
478
00:19:15,863 --> 00:19:17,591
{\an8}"Oh, I lost
a family member in there."
479
00:19:17,615 --> 00:19:19,259
{\an8}-You would see
kind of those pauses.
480
00:19:19,283 --> 00:19:22,387
{\an8}You know, where they would have,
like, a rapid-fire flow,
481
00:19:22,411 --> 00:19:23,680
that wasn't happening.
482
00:19:23,704 --> 00:19:25,098
-I felt like the audience...
483
00:19:25,122 --> 00:19:26,600
{\an8}they didn't
even want to hear about it.
484
00:19:26,624 --> 00:19:28,018
{\an8}-I don't think anyone came out
guns blazing.
485
00:19:28,042 --> 00:19:29,478
-The audience wanted something,
486
00:19:29,502 --> 00:19:31,313
and I wanted
to give them something,
487
00:19:31,337 --> 00:19:32,939
but I didn't know what that was.
488
00:19:32,963 --> 00:19:35,692
So we were stumbling around
together to find it.
489
00:19:35,716 --> 00:19:38,945
-The audience and everybody else
490
00:19:38,969 --> 00:19:44,951
felt more gentle,
more inclusive, warm feeling.
491
00:19:44,975 --> 00:19:46,828
-And a week after 9/11,
we started doing shows,
492
00:19:46,852 --> 00:19:49,915
laughed inappropriately loud
493
00:19:49,939 --> 00:19:52,459
at jokes that did not merit
that kind of laughter,
494
00:19:52,483 --> 00:19:56,296
normal jokes that got like
a 2 in laughs pre-9/11
495
00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:57,881
were getting like 8 after.
496
00:19:57,905 --> 00:20:00,300
-Like, me... I'm gonna forget
this... crowd
497
00:20:00,324 --> 00:20:02,427
as soon as I walk out of here.
[ Laughter and applause ]
498
00:20:02,451 --> 00:20:04,221
{\an8}-They were desperate to laugh,
499
00:20:04,245 --> 00:20:06,932
{\an8}and you were sort of desperate
to tell jokes,
500
00:20:06,956 --> 00:20:08,475
and everyone was
sort of desperate
501
00:20:08,499 --> 00:20:09,935
for this whole thing to work.
502
00:20:09,959 --> 00:20:11,603
-We just kept talking
to connect,
503
00:20:11,627 --> 00:20:13,271
to get some kind of normalcy,
504
00:20:13,295 --> 00:20:15,524
to find... to find a foothold
to climb out of this.
505
00:20:15,548 --> 00:20:16,775
-As comedians in New York,
506
00:20:16,799 --> 00:20:18,527
we were grieving
like everyone else.
507
00:20:18,551 --> 00:20:21,196
We just dealt with it onstage
night in and night out,
508
00:20:21,220 --> 00:20:22,989
going, "This is what
I'm going through."
509
00:20:23,013 --> 00:20:25,575
And people laughing,
and when they laugh,
510
00:20:25,599 --> 00:20:27,244
you're like,
"I'll get through it."
511
00:20:27,268 --> 00:20:29,830
-It was almost like,
"Okay, we got knocked down.
512
00:20:29,854 --> 00:20:31,373
We went through
some terrible things.
513
00:20:31,397 --> 00:20:32,791
We're gonna
dust ourselves off."
514
00:20:32,815 --> 00:20:35,460
-A show of resistance
and strength
515
00:20:35,484 --> 00:20:41,007
to not let this disrupt,
you know, our way of life,
516
00:20:41,031 --> 00:20:43,635
that, you know,
we're not going to be
517
00:20:43,659 --> 00:20:46,596
completely culturally
annihilated by this.
518
00:20:46,620 --> 00:20:48,974
-It was a big "...you"
to terrorists.
519
00:20:48,998 --> 00:20:51,476
You know what?
Yeah, okay, you took that shot.
520
00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:54,563
Well, we're... back.
[ Laughter and applause ]
521
00:20:54,587 --> 00:20:57,816
-If you're going to a comedy
club on September 17, 2001,
522
00:20:57,840 --> 00:20:59,484
you're hardcore,
523
00:20:59,508 --> 00:21:01,695
versus, you know,
maybe a late-night show.
524
00:21:01,719 --> 00:21:03,405
They're talking
to a larger audience.
525
00:21:03,429 --> 00:21:05,323
They're freaked out.
So they felt like
526
00:21:05,347 --> 00:21:07,451
they had to tread a little more
lightly when they came in.
527
00:21:07,475 --> 00:21:11,204
-And I can remember flying back
to the city, looking downtown,
528
00:21:11,228 --> 00:21:13,081
and all you saw were the...
- Terrible.
529
00:21:13,105 --> 00:21:14,499
- the rising pillars of smoke.
530
00:21:14,523 --> 00:21:16,543
{\an8}So I was trepidations about it
531
00:21:16,567 --> 00:21:19,212
{\an8}because I didn't know what to
say, didn't know what to do.
532
00:21:19,236 --> 00:21:21,089
{\an8}-The process that we put
the show together
533
00:21:21,113 --> 00:21:23,967
{\an8}is always going to be affected
by the climate that we live in.
534
00:21:23,991 --> 00:21:25,635
{\an8}And there was a pall
cast over the country.
535
00:21:25,659 --> 00:21:29,222
{\an8}But also, you know, you're
fighting your own sadness.
536
00:21:29,246 --> 00:21:31,141
{\an8}Some of us thought maybe
the show would have to return
537
00:21:31,165 --> 00:21:34,644
{\an8}to being more of a parody
and a spoof,
538
00:21:34,668 --> 00:21:36,104
you know,
kind of like a Mad magazine.
539
00:21:36,128 --> 00:21:38,064
I know Jon was thinking hard
540
00:21:38,088 --> 00:21:42,152
about how the show could
come back and what it would be.
541
00:21:42,176 --> 00:21:44,029
{\an8}-It was also a sense of like,
"Alright, well,
542
00:21:44,053 --> 00:21:47,908
{\an8}we're gonna do what we can to,
like, make comedy."
543
00:21:47,932 --> 00:21:49,784
And everybody felt
that obligation like,
544
00:21:49,808 --> 00:21:51,578
"Great, let's...
Let's try to do this."
545
00:21:51,602 --> 00:21:54,456
-It just sort of was
collectively understood
546
00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:57,167
David Letterman would be
the first back on air.
547
00:21:57,191 --> 00:22:00,295
{\an8}-And we all wanted to know
what Letterman was going to say.
548
00:22:00,319 --> 00:22:03,089
{\an8}-It just really felt like
he was the elder in the room,
549
00:22:03,113 --> 00:22:05,926
{\an8}and it was
the respectful thing to do
550
00:22:05,950 --> 00:22:07,928
to allow him to go on first.
551
00:22:07,952 --> 00:22:10,180
-He was the person
who would know what to say,
552
00:22:10,204 --> 00:22:11,765
{\an8}how to handle it in comedy.
553
00:22:11,789 --> 00:22:13,808
{\an8}-On the Monday
that we came back,
554
00:22:13,832 --> 00:22:16,436
{\an8}they said to me,
"When you do the warm-up, um,
555
00:22:16,460 --> 00:22:19,606
{\an8}obviously there's going to be
some tension in the room."
556
00:22:19,630 --> 00:22:22,776
{\an8}-As late as 4:00, I was talking
to various people on the staff
557
00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:24,736
{\an8}about, "Are we honestly
gonna do a show?"
558
00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:28,573
-I still did what I had to do.
It got some laughs.
559
00:22:28,597 --> 00:22:30,158
Again, it felt really nice.
560
00:22:30,182 --> 00:22:32,369
And then Dave came out
and told them,
561
00:22:32,393 --> 00:22:34,871
"Hey, you know,
just be patient with me."
562
00:22:34,895 --> 00:22:37,916
{\an8}-And I was just trying to
justify returning to the air
563
00:22:37,940 --> 00:22:40,710
{\an8}with a comedy variety talk show
564
00:22:40,734 --> 00:22:42,379
{\an8}less than a week
after the attack.
565
00:22:42,403 --> 00:22:44,756
-He was very, very sincere
and lovely.
566
00:22:44,780 --> 00:22:46,716
And... And then,
when the show started,
567
00:22:46,740 --> 00:22:49,052
he made his opening
announcement.
568
00:22:49,076 --> 00:22:50,637
-You're watching
and you're confused
569
00:22:50,661 --> 00:22:52,973
and... and... and depressed
and... and irritated
570
00:22:52,997 --> 00:22:55,308
and... and angry
and full of grief.
571
00:22:55,332 --> 00:22:56,601
And you don't know
how to behave,
572
00:22:56,625 --> 00:22:58,103
and you're not sure what to do.
573
00:22:58,127 --> 00:22:59,646
And you don't really...
574
00:22:59,670 --> 00:23:01,231
Because we've
never been through this before.
575
00:23:01,255 --> 00:23:04,442
{\an8}-To see him human...
Didn't know how to take it.
576
00:23:04,466 --> 00:23:06,486
This was
"Stupid Pet Tricks" guy.
577
00:23:06,510 --> 00:23:08,655
-We're gonna... We're gonna try
and feel our way through this,
578
00:23:08,679 --> 00:23:10,991
and, uh, uh,
we'll just see how it goes.
579
00:23:11,015 --> 00:23:13,994
{\an8}-They have to have a really
earnest opening statement
580
00:23:14,018 --> 00:23:16,955
{\an8}and then kind of slowly
go into jokes.
581
00:23:16,979 --> 00:23:18,999
-They had the serious chat
with Dan Rather,
582
00:23:19,023 --> 00:23:22,210
and then they brought in comedy
at the end, Regis Philbin.
583
00:23:22,234 --> 00:23:23,962
-And I don't mean
to be silly about this,
584
00:23:23,986 --> 00:23:26,965
but you experienced
Pearl Harbor, I think, right?
585
00:23:26,989 --> 00:23:29,217
-Well, I wasn't there.
[ Laughter ]
586
00:23:29,241 --> 00:23:30,969
I wasn't there,
if that's what you're asking.
587
00:23:30,993 --> 00:23:32,721
-You... You were on... You were
on the air then, too...
588
00:23:32,745 --> 00:23:35,390
Weren't you?
- No, I wasn't on the air.
589
00:23:35,414 --> 00:23:37,142
-I'm sorry.
I thought maybe you were.
590
00:23:37,166 --> 00:23:39,853
{\an8}-I remember that being
very much of a catharsis.
591
00:23:39,877 --> 00:23:42,731
I don't want some
saccharine, stevia guy
592
00:23:42,755 --> 00:23:44,566
helping me process tragedy.
593
00:23:44,590 --> 00:23:47,819
But the fact that you knew
that this affected Letterman
594
00:23:47,843 --> 00:23:49,529
the way it affected him...
595
00:23:49,553 --> 00:23:52,616
That's the best part
of art to me... and culture.
596
00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,493
And this is who we kind of help
process stuff through,
597
00:23:55,517 --> 00:23:58,705
whether it's the daily events
or a tragedy.
598
00:23:58,729 --> 00:24:00,874
-There's something about
that tradition of late-night TV.
599
00:24:00,898 --> 00:24:02,125
They know their audience,
and they knew
600
00:24:02,149 --> 00:24:03,501
what people were ready for.
601
00:24:03,525 --> 00:24:05,670
{\an8}-For about a week,
they were super serious,
602
00:24:05,694 --> 00:24:07,380
just suddenly turned into
603
00:24:07,404 --> 00:24:09,090
these group therapy sessions
for everybody.
604
00:24:09,114 --> 00:24:11,217
-We all wanted to commiserate
with that person,
605
00:24:11,241 --> 00:24:12,719
share the same feelings as well.
606
00:24:12,743 --> 00:24:15,430
{\an8}-Jon really helped people
through a lot of stuff
607
00:24:15,454 --> 00:24:17,515
{\an8}because there's sort of like
this feeling of like,
608
00:24:17,539 --> 00:24:19,351
"What's going on here?
Like how do I... What do I...
609
00:24:19,375 --> 00:24:21,186
How do I process this?"
610
00:24:21,210 --> 00:24:23,521
{\an1}-I just... I wanted to tell you
why I [Voice breaking] grieve...
611
00:24:23,545 --> 00:24:25,273
[ Sniffles ]
612
00:24:25,297 --> 00:24:27,525
[ Sighs ]
613
00:24:27,549 --> 00:24:29,527
but why I don't despair.
614
00:24:29,551 --> 00:24:30,779
[ Sniffles ]
615
00:24:30,803 --> 00:24:33,448
-It was very real and emotional.
616
00:24:33,472 --> 00:24:36,409
-The show probably,
from that moment on,
617
00:24:36,433 --> 00:24:41,539
{\an8}felt less bound by the idea
that this is a half-hour comedy.
618
00:24:41,563 --> 00:24:45,543
{\an8}Jon himself became a lot more
willing to be serious
619
00:24:45,567 --> 00:24:47,253
in his remarks on the show.
620
00:24:47,277 --> 00:24:48,797
-A lot of folks have asked me,
621
00:24:48,821 --> 00:24:50,131
"What are you gonna do
when you get back?
622
00:24:50,155 --> 00:24:51,841
What are...
What are you gonna say?
623
00:24:51,865 --> 00:24:53,760
I mean, that, geez... What a...
What a terrible thing,
624
00:24:53,784 --> 00:24:55,470
uh, to have to do."
625
00:24:55,494 --> 00:24:58,056
And... And I don't see it
as a burden at all.
626
00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:00,350
I... I...
627
00:25:00,374 --> 00:25:03,853
I see it as a privilege and...
628
00:25:03,877 --> 00:25:05,814
[ Chuckles ]
629
00:25:05,838 --> 00:25:07,107
I just...
I see it as a privilege,
630
00:25:07,131 --> 00:25:08,650
and everyone here does.
631
00:25:08,674 --> 00:25:10,735
-And that's when I realized,
"Yeah, my job
632
00:25:10,759 --> 00:25:13,113
is to at least articulate
what I'm feeling
633
00:25:13,137 --> 00:25:15,532
and hope that that connects
to some... somebody else,
634
00:25:15,556 --> 00:25:17,909
'cause that's healing.
When you're not alone...
635
00:25:17,933 --> 00:25:20,370
That's the healing part of...
Of my job.
636
00:25:20,394 --> 00:25:22,872
{\an8}-It was pretty amazing to watch
the smartest guys on television
637
00:25:22,896 --> 00:25:25,291
walk that tightrope of dealing
with something so serious
638
00:25:25,315 --> 00:25:27,794
and then getting back to being
the circus acts that we are.
639
00:25:27,818 --> 00:25:29,963
{\an8}-We're supposed to make you
happy and make you laugh.
640
00:25:29,987 --> 00:25:32,132
And yet, they had to
be cautious about it.
641
00:25:32,156 --> 00:25:35,468
-Not skirt the issue,
but it's also important
642
00:25:35,492 --> 00:25:39,222
not to offend anyone,
to hurt anyone.
643
00:25:39,246 --> 00:25:43,309
{\an1}-The irreverent Bill Maher, the
host of "Politically Incorrect,"
644
00:25:43,333 --> 00:25:46,354
learned the limits of dissent
when he made this comment
645
00:25:46,378 --> 00:25:49,190
less than a week
after the September 11 attacks.
646
00:25:49,214 --> 00:25:52,652
-We have been the cowards.
Lobbing cruise missiles
647
00:25:52,676 --> 00:25:55,321
from 2,000 miles away...
- Absolutely.
648
00:25:55,345 --> 00:25:56,990
- That's cowardly.
- Yes.
649
00:25:57,014 --> 00:25:59,659
-Staying in the airplane
when it hits the building...
650
00:25:59,683 --> 00:26:01,619
Say what you want about it...
Not cowardly.
651
00:26:01,643 --> 00:26:05,290
{\an8}-Bill Maher lost his job because
of a statement about 9/11,
652
00:26:05,314 --> 00:26:07,542
{\an8}a statement that was factual.
653
00:26:07,566 --> 00:26:10,462
So there definitely was
this fear of stating facts
654
00:26:10,486 --> 00:26:13,339
[laughs] because
it might get you in trouble.
655
00:26:13,363 --> 00:26:15,717
-And the White House
Press Secretary Ari Fleischer
656
00:26:15,741 --> 00:26:17,761
issued a cautionary note.
657
00:26:17,785 --> 00:26:20,680
{\an8}-A reminder for all American
that they need to...
658
00:26:20,704 --> 00:26:22,724
{\an8}to watch what they say,
watch what they do.
659
00:26:22,748 --> 00:26:25,435
{\an8}And this is not a time
for remarks like that.
660
00:26:25,459 --> 00:26:27,377
There never is.
661
00:26:31,215 --> 00:26:34,068
{\an8}-I cleaned out my office
on September 18th,
662
00:26:34,092 --> 00:26:36,905
{\an8}uh, which was the day
after I made those remarks
663
00:26:36,929 --> 00:26:38,990
{\an8}about the terrorists
not being cowards.
664
00:26:39,014 --> 00:26:41,910
{\an8}Um...
- You mean you expected it then?
665
00:26:41,934 --> 00:26:44,120
{\an8}-[ Chuckling ]
Yeah, I pretty much knew it.
666
00:26:44,144 --> 00:26:48,917
{\an8}-Is all bravery noble?
Maybe not. Maybe not.
667
00:26:48,941 --> 00:26:52,253
But I'm glad he said it because
I think it's a... a statement
668
00:26:52,277 --> 00:26:54,923
that's provocative
and got people talking
669
00:26:54,947 --> 00:26:57,550
and, also, showed the true
colors of where we are at
670
00:26:57,574 --> 00:27:00,261
when it comes to speech
and policing of it.
671
00:27:00,285 --> 00:27:02,639
{\an8}-I think it's okay for people
to go, "Look, I'm offended."
672
00:27:02,663 --> 00:27:05,558
{\an8}It's valid. Okay.
Don't listen to any more, then.
673
00:27:05,582 --> 00:27:07,644
{\an8}But the idea that you go
from being offended by something
674
00:27:07,668 --> 00:27:09,187
and saying,
"I don't want to hear that,"
675
00:27:09,211 --> 00:27:11,564
to saying, "I don't want
anyone to hear that...
676
00:27:11,588 --> 00:27:13,525
Shouldn't be allowed
to say that"...
677
00:27:13,549 --> 00:27:15,068
That, for me, is too far.
678
00:27:15,092 --> 00:27:17,904
{\an8}-There are people that will
galvanize and say,
679
00:27:17,928 --> 00:27:19,948
"We didn't like that
he said this,
680
00:27:19,972 --> 00:27:21,491
and now
we're going to write letters,
681
00:27:21,515 --> 00:27:23,785
and now we're going to
shut down your career."
682
00:27:23,809 --> 00:27:25,954
{\an8}-When there's tragedy,
683
00:27:25,978 --> 00:27:29,999
{\an8}people need to create drama
that might not exist
684
00:27:30,023 --> 00:27:32,919
to circumvent the drama
that really exists
685
00:27:32,943 --> 00:27:34,254
that's really hard.
686
00:27:34,278 --> 00:27:35,797
-If I had said it
three months later,
687
00:27:35,821 --> 00:27:37,215
no one would have even noticed.
688
00:27:37,239 --> 00:27:39,050
-We made this decision
that it was
689
00:27:39,074 --> 00:27:41,928
{\an8}not the time to be funny...
Well, it's the time to be funny.
690
00:27:41,952 --> 00:27:47,100
-You should be able to do comedy
that's good and wise and funny
691
00:27:47,124 --> 00:27:51,187
the day before a tragedy
or the day after a tragedy.
692
00:27:51,211 --> 00:27:52,689
And The Onion proved that.
693
00:27:52,713 --> 00:27:55,900
{\an8}-It was still kind of
an underground
694
00:27:55,924 --> 00:27:57,777
{\an8}little independent publication.
695
00:27:57,801 --> 00:27:59,654
-Well, for instance, I mean,
we were the first ones to break
696
00:27:59,678 --> 00:28:02,282
the story of the secret of fire
falling into Russian hands.
697
00:28:02,306 --> 00:28:06,077
-"NFL Star Thanks Jesus After
Successful Double Homicide."
698
00:28:06,101 --> 00:28:09,080
-"New Remote Control
Can Be Operated By Remote."
699
00:28:09,104 --> 00:28:11,583
{\an8}- "Texans Elect Gun."
700
00:28:11,607 --> 00:28:13,084
-Where do they come up
with this stuff?
701
00:28:13,108 --> 00:28:15,253
-There's the adage comedy
equals tragedy plus time,
702
00:28:15,277 --> 00:28:17,505
which is pretty much The Onion's
operating principle,
703
00:28:17,529 --> 00:28:20,508
only we basically skip
the time part.
704
00:28:20,532 --> 00:28:25,388
{\an8}-So, we... we had just arrived
in New York in January of 2001,
705
00:28:25,412 --> 00:28:28,016
which seemed like a good idea
at the time.
706
00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:29,726
{\an8}-This was back
when The Onion was...
707
00:28:29,750 --> 00:28:31,811
{\an8}had newspapers on the street,
physical newspapers.
708
00:28:31,835 --> 00:28:33,605
{\an8}-We'd been here nine months
709
00:28:33,629 --> 00:28:36,357
{\an8}and still hadn't put out issues
on the street in New York.
710
00:28:36,381 --> 00:28:38,484
-Finally got it together enough
to have, you know, an issue.
711
00:28:38,508 --> 00:28:40,820
And we're having a party
to celebrate that.
712
00:28:40,844 --> 00:28:44,490
And that was, um,
September 10th.
713
00:28:44,514 --> 00:28:46,659
-We ended up
not running anything.
714
00:28:46,683 --> 00:28:49,996
-By the end of the week,
we decided that we would,
715
00:28:50,020 --> 00:28:52,916
you know, come back into work
on Monday like normal.
716
00:28:52,940 --> 00:28:55,627
And I think everyone
was just fine with that
717
00:28:55,651 --> 00:28:58,046
because all you did
was just, like,
718
00:28:58,070 --> 00:29:00,757
watch TV and read the papers
and be sad.
719
00:29:00,781 --> 00:29:02,884
And I think it wasn't
a terrible idea
720
00:29:02,908 --> 00:29:05,178
to sort of get back
to what you were doing,
721
00:29:05,202 --> 00:29:08,139
even though what we were doing
was writing jokes.
722
00:29:08,163 --> 00:29:11,100
But it just was better
than doing nothing.
723
00:29:11,124 --> 00:29:14,145
{\an8}-That's
a great human coping mechanism,
724
00:29:14,169 --> 00:29:15,897
{\an8}is laughing at things.
725
00:29:15,921 --> 00:29:19,025
{\an8}Finding the right thing
to laugh at, you know, is hard.
726
00:29:19,049 --> 00:29:21,653
-We realized we had to address
it with at least one article
727
00:29:21,677 --> 00:29:23,071
and the rest would be different.
728
00:29:23,095 --> 00:29:25,323
-One was about ketchup packets,
you know,
729
00:29:25,347 --> 00:29:27,659
so we were just, like, looking,
you know, like,
730
00:29:27,683 --> 00:29:30,286
"Okay, here's... here's a story
about, like, global terrorism
731
00:29:30,310 --> 00:29:32,789
and the death of...
Of 3,000 people.
732
00:29:32,813 --> 00:29:35,375
Uh, and then here's one about,
like, ketchup packets."
733
00:29:35,399 --> 00:29:38,419
-And then we realized, like,
anything that was different
734
00:29:38,443 --> 00:29:40,755
would just stand out
and just be absurd.
735
00:29:40,779 --> 00:29:46,719
-It just seemed crazy that
we would talk about anything
736
00:29:46,743 --> 00:29:50,473
but this horrible tragedy
that was happening all around us
737
00:29:50,497 --> 00:29:54,185
that was on everyone's mind...
Like, how would you avoid it?
738
00:29:54,209 --> 00:29:56,020
-It was almost unbelievable
to us that we were doing it,
739
00:29:56,044 --> 00:29:59,607
but we... we had decided that we
were gonna do the entire issue
740
00:29:59,631 --> 00:30:01,109
about what had happened.
741
00:30:01,133 --> 00:30:02,777
We were very, very worried
742
00:30:02,801 --> 00:30:04,362
that people would misunderstand
what we'd written,
743
00:30:04,386 --> 00:30:07,115
that people would think
that we were mocking it
744
00:30:07,139 --> 00:30:09,492
or acting above it.
745
00:30:09,516 --> 00:30:12,954
And that was the last thought
on any of our minds.
746
00:30:12,978 --> 00:30:15,289
We chose the jokes
very carefully.
747
00:30:15,313 --> 00:30:17,458
And we... we...
We discussed everything.
748
00:30:17,482 --> 00:30:20,044
And it was, like,
one of the most intense
749
00:30:20,068 --> 00:30:22,380
Onion writers' room meetings
that there ever was.
750
00:30:22,404 --> 00:30:25,174
{\an8}-Occasionally, there was a joke
where we all just kind of,
751
00:30:25,198 --> 00:30:27,760
{\an8}you know, went and said,
"Ohh, we can't do that."
752
00:30:27,784 --> 00:30:29,679
-Tim Harrod pitched something
that said,
753
00:30:29,703 --> 00:30:33,516
"America Undefeatable,
Say Quadragon Officials."
754
00:30:33,540 --> 00:30:36,144
[ Chuckles ] It's quite clever
and very funny,
755
00:30:36,168 --> 00:30:39,397
but we're just like,
"Well, the butt of that joke
756
00:30:39,421 --> 00:30:41,733
is sort of the dead people
at the Pentagon."
757
00:30:41,757 --> 00:30:44,610
And that didn't seem like
an appropriate target.
758
00:30:44,634 --> 00:30:47,238
-We all had
a good internal laugh about it,
759
00:30:47,262 --> 00:30:49,115
and said, "Next."
760
00:30:49,139 --> 00:30:51,034
-It was very, very hard
to pick the issue...
761
00:30:51,058 --> 00:30:52,910
A lot of soul-searching.
762
00:30:52,934 --> 00:30:56,706
-All the headlines were kind of
in the same mode of
763
00:30:56,730 --> 00:30:59,792
just observing the tragedy
and giving voice
764
00:30:59,816 --> 00:31:02,295
to the...
The collective experience
765
00:31:02,319 --> 00:31:04,172
of the tragedy
that we were feeling.
766
00:31:04,196 --> 00:31:07,133
{\an8}"U.S. Vows To Defeat Whoever
It Is We're At War With."
767
00:31:07,157 --> 00:31:09,761
{\an8}-The jump graphic
for that article...
768
00:31:09,785 --> 00:31:11,846
{\an8}there was a map of the world,
769
00:31:11,870 --> 00:31:15,725
{\an8}and the map had a key...
"Known locations of terrorists."
770
00:31:15,749 --> 00:31:17,643
{\an8}And then, with lines, it was
771
00:31:17,667 --> 00:31:19,228
{\an8}"Possible locations of
terrorists,"
772
00:31:19,252 --> 00:31:20,938
{\an8}and the entire map
was all lines.
773
00:31:20,962 --> 00:31:23,566
-One of them that I wrote was,
774
00:31:23,590 --> 00:31:28,321
"Not Knowing What Else To Do,
Woman Bakes American-Flag Cake."
775
00:31:28,345 --> 00:31:32,533
{\an1}The genesis for that one was we
were just in someone's backyard,
776
00:31:32,557 --> 00:31:33,951
and this woman,
like, brought out this cake,
777
00:31:33,975 --> 00:31:35,870
this American flag cake.
778
00:31:35,894 --> 00:31:40,041
It was, you know, very resonant
about her funneling her sadness
779
00:31:40,065 --> 00:31:42,168
or her inability
to do anything else
780
00:31:42,192 --> 00:31:45,296
{\an8}into this dumb little cake
with stripes,
781
00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:47,757
{\an8}with strawberries,
and little blueberries.
782
00:31:47,781 --> 00:31:50,134
-That story, I think,
was very beautiful
783
00:31:50,158 --> 00:31:52,220
and very sincere,
which is, you know,
784
00:31:52,244 --> 00:31:54,138
these are things
that you normally don't think of
785
00:31:54,162 --> 00:31:55,723
when you think of The Onion.
786
00:31:55,747 --> 00:31:57,683
A story I wrote was called
787
00:31:57,707 --> 00:32:00,603
"God Angrily Clarifies
'Don't Kill' Rule."
788
00:32:00,627 --> 00:32:03,314
-You read that and you laugh,
but it's just so deeply sad.
789
00:32:03,338 --> 00:32:07,527
-These murders had been
committed for religious reason,
790
00:32:07,551 --> 00:32:09,862
because someone thought
God wanted it done.
791
00:32:09,886 --> 00:32:14,742
{\an1}And I was 100% sure that anyone
who knew anything about religion
792
00:32:14,766 --> 00:32:16,619
would not agree.
793
00:32:16,643 --> 00:32:20,456
{\an8}The purpose of God is to get us
to not kill each other.
794
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:21,916
And it just struck me as so sad
795
00:32:21,940 --> 00:32:25,670
{\an8}that it was going to create
Islamophobia,
796
00:32:25,694 --> 00:32:27,421
{\an8}and it was going to create
797
00:32:27,445 --> 00:32:29,340
{\an8}all this long-term
cultural antagonism
798
00:32:29,364 --> 00:32:30,967
that was already bad,
799
00:32:30,991 --> 00:32:32,218
but was going to become
much, much worse.
800
00:32:32,242 --> 00:32:35,763
And it just seemed so tragic.
801
00:32:35,787 --> 00:32:39,183
{\an8}And so that story
that I ended up writing,
802
00:32:39,207 --> 00:32:40,726
{\an8}I mean, it was a weepy story,
803
00:32:40,750 --> 00:32:42,687
{\an8}embarrassingly maudlin
in some ways, I guess.
804
00:32:42,711 --> 00:32:45,481
{\an8}But, I mean, I was crying
when I wrote it.
805
00:32:45,505 --> 00:32:49,694
-I think that we all
just were helping ourselves.
806
00:32:49,718 --> 00:32:51,654
I don't think we ever were like,
"Oh, we're doing something
807
00:32:51,678 --> 00:32:54,448
good for... for America
or good for other people."
808
00:32:54,472 --> 00:32:57,118
The Onion writers have always
been very sincere
809
00:32:57,142 --> 00:32:58,911
in what they're trying to say.
810
00:32:58,935 --> 00:33:01,289
{\an8}Even if they use sarcasm
as the way
811
00:33:01,313 --> 00:33:02,874
{\an8}of conveying their message,
812
00:33:02,898 --> 00:33:05,751
the message is not sarcastic.
813
00:33:05,775 --> 00:33:08,129
-We just did not want
to offend anyone,
814
00:33:08,153 --> 00:33:09,797
and we were nervous.
815
00:33:09,821 --> 00:33:11,215
-When we came to work on the day
816
00:33:11,239 --> 00:33:13,718
that the issue actually
went up online,
817
00:33:13,742 --> 00:33:15,887
the first thing we saw
was a fax...
818
00:33:15,911 --> 00:33:18,264
Now, this is back with faxes...
819
00:33:18,288 --> 00:33:20,933
And it just said,
"Not funny, not funny."
820
00:33:20,957 --> 00:33:22,643
{\an8}"Not funny, not funny,
not funny."
821
00:33:22,667 --> 00:33:25,354
{\an8}- In really big letters.
- Like it was yelling at you.
822
00:33:25,378 --> 00:33:27,648
{\an8}-I thought that we would be
run out of New York,
823
00:33:27,672 --> 00:33:30,985
{\an8}if not the nation,
by a torch-wielding mob.
824
00:33:31,009 --> 00:33:33,362
-It just felt like,
"Oh, God, this is...
825
00:33:33,386 --> 00:33:35,281
This is... you know, this is it.
826
00:33:35,305 --> 00:33:38,284
Like... we failed."
827
00:33:38,308 --> 00:33:42,830
{\an8}♪♪
828
00:33:42,854 --> 00:33:44,415
But then,
over the course of the day,
829
00:33:44,439 --> 00:33:46,083
more e-mails started coming in.
830
00:33:46,107 --> 00:33:49,795
-Tons of e-mails, and they were
just 99% positive,
831
00:33:49,819 --> 00:33:53,507
like, higher than any other
issue that we ever put out.
832
00:33:53,531 --> 00:33:58,971
{\an8}-The first smile or a chuckle
I had came from The Onion.
833
00:33:58,995 --> 00:34:01,349
It was the headline, and it
said, "Holy... Shit."
834
00:34:01,373 --> 00:34:04,310
It's the expression
of what everybody was thinking,
835
00:34:04,334 --> 00:34:06,020
and somebody finally said it.
836
00:34:06,044 --> 00:34:08,773
-I think everybody had
this big thing inside of them
837
00:34:08,797 --> 00:34:10,608
that just needed
a pressure release,
838
00:34:10,632 --> 00:34:12,985
and it just came out as
laughter.
839
00:34:13,009 --> 00:34:16,030
-Something to kind of shake me
out of the darkness a little bit
840
00:34:16,054 --> 00:34:17,907
and go, "Oh... yeah.
841
00:34:17,931 --> 00:34:19,700
Like, you know, yeah."
842
00:34:19,724 --> 00:34:21,577
-The response from everyone
has been that you guys
843
00:34:21,601 --> 00:34:24,038
have been really funny about it
in an appropriate way.
844
00:34:24,062 --> 00:34:27,041
-I remember it being brilliant,
as it always is,
845
00:34:27,065 --> 00:34:28,459
{\an8}and no other type of comedy,
846
00:34:28,483 --> 00:34:31,337
{\an8}whether it was sketch comedy
or stand-ups
847
00:34:31,361 --> 00:34:32,755
or anything
that broached the subject,
848
00:34:32,779 --> 00:34:34,799
came close to The Onion ...
849
00:34:34,823 --> 00:34:38,302
Just hitting every level,
hitting every tone.
850
00:34:38,326 --> 00:34:40,638
{\an8}-And most amazing,
readership doubled.
851
00:34:40,662 --> 00:34:42,682
{\an8}So here's a humor magazine,
of all things,
852
00:34:42,706 --> 00:34:46,060
{\an8}getting a circulation boost
from a mass murder.
853
00:34:46,084 --> 00:34:50,147
{\an8}-Obviously,
you don't want to, um, like,
854
00:34:50,171 --> 00:34:52,984
be like, "Yeah, we...
We... nailed it!
855
00:34:53,008 --> 00:34:55,861
We... The... 9/11 issue...
We nailed it!"...
856
00:34:55,885 --> 00:34:57,822
Like, derive pride
from a tragedy,
857
00:34:57,846 --> 00:35:00,533
but it definitely
is one of the things
858
00:35:00,557 --> 00:35:03,869
I'm most proud of in my
entire comedy writing career.
859
00:35:03,893 --> 00:35:06,580
-You would think that
this little independent
860
00:35:06,604 --> 00:35:08,791
{\an8}kind of underground
humor publication
861
00:35:08,815 --> 00:35:11,252
{\an8}with a bunch of freaks
and longhairs working there
862
00:35:11,276 --> 00:35:14,130
would not have been
a significant contribution
863
00:35:14,154 --> 00:35:16,007
to those people's lives
in that moment,
864
00:35:16,031 --> 00:35:18,342
but, evidently,
meant something to people.
865
00:35:18,366 --> 00:35:22,495
And that's a very humbling thing
to realize.
866
00:35:28,001 --> 00:35:29,645
-It's "Saturday Night Live"!
867
00:35:29,669 --> 00:35:31,355
-May of 2001,
868
00:35:31,379 --> 00:35:34,275
Rob Carlock, who had been
producing "Weekend Update,"
869
00:35:34,299 --> 00:35:36,360
{\an8}left and moved to L.A.
to take a job,
870
00:35:36,384 --> 00:35:38,487
{\an8}and I remember thinking, like,
871
00:35:38,511 --> 00:35:41,157
{\an8}"Who are they gonna get
to do that job?"
872
00:35:41,181 --> 00:35:42,700
{\an8}And the answer was me.
873
00:35:42,724 --> 00:35:45,244
{\an8}-My first day of work
at "Saturday Night Live"
874
00:35:45,268 --> 00:35:48,080
{\an8}was supposed to be on
September 11, 2001.
875
00:35:48,104 --> 00:35:51,792
-Suddenly, the news went from
being this funny, like,
876
00:35:51,816 --> 00:35:54,837
"What did Newt Gingrich
say today that's funny?"
877
00:35:54,861 --> 00:35:58,382
It turned from that to, like,
the scariest topic for comedy
878
00:35:58,406 --> 00:36:01,719
that any of us could have ever
possibly imagined. [ Chuckles ]
879
00:36:01,743 --> 00:36:04,180
-Letterman came back. All
the late-night shows came back.
880
00:36:04,204 --> 00:36:06,724
{\an8}What about this institution?
- I mean, that's what
881
00:36:06,748 --> 00:36:08,476
{\an8}"Saturday Night Live"
is most famous for,
882
00:36:08,500 --> 00:36:10,895
{\an8}is addressing
what's most topical.
883
00:36:10,919 --> 00:36:12,438
How is that gonna be possible?
884
00:36:12,462 --> 00:36:13,755
{\an8}♪♪
885
00:36:19,677 --> 00:36:20,905
{\an8}-The networks were ready
to roll out their new TV shows
886
00:36:20,929 --> 00:36:22,156
{\an8}next week,
but now that may change.
887
00:36:22,180 --> 00:36:23,532
{\an8}-I don't think we even knew
888
00:36:23,556 --> 00:36:25,284
{\an8}if we were gonna still do a show
that week.
889
00:36:25,308 --> 00:36:27,370
{\an8}-The whole week was very tense.
890
00:36:27,394 --> 00:36:31,207
{\an8}-What are people ready for?
Is this okay? Is this too risky?
891
00:36:31,231 --> 00:36:34,293
-It was just a really weird,
gut-wrenching feeling
892
00:36:34,317 --> 00:36:37,797
of sadness and...
And devastation.
893
00:36:37,821 --> 00:36:39,131
We didn't feel funny.
894
00:36:39,155 --> 00:36:41,717
We didn't feel
like really laughing.
895
00:36:41,741 --> 00:36:44,095
[ Chuckles ] You know,
we weren't joking around
896
00:36:44,119 --> 00:36:46,597
as we usually do
or doing bits with each other.
897
00:36:46,621 --> 00:36:48,140
Every time we would pass
by each other,
898
00:36:48,164 --> 00:36:49,767
we kind of gave
each other a look like,
899
00:36:49,791 --> 00:36:52,436
"Are we still gonna
just keep writing?
900
00:36:52,460 --> 00:36:56,565
Are we still doing... Are
we still supposed to be here?"
901
00:36:56,589 --> 00:36:58,901
-The thing that you hold on to
in those moments is, like,
902
00:36:58,925 --> 00:37:01,028
"No, it matters...
Normalcy, right?
903
00:37:01,052 --> 00:37:03,531
People need to laugh again."
904
00:37:03,555 --> 00:37:05,616
-That week, we did
what we always did,
905
00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:07,576
{\an8}and that was create a show
and write a show
906
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:09,328
{\an8}and then perform it.
907
00:37:09,352 --> 00:37:11,914
-We have to go do dumb sketches.
We have to put on dumb wigs
908
00:37:11,938 --> 00:37:14,792
because, damn it,
that's the point of this show.
909
00:37:14,816 --> 00:37:17,086
That's the point of "SNL."
That's the point of New York.
910
00:37:17,110 --> 00:37:18,879
We don't get derailed...
Like, they don't...
911
00:37:18,903 --> 00:37:22,007
They don't get to cancel
our dumb sketch show.
912
00:37:22,031 --> 00:37:24,051
So we're... God damn it,
we're gonna do it.
913
00:37:24,075 --> 00:37:25,636
{\an8}♪♪
914
00:37:25,660 --> 00:37:27,680
-We didn't know what
the cold opening
915
00:37:27,704 --> 00:37:29,432
was going to be that week,
916
00:37:29,456 --> 00:37:31,642
how they would address
what was obviously in the news,
917
00:37:31,666 --> 00:37:34,562
which was, you know,
9/11 and the Twin Towers,
918
00:37:34,586 --> 00:37:36,564
and then, all of a sudden,
they decided
919
00:37:36,588 --> 00:37:38,607
that it would be
the first responders.
920
00:37:38,631 --> 00:37:42,987
-You know, half of them had been
down there and survived it.
921
00:37:43,011 --> 00:37:45,990
They all had friends that...
That... that... that died,
922
00:37:46,014 --> 00:37:47,867
and they were
all standing there.
923
00:37:47,891 --> 00:37:51,745
And the look on their faces
told a thousand stories.
924
00:37:51,769 --> 00:37:53,205
-Since September 11th,
925
00:37:53,229 --> 00:37:56,667
many people have called New York
a city of heroes.
926
00:37:56,691 --> 00:37:58,377
Well, these are the heroes.
927
00:37:58,401 --> 00:38:02,173
[ Cheers and applause ]
928
00:38:02,197 --> 00:38:03,466
-It was really a beautiful way
and moving way
929
00:38:03,490 --> 00:38:04,842
to start the show.
930
00:38:04,866 --> 00:38:06,469
- "Saturday Night Live"
931
00:38:06,493 --> 00:38:08,429
is one of our great
New York City institutions,
932
00:38:08,453 --> 00:38:11,307
and that's why it's important
for you to do your show tonight.
933
00:38:11,331 --> 00:38:12,808
-Can we be funny?
934
00:38:12,832 --> 00:38:15,561
[ Light laughter ]
935
00:38:15,585 --> 00:38:16,979
-Why start now?
936
00:38:17,003 --> 00:38:18,355
[ Laughter ]
937
00:38:18,379 --> 00:38:19,732
[ Cheers and applause ]
938
00:38:19,756 --> 00:38:21,901
♪♪
939
00:38:21,925 --> 00:38:25,070
-It was perfectly conceived.
It was perfectly executed.
940
00:38:25,094 --> 00:38:28,449
It was so great
that the first joke back
941
00:38:28,473 --> 00:38:30,826
was a self-mocking,
942
00:38:30,850 --> 00:38:33,037
self-referential joke
about "SNL"
943
00:38:33,061 --> 00:38:35,247
and about the larger question
that everyone was asking,
944
00:38:35,271 --> 00:38:37,082
"Can we be funny?
Is it okay to laugh?"
945
00:38:37,106 --> 00:38:39,502
{\an8}-Was genius that speeded
things up a little bit.
946
00:38:39,526 --> 00:38:41,045
-It gave us permission
to laugh again,
947
00:38:41,069 --> 00:38:43,380
not just the audience
in the studio,
948
00:38:43,404 --> 00:38:45,466
but America, really.
949
00:38:45,490 --> 00:38:48,636
{\an8}-Reese Witherspoon was the first
host for the season premiere.
950
00:38:48,660 --> 00:38:50,971
-We've never done a show
under these circumstances,
951
00:38:50,995 --> 00:38:53,057
so we're still finding our way.
952
00:38:53,081 --> 00:38:54,975
But I promise you
that we're going to give it
953
00:38:54,999 --> 00:38:56,310
everything we've got.
954
00:38:56,334 --> 00:38:58,646
-We definitely went with safer,
955
00:38:58,670 --> 00:39:02,066
more fun, whimsical types
of sketches.
956
00:39:02,090 --> 00:39:05,528
-With negative $130,000,
957
00:39:05,552 --> 00:39:09,073
Sean Connery is here yet again.
958
00:39:09,097 --> 00:39:12,159
-I wouldn't miss it
for the world, Trebek.
959
00:39:12,183 --> 00:39:14,078
I turned down
Harry Friggin' Potter
960
00:39:14,102 --> 00:39:16,789
for this.
- [ Laughs ]
961
00:39:16,813 --> 00:39:19,792
-Please, God, take me now.
[ Laughter ]
962
00:39:19,816 --> 00:39:22,503
-It was now safe to do
Maya doing her Versace sketch.
963
00:39:22,527 --> 00:39:25,089
-She makes me laugh so hard.
"Get out."
964
00:39:25,113 --> 00:39:28,467
-Get out!
[ Laughter ]
965
00:39:28,491 --> 00:39:30,844
{\an8}-Then, how are you gonna handle
"Weekend Update"?
966
00:39:30,868 --> 00:39:34,223
{\an8}The goal of "Weekend Update"
is to tell 10 to 15 jokes
967
00:39:34,247 --> 00:39:36,100
about stuff
that happened that week.
968
00:39:36,124 --> 00:39:38,352
[ Chuckling ]
One thing happened that week.
969
00:39:38,376 --> 00:39:42,314
-We're glad to be back, and here
are tonight's top stories.
970
00:39:42,338 --> 00:39:45,276
U.S. officials continue
the search for Osama bin Laden.
971
00:39:45,300 --> 00:39:47,611
Reports suggest that Bin Laden
is most likely hiding out
972
00:39:47,635 --> 00:39:49,113
somewhere remote and barren
973
00:39:49,137 --> 00:39:50,781
where he will not encounter
others.
974
00:39:50,805 --> 00:39:52,533
The FBI has begun
searching theaters
975
00:39:52,557 --> 00:39:55,244
showing the movie "Glitter."
[ Laughter ]
976
00:39:55,268 --> 00:39:59,248
{\an1}-That's not an amazing joke,
but... but it's the kind of joke
977
00:39:59,272 --> 00:40:01,959
that we would tell
in a less horrifying setup
978
00:40:01,983 --> 00:40:03,627
applied
to this horrifying setup.
979
00:40:03,651 --> 00:40:05,129
But that
Gambino crime family joke...
980
00:40:05,153 --> 00:40:06,380
That's a good joke.
981
00:40:06,404 --> 00:40:08,090
-According to the New York Post,
982
00:40:08,114 --> 00:40:09,675
the Mafia has stolen
983
00:40:09,699 --> 00:40:12,177
more than 250 tons
of scrap metal
984
00:40:12,201 --> 00:40:13,637
from lower Manhattan.
985
00:40:13,661 --> 00:40:15,973
A spokesman for
the Gambino family said,
986
00:40:15,997 --> 00:40:18,017
"Hey, the mayor told us
to go back to work."
987
00:40:18,041 --> 00:40:19,768
[ Laughter ]
988
00:40:19,792 --> 00:40:22,521
-That joke is about, like,
the city healing itself...
989
00:40:22,545 --> 00:40:24,440
You know, like that's...
I think that's probably why
990
00:40:24,464 --> 00:40:27,359
that joke worked at some level
is 'cause it's like,
991
00:40:27,383 --> 00:40:29,028
yeah, we're going to
get back to normalcy.
992
00:40:29,052 --> 00:40:30,988
Like, we're doing
our dumb sketch show.
993
00:40:31,012 --> 00:40:32,656
The mobsters are gonna go
strip metal
994
00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:33,991
out of a bunch of buildings.
995
00:40:34,015 --> 00:40:35,743
Like we're going...
It's New York.
996
00:40:35,767 --> 00:40:37,369
That's what we always do.
997
00:40:37,393 --> 00:40:40,331
-Our final story tonight...
New York City is awesome.
998
00:40:40,355 --> 00:40:42,416
{\an8}[ Cheers and applause ]
Thank you.
999
00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:44,418
{\an8}-The show
actually felt meaningful.
1000
00:40:44,442 --> 00:40:48,172
{\an1}This is our tiny, little part to
play in this much larger drama.
1001
00:40:48,196 --> 00:40:50,924
-We wanted
to do New York justice,
1002
00:40:50,948 --> 00:40:52,593
and we wanted to make sure
we did a good show.
1003
00:40:52,617 --> 00:40:54,219
-♪ Ding, ding, ding, ding,
ding, ding ♪
1004
00:40:54,243 --> 00:40:55,929
♪ Ding, ding, ding,
ding, ding, ding ♪
1005
00:40:55,953 --> 00:40:57,973
-We tried hard to just make
people kind of laugh
1006
00:40:57,997 --> 00:40:59,433
and forget a little bit.
1007
00:40:59,457 --> 00:41:01,518
-Just sort of as an exhale.
Alright.
1008
00:41:01,542 --> 00:41:03,437
- ♪ Ohhhhh ♪
- ♪ Ohhhhh ♪
1009
00:41:03,461 --> 00:41:05,439
[ Cheers and applause ]
1010
00:41:05,463 --> 00:41:09,234
-Being able to laugh again, it
does help the healing process,
1011
00:41:09,258 --> 00:41:11,236
and it definitely made
you feel like
1012
00:41:11,260 --> 00:41:12,863
we're not gonna lay down.
1013
00:41:12,887 --> 00:41:15,699
-It was a singular moment
in all of our lives.
1014
00:41:15,723 --> 00:41:18,160
-You guys made me laugh,
so thank you.
1015
00:41:18,184 --> 00:41:20,204
[ Cheers and applause ]
1016
00:41:20,228 --> 00:41:28,228
{\an8}♪♪
1017
00:41:30,154 --> 00:41:32,341
-Comedy Central presents
1018
00:41:32,365 --> 00:41:35,886
"The New York Friars Club Roast
of Hugh Hefner."
1019
00:41:35,910 --> 00:41:37,221
-Me and the Friars
1020
00:41:37,245 --> 00:41:38,972
{\an8}and Comedy Central and...
And Hef...
1021
00:41:38,996 --> 00:41:42,434
{\an8}we all had to decide
what was the right thing to do.
1022
00:41:42,458 --> 00:41:44,103
{\an8}-He told me that their,
you know, their people
1023
00:41:44,127 --> 00:41:47,314
{\an8}were a little concerned
about it being too soon.
1024
00:41:47,338 --> 00:41:48,732
Am I one of those people?
1025
00:41:48,756 --> 00:41:50,609
I'm like, "Hell no.
I am in."
1026
00:41:50,633 --> 00:41:53,070
{\an8}It's cliché now...
The terrorists win.
1027
00:41:53,094 --> 00:41:56,323
{\an8}But then, it wasn't a cliché...
It was, like, this real thing.
1028
00:41:56,347 --> 00:41:58,075
Don't be defeated.
1029
00:41:58,099 --> 00:42:00,619
Jimmy Kimmel emceed,
and Jimmy broke the ice.
1030
00:42:00,643 --> 00:42:03,747
-Everybody here will agree
that right about now
1031
00:42:03,771 --> 00:42:05,582
we could all use a good laugh.
1032
00:42:05,606 --> 00:42:08,252
Unfortunately, though, our first
roaster is Rob Schneider.
1033
00:42:08,276 --> 00:42:09,920
[ Laughter ]
1034
00:42:09,944 --> 00:42:11,422
-He set the tone
right from the get-go.
1035
00:42:11,446 --> 00:42:13,424
The roastmaster's job
is to lay waste
1036
00:42:13,448 --> 00:42:16,176
to everybody in the room
in such a manner and style
1037
00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:18,595
that everybody can just backfill
and follow suit.
1038
00:42:18,619 --> 00:42:20,889
-Let me just start off by saying
Osama bin Laden is a [bleep]
1039
00:42:20,913 --> 00:42:22,891
[ Laughter ]
1040
00:42:22,915 --> 00:42:24,435
I don't mean [bleep]
in a bad way,
1041
00:42:24,459 --> 00:42:25,894
'cause I know you have
girlfriends in here...
1042
00:42:25,918 --> 00:42:28,605
I'm not trying to...
[ Laughter and applause ]
1043
00:42:28,629 --> 00:42:30,733
{\an8}And you're like, "Alright, I
just want to be in roast mode."
1044
00:42:30,757 --> 00:42:33,527
My real reason for being here
is, uh, you know,
1045
00:42:33,551 --> 00:42:35,404
I just wanted to get invited
to the mansion.
1046
00:42:35,428 --> 00:42:37,239
That's the whole thing.
I've never been to the mansion.
1047
00:42:37,263 --> 00:42:38,741
That's why I came tonight.
1048
00:42:38,765 --> 00:42:40,284
You know, I'm ready.
That's the whole thing.
1049
00:42:40,308 --> 00:42:41,744
You know,
we're going to set it off.
1050
00:42:41,768 --> 00:42:43,454
All I'm saying is, you know...
1051
00:42:43,478 --> 00:42:44,747
- Whoo!
- Oh.
1052
00:42:44,771 --> 00:42:45,998
- let's do this.
1053
00:42:46,022 --> 00:42:47,291
[ Laughter ]
1054
00:42:47,315 --> 00:42:49,960
[ Cheers and applause ]
1055
00:42:49,984 --> 00:42:52,629
I think people were being very
careful with their material.
1056
00:42:52,653 --> 00:42:54,965
-People were dancing around
the 9/11 thing,
1057
00:42:54,989 --> 00:42:58,135
{\an8}but Gilbert is ruthless
and tasteless.
1058
00:42:58,159 --> 00:43:00,220
You pretty much
got to put him on last.
1059
00:43:00,244 --> 00:43:03,974
-The one and only
Gilbert Gottfried.
1060
00:43:03,998 --> 00:43:05,642
-Don't know
what he's going to do.
1061
00:43:05,666 --> 00:43:08,479
There's a good chance
he's a little inappropriate.
1062
00:43:08,503 --> 00:43:12,357
There's a good chance
he's really dirty.
1063
00:43:12,381 --> 00:43:15,402
-Tonight, I'm gonna be using
my Muslim name,
1064
00:43:15,426 --> 00:43:17,279
Hasn't bin Laid.
1065
00:43:17,303 --> 00:43:19,823
[ Laughter ]
1066
00:43:19,847 --> 00:43:21,450
{\an8}-And that got a... a laugh.
1067
00:43:21,474 --> 00:43:23,619
And then I wanted to be
the first one
1068
00:43:23,643 --> 00:43:25,704
to address the elephant
in the room.
1069
00:43:25,728 --> 00:43:27,372
{\an8}-It's a defense mechanism,
you know,
1070
00:43:27,396 --> 00:43:28,874
{\an8}to make a joke about something
or an...
1071
00:43:28,898 --> 00:43:30,584
{\an8}or a feeling in the room,
you know?
1072
00:43:30,608 --> 00:43:32,961
We have to label the elephant
in the room, you know?
1073
00:43:32,985 --> 00:43:34,922
Some guys ride
the... elephant in.
1074
00:43:34,946 --> 00:43:37,299
{\an8}-There's something in Gilbert,
for better or worse,
1075
00:43:37,323 --> 00:43:39,718
that makes him want to do
these things.
1076
00:43:39,742 --> 00:43:41,512
He can't help himself.
He's compelled.
1077
00:43:41,536 --> 00:43:44,264
-I have to catch a flight
to California.
1078
00:43:44,288 --> 00:43:46,058
I can't get a direct flight.
1079
00:43:46,082 --> 00:43:48,977
They said they had to stop at
the Empire State Building first.
1080
00:43:49,001 --> 00:43:50,229
[ Laughter ]
1081
00:43:50,253 --> 00:43:52,481
[ Audience groans ]
Mnh!
1082
00:43:52,505 --> 00:43:53,982
-God bless him.
1083
00:43:54,006 --> 00:43:55,943
-It was really the first moment
in the night
1084
00:43:55,967 --> 00:44:00,364
where everybody's well-founded
and well-intentioned fears
1085
00:44:00,388 --> 00:44:03,325
about the night
had actually been realized.
1086
00:44:03,349 --> 00:44:06,453
{\an8}-And you thought, "How will he
get out of this situation?"
1087
00:44:06,477 --> 00:44:08,580
-I had lost an audience
1088
00:44:08,604 --> 00:44:12,501
as big as anybody could lose
an audience.
1089
00:44:12,525 --> 00:44:16,046
And one guy yelled out,
"Too soon!"
1090
00:44:16,070 --> 00:44:20,008
which I thought meant I didn't
take a long enough pause
1091
00:44:20,032 --> 00:44:22,219
between the setup
and the punch line.
1092
00:44:22,243 --> 00:44:27,224
-But that pushed Gilbert
to go even further
1093
00:44:27,248 --> 00:44:30,394
and get even dirtier
and more inappropriate.
1094
00:44:30,418 --> 00:44:34,982
-I figured, "Let me just go to
the bottom level of Hell now."
1095
00:44:35,006 --> 00:44:37,442
-He launched into
"The Aristocrats."
1096
00:44:37,466 --> 00:44:41,446
-Okay. A talent agent
is sitting in his office...
1097
00:44:41,470 --> 00:44:46,243
Which is a joke that is about
incest and bestiality
1098
00:44:46,267 --> 00:44:48,871
and all kinds
of sick, perverse things.
1099
00:44:48,895 --> 00:44:51,498
{\an8}-The most, uh, visceral,
gross-out joke
1100
00:44:51,522 --> 00:44:53,000
{\an8}you could possibly think of.
1101
00:44:53,024 --> 00:44:55,252
-The father
starts... his wife.
1102
00:44:55,276 --> 00:44:57,462
The wife starts jerking off
the son.
1103
00:44:57,486 --> 00:44:59,923
The son starts going down
on the sister.
1104
00:44:59,947 --> 00:45:03,260
The sister starts fingering
the dog's asshole.
1105
00:45:03,284 --> 00:45:07,806
-And it went so far [laughs]
and... and it kind of...
1106
00:45:07,830 --> 00:45:10,225
- Yeah.
- Brought everyone together
1107
00:45:10,249 --> 00:45:12,477
in a way that, yes,
you could laugh.
1108
00:45:12,501 --> 00:45:15,939
-People were howling
and pounding the tables,
1109
00:45:15,963 --> 00:45:19,192
and it proved to me...
Terrorism... bad taste,
1110
00:45:19,216 --> 00:45:22,112
incest and bestiality...
Good taste.
1111
00:45:22,136 --> 00:45:23,947
-Bad taste is not a crime.
1112
00:45:23,971 --> 00:45:27,701
In fact, it can sometimes be
therapeutic, cathartic...
1113
00:45:27,725 --> 00:45:29,286
Healing, even.
1114
00:45:29,310 --> 00:45:32,372
-17 days might have seemed
too soon at the time,
1115
00:45:32,396 --> 00:45:33,957
but it was perfect.
1116
00:45:33,981 --> 00:45:35,417
-That's the thing
about "too soon."
1117
00:45:35,441 --> 00:45:37,336
It's like...
It really begs the question,
1118
00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:39,671
because
if somebody doesn't try it,
1119
00:45:39,695 --> 00:45:41,089
then you really don't know.
1120
00:45:41,113 --> 00:45:42,841
-Do you want me to start
at the beginning?
1121
00:45:42,865 --> 00:45:44,635
[ Laughter ]
1122
00:45:44,659 --> 00:45:47,679
-The dean of the Friars Club
said that they raised
1123
00:45:47,703 --> 00:45:50,349
somewhere between
$500,000 and $600,000
1124
00:45:50,373 --> 00:45:51,975
for the Twin Towers Fund.
1125
00:45:51,999 --> 00:45:54,144
I'm glad we did this.
[ Cheers and applause ]
1126
00:45:54,168 --> 00:45:56,813
-I truly had a front-row seat
1127
00:45:56,837 --> 00:45:59,316
to one of the greatest nights
in the history of comedy.
1128
00:45:59,340 --> 00:46:01,985
-It was a big swing. He was in
the moment, and he did it.
1129
00:46:02,009 --> 00:46:05,197
And it was a great litmus test
for where everybody was.
1130
00:46:05,221 --> 00:46:07,282
{\an8}♪♪
1131
00:46:07,306 --> 00:46:09,618
{\an8}-It was interesting to watch
comedians at that time
1132
00:46:09,642 --> 00:46:12,829
tread lightly around a lot
of different subject matters.
1133
00:46:12,853 --> 00:46:14,915
Having been down there,
it's the first time I remember
1134
00:46:14,939 --> 00:46:17,167
really feeling for myself,
"Too soon."
1135
00:46:17,191 --> 00:46:20,003
-At Stand Up New York, the owner
of the club, Cary Hoffman,
1136
00:46:20,027 --> 00:46:24,132
{\an8}telling Marc Maron, "No jokes
about 9/11, nothing here."
1137
00:46:24,156 --> 00:46:26,551
{\an8}And Marc Maron yelling,
"I'm an artist!
1138
00:46:26,575 --> 00:46:28,387
{\an8}Don't tell me
what to joke about!
1139
00:46:28,411 --> 00:46:29,805
It's my way of coping with it.
1140
00:46:29,829 --> 00:46:31,723
It's the way the audience
copes with it."
1141
00:46:31,747 --> 00:46:33,517
-He's like, "Look, if you do it,
1142
00:46:33,541 --> 00:46:35,102
you'll never work here again."
1143
00:46:35,126 --> 00:46:36,377
{\an8}♪♪
1144
00:46:41,215 --> 00:46:44,236
-Am I being inappropriate,
or am I just doing my job?
1145
00:46:44,260 --> 00:46:46,822
{\an8}Is our job to entertain
these people away from this?
1146
00:46:46,846 --> 00:46:49,116
You know, they keep saying,
you know, get back to normal.
1147
00:46:49,140 --> 00:46:50,701
I didn't know where that was
before this went down.
1148
00:46:50,725 --> 00:46:52,327
You know what I mean?
- Right.
1149
00:46:52,351 --> 00:46:54,162
What does that mean?
- Well, they want us to get out
1150
00:46:54,186 --> 00:46:55,831
and... and do things.
- Right.
1151
00:46:55,855 --> 00:46:57,749
Resume consumption, you know,
start eating,
1152
00:46:57,773 --> 00:46:59,668
you know, go out,
go to the movies,
1153
00:46:59,692 --> 00:47:01,795
take in a show, you know,
put some gas in your car,
1154
00:47:01,819 --> 00:47:03,922
invest, get something
between you and your feelings
1155
00:47:03,946 --> 00:47:05,716
before they lead to questions.
You know?
1156
00:47:05,740 --> 00:47:07,300
If you think about,
1157
00:47:07,324 --> 00:47:08,927
{\an8}"Ask not what
your country can do for you...
1158
00:47:08,951 --> 00:47:10,178
{\an8}ask what you can do
for your country.
1159
00:47:10,202 --> 00:47:11,596
{\an8}40 years later, it's like,
1160
00:47:11,620 --> 00:47:12,889
"Hey, you know how
you can help America?
1161
00:47:12,913 --> 00:47:14,641
Go to Disneyland."
[ Chuckles ]
1162
00:47:14,665 --> 00:47:17,561
{\an8}-You got to go out to eat
and get drinks and go to bars.
1163
00:47:17,585 --> 00:47:20,188
{\an8}- Telling people to go shopping.
- Right, yeah.
1164
00:47:20,212 --> 00:47:22,190
-That's our latest
mindless cliché...
1165
00:47:22,214 --> 00:47:24,026
Go out and buy some jewelry
and a new car...
1166
00:47:24,050 --> 00:47:25,569
Otherwise, the terrorists win.
1167
00:47:25,593 --> 00:47:27,446
[ Laughter and applause ]
1168
00:47:27,470 --> 00:47:30,282
{\an8}-It's never the actual thing
you make fun of.
1169
00:47:30,306 --> 00:47:32,451
{\an8}It's how everyone responds
to it.
1170
00:47:32,475 --> 00:47:33,910
{\an8}-They raised
the color-coding thing
1171
00:47:33,934 --> 00:47:36,455
{\an8}any time Bush's approval rating
would dip.
1172
00:47:36,479 --> 00:47:39,875
-Attorney General John Ashcroft
issued a terrorism warning
1173
00:47:39,899 --> 00:47:42,836
asking all Americans to be
on high alert this week.
1174
00:47:42,860 --> 00:47:45,547
Then on Friday, he announced
that the period of high alert
1175
00:47:45,571 --> 00:47:47,632
would be extended indefinitely.
1176
00:47:47,656 --> 00:47:50,218
I think I speak for
all Americans when I say,
1177
00:47:50,242 --> 00:47:53,263
bitch, I can't be any more alert
1178
00:47:53,287 --> 00:47:55,307
than I already am.
[ Laughter ]
1179
00:47:55,331 --> 00:47:56,975
{\an8}-Eddie Griffin started
talking about,
1180
00:47:56,999 --> 00:47:58,810
{\an8}"If I was on the plane,
mother..."
1181
00:47:58,834 --> 00:48:01,104
-Shit wouldn't have
went down like that.
1182
00:48:01,128 --> 00:48:02,522
You know what I'm saying?
1183
00:48:02,546 --> 00:48:04,691
'Cause them flights
were from Boston to L.A.
1184
00:48:04,715 --> 00:48:07,360
You know how long a nigga
have to save up
1185
00:48:07,384 --> 00:48:09,196
for a ticket
from Boston to L.A.?
1186
00:48:09,220 --> 00:48:10,781
Nigga... A nigga
would have been on the plane...
1187
00:48:10,805 --> 00:48:12,532
"We ain't making
no mother... U-turn!"
1188
00:48:12,556 --> 00:48:13,867
[ Laughter ]
1189
00:48:13,891 --> 00:48:15,410
"The... you talking about, nigga?
1190
00:48:15,434 --> 00:48:17,621
I saved up for these tickets
for two years."
1191
00:48:17,645 --> 00:48:20,791
-And then you realized,
"Oh, we could show anger
1192
00:48:20,815 --> 00:48:22,959
towards the terrorists...
That would be okay.
1193
00:48:22,983 --> 00:48:24,669
There's nothing
offensive about that."
1194
00:48:24,693 --> 00:48:26,463
{\an8}-The first joke
that came out of it was,
1195
00:48:26,487 --> 00:48:28,215
terrorists convince thousands
of people to kill themselves
1196
00:48:28,239 --> 00:48:29,800
in the name of God.
1197
00:48:29,824 --> 00:48:32,094
-I can't convince two of
my friends to help me move.
1198
00:48:32,118 --> 00:48:34,179
[ Laughter ]
- Of course,
1199
00:48:34,203 --> 00:48:36,973
the thing that everyone jumps on
is 72 virgins.
1200
00:48:36,997 --> 00:48:39,601
-They believe that,
if they kill themselves,
1201
00:48:39,625 --> 00:48:43,563
they will be met in Heaven
by 70-some odd virgins.
1202
00:48:43,587 --> 00:48:48,151
Imagine that kind of faith...
To think that that would happen,
1203
00:48:48,175 --> 00:48:51,571
when I haven't met one on Earth!
[ Laughter ]
1204
00:48:51,595 --> 00:48:53,532
-I tried to turn it around.
1205
00:48:53,556 --> 00:48:55,158
I'll make a little feminist.
1206
00:48:55,182 --> 00:48:57,285
If you're a woman,
you wouldn't want 72 virgins...
1207
00:48:57,309 --> 00:49:00,580
That would be like
72 premature ejaculations.
1208
00:49:00,604 --> 00:49:02,332
You just feel like,
"Oh, my God."
1209
00:49:02,356 --> 00:49:03,792
Like, no wonder
they wore burkas.
1210
00:49:03,816 --> 00:49:06,086
Maybe they're just
protecting their faces.
1211
00:49:06,110 --> 00:49:08,672
{\an8}-I think you saw a lot of comics
1212
00:49:08,696 --> 00:49:10,799
{\an8}really be able to develop
their own voices.
1213
00:49:10,823 --> 00:49:13,927
{\an8}-Marc Maron doing some
smart jokes about surveillance.
1214
00:49:13,951 --> 00:49:17,430
-It'd be a very disappointing
surveillance operation
1215
00:49:17,454 --> 00:49:19,182
if they had me on camera
all the time.
1216
00:49:19,206 --> 00:49:21,101
[ Laughter ]
You know, they'd be like,
1217
00:49:21,125 --> 00:49:24,396
"Oh, he's throwing up.
He's still in bed.
1218
00:49:24,420 --> 00:49:27,065
What? I can't believe
he's jerking off again."
1219
00:49:27,089 --> 00:49:28,650
[ Laughter ]
1220
00:49:28,674 --> 00:49:30,735
-Patrice O'Neal had a really
funny joke about...
1221
00:49:30,759 --> 00:49:33,655
He's like, "Now, you know,
remember, people are, like,
1222
00:49:33,679 --> 00:49:37,284
{\an8}'Oh, what are we gonna do in...
In Wisconsin?'"
1223
00:49:37,308 --> 00:49:38,577
-People in Iowa worried about
1224
00:49:38,601 --> 00:49:40,203
all the cereal factories
being undertaken.
1225
00:49:40,227 --> 00:49:41,621
Ain't gonna happen.
1226
00:49:41,645 --> 00:49:43,748
"Six tractors
were hijacked today
1227
00:49:43,772 --> 00:49:48,170
and driven into
a cereal factory in Iowa.
1228
00:49:48,194 --> 00:49:49,880
It's a terrible sight here, Jim.
1229
00:49:49,904 --> 00:49:52,716
We're live
at the Raisin Bran factory.
1230
00:49:52,740 --> 00:49:56,303
Raisin... Raisin Silo Number 1
1231
00:49:56,327 --> 00:49:59,014
is completely engulfed
in flames."
1232
00:49:59,038 --> 00:50:02,601
[ Laughter and applause ]
1233
00:50:02,625 --> 00:50:04,269
"I think, next year,
there's only gonna be
1234
00:50:04,293 --> 00:50:05,812
one scoop of raisins."
1235
00:50:05,836 --> 00:50:07,314
[ Laughter ]
1236
00:50:07,338 --> 00:50:09,399
-Not a joke about
the tragedy of 9/11,
1237
00:50:09,423 --> 00:50:11,610
but the joke of moving on
from 9/11.
1238
00:50:11,634 --> 00:50:13,278
-After 9/11,
we did shows almost right away.
1239
00:50:13,302 --> 00:50:14,529
We started doing shows
really quickly
1240
00:50:14,553 --> 00:50:16,281
in the clubs around the city.
1241
00:50:16,305 --> 00:50:18,074
In some parts of the city,
there wasn't even electricity
1242
00:50:18,098 --> 00:50:19,534
in some parts of the city yet,
the subway didn't even go there,
1243
00:50:19,558 --> 00:50:20,952
but we started doing shows
in these clubs,
1244
00:50:20,976 --> 00:50:22,287
'cause people seemed
to want to come out.
1245
00:50:22,311 --> 00:50:23,788
They seemed to want to laugh,
and...
1246
00:50:23,812 --> 00:50:25,081
And I couldn't believe it,
you know,
1247
00:50:25,105 --> 00:50:26,625
it was...
It was right after 9/11,
1248
00:50:26,649 --> 00:50:28,126
and there were already people
in the audience
1249
00:50:28,150 --> 00:50:29,961
as bachelorettes...
Bachelorette parties.
1250
00:50:29,985 --> 00:50:31,671
And I thought, "Holy shit."
1251
00:50:31,695 --> 00:50:34,966
You know, I-I-I never thought
that I would be proud
1252
00:50:34,990 --> 00:50:37,761
to see a pack
of drunken Jersey girls
1253
00:50:37,785 --> 00:50:39,387
with condoms on their heads.
1254
00:50:39,411 --> 00:50:41,223
[ Laughter ]
I thought, "Shit.
1255
00:50:41,247 --> 00:50:43,266
They are never gonna change
the American way of life."
1256
00:50:43,290 --> 00:50:46,102
They... They they just knocked
down the World Trade Center,
1257
00:50:46,126 --> 00:50:49,773
but they couldn't stop
this gaggle of squawking twats
1258
00:50:49,797 --> 00:50:52,317
from... from, uh...
[ Laughter and applause ]
1259
00:50:52,341 --> 00:50:55,403
{\an8}-That is such a brilliant
turn of phrase...
1260
00:50:55,427 --> 00:50:57,155
{\an8}a gaggle of squawking twats.
1261
00:50:57,179 --> 00:50:58,907
"Oh, we're going, Gina.
It's your day.
1262
00:50:58,931 --> 00:51:02,535
It's your special day.
We are going in the city.
1263
00:51:02,559 --> 00:51:04,204
We are going
in the... city.
1264
00:51:04,228 --> 00:51:05,872
It's your special day.
1265
00:51:05,896 --> 00:51:07,999
I don't care what those...
Mexicans did.
1266
00:51:08,023 --> 00:51:09,834
We are going into the city."
1267
00:51:09,858 --> 00:51:11,836
-And it was on the right side
of it, too, which I loved...
1268
00:51:11,860 --> 00:51:14,506
That it was like...
There was hope in that joke,
1269
00:51:14,530 --> 00:51:16,841
that it was like, you know,
they're never gonna defeat us.
1270
00:51:16,865 --> 00:51:19,344
{\an8}-But if you had, like,
something specific about 9/11,
1271
00:51:19,368 --> 00:51:21,388
it had to be super funny.
1272
00:51:21,412 --> 00:51:26,476
It had to be so bad and so funny
that people would be like,
1273
00:51:26,500 --> 00:51:28,019
"Alright,
I can't not laugh at that.
1274
00:51:28,043 --> 00:51:29,729
That is sick,
but I can't not laugh at that."
1275
00:51:29,753 --> 00:51:31,648
-Like, I was thinking
the other day that
1276
00:51:31,672 --> 00:51:33,191
you can figure out
how bad a person you are
1277
00:51:33,215 --> 00:51:35,568
by how soon after September 11th
you masturbated...
1278
00:51:35,592 --> 00:51:36,945
Like, how long you waited.
1279
00:51:36,969 --> 00:51:39,030
[ Laughter ]
1280
00:51:39,054 --> 00:51:42,033
And for me, it was between
the two buildings going down,
1281
00:51:42,057 --> 00:51:43,451
so I have a feeling of...
[ Laughter ]
1282
00:51:43,475 --> 00:51:46,871
{\an8}-[ Laughs ]
1283
00:51:46,895 --> 00:51:49,124
{\an8}There's too many levels
to do this joke.
1284
00:51:49,148 --> 00:51:53,169
{\an8}-You can talk about 9/11
and difficult, painful things
1285
00:51:53,193 --> 00:51:56,089
{\an8}as long as you have a
perspective that's interesting.
1286
00:51:56,113 --> 00:51:59,843
{\an8}-It's not about what this...
The... this simple joke is.
1287
00:51:59,867 --> 00:52:02,846
{\an8}It's about how it's presented
1288
00:52:02,870 --> 00:52:05,849
and what... you know,
what the intent is behind it.
1289
00:52:05,873 --> 00:52:09,519
-Lindsay and I have hit
a bit of a rough patch.
1290
00:52:09,543 --> 00:52:11,813
-Really?
When did that start?
1291
00:52:11,837 --> 00:52:14,691
-Well, I don't want
to blame it all on 9/11,
1292
00:52:14,715 --> 00:52:16,651
but it certainly didn't help.
1293
00:52:16,675 --> 00:52:19,154
-You saw Paul Mooney perform
at the DC Improv,
1294
00:52:19,178 --> 00:52:21,406
talking about his experience
1295
00:52:21,430 --> 00:52:23,575
as a black man,
an older black man,
1296
00:52:23,599 --> 00:52:26,870
and who... who's dealt with
so much pain
1297
00:52:26,894 --> 00:52:29,164
and was releasing it
on the audience.
1298
00:52:29,188 --> 00:52:31,708
-9/11... it's a different world,
ain't it?
1299
00:52:31,732 --> 00:52:34,627
- Yes!
- And shocked. Just stunned.
1300
00:52:34,651 --> 00:52:36,421
And it took that
to make white folks realize
1301
00:52:36,445 --> 00:52:37,672
that we're human beings.
- Hello.
1302
00:52:37,696 --> 00:52:40,467
-Yeah, you understand, you know?
1303
00:52:40,491 --> 00:52:42,385
'Cause they were so worried
about us... they...
1304
00:52:42,409 --> 00:52:44,512
America's so worried
about black folks.
1305
00:52:44,536 --> 00:52:46,389
They were so worried
about the land niggas,
1306
00:52:46,413 --> 00:52:48,099
they forgot about
the sand niggas.
1307
00:52:48,123 --> 00:52:50,852
[ Laughter and applause ]
- It was really,
1308
00:52:50,876 --> 00:52:52,604
{\an8}in my recollection,
the first time
1309
00:52:52,628 --> 00:52:54,606
{\an8}that real political lines
were drawn
1310
00:52:54,630 --> 00:52:56,775
{\an8}among us, among comics.
1311
00:52:56,799 --> 00:52:59,277
{\an8}-Comics
that were political before
1312
00:52:59,301 --> 00:53:01,988
took it one notch higher.
1313
00:53:02,012 --> 00:53:03,448
-If anybody who ever resembles
1314
00:53:03,472 --> 00:53:05,241
that goofy asshole
with the shoe bombs
1315
00:53:05,265 --> 00:53:07,744
ever sits down next to me
on a plane,
1316
00:53:07,768 --> 00:53:08,995
I'm going to call
the stewardess over
1317
00:53:09,019 --> 00:53:11,039
and say, "Hey,
unless this jagoff
1318
00:53:11,063 --> 00:53:13,166
is the harmonica player
for The J. Geils Band,
1319
00:53:13,190 --> 00:53:15,210
get him off the... flight, okay?"
1320
00:53:15,234 --> 00:53:16,836
{\an8}-There's two types of patriotism
1321
00:53:16,860 --> 00:53:19,214
{\an8}that's happening in America
When disaster strikes.
1322
00:53:19,238 --> 00:53:21,591
The people that
are all inclusive about,
1323
00:53:21,615 --> 00:53:23,635
"This is America...
Multicolored,
1324
00:53:23,659 --> 00:53:25,637
multifaceted, multicultural."
1325
00:53:25,661 --> 00:53:27,680
But then you've got the other
people whose patriotism
1326
00:53:27,704 --> 00:53:29,474
lies in racism.
1327
00:53:29,498 --> 00:53:31,226
-I fell to the left of it.
1328
00:53:31,250 --> 00:53:32,977
I was like,
"We need to look at ourselves,"
1329
00:53:33,001 --> 00:53:36,606
whereas there was
plenty more comedians
1330
00:53:36,630 --> 00:53:40,151
or maybe more people at that
time in general who was like,
1331
00:53:40,175 --> 00:53:41,986
"No, there's no reason
to look at ourselves.
1332
00:53:42,010 --> 00:53:43,863
You know, these people,
you know, killed us."
1333
00:53:43,887 --> 00:53:45,490
-You could argue
they're more angry
1334
00:53:45,514 --> 00:53:47,242
at the cultural imperialism
than they are at the oil.
1335
00:53:47,266 --> 00:53:49,285
-No, I think they're angry
at us killing them.
1336
00:53:49,309 --> 00:53:51,079
I mean, really.
1337
00:53:51,103 --> 00:53:53,540
-You know, okay, 9/11,
1338
00:53:53,564 --> 00:53:55,041
I'm talking about...
- Okay, alright.
1339
00:53:55,065 --> 00:53:56,876
We can't pretend that
it's all this Iraqi...
1340
00:53:56,900 --> 00:53:58,294
We're not killing them.
1341
00:53:58,318 --> 00:53:59,587
We're killing anybody, that,
you know...
1342
00:53:59,611 --> 00:54:01,172
-Moves, exactly.
1343
00:54:01,196 --> 00:54:04,300
-Your skin color all of a sudden
becomes threatening.
1344
00:54:04,324 --> 00:54:05,718
-Mike DeStefano...
1345
00:54:05,742 --> 00:54:07,220
He you did a joke about,
like, "Be more American,
1346
00:54:07,244 --> 00:54:09,389
punch a cab driver in the head,"
and I'm like,
1347
00:54:09,413 --> 00:54:10,849
"Mike, there are people really
getting beaten up right now."
1348
00:54:10,873 --> 00:54:12,642
And a Sikh man was killed.
1349
00:54:12,666 --> 00:54:14,310
He's not Arab, but he looked
Arab because he wore a turban.
1350
00:54:14,334 --> 00:54:16,104
And he's like,
"It's just a joke.
1351
00:54:16,128 --> 00:54:18,064
I'm like, "Well, you're actually
inciting people to violence."
1352
00:54:18,088 --> 00:54:20,442
{\an8}-Innocent people were getting
shot just for looking like
1353
00:54:20,466 --> 00:54:22,527
they may be from
any of those countries
1354
00:54:22,551 --> 00:54:24,737
that had committed
the 9/11 attacks.
1355
00:54:24,761 --> 00:54:27,365
-I almost... an Indian up
on the way in here.
1356
00:54:27,389 --> 00:54:28,908
He said "No, no,
I Indian, I Indian."
1357
00:54:28,932 --> 00:54:33,037
I said, "Well,
pull your turban up, nigga.
1358
00:54:33,061 --> 00:54:36,249
Let me see a dot or something,
mother..."
1359
00:54:36,273 --> 00:54:37,584
I'll... your ass up.
1360
00:54:37,608 --> 00:54:39,836
Don't start no shit.
1361
00:54:39,860 --> 00:54:42,380
{\an8}-I wasn't prepared
to defend Islam
1362
00:54:42,404 --> 00:54:45,467
to a bunch of Americans
who are now terrified.
1363
00:54:45,491 --> 00:54:47,051
I'm just as scared as you are.
1364
00:54:47,075 --> 00:54:49,220
I don't... I don't know how
to make you feel better.
1365
00:54:49,244 --> 00:54:51,431
You make me feel better.
Tell me you won't frickin'
1366
00:54:51,455 --> 00:54:53,683
send your military
industrial complex to bomb
1367
00:54:53,707 --> 00:54:55,894
every living brown person
in the world.
1368
00:54:55,918 --> 00:54:58,062
Why don't you
make me feel better?
1369
00:54:58,086 --> 00:55:00,815
-And I even got a flag and
put it on the back of my car.
1370
00:55:00,839 --> 00:55:02,567
The other comedians
were making fun of me.
1371
00:55:02,591 --> 00:55:04,903
They're going, "Oh, look Maz
is trying not to get beaten up."
1372
00:55:04,927 --> 00:55:08,281
Ah, part of it.
- My mom had a flag on her house.
1373
00:55:08,305 --> 00:55:12,869
{\an1}Part of that is because she felt
it was the patriotic thing to do
1374
00:55:12,893 --> 00:55:15,914
and this was her adopted country
and she supports it,
1375
00:55:15,938 --> 00:55:17,499
and at the same time,
she was worried
1376
00:55:17,523 --> 00:55:19,209
somebody would throw a rock
through the window.
1377
00:55:19,233 --> 00:55:20,710
-You want to fix
the Pledge of Allegiance,
1378
00:55:20,734 --> 00:55:23,046
put a disclaimer at the end.
1379
00:55:23,070 --> 00:55:26,216
"With liberty
and justice for all...
1380
00:55:26,240 --> 00:55:28,134
Must be 18,
void where prohibited,
1381
00:55:28,158 --> 00:55:31,930
some restrictions may apply,
not available in all states."
1382
00:55:31,954 --> 00:55:33,914
[ Cheers and applause ]
1383
00:55:37,584 --> 00:55:39,479
{\an8}♪♪
1384
00:55:39,503 --> 00:55:43,983
{\an8}-I was a little bit outspoken
at that point about 9/11.
1385
00:55:44,007 --> 00:55:49,322
After 9/11, there was just such
an amazing glut of hero pussy.
1386
00:55:49,346 --> 00:55:51,115
Cops couldn't walk
out of their house.
1387
00:55:51,139 --> 00:55:53,910
You didn't have to be
anywhere near New York City.
1388
00:55:53,934 --> 00:55:56,496
Cops all across...
Girls just see the uniform,
1389
00:55:56,520 --> 00:55:57,747
and they would stop,
drop, and suck his dick.
1390
00:55:57,771 --> 00:55:59,207
He's a hero.
1391
00:55:59,231 --> 00:56:02,752
"That a girl! Hero!
Get that hero dick good!"
1392
00:56:02,776 --> 00:56:06,214
The New York Daily News
had an article about
1393
00:56:06,238 --> 00:56:09,050
"some... comic,
Doug Stanhope.
1394
00:56:09,074 --> 00:56:14,597
He's making fun of the first
responders who died at 9/11."
1395
00:56:14,621 --> 00:56:20,270
I was getting all these death
threats and boycott e-mails.
1396
00:56:20,294 --> 00:56:22,605
"He's un-American.
1397
00:56:22,629 --> 00:56:25,358
He's doing this sh..."
1398
00:56:25,382 --> 00:56:27,777
It was... crazy.
1399
00:56:27,801 --> 00:56:29,362
{\an8}♪♪
1400
00:56:29,386 --> 00:56:32,824
{\an8}-Fairly soon after 9/11,
I had a corporate event
1401
00:56:32,848 --> 00:56:35,952
{\an8}in Washington for...
For really big money.
1402
00:56:35,976 --> 00:56:39,247
I was to come
and make fun of politicians.
1403
00:56:39,271 --> 00:56:42,834
The idea that you were somehow
going to make fun
1404
00:56:42,858 --> 00:56:47,255
of George W. Bush on any level,
it was just impossible,
1405
00:56:47,279 --> 00:56:49,215
and that event in D.C.,
1406
00:56:49,239 --> 00:56:51,968
that afternoon job
was a disaster.
1407
00:56:51,992 --> 00:56:53,803
{\an8}-A reporter said to me,
1408
00:56:53,827 --> 00:56:55,972
{\an8}"So you can never make fun of
the president again, I guess,"
1409
00:56:55,996 --> 00:56:57,807
{\an8}and I'm like, "What? Never?"
1410
00:56:57,831 --> 00:57:02,770
{\an8}What made it kind of easier
to talk about 9/11
1411
00:57:02,794 --> 00:57:05,189
was our botched response to it.
1412
00:57:05,213 --> 00:57:07,609
-Fool me once...
1413
00:57:07,633 --> 00:57:10,403
shame on...
1414
00:57:10,427 --> 00:57:12,238
shame on you.
1415
00:57:12,262 --> 00:57:14,407
{\an8}♪♪
1416
00:57:14,431 --> 00:57:16,993
If you fool me,
we can't get fooled again.
1417
00:57:17,017 --> 00:57:18,578
{\an8}They decided that 9/11
1418
00:57:18,602 --> 00:57:20,830
{\an8}was the big moment
they've all been waiting for,
1419
00:57:20,854 --> 00:57:22,290
where they would finally
get to execute
1420
00:57:22,314 --> 00:57:24,250
this kind of massive plan
that they had put in
1421
00:57:24,274 --> 00:57:26,002
to spread democracy
in the Middle East.
1422
00:57:26,026 --> 00:57:28,087
-[ Stammers ] How?
1423
00:57:28,111 --> 00:57:29,631
[ Laughter ]
1424
00:57:29,655 --> 00:57:31,257
What, are you gonna give
them all civics books
1425
00:57:31,281 --> 00:57:33,092
and they're gonna have to
take a... test?
1426
00:57:33,116 --> 00:57:34,427
[ Laughter ]
1427
00:57:34,451 --> 00:57:36,763
-From the very beginning,
it was like...
1428
00:57:36,787 --> 00:57:38,890
"The guy who did this
isn't there."
1429
00:57:38,914 --> 00:57:40,266
It's like we got punched
in the face,
1430
00:57:40,290 --> 00:57:42,226
and now we're turning
to this person
1431
00:57:42,250 --> 00:57:43,478
and punching him in the face?
1432
00:57:43,502 --> 00:57:44,937
Why are we doing this?
1433
00:57:44,961 --> 00:57:47,649
Like, so pretty quickly,
the sketches, I think,
1434
00:57:47,673 --> 00:57:51,194
{\an8}became more pointed
and more anti-authority.
1435
00:57:51,218 --> 00:57:56,032
{\an8}We are engaged in a deadly
standoff with an axis of evil.
1436
00:57:56,056 --> 00:57:57,450
You know who
I'm talking about...
1437
00:57:57,474 --> 00:58:00,578
Iran, Iraq,
and one of the Koreas.
1438
00:58:00,602 --> 00:58:02,705
{\an8}It sounds like he's talking
about heavy-metal bands,
1439
00:58:02,729 --> 00:58:04,248
{\an8}"the axis of evil,
1440
00:58:04,272 --> 00:58:06,376
the weapons
of mass destruction."
1441
00:58:06,400 --> 00:58:07,877
He's like, "You got a problem.
1442
00:58:07,901 --> 00:58:10,338
Bring it on...
over there in Iraq,
1443
00:58:10,362 --> 00:58:11,589
where the troops are.
1444
00:58:11,613 --> 00:58:13,299
Bring it on over to that area.
1445
00:58:13,323 --> 00:58:16,052
Want a piece of me?
Want a piece of me?
1446
00:58:16,076 --> 00:58:17,303
You want to start something?
1447
00:58:17,327 --> 00:58:18,930
Get on a plane, go over there,
1448
00:58:18,954 --> 00:58:21,599
where the people
doing the actual fighting are."
1449
00:58:21,623 --> 00:58:24,811
-That's when I think comedy
sort of blossomed
1450
00:58:24,835 --> 00:58:26,354
because we finally had
1451
00:58:26,378 --> 00:58:29,941
a self-deprecating way
of being like,
1452
00:58:29,965 --> 00:58:32,151
"Oh, our country is doing
the worst thing right now,
1453
00:58:32,175 --> 00:58:33,945
going into an unwarranted war.
1454
00:58:33,969 --> 00:58:35,738
Here are some jokes about it."
1455
00:58:35,762 --> 00:58:38,074
-I don't think, uh,
Osama bin Laden
1456
00:58:38,098 --> 00:58:41,285
sent those planes in, uh,
to attack us
1457
00:58:41,309 --> 00:58:43,496
because he hated our freedom.
1458
00:58:43,520 --> 00:58:47,083
I think he did it because of
our support for Israel
1459
00:58:47,107 --> 00:58:48,501
and our ties
with the Saudi family
1460
00:58:48,525 --> 00:58:51,879
and all our military bases
in Saudi Arabia.
1461
00:58:51,903 --> 00:58:53,715
You know why I think that?
1462
00:58:53,739 --> 00:58:55,591
That's what he... said!
1463
00:58:55,615 --> 00:58:57,093
[ Laughter ]
1464
00:58:57,117 --> 00:58:58,386
{\an8}-Some girl was sitting
in the front,
1465
00:58:58,410 --> 00:59:00,221
{\an8}and she claimed to be
in the military.
1466
00:59:00,245 --> 00:59:02,724
{\an8}And she said, "You can't make
fun of our commander in chief
1467
00:59:02,748 --> 00:59:04,517
during a time of war."
1468
00:59:04,541 --> 00:59:07,395
And I said, "That's the whole
point of this country.
1469
00:59:07,419 --> 00:59:10,148
Supposedly, we're going to Iraq
to bring them democracy,
1470
00:59:10,172 --> 00:59:13,568
so you're telling me
I shouldn't express myself,
1471
00:59:13,592 --> 00:59:16,195
uh, but we're gonna take
democracy to them?"
1472
00:59:16,219 --> 00:59:18,823
-♪ America... yeah ♪
1473
00:59:18,847 --> 00:59:22,034
♪ Comin' again to save
the mother... day, yeah ♪
1474
00:59:22,058 --> 00:59:25,204
{\an7}- "Team America," just blowing up
the Eiffel Tower and everything.
1475
00:59:25,228 --> 00:59:27,457
-The fact that
they're really calling it out,
1476
00:59:27,481 --> 00:59:30,001
{\an8}that America wants to be
the world police.
1477
00:59:30,025 --> 00:59:32,128
-But that one joke
in particular,
1478
00:59:32,152 --> 00:59:33,463
"There'll be 9/11..."
1479
00:59:33,487 --> 00:59:34,714
- times 100.
1480
00:59:34,738 --> 00:59:36,048
Jesus, that's...
1481
00:59:36,072 --> 00:59:38,926
-Yes... 91,100.
1482
00:59:38,950 --> 00:59:40,553
-It's a masterpiece.
1483
00:59:40,577 --> 00:59:42,430
-There was wasn't a lot of room
1484
00:59:42,454 --> 00:59:48,853
{\an8}for going outside of that
patriotic nationalistic fervor.
1485
00:59:48,877 --> 00:59:50,396
{\an8}[ Rock music playing ]
1486
00:59:50,420 --> 00:59:53,524
{\an8}-Comedy definitely took
a front runner
1487
00:59:53,548 --> 00:59:57,153
{\an8}in making commentary about
what was going on.
1488
00:59:57,177 --> 01:00:00,406
-The US of A
is the greatest country
1489
01:00:00,430 --> 01:00:02,033
on the face of the Earth,
1490
01:00:02,057 --> 01:00:05,953
and for that,
I will make no apologies!
1491
01:00:05,977 --> 01:00:07,622
-Will did this thing
1492
01:00:07,646 --> 01:00:10,333
where people could wear
patriotic clothing to work.
1493
01:00:10,357 --> 01:00:12,794
-USA! USA!
1494
01:00:12,818 --> 01:00:14,462
-During the run-up
to the Iraq war,
1495
01:00:14,486 --> 01:00:18,299
{\an8}we had a Fox News crawl,
and we did get some pushback.
1496
01:00:18,323 --> 01:00:19,801
{\an8}People were going, "Oh, my God,
1497
01:00:19,825 --> 01:00:22,178
{\an8}this was so brave of them
to take on Fox News."
1498
01:00:22,202 --> 01:00:23,471
{\an8}Fox News can't be challenged.
1499
01:00:23,495 --> 01:00:25,264
{\an8}George W. Bush
can't be challenged.
1500
01:00:25,288 --> 01:00:27,391
{\an8}And there were so many people
who were... who were afraid
1501
01:00:27,415 --> 01:00:30,228
{\an8}to be... be critical
of the government at all
1502
01:00:30,252 --> 01:00:32,230
because you... you could
be called anti-American.
1503
01:00:32,254 --> 01:00:33,940
-It's like a thing
that politicians do
1504
01:00:33,964 --> 01:00:36,192
just because they know
it's like an applause line.
1505
01:00:36,216 --> 01:00:39,987
{\an8}-Those men are heroes
who deserve respect. 9/11.
1506
01:00:40,011 --> 01:00:43,449
{\an8}-Nobody is saying
that 9/11 didn't happen.
1507
01:00:43,473 --> 01:00:45,827
{\an8}What they're saying is
we're not a fragile country.
1508
01:00:45,851 --> 01:00:48,996
{\an8}Trust us
to have this conversation
1509
01:00:49,020 --> 01:00:51,833
so that we can do this
in the right way.
1510
01:00:51,857 --> 01:00:54,836
-Another episode, we had a joke
saying, "War is never good."
1511
01:00:54,860 --> 01:00:56,212
-War is not the answer.
1512
01:00:56,236 --> 01:00:58,506
-Except to
all of America's problems.
1513
01:00:58,530 --> 01:01:00,007
-Amen.
1514
01:01:00,031 --> 01:01:03,052
{\an8}-The childish
"support the troops" threat,
1515
01:01:03,076 --> 01:01:06,556
{\an8}like if you don't support
invasions...
1516
01:01:06,580 --> 01:01:08,266
{\an8}you don't support the troops.
1517
01:01:08,290 --> 01:01:10,059
{\an8}[ Indistinct shouting ]
1518
01:01:10,083 --> 01:01:13,020
{\an8}This is a war for imperialism
1519
01:01:13,044 --> 01:01:17,024
{\an8}that's gonna have
disastrous effects globally.
1520
01:01:17,048 --> 01:01:18,985
{\an8}It's gonna further
destabilize the Middle East.
1521
01:01:19,009 --> 01:01:21,237
{\an8}-Saddam Hussein held up
the protests last week
1522
01:01:21,261 --> 01:01:22,822
{\an8}and said,
"Isn't that great news?"
1523
01:01:22,846 --> 01:01:24,282
{\an8}-No, I don't think he said,
"Isn't that great news?"
1524
01:01:24,306 --> 01:01:26,325
{\an8}I think... And I think
it is ridiculous
1525
01:01:26,349 --> 01:01:28,661
{\an8}for you to try and manipulate
the protestors.
1526
01:01:28,685 --> 01:01:30,663
{\an8}-Manipulate what? All you've
done is talk the whole time.
1527
01:01:30,687 --> 01:01:32,081
{\an8}I haven't had a chance
to say a word.
1528
01:01:32,105 --> 01:01:34,041
{\an8}-What are you talking...
Democracy in action.
1529
01:01:34,065 --> 01:01:35,668
{\an8}Eight million people
on February 15th
1530
01:01:35,692 --> 01:01:37,253
{\an8}who disagree with you.
1531
01:01:37,277 --> 01:01:39,505
{\an8}Just because they disagree
with you, it doesn't mean
1532
01:01:39,529 --> 01:01:42,133
{\an8}that Saddam's sitting there
going, "This is great."
1533
01:01:42,157 --> 01:01:45,219
{\an8}-Passions were running high
in America during that time,
1534
01:01:45,243 --> 01:01:47,305
{\an8}whether you were opposed
to the war
1535
01:01:47,329 --> 01:01:49,515
{\an8}or supporting our actions
over there.
1536
01:01:49,539 --> 01:01:51,684
{\an8}There were times
when people would challenge her.
1537
01:01:51,708 --> 01:01:53,311
{\an8}-Janeane was definitely
singled out unfairly.
1538
01:01:53,335 --> 01:01:54,729
{\an8}-When I watch her tirade,
1539
01:01:54,753 --> 01:01:56,480
{\an8}and how can you describe it
as anything but?
1540
01:01:56,504 --> 01:01:59,317
{\an8}-No way Janeane Garofalo's
gonna get a "patriot" banner,
1541
01:01:59,341 --> 01:02:00,860
{\an8}at least not from us.
1542
01:02:00,884 --> 01:02:02,570
{\an8}Over the weekend,
she did a comedy gig in Boston.
1543
01:02:02,594 --> 01:02:04,238
{\an8}-Sean Hannity said,
1544
01:02:04,262 --> 01:02:06,908
"Go to her performance in Boston
and make some trouble."
1545
01:02:06,932 --> 01:02:08,576
-A couple of guys coming up
and going,
1546
01:02:08,600 --> 01:02:10,912
"Excuse me, Miss Garofalo?
Excuse me, Miss Garofalo?"
1547
01:02:10,936 --> 01:02:12,705
You want to explain
why you think it's..."
1548
01:02:12,729 --> 01:02:14,332
you know,
and that kind of stuff.
1549
01:02:14,356 --> 01:02:17,585
-Ambushed me and edited the tape
and showed it on Fox.
1550
01:02:17,609 --> 01:02:20,588
-For Fox News and for
those people to crucify her
1551
01:02:20,612 --> 01:02:23,090
was something
fundamentally misogynistic.
1552
01:02:23,114 --> 01:02:24,508
-I want to defend her
1553
01:02:24,532 --> 01:02:27,303
and say that she's
a skilled method actress.
1554
01:02:27,327 --> 01:02:29,013
She's actually
preparing for a role
1555
01:02:29,037 --> 01:02:32,308
as that obnoxious, bitter,
lonely, narrow-minded idiot.
1556
01:02:32,332 --> 01:02:33,935
- Don't forget paranoid.
- Yes.
1557
01:02:33,959 --> 01:02:35,978
-Why should any comic
deserve that?
1558
01:02:36,002 --> 01:02:39,523
To go out and talk and
make jokes or to make a point,
1559
01:02:39,547 --> 01:02:41,025
you know,
it's your right as an American.
1560
01:02:41,049 --> 01:02:42,526
-There was many people
who were fine with it,
1561
01:02:42,550 --> 01:02:44,695
and there's some people,
"I want my money back,"
1562
01:02:44,719 --> 01:02:47,365
or would wait after the show
1563
01:02:47,389 --> 01:02:49,784
because also, uh,
people are very brave
1564
01:02:49,808 --> 01:02:52,745
when there's a five-foot-one
female on their own.
1565
01:02:52,769 --> 01:02:55,957
And there would be people
that would call ahead to hotels
1566
01:02:55,981 --> 01:02:58,584
and cancel my reservation,
show up deliberately
1567
01:02:58,608 --> 01:03:01,754
to certain shows I did
on the road to "protest"
1568
01:03:01,778 --> 01:03:04,757
because they'd been encouraged
to do so by right-wing radio,
1569
01:03:04,781 --> 01:03:06,050
and they would call bomb threats
1570
01:03:06,074 --> 01:03:07,593
in to venues
that I was working in.
1571
01:03:07,617 --> 01:03:10,304
I had so many death threats
and so many things
1572
01:03:10,328 --> 01:03:12,598
that were sent
not just to my apartment,
1573
01:03:12,622 --> 01:03:15,434
but to my manager, agent,
my dad's house.
1574
01:03:15,458 --> 01:03:18,604
{\an8}-To be character assassinated
and terrorized
1575
01:03:18,628 --> 01:03:22,608
{\an8}by intentional right-wing
personalities and propaganda
1576
01:03:22,632 --> 01:03:26,237
to... to create fear
and destabilize your life,
1577
01:03:26,261 --> 01:03:27,947
no one deserves that,
1578
01:03:27,971 --> 01:03:31,117
but a lot of it had to do with
her being a woman, too.
1579
01:03:31,141 --> 01:03:33,786
{\an8}-The media had played,
yet again,
1580
01:03:33,810 --> 01:03:36,872
{\an8}such a profound role
in having a war happen.
1581
01:03:36,896 --> 01:03:40,209
-We expect every American
to support our military,
1582
01:03:40,233 --> 01:03:42,128
and if they can't do that,
to shut up.
1583
01:03:42,152 --> 01:03:45,089
-CNN was running a graphic
all day long
1584
01:03:45,113 --> 01:03:47,049
that said,
"Countdown to the war,"
1585
01:03:47,073 --> 01:03:49,093
and the theme song and
the graphics and the whooshes.
1586
01:03:49,117 --> 01:03:53,222
-Obviously, parody and satire
reigns supreme
1587
01:03:53,246 --> 01:03:55,016
when that happens.
1588
01:03:55,040 --> 01:03:57,893
-From the network that
brought you "ER," "Friends,"
1589
01:03:57,917 --> 01:04:02,481
and "Good Morning, Miami" comes
a landmark television event...
1590
01:04:02,505 --> 01:04:06,360
The war on Iraq,
coming to NBC this fall.
1591
01:04:06,384 --> 01:04:07,635
[ Applause ]
1592
01:04:11,681 --> 01:04:13,534
{\an8}-The deadline is now.
1593
01:04:13,558 --> 01:04:17,079
{\an8}-My fellow citizens,
American and coalition forces
1594
01:04:17,103 --> 01:04:19,415
{\an8}are in the early stages
of military operations
1595
01:04:19,439 --> 01:04:21,083
{\an8}to disarm Iraq.
1596
01:04:21,107 --> 01:04:24,754
{\an8}-Cable news really got toxic
in the post-9/11 world.
1597
01:04:24,778 --> 01:04:28,049
{\an8}-What John did, which was
ethically the right thing,
1598
01:04:28,073 --> 01:04:30,092
{\an8}but also just for him
stylistically with comedy,
1599
01:04:30,116 --> 01:04:32,428
{\an8}was say, like,
"Let's make this show
1600
01:04:32,452 --> 01:04:34,388
{\an8}about something more important."
1601
01:04:34,412 --> 01:04:36,223
{\an8}-I think of myself as a comedian
1602
01:04:36,247 --> 01:04:39,060
{\an8}who has the pleasure
of writing jokes
1603
01:04:39,084 --> 01:04:41,562
{\an8}about things
that I actually care about.
1604
01:04:41,586 --> 01:04:43,439
{\an8}-The show gained
a lot of its credibility,
1605
01:04:43,463 --> 01:04:45,232
{\an8}certainly with younger viewers,
1606
01:04:45,256 --> 01:04:49,278
by being really skeptical
of the case for the war in Iraq
1607
01:04:49,302 --> 01:04:52,239
and being right in the end.
1608
01:04:52,263 --> 01:04:55,242
-The show became much more
politically bent.
1609
01:04:55,266 --> 01:04:56,702
I hate to use
the term "watchdog,"
1610
01:04:56,726 --> 01:04:58,287
but I always think of it
that way of, like,
1611
01:04:58,311 --> 01:05:00,289
we were... we were, like,
almost monitoring
1612
01:05:00,313 --> 01:05:02,291
what was happening
in the cable-news world.
1613
01:05:02,315 --> 01:05:04,502
-Of course, our show, obviously,
is at a disadvantage
1614
01:05:04,526 --> 01:05:05,878
compared to
the many other news sources
1615
01:05:05,902 --> 01:05:07,379
that we are competing with.
1616
01:05:07,403 --> 01:05:09,048
Uh, at a disadvantage
in several respects...
1617
01:05:09,072 --> 01:05:11,509
For one thing, we, uh, are fake.
1618
01:05:11,533 --> 01:05:15,096
[ Laughter ]
1619
01:05:15,120 --> 01:05:20,101
They are not, so in terms
of credibility, uh...
1620
01:05:20,125 --> 01:05:22,728
we are, uh...
well, oddly enough,
1621
01:05:22,752 --> 01:05:25,272
actually about even.
We're about even.
1622
01:05:25,296 --> 01:05:28,400
{\an8}-He was the first one to
tell you, "I am not the news.
1623
01:05:28,424 --> 01:05:29,985
{\an8}I am a comedy show.
1624
01:05:30,009 --> 01:05:33,697
{\an8}I follow sock puppets
who do prank phone calls."
1625
01:05:33,721 --> 01:05:35,324
{\an8}If you're getting
your news from me,
1626
01:05:35,348 --> 01:05:36,992
{\an8}you're not doing your job
as a citizen."
1627
01:05:37,016 --> 01:05:39,495
{\an8}- "The Daily Show" wouldn't have
become as powerful
1628
01:05:39,519 --> 01:05:41,622
{\an8}if the media hadn't become
so derelict.
1629
01:05:41,646 --> 01:05:44,750
{\an8}-What Jon or the show did well
was pointing out the hypocrisy
1630
01:05:44,774 --> 01:05:46,669
{\an8}that was sort of
running rampant in the media.
1631
01:05:46,693 --> 01:05:48,546
{\an8}-Any progress in the standoff?
1632
01:05:48,570 --> 01:05:51,757
{\an8}-Chief European Union
negotiator Javier Solana
1633
01:05:51,781 --> 01:05:53,926
{\an8}has announced that a resolution
should be reached
1634
01:05:53,950 --> 01:05:55,344
{\an8}in the next couple of days.
1635
01:05:55,368 --> 01:05:57,304
{\an8}That's why
we're naming Javier Solana
1636
01:05:57,328 --> 01:06:00,349
{\an8}our Vanilla Coke
peacemaker of the week.
1637
01:06:00,373 --> 01:06:01,851
{\an8}-The tone and goals
in "The Daily Show"
1638
01:06:01,875 --> 01:06:03,978
{\an8}was always to call out
the bullshit in the media
1639
01:06:04,002 --> 01:06:05,521
{\an8}and in the government
1640
01:06:05,545 --> 01:06:07,606
{\an8}and, like, sort of be
the... the court jester
1641
01:06:07,630 --> 01:06:10,609
{\an8}who was basically going,
"The emperor has no clothes."
1642
01:06:10,633 --> 01:06:12,153
{\an8}-John really invented,
1643
01:06:12,177 --> 01:06:14,071
{\an8}and now you see this across
all of cable news,
1644
01:06:14,095 --> 01:06:16,907
{\an8}which is this montage
of hypocrisy.
1645
01:06:16,931 --> 01:06:20,786
{\an8}-Why is the United States
of America using its power
1646
01:06:20,810 --> 01:06:24,540
{\an8}to change governments
in foreign countries?
1647
01:06:24,564 --> 01:06:26,959
{\an8}-We must stand up
for our security
1648
01:06:26,983 --> 01:06:30,337
{\an8}and for the permanent rights
and the hopes of mankind.
1649
01:06:30,361 --> 01:06:34,967
{\an8}The United States of America
will make that stand.
1650
01:06:34,991 --> 01:06:37,469
{\an8}-Certainly, that represents
a bold new doctrine
1651
01:06:37,493 --> 01:06:39,388
{\an8}in foreign policy,
Mr. President.
1652
01:06:39,412 --> 01:06:41,974
{\an8}Governor Bush,
do you agree with that?
1653
01:06:41,998 --> 01:06:43,975
{\an8}-Yeah, I'm not so sure the role
the United States
1654
01:06:43,999 --> 01:06:45,269
{\an8}is to go around the world,
1655
01:06:45,293 --> 01:06:47,188
{\an8}say, "This is the way
it's got to be."
1656
01:06:47,212 --> 01:06:51,192
{\an8}[ Cheers and applause ]
1657
01:06:51,216 --> 01:06:53,402
{\an8}-I was going, "There's an idiot,
there's an idiot,
1658
01:06:53,426 --> 01:06:55,070
{\an8}there's an idiot,
there's an idiot."
1659
01:06:55,094 --> 01:06:57,656
{\an8}President George W. Bush
was an idiot.
1660
01:06:57,680 --> 01:06:59,992
{\an8}Now President Bush is a leader,
1661
01:07:00,016 --> 01:07:04,205
{\an8}and I'm sure no one
is more surprised than him.
1662
01:07:04,229 --> 01:07:06,916
{\an8}-Under the two administrations
under Bush,
1663
01:07:06,940 --> 01:07:10,211
comedy ended up becoming
more and more vital every year
1664
01:07:10,235 --> 01:07:11,837
and more and more of a part
1665
01:07:11,861 --> 01:07:14,798
of the cultural landscape
politically.
1666
01:07:14,822 --> 01:07:16,634
-What about people who say
you're only interested
1667
01:07:16,658 --> 01:07:18,219
in the Middle East for oil?
1668
01:07:18,243 --> 01:07:21,013
-What? Huh? Oil?
1669
01:07:21,037 --> 01:07:24,433
You say something about oil,
bitch? You cooking?
1670
01:07:24,457 --> 01:07:25,851
Oil?
1671
01:07:25,875 --> 01:07:27,645
[ Laughter ]
1672
01:07:27,669 --> 01:07:31,065
I don't know... Move!
We have to get out of here!
1673
01:07:31,089 --> 01:07:32,691
[ Cheers and applause ]
1674
01:07:32,715 --> 01:07:34,902
-Good evening.
I'm Stephen Colbert,
1675
01:07:34,926 --> 01:07:37,696
and welcome to the very first
"Colbert Report."
1676
01:07:37,720 --> 01:07:40,783
Got a lot to do tonight.
A whole big world to fix.
1677
01:07:40,807 --> 01:07:44,662
{\an8}-It was a satire
of the type of pundit shows
1678
01:07:44,686 --> 01:07:48,123
delivering news through opinion.
1679
01:07:48,147 --> 01:07:52,211
-I will speak to you in plain,
simple English.
1680
01:07:52,235 --> 01:07:56,257
And that brings us to
tonight's Word...
1681
01:07:56,281 --> 01:07:58,175
"truthiness."
1682
01:07:58,199 --> 01:08:01,929
-Post-9/11, there was a lot of
people not speaking truths
1683
01:08:01,953 --> 01:08:04,640
but speaking like
what felt like the truth.
1684
01:08:04,664 --> 01:08:06,725
-If you think about it,
1685
01:08:06,749 --> 01:08:10,271
maybe there are a few missing
pieces to the rationale for war.
1686
01:08:10,295 --> 01:08:15,693
But doesn't taking Saddam out
feel like the right thing?
1687
01:08:15,717 --> 01:08:18,737
{\an8}-We had come out of the gate
with this idea of truthiness,
1688
01:08:18,761 --> 01:08:20,489
which seemed to resonate
with people,
1689
01:08:20,513 --> 01:08:24,660
so the show was definitely
in the zeitgeist.
1690
01:08:24,684 --> 01:08:26,704
But then it became unclear to me
whether
1691
01:08:26,728 --> 01:08:30,165
the Correspondents' Association
really knew what we were up to.
1692
01:08:30,189 --> 01:08:31,750
-Let's take everyone
1693
01:08:31,774 --> 01:08:34,086
to the White House
Correspondents' Dinner, 2006.
1694
01:08:34,110 --> 01:08:37,089
-It was 2 1/2 years
after we had invaded Iraq.
1695
01:08:37,113 --> 01:08:39,717
{\an8}-And there was no criticism.
We tried to fix that.
1696
01:08:39,741 --> 01:08:43,137
{\an8}-Our writers and Stephen
wrote this piece.
1697
01:08:43,161 --> 01:08:46,307
-We did basically
the kind of jokes
1698
01:08:46,331 --> 01:08:49,101
that we would do on our show.
1699
01:08:49,125 --> 01:08:50,561
-The very first joke
we wrote for it
1700
01:08:50,585 --> 01:08:54,106
was, um, "People say that
this administration
1701
01:08:54,130 --> 01:08:57,484
is... is just rearranging
deck chairs on the Titanic."
1702
01:08:57,508 --> 01:08:59,528
{\an8}Th-This administration
is not sinking.
1703
01:08:59,552 --> 01:09:01,655
{\an8}This administration is soaring.
1704
01:09:01,679 --> 01:09:04,158
{\an8}If anything,
they are rearranging
1705
01:09:04,182 --> 01:09:06,702
{\an8}the deck chairs
on the Hindenburg.
1706
01:09:06,726 --> 01:09:08,120
{\an8}[ Laughter ]
1707
01:09:08,144 --> 01:09:09,580
{\an8}-Alice and I were sitting
at the same table,
1708
01:09:09,604 --> 01:09:11,123
{\an8}and we both looked
at each other like,
1709
01:09:11,147 --> 01:09:13,250
"Uh-oh, we are in trouble."
1710
01:09:13,274 --> 01:09:14,752
-It was very much
the sort of stuff
1711
01:09:14,776 --> 01:09:17,379
that we've been saying
to our audience,
1712
01:09:17,403 --> 01:09:19,131
to our studio audience,
1713
01:09:19,155 --> 01:09:21,008
and not to the president
of the United States.
1714
01:09:21,032 --> 01:09:24,094
{\an8}There lies the difference,
it turns out.
1715
01:09:24,118 --> 01:09:27,765
{\an8}-It was the first time
that George Bush had to sit
1716
01:09:27,789 --> 01:09:29,808
{\an8}and listen to a litany
of his crimes,
1717
01:09:29,832 --> 01:09:32,978
{\an8}and it was the first time
that the media had to listen
1718
01:09:33,002 --> 01:09:35,981
{\an8}to the litany
of their ineptitudes.
1719
01:09:36,005 --> 01:09:39,568
{\an8}-Over the last five years,
you people were so good.
1720
01:09:39,592 --> 01:09:43,989
{\an8}Over, uh... Over... Over
tax cuts, WMD intelligence,
1721
01:09:44,013 --> 01:09:45,783
{\an8}the effect of global warming,
1722
01:09:45,807 --> 01:09:47,576
{\an8}we Americans
didn't want to know,
1723
01:09:47,600 --> 01:09:50,287
{\an8}and you had the courtesy
not to try to find out.
1724
01:09:50,311 --> 01:09:52,164
{\an8}-I don't think the people
in the news media
1725
01:09:52,188 --> 01:09:55,292
{\an8}were ready to hear
what Stephen had to say.
1726
01:09:55,316 --> 01:09:57,211
-You're telling
a whole bunch of people
1727
01:09:57,235 --> 01:09:59,838
that they suck at their jobs
when they suck at their jobs.
1728
01:09:59,862 --> 01:10:02,216
They're not gonna laugh,
but Stephen stuck with it.
1729
01:10:02,240 --> 01:10:05,219
{\an8}And he was amazingly funny,
and he was a truth-teller.
1730
01:10:05,243 --> 01:10:07,471
{\an8}-Over the course
of the next few days,
1731
01:10:07,495 --> 01:10:09,014
it was uploaded to YouTube.
1732
01:10:09,038 --> 01:10:13,394
We began to see this groundswell
of support for it.
1733
01:10:13,418 --> 01:10:16,563
-Thousands and thousands
of people grateful
1734
01:10:16,587 --> 01:10:19,608
for Stephen having spoken,
you know, some truth.
1735
01:10:19,632 --> 01:10:21,860
-It was pretty amazing.
It felt great.
1736
01:10:21,884 --> 01:10:24,113
-Ended up being an important
political speech
1737
01:10:24,137 --> 01:10:27,825
in American history,
made Colbert into a folk hero.
1738
01:10:27,849 --> 01:10:30,619
[ Cheers and applause ]
1739
01:10:30,643 --> 01:10:32,413
-We're lucky enough to be joined
by an expert
1740
01:10:32,437 --> 01:10:33,664
in Middle Eastern affairs
1741
01:10:33,688 --> 01:10:35,249
who can bring us
a unique perspective
1742
01:10:35,273 --> 01:10:37,584
for less than half the price
of an American reporter.
1743
01:10:37,608 --> 01:10:40,212
{\an8}He is Aasif Mandvi.
1744
01:10:40,236 --> 01:10:42,881
{\an8}He joins us from Beirut.
1745
01:10:42,905 --> 01:10:45,968
{\an8}-What White people do, you know,
around that stuff
1746
01:10:45,992 --> 01:10:49,012
{\an8}is not as interesting
as Muslim Americans.
1747
01:10:49,036 --> 01:10:50,431
-I was the first
1748
01:10:50,455 --> 01:10:52,683
brown correspondent
on "The Daily Show,"
1749
01:10:52,707 --> 01:10:56,645
and I was the first person
that was hired to talk about
1750
01:10:56,669 --> 01:10:58,647
what was going on
in the Middle East
1751
01:10:58,671 --> 01:11:00,065
and what was going on in Iraq
1752
01:11:00,089 --> 01:11:02,067
and all that stuff
from the vantage point
1753
01:11:02,091 --> 01:11:04,862
of a brown person
talking about that.
1754
01:11:04,886 --> 01:11:07,656
My very first piece
basically highlighted this idea
1755
01:11:07,680 --> 01:11:12,536
that, like, somehow as we bomb
their sacred cows,
1756
01:11:12,560 --> 01:11:15,080
as it were, over there,
they're just supposed to take it
1757
01:11:15,104 --> 01:11:19,084
as, like, part of democracy
being spread around the world.
1758
01:11:19,108 --> 01:11:21,253
{\an8}As one gentleman told me
while standing in
1759
01:11:21,277 --> 01:11:25,257
{\an8}the smoldering remains
of what was once his village,
1760
01:11:25,281 --> 01:11:28,260
{\an8}"You can't get hummus
without mashing some chickpeas."
1761
01:11:28,284 --> 01:11:30,053
{\an8}[ Laughter ]
1762
01:11:30,077 --> 01:11:31,680
{\an8}-That's an incredible way to
look at a terrible situation.
1763
01:11:31,704 --> 01:11:33,682
{\an8}-Well,
I'm sure it's no different
1764
01:11:33,706 --> 01:11:37,060
{\an8}from the way your nation views
the events of September 11th.
1765
01:11:37,084 --> 01:11:39,563
{\an8}Tough day. Great opportunity.
1766
01:11:39,587 --> 01:11:41,231
{\an8}[ Light laughter ]
1767
01:11:41,255 --> 01:11:43,901
{\an8}-I, uh, I don't think we...
1768
01:11:43,925 --> 01:11:46,528
{\an8}I don't think
we really look at it like that.
1769
01:11:46,552 --> 01:11:48,113
{\an8}-Oh, well.
1770
01:11:48,137 --> 01:11:50,699
{\an8}I guess not everyone
knows how to respond
1771
01:11:50,723 --> 01:11:53,827
{\an8}when opportunity
knocks their house down.
1772
01:11:53,851 --> 01:11:56,121
I remember people just being
like, "Oh, nobody is...
1773
01:11:56,145 --> 01:11:59,124
There's no... There's nobody
speaking about that
1774
01:11:59,148 --> 01:12:02,085
from the vantage point
of, like, the other."
1775
01:12:02,109 --> 01:12:04,922
So there was an audience for it.
There was a thirst for it.
1776
01:12:04,946 --> 01:12:06,882
There was a hunger
for this kind of experience.
1777
01:12:06,906 --> 01:12:09,218
{\an8}-There really wasn't
an Arab voice.
1778
01:12:09,242 --> 01:12:12,137
{\an8}There were about five
or seven comics.
1779
01:12:12,161 --> 01:12:13,764
That was it.
1780
01:12:13,788 --> 01:12:15,891
-I talked about what it was like
growing up in America
1781
01:12:15,915 --> 01:12:17,142
as an Iranian.
1782
01:12:17,166 --> 01:12:19,186
{\an8}I would touch on
my ethnicity a lot
1783
01:12:19,210 --> 01:12:20,687
{\an8}before September 11th.
1784
01:12:20,711 --> 01:12:23,774
{\an8}-9/11 crystallized that
for a lot of people.
1785
01:12:23,798 --> 01:12:26,360
{\an8}"Oh, you've never been
a fan of Iranians.
1786
01:12:26,384 --> 01:12:28,904
{\an8}They've been the devil
for a long time,
1787
01:12:28,928 --> 01:12:31,782
{\an8}and now we can just rope in
the rest of the Middle East."
1788
01:12:31,806 --> 01:12:34,117
{\an8}-I went to a store
and I went to buy something,
1789
01:12:34,141 --> 01:12:35,786
{\an8}and the cashier
looked at my credit card,
1790
01:12:35,810 --> 01:12:37,454
says, "What kind of name is...
Is this?"
1791
01:12:37,478 --> 01:12:38,872
I'm like, "Well,
it's an Arabic name."
1792
01:12:38,896 --> 01:12:41,750
She goes, "What...
What does this mean?"
1793
01:12:41,774 --> 01:12:43,752
I'm like,
"Well, translated to English,
1794
01:12:43,776 --> 01:12:45,420
it means peaceful,
friendly Arab."
1795
01:12:45,444 --> 01:12:47,214
[ Laughter ]
1796
01:12:47,238 --> 01:12:51,301
{\an8}We had a show at the La Jolla
Comedy Store, and the club said,
1797
01:12:51,325 --> 01:12:54,555
"Hey, we actually got
some calls from people.
1798
01:12:54,579 --> 01:12:56,139
They're really upset
that you guys are performing.
1799
01:12:56,163 --> 01:12:57,933
We got a couple death threats."
1800
01:12:57,957 --> 01:12:59,476
So I called up Maz Jobrani.
1801
01:12:59,500 --> 01:13:01,562
I said, "Hey, man,
we're getting death threats.
1802
01:13:01,586 --> 01:13:02,854
What do you want to do?"
1803
01:13:02,878 --> 01:13:05,357
And he said, "it, let's do it.
1804
01:13:05,381 --> 01:13:07,651
If we're gonna die,
let's go out with a laugh."
1805
01:13:07,675 --> 01:13:08,968
{\an8}♪♪
1806
01:13:13,055 --> 01:13:14,616
{\an8}-So I called up Maz Jobrani.
1807
01:13:14,640 --> 01:13:15,909
{\an8}I said, "Hey, man,
we're getting death threats."
1808
01:13:15,933 --> 01:13:17,494
And he said, "it, let's do it.
1809
01:13:17,518 --> 01:13:18,912
If we're gonna die,
let's go out with a laugh."
1810
01:13:18,936 --> 01:13:20,539
I'll meet a white girl.
1811
01:13:20,563 --> 01:13:23,041
She'll be like, "He's tall,
he's dark, he's hairy,
1812
01:13:23,065 --> 01:13:26,003
and I think he's a terrorist."
1813
01:13:26,027 --> 01:13:28,213
Sure enough, people came up
to us after the show.
1814
01:13:28,237 --> 01:13:29,715
"You guys were hilarious.
1815
01:13:29,739 --> 01:13:31,758
My husband was laughing so hard,
he was crying."
1816
01:13:31,782 --> 01:13:33,635
Of course, we're like,
"Tell your friends.
1817
01:13:33,659 --> 01:13:34,886
Let them know we're okay."
1818
01:13:34,910 --> 01:13:36,805
{\an8}-There was a lot
of airport jokes
1819
01:13:36,829 --> 01:13:39,600
{\an8}in terms of
getting racially profiled,
1820
01:13:39,624 --> 01:13:41,602
{\an8}and at the same time,
it was hacky
1821
01:13:41,626 --> 01:13:43,562
{\an8}because it kept happening.
1822
01:13:43,586 --> 01:13:46,565
{\an8}-To this day, I still randomly
get selected at the airport,
1823
01:13:46,589 --> 01:13:49,109
{\an8}and I'm like, "Yeah, I'm
the guy. Go ahead, search me.
1824
01:13:49,133 --> 01:13:50,777
I'm an atheist,
you... idiot."
1825
01:13:50,801 --> 01:13:53,739
I remember was on a flight
like two weeks after 9/11.
1826
01:13:53,763 --> 01:13:54,990
I sat down
beside this white guy.
1827
01:13:55,014 --> 01:13:57,284
He almost shit his pants.
1828
01:13:57,308 --> 01:14:00,996
I sat down.
The guy was like this.
1829
01:14:01,020 --> 01:14:02,831
Any movement,
I think he was like...
1830
01:14:02,855 --> 01:14:04,625
I'm like, "Oh, relax, dude."
1831
01:14:04,649 --> 01:14:05,876
That's when I wrote the joke.
1832
01:14:05,900 --> 01:14:09,838
Like, relax, you jackass.
1833
01:14:09,862 --> 01:14:13,050
Just getting my Discman.
1834
01:14:13,074 --> 01:14:15,427
Got to listen
to my instructions.
1835
01:14:15,451 --> 01:14:19,222
[ Laughter ]
1836
01:14:19,246 --> 01:14:21,892
-The media started pumping out
all of these images
1837
01:14:21,916 --> 01:14:25,020
of just, like,
nonstop violent Muslims,
1838
01:14:25,044 --> 01:14:27,397
{\an8}as if to say those are
the only kinds of Muslims,
1839
01:14:27,421 --> 01:14:29,274
{\an8}the violent ones.
1840
01:14:29,298 --> 01:14:32,110
{\an8}-Every time they show us on TV,
they always show the crazy guy
1841
01:14:32,134 --> 01:14:33,862
burning the flag, going like,
"Death to America!"
1842
01:14:33,886 --> 01:14:37,240
Always that guy.
1843
01:14:37,264 --> 01:14:39,076
Just once... Just once,
I wish they would show us,
1844
01:14:39,100 --> 01:14:42,162
like, I don't know, like,
baking a cookie... just once.
1845
01:14:42,186 --> 01:14:43,664
Because I've been to Iran.
We have cookies.
1846
01:14:43,688 --> 01:14:45,666
I swear, just once,
I want them to be like,
1847
01:14:45,690 --> 01:14:47,501
"Okay, now we're gonna go
to Mohammed in Iran,"
1848
01:14:47,525 --> 01:14:51,463
and they show some guy's like,
"Hello, I'm Mohammed.
1849
01:14:51,487 --> 01:14:53,674
And I'm just baking a cookie."
1850
01:14:53,698 --> 01:14:55,384
[ Laughter ]
1851
01:14:55,408 --> 01:14:56,885
Even if they ever did that,
they would follow that up
1852
01:14:56,909 --> 01:14:58,387
with another news piece,
going like,
1853
01:14:58,411 --> 01:15:00,889
"This just in,
a cookie bomb just exploded."
1854
01:15:00,913 --> 01:15:05,477
{\an8}-To be a comic in a time
when your race of people
1855
01:15:05,501 --> 01:15:07,938
{\an8}suddenly become
the country's enemy
1856
01:15:07,962 --> 01:15:09,564
and then you don't back down,
1857
01:15:09,588 --> 01:15:12,192
it's like coming out of
the Middle Eastern closet.
1858
01:15:12,216 --> 01:15:15,487
-It became
more and more important to say,
1859
01:15:15,511 --> 01:15:19,282
"I got to put aside
some of my dick and fart jokes
1860
01:15:19,306 --> 01:15:23,787
and start, like, recognizing
the need to talk about identity
1861
01:15:23,811 --> 01:15:26,873
as, like, a social-justice act."
1862
01:15:26,897 --> 01:15:31,712
So I asked myself, WWARCOAD...
1863
01:15:31,736 --> 01:15:37,008
What would Arafat and Rabin do
circa the 1993 Oslo Accords?
1864
01:15:37,032 --> 01:15:38,343
-It wasn't like
the rest of the media
1865
01:15:38,367 --> 01:15:39,761
was gonna give
brown people chances
1866
01:15:39,785 --> 01:15:41,388
to share their perspectives.
1867
01:15:41,412 --> 01:15:43,557
{\an8}-Took that term that
George Bush had come up with
1868
01:15:43,581 --> 01:15:45,434
{\an8}when he put Iran, Iraq,
and North Korea
1869
01:15:45,458 --> 01:15:47,811
{\an8}into this axis of evil,
and on the tour,
1870
01:15:47,835 --> 01:15:50,939
{\an8}me, Ahmed Ahmed, who's Egyptian,
Aron Kader was Palestinian.
1871
01:15:50,963 --> 01:15:53,150
{\an8}Dean Obeidallah is Palestinian.
Four of us.
1872
01:15:53,174 --> 01:15:55,402
{\an8}-We were trying to show America
1873
01:15:55,426 --> 01:15:57,696
{\an8}Middle Eastern people
laughing at ourselves.
1874
01:15:57,720 --> 01:15:59,197
{\an8}Nobody had ever
seen that before.
1875
01:15:59,221 --> 01:16:00,824
{\an8}It hadn't really been done.
1876
01:16:00,848 --> 01:16:03,326
{\an8}-Doing shows around America,
shows in the Middle East.
1877
01:16:03,350 --> 01:16:05,203
There was never standup comedy
shows in the Middle East.
1878
01:16:05,227 --> 01:16:08,832
-Sold out 5 countries,
30 shows, 20,000 tickets.
1879
01:16:08,856 --> 01:16:10,917
-And a production company said,
"Hey, we're gonna film this,"
1880
01:16:10,941 --> 01:16:12,544
and they got Comedy Central
to air it.
1881
01:16:12,568 --> 01:16:14,171
{\an8}That was the first time
in American history
1882
01:16:14,195 --> 01:16:16,590
that there were Middle Eastern
American comedians
1883
01:16:16,614 --> 01:16:18,592
on a major network being funny.
1884
01:16:18,616 --> 01:16:21,553
It's great to see
so many Middle Eastern people
1885
01:16:21,577 --> 01:16:26,433
coming together
in one place voluntarily.
1886
01:16:26,457 --> 01:16:29,561
-We got a lot of e-mails
from people saying
1887
01:16:29,585 --> 01:16:31,772
that it had changed their minds
1888
01:16:31,796 --> 01:16:33,982
about people
from that part of the world.
1889
01:16:34,006 --> 01:16:35,901
-We're gonna start an
Arab-American comedy festival
1890
01:16:35,925 --> 01:16:38,195
to show our fellow Americans
we can be funny.
1891
01:16:38,219 --> 01:16:39,654
Arabs are not just terrorists,
1892
01:16:39,678 --> 01:16:41,990
and to be a platform
to encourage other
1893
01:16:42,014 --> 01:16:43,742
Arab-Americans
to get in the arts.
1894
01:16:43,766 --> 01:16:45,994
{\an8}-There was an audience
of brown people out there
1895
01:16:46,018 --> 01:16:47,662
who were kind of like,
1896
01:16:47,686 --> 01:16:50,832
"Why don't we talk about,
like, what our experience is?"
1897
01:16:50,856 --> 01:16:56,213
I didn't have a lot of things
that my Western friends had,
1898
01:16:56,237 --> 01:17:01,593
you know, like bacon bits
and, uh, Santa Claus.
1899
01:17:01,617 --> 01:17:05,764
{\an1}You know, I never got to see my
mother's face, things like that.
1900
01:17:05,788 --> 01:17:08,558
-Max Brooks and Dean Obeidallah
had hatched up this idea,
1901
01:17:08,582 --> 01:17:10,477
"The Watch List"
for Comedy Central,
1902
01:17:10,501 --> 01:17:12,771
which was basically like
the Chappelle show
1903
01:17:12,795 --> 01:17:14,189
but for brown people.
1904
01:17:14,213 --> 01:17:16,566
It was, frankly,
ahead of its time.
1905
01:17:16,590 --> 01:17:19,986
-Meet Ali Mazyar,
a Middle Eastern American actor
1906
01:17:20,010 --> 01:17:23,240
whose fortunes have recently
taken a dramatic turn.
1907
01:17:23,264 --> 01:17:25,826
-Indeed, today,
there are more parts than ever
1908
01:17:25,850 --> 01:17:27,828
for people of my ilk.
1909
01:17:27,852 --> 01:17:32,040
And so I founded the Ali Mazyar
School of Acting
1910
01:17:32,064 --> 01:17:33,792
for Middle Eastern people.
1911
01:17:33,816 --> 01:17:36,253
It's gun up... fist up...
1912
01:17:36,277 --> 01:17:37,838
and yell.
1913
01:17:37,862 --> 01:17:41,049
[ Shouts ]
1914
01:17:41,073 --> 01:17:43,718
I want them to land the part
1915
01:17:43,742 --> 01:17:46,054
because
if they don't get the role,
1916
01:17:46,078 --> 01:17:48,014
it will go to a Hispanic.
1917
01:17:48,038 --> 01:17:51,351
-We went through a wave where
Arab comedy got really popular.
1918
01:17:51,375 --> 01:17:53,103
-And you start breaking through,
and you're like,
1919
01:17:53,127 --> 01:17:54,729
"We're actually having the
conversation we need to have,"
1920
01:17:54,753 --> 01:17:56,648
because I'm a believer that if
1921
01:17:56,672 --> 01:17:58,900
you don't have the conversation,
nothing goes away.
1922
01:17:58,924 --> 01:18:00,777
Racism and bigotry doesn't end
through silence.
1923
01:18:00,801 --> 01:18:02,279
It never does.
1924
01:18:02,303 --> 01:18:05,532
The day before President Bush
was reelected,
1925
01:18:05,556 --> 01:18:08,285
they arrested,
detained, and profiled...
1926
01:18:08,309 --> 01:18:10,287
True story...
In the United States
1927
01:18:10,311 --> 01:18:13,498
over 10,000
Middle Eastern people, Arabs,
1928
01:18:13,522 --> 01:18:15,041
and especially Muslims.
1929
01:18:15,065 --> 01:18:17,252
And, um, I was one of them.
1930
01:18:17,276 --> 01:18:18,503
[ Laughter ]
1931
01:18:18,527 --> 01:18:20,505
Two cops,
White cop and a Black cop.
1932
01:18:20,529 --> 01:18:24,509
The White cop walked over to me
and bumped into me purposely,
1933
01:18:24,533 --> 01:18:26,303
and I said,
"Is everything okay, officer?"
1934
01:18:26,327 --> 01:18:28,013
He said, "Turn around."
1935
01:18:28,037 --> 01:18:31,141
Handcuffed me, started walking
me through the airport.
1936
01:18:31,165 --> 01:18:33,685
Slowly showcasing me
as if to say,
1937
01:18:33,709 --> 01:18:35,395
"Hey, I got one."
1938
01:18:35,419 --> 01:18:40,108
The Black cop leaned into my ear
and he whispered verbatim,
1939
01:18:40,132 --> 01:18:44,571
"Now you know what it's like
to be a Black man in the '60s."
1940
01:18:44,595 --> 01:18:46,531
-Turning something
that horrible,
1941
01:18:46,555 --> 01:18:49,534
that tragic,
into something tangible
1942
01:18:49,558 --> 01:18:51,912
that's sort of trying to be
a bridge of understanding
1943
01:18:51,936 --> 01:18:53,830
and representing our people
in a positive way,
1944
01:18:53,854 --> 01:18:57,334
like, how could I be
an Arab-American comedian
1945
01:18:57,358 --> 01:18:58,960
and not engage about that?
1946
01:18:58,984 --> 01:19:01,504
-Here we are coming out
talking all this shit
1947
01:19:01,528 --> 01:19:02,756
about being from
the Middle East,
1948
01:19:02,780 --> 01:19:04,341
and these young comics are like,
1949
01:19:04,365 --> 01:19:06,092
"Well, if they could do it,
then we can do it."
1950
01:19:06,116 --> 01:19:09,304
-I think that's probably why
a lot of people gravitated
1951
01:19:09,328 --> 01:19:10,972
to stand up after 9/11.
1952
01:19:10,996 --> 01:19:12,724
"Oh, I can say what I want.
1953
01:19:12,748 --> 01:19:16,144
I get to control the story,
and you can actually hear me
1954
01:19:16,168 --> 01:19:18,188
and see me
and know what I'm thinking."
1955
01:19:18,212 --> 01:19:21,524
-Sikh people get attacked
all the time for being Muslim.
1956
01:19:21,548 --> 01:19:24,611
Spoiler alert... they're not,
1957
01:19:24,635 --> 01:19:26,363
but they're brown
and they wear turbans,
1958
01:19:26,387 --> 01:19:28,365
so people attack them
for being Muslim,
1959
01:19:28,389 --> 01:19:31,201
which must put them
in such an awkward position
1960
01:19:31,225 --> 01:19:33,078
because they're like,
"I'm not Muslim,
1961
01:19:33,102 --> 01:19:34,746
not that
you should attack Muslims,
1962
01:19:34,770 --> 01:19:36,581
but if you're looking
to attack Muslims,
1963
01:19:36,605 --> 01:19:38,375
which you shouldn't,
I'm not one.
1964
01:19:38,399 --> 01:19:40,085
There is a Muslim
right over there.
1965
01:19:40,109 --> 01:19:41,586
Don't attack him,
1966
01:19:41,610 --> 01:19:43,380
unless somebody is definitely
getting attacked,
1967
01:19:43,404 --> 01:19:46,925
in which case, get it right,
which is wrong."
1968
01:19:46,949 --> 01:19:50,470
-Comedy plays a role
in the spectrum of change.
1969
01:19:50,494 --> 01:19:52,597
You're, like,
maybe a swing hater,
1970
01:19:52,621 --> 01:19:55,266
and you, like... you're like,
"Oh, huh, that's funny."
1971
01:19:55,290 --> 01:19:57,060
And then you see many,
1972
01:19:57,084 --> 01:19:59,479
many, many,
many more things like that.
1973
01:19:59,503 --> 01:20:03,274
And you add up those laughs,
those little chuckles,
1974
01:20:03,298 --> 01:20:05,402
hundreds of millions
of chuckles.
1975
01:20:05,426 --> 01:20:07,946
That's where
you see social change.
1976
01:20:07,970 --> 01:20:11,390
[ Cheers and applause ]
1977
01:20:15,894 --> 01:20:18,415
{\an8}-After 9/11, the nightmares
would just be...
1978
01:20:18,439 --> 01:20:20,792
{\an8}♪♪
1979
01:20:20,816 --> 01:20:22,627
I would relive it every night.
1980
01:20:22,651 --> 01:20:25,422
I had gone through therapy,
tried all the drugs.
1981
01:20:25,446 --> 01:20:28,216
Nothing else was working.
1982
01:20:28,240 --> 01:20:31,970
So instead of...
1983
01:20:31,994 --> 01:20:34,264
falling asleep to the sound
of myself screaming,
1984
01:20:34,288 --> 01:20:36,391
I found
an old Richard Pryor tape,
1985
01:20:36,415 --> 01:20:38,018
and I just started playing it.
1986
01:20:38,042 --> 01:20:40,687
-I go to the therapist,
you know, and I go see him
1987
01:20:40,711 --> 01:20:44,649
and I talk to him,
you know, "How do you feel?"
1988
01:20:44,673 --> 01:20:48,445
I said, "I feel like breaking
your... face."
1989
01:20:48,469 --> 01:20:50,822
[ Laughter ]
1990
01:20:50,846 --> 01:20:53,074
"Like to pull
your... guts out
1991
01:20:53,098 --> 01:20:54,617
and stomp on them, okay?"
1992
01:20:54,641 --> 01:20:57,078
"That's fine."
1993
01:20:57,102 --> 01:20:59,039
[ Laughter ]
1994
01:20:59,063 --> 01:21:00,665
-And I started to laugh.
1995
01:21:00,689 --> 01:21:03,251
It was like the first time...
1996
01:21:03,275 --> 01:21:07,464
I could, uh,
just be on my own and not...
1997
01:21:07,488 --> 01:21:12,802
feel the fear of what happened
to me and what happened to us.
1998
01:21:12,826 --> 01:21:14,179
-Yeah, my dad,
if you don't know,
1999
01:21:14,203 --> 01:21:15,680
he was a fireman,
and he died on 9/11.
2000
01:21:15,704 --> 01:21:17,724
He was a very good dude,
2001
01:21:17,748 --> 01:21:19,267
and I have a lot of jokes
about it.
2002
01:21:19,291 --> 01:21:20,852
And if you don't like
the first one,
2003
01:21:20,876 --> 01:21:22,854
you probably
won't like the rest.
2004
01:21:22,878 --> 01:21:24,272
[ Laughter ]
2005
01:21:24,296 --> 01:21:26,483
What's weird is my grandma
on my mom's side,
2006
01:21:26,507 --> 01:21:29,235
my mom's mom, she, uh...
2007
01:21:29,259 --> 01:21:33,865
Her birthday's on 9/11,
and she never liked my dad.
2008
01:21:33,889 --> 01:21:36,493
[ Laughter ]
2009
01:21:36,517 --> 01:21:39,746
Kind of fishy, isn't it?
2010
01:21:39,770 --> 01:21:42,290
{\an8}I'm not making fun of it
to be an asshole.
2011
01:21:42,314 --> 01:21:44,876
{\an8}I'm making fun of it
because it's a challenge
2012
01:21:44,900 --> 01:21:46,878
to try and find humor
2013
01:21:46,902 --> 01:21:49,756
in stuff like that,
to try and make a joke work.
2014
01:21:49,780 --> 01:21:51,883
{\an8}-I helped prep him
for the Bieber roast
2015
01:21:51,907 --> 01:21:54,094
because there was
actually talk about it.
2016
01:21:54,118 --> 01:21:56,346
You know, what we do
in that situation?
2017
01:21:56,370 --> 01:21:58,765
{\an8}-Pete's wise for his years
and said,
2018
01:21:58,789 --> 01:22:00,600
{\an8}"I'm gonna get ahead of it
and do one first."
2019
01:22:00,624 --> 01:22:03,311
-I lost my dad on 9/11,
and I always regretted
2020
01:22:03,335 --> 01:22:07,732
growing up without a dad...
Until I met your dad, Justin.
2021
01:22:07,756 --> 01:22:09,901
Now I'm glad mine's dead.
2022
01:22:09,925 --> 01:22:11,945
[ Laughter ]
2023
01:22:11,969 --> 01:22:14,155
-It's, like, fun to make people
laugh at stuff.
2024
01:22:14,179 --> 01:22:15,448
They're like, "Oh..."
2025
01:22:15,472 --> 01:22:17,200
you know,
"I shouldn't laugh at that."
2026
01:22:17,224 --> 01:22:19,828
-Your sense of humor
is like your taste in food.
2027
01:22:19,852 --> 01:22:22,497
{\an8}How spicy you like it
depends on you.
2028
01:22:22,521 --> 01:22:24,124
-Who the... am I to say
2029
01:22:24,148 --> 01:22:26,209
that that's offensive
if Pete doesn't think it is?
2030
01:22:26,233 --> 01:22:27,836
-I'm appalled that people
would come here
2031
01:22:27,860 --> 01:22:29,921
and make jokes about
the sacrifice
2032
01:22:29,945 --> 01:22:32,549
Pete's heroic father made
on 9/11.
2033
01:22:32,573 --> 01:22:35,385
This is not the roast
of Pete Davidson's father.
2034
01:22:35,409 --> 01:22:37,178
That was in 2001.
2035
01:22:37,202 --> 01:22:39,264
[ Audience groans, laughs ]
2036
01:22:39,288 --> 01:22:41,558
Some people are going, "Well,
no, I lost a family member.
2037
01:22:41,582 --> 01:22:43,726
That can never be funny,"
and I always think,
2038
01:22:43,750 --> 01:22:46,563
"Well, but, you know, different
people have different tastes."
2039
01:22:46,587 --> 01:22:47,981
I like the stuff immediately.
2040
01:22:48,005 --> 01:22:49,941
I like a warm cadaver
to joke about.
2041
01:22:49,965 --> 01:22:51,276
-Which leads us all
2042
01:22:51,300 --> 01:22:54,070
to the mastermind
of the 9/11 attacks...
2043
01:22:54,094 --> 01:22:55,697
Kyle.
2044
01:22:55,721 --> 01:22:57,282
{\an8}-If you went through all
the episodes of "South Park,"
2045
01:22:57,306 --> 01:22:58,533
{\an8}if you went through
all the episodes
2046
01:22:58,557 --> 01:23:00,076
{\an8}of all of the comedy,
2047
01:23:00,100 --> 01:23:02,579
I'm sure there would be
countless 9/11 jokes.
2048
01:23:02,603 --> 01:23:04,622
I never would have thought that
that would happen.
2049
01:23:04,646 --> 01:23:06,374
-I was there in New York
for 9/11,
2050
01:23:06,398 --> 01:23:07,792
which is just...
2051
01:23:07,816 --> 01:23:11,045
We had...
We had over 2,400 widows.
2052
01:23:11,069 --> 01:23:13,381
2,400 widows,
each who finally this year,
2053
01:23:13,405 --> 01:23:18,803
finally ended up with a check
for $5 million each.
2054
01:23:18,827 --> 01:23:21,764
And, uh...
[ Laughter ]
2055
01:23:21,788 --> 01:23:23,683
At least... There got to be
2056
01:23:23,707 --> 01:23:27,353
three women out there that were
going, "Harry's dead, boo-hoo."
2057
01:23:27,377 --> 01:23:30,190
{\an8}-Tragedy plus time
equals comedy.
2058
01:23:30,214 --> 01:23:32,525
{\an8}I-I mean,
you got to let some time pass.
2059
01:23:32,549 --> 01:23:34,611
{\an8}-Which I get, you know,
certainly couldn't make
2060
01:23:34,635 --> 01:23:37,822
{\an8}Holocaust jokes
'til at least '47.
2061
01:23:37,846 --> 01:23:40,658
{\an8}-It's very hard to define
what... what's too soon.
2062
01:23:40,682 --> 01:23:42,535
{\an8}You know, it often is,
like, very...
2063
01:23:42,559 --> 01:23:45,038
{\an8}-They say you can't make a joke
about the Holocaust,
2064
01:23:45,062 --> 01:23:46,915
{\an8}but...
- "The Producers"...
2065
01:23:46,939 --> 01:23:49,834
{\an8}-Don't be stupid, be a smartie.
Come and join the Nazi party.
2066
01:23:49,858 --> 01:23:53,671
{\an8}-I don't think that it's really
anything that's too soon
2067
01:23:53,695 --> 01:23:56,049
if you deliver it correctly.
2068
01:23:56,073 --> 01:23:58,593
-We did it, Brian,
we made 9/11 happen!
2069
01:23:58,617 --> 01:24:00,887
High-five!
- Alright! High-five!
2070
01:24:00,911 --> 01:24:02,472
-Wow, that... that probably
wouldn't look very good
2071
01:24:02,496 --> 01:24:03,806
out of context.
2072
01:24:03,830 --> 01:24:05,475
{\an8}-Too soon
is when it gets you fired,
2073
01:24:05,499 --> 01:24:07,393
{\an8}and just in time
is when it gets a laugh.
2074
01:24:07,417 --> 01:24:09,479
{\an8}-You didn't think
I was so hideous
2075
01:24:09,503 --> 01:24:12,857
{\an8}that night we made out in the
back booth at the seafood hut.
2076
01:24:12,881 --> 01:24:14,943
{\an8}-We all did crazy things
on 9/11.
2077
01:24:14,967 --> 01:24:18,112
{\an8}-You're really just trying
to express a point of view
2078
01:24:18,136 --> 01:24:20,657
that highlights
your sense of humor
2079
01:24:20,681 --> 01:24:22,325
and you as an individual.
2080
01:24:22,349 --> 01:24:24,786
Now you trying to find
that audience member out there
2081
01:24:24,810 --> 01:24:26,162
to share it with.
2082
01:24:26,186 --> 01:24:28,206
-Just so I could go
to my senior prom,
2083
01:24:28,230 --> 01:24:31,793
sold my passport on the street
for 300 bucks.
2084
01:24:31,817 --> 01:24:37,548
Of course, this was before 9/11,
so my bad, everybody.
2085
01:24:37,572 --> 01:24:39,884
{\an8}-Gallows humor or dark comedy
2086
01:24:39,908 --> 01:24:42,637
{\an8}is a way
to sort of push back terror.
2087
01:24:42,661 --> 01:24:46,266
{\an8}-When you're in trauma
or you're in circular thought
2088
01:24:46,290 --> 01:24:50,478
{\an8}or you're constantly adrenalized
and full of anxiety,
2089
01:24:50,502 --> 01:24:52,146
{\an8}escape is hard to come by.
2090
01:24:52,170 --> 01:24:55,108
{\an8}-Part of what comedy does,
it snips that connection.
2091
01:24:55,132 --> 01:24:57,151
{\an8}-If someone can actually
make you laugh in that moment,
2092
01:24:57,175 --> 01:25:00,238
{\an8}to me, it's the most reassuring
thing that can happen.
2093
01:25:00,262 --> 01:25:03,074
{\an8}-To find the humor
in a very, very dark moment
2094
01:25:03,098 --> 01:25:04,367
is the beauty of it.
2095
01:25:04,391 --> 01:25:05,910
-Taking something tragic
2096
01:25:05,934 --> 01:25:08,246
and spin it up
into something good.
2097
01:25:08,270 --> 01:25:11,499
If American Airlines were smart,
their slogan would be,
2098
01:25:11,523 --> 01:25:16,004
"American Airlines...
First through the towers."
2099
01:25:16,028 --> 01:25:18,089
{\an8}-You can either cry about it
or you can laugh about it,
2100
01:25:18,113 --> 01:25:20,675
{\an8}so let's laugh about it
to stop from crying about it.
2101
01:25:20,699 --> 01:25:23,386
{\an8}-Talking about tragedies
is a very healthy thing.
2102
01:25:23,410 --> 01:25:26,848
{\an8}-It needs to happen,
whether it's satire or parody.
2103
01:25:26,872 --> 01:25:28,516
-Do you know Wanda Pierce?
2104
01:25:28,540 --> 01:25:30,768
She just woke up
from a 30-year coma.
2105
01:25:30,792 --> 01:25:34,731
-Okay, what if we got relevant
superstar David Copperfield
2106
01:25:34,755 --> 01:25:38,133
to make the World Trade Center
disappear?
2107
01:25:38,759 --> 01:25:40,945
-Oh, I hate to be the one
to tell you this,
2108
01:25:40,969 --> 01:25:44,532
but David Copperfield
really isn't a big draw anymore.
2109
01:25:44,556 --> 01:25:46,826
-Handled the right way,
nothing's off-limits.
2110
01:25:46,850 --> 01:25:48,161
-You're like the Twin Towers
2111
01:25:48,185 --> 01:25:50,913
if they burnt
and never fell down.
2112
01:25:50,937 --> 01:25:54,125
{\an8}-Laughter is part of
any healing process.
2113
01:25:54,149 --> 01:25:56,336
{\an8}-Testament to our own survival.
2114
01:25:56,360 --> 01:25:58,254
We haven't been destroyed by it.
2115
01:25:58,278 --> 01:26:00,548
-I think of September 11th
half of the terrorist attack
2116
01:26:00,572 --> 01:26:02,759
and half,
and more important to me,
2117
01:26:02,783 --> 01:26:05,803
as the day Jay-Z released
"The Blueprint."
2118
01:26:05,827 --> 01:26:07,096
[ Laughter ]
2119
01:26:07,120 --> 01:26:08,806
My father was in New York
at the time,
2120
01:26:08,830 --> 01:26:10,975
and I remember he called me.
He was like, "Oh, my God.
2121
01:26:10,999 --> 01:26:14,312
Oh, my God, have you heard?
Have you heard?"
2122
01:26:14,336 --> 01:26:16,981
And I was like,
"Are you talking about track 12?
2123
01:26:17,005 --> 01:26:19,275
Yes, I've heard.
2124
01:26:19,299 --> 01:26:20,777
It's... amazing."
2125
01:26:20,801 --> 01:26:23,571
He was like, "No, son,
we're under attack,"
2126
01:26:23,595 --> 01:26:26,574
and I was like, "Yeah,
by dope beats by Timbaland.
2127
01:26:26,598 --> 01:26:28,993
This album is changing my life."
2128
01:26:29,017 --> 01:26:32,372
{\an8}-Comedy and tragedy
are roommates,
2129
01:26:32,396 --> 01:26:34,624
and wherever tragedy is,
2130
01:26:34,648 --> 01:26:37,794
comedy is standing
behind its back,
2131
01:26:37,818 --> 01:26:39,170
looking over its shoulder,
2132
01:26:39,194 --> 01:26:41,839
sticking its tongue out
and making faces.
2133
01:26:41,863 --> 01:26:43,216
{\an8}-When something tragic happens,
2134
01:26:43,240 --> 01:26:45,968
{\an8}how do we learn from that
to move forward
2135
01:26:45,992 --> 01:26:48,346
instead of sitting around
and just saying,
2136
01:26:48,370 --> 01:26:49,722
"Woe is me, woe is me"?
2137
01:26:49,746 --> 01:26:51,057
-This is what drove the bill.
2138
01:26:51,081 --> 01:26:52,809
This bill would provide
$7 million
2139
01:26:52,833 --> 01:26:55,436
in medical and financial
benefits for Ground Zero workers
2140
01:26:55,460 --> 01:26:57,605
who get sick,
and they're gonna pay for it
2141
01:26:57,629 --> 01:26:59,148
by closing
a corporate-tax loophole.
2142
01:26:59,172 --> 01:27:02,860
It's a win-win-win-win.
Just [bleep] do it!
2143
01:27:02,884 --> 01:27:04,654
[ Laughter ]
2144
01:27:04,678 --> 01:27:07,281
{\an8}-Comedy it its highest form
is educating and entertaining.
2145
01:27:07,305 --> 01:27:09,409
{\an8}You're laughing at a joke
while at the same time,
2146
01:27:09,433 --> 01:27:11,202
you're learning something
about an issue.
2147
01:27:11,226 --> 01:27:13,371
-Honestly, Mitch McConnell,
you really want to go with the
2148
01:27:13,395 --> 01:27:16,582
"we'll get to it
when we get to it" argument
2149
01:27:16,606 --> 01:27:18,418
for the heroes of 9/11?
2150
01:27:18,442 --> 01:27:23,339
{\an8}-It's the comics job
to A, service their audience,
2151
01:27:23,363 --> 01:27:24,799
{\an8}but also tell the truth.
2152
01:27:24,823 --> 01:27:26,134
{\an8}-They did their jobs.
2153
01:27:26,158 --> 01:27:29,053
{\an8}18 years later, do yours!
2154
01:27:29,077 --> 01:27:32,390
{\an8}-Social criticism.
That's part of what comics do.
2155
01:27:32,414 --> 01:27:34,434
-The 9/11 First Responders bill
2156
01:27:34,458 --> 01:27:37,228
that's been languishing
in Congress for years...
2157
01:27:37,252 --> 01:27:39,147
It just passed this afternoon.
2158
01:27:39,171 --> 01:27:40,857
[ Cheers and applause ]
2159
01:27:40,881 --> 01:27:43,234
There's Mitch McConnell
right before the vote
2160
01:27:43,258 --> 01:27:46,070
walking in, knowing...
Knowing he's gonna vote for it,
2161
01:27:46,094 --> 01:27:48,865
and, uh, here's our friend
Jon Stewart.
2162
01:27:48,889 --> 01:27:52,034
[ Laughs ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
2163
01:27:52,058 --> 01:27:53,619
-And that's how
we saved America.
2164
01:27:53,643 --> 01:27:54,871
-Yeah. Yeah.
2165
01:27:54,895 --> 01:27:57,248
{\an8}-It'd be really interesting
2166
01:27:57,272 --> 01:27:59,459
{\an8}if you found someone
from the Taliban,
2167
01:27:59,483 --> 01:28:01,377
{\an8}someone that was willing to go,
2168
01:28:01,401 --> 01:28:03,921
{\an8}"9/11, best day ever,
love the jokes."
2169
01:28:03,945 --> 01:28:07,008
{\an8}I did a show for the troops
after 9/11,
2170
01:28:07,032 --> 01:28:08,676
{\an8}and it went horribly.
2171
01:28:08,700 --> 01:28:11,095
{\an8}I mean, it really... terrible.
2172
01:28:11,119 --> 01:28:14,390
{\an8}Um, it's very difficult to get
those Taliban guys to laugh.
2173
01:28:14,414 --> 01:28:15,892
{\an8}-I'm glad comedy survived.
2174
01:28:15,916 --> 01:28:18,627
{\an8}It was touch-and-go there
for a little while.
167598
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