Comedy forces us to confront uncomfortable realities that we prefer to ignore. It also makes us laugh. Laughter is a powerful force. It can release chemicals in our body that make us feel good and help us better cope with the daily stress of living in a world that can lately seem to be spiraling out of control.
The best comedy can walk that knife's edge between humor and tragedy. Mel Brooks said,
Rhetoric does not get you anywhere, because Hitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric. But if you can bring these people down with comedy, they stand no chance.
Today, we talk to two of our favorite humorists.
GUESTS:
- Sloane Crosley - Author of one novel, The Clasp, and three books of personal essays, I Was Told There’d Be Cake, How Did You Get This Number and most recently, Look Alive Out There. She’s also a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. (@askanyone)
- Andy Borowitz - comedian and the creator of The Borowitz Report, a satirical news column that appears in The New Yorker. He is currently on a national comedy tour called Make America Not Embarrassing Again. (@BorowitzReport)
You can join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show.
