I talk with Michael Bonfiglio, who, along with Judd Apatow, directed the new HBO documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!.
Michael shares behind-the-scenes stories from Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, The Producers, and Spaceballs, and we explore how Mel Brooks reshaped American comedy.
We also talk about Bonfiglio’s collaborations with Apatow, including co-directing George Carlin’s American Dream, and how Mel Brooks’ influence extends to comedy and filmmaking legends like Dave Chappelle, Conan O’Brien, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, and even David Lynch.
Stairway to Stardom: The Greatest Public Access TV Show Ever w/ Mitch Friedman
Stairway to Stardom was a NYC public access TV show, described in The Onion as "without exaggeration, it was one of the greatest shows ever to be on television."
Airing in the 70s through the early 90s, Stairway to Stardom was YouTube, before YouTube, and has fans ranging from Bjork to the Found Footage Festival.
Performers of very questionable talent, ranging from off-key lounge singers to interpretive dancers, attempted to stairway to stardom – and performed their hearts out – without fear of snark and comment trolls tearing them down.
Archivist Mitch Friedman joins CH101 to explore how the show was nearly lost to history, how he helped save it, and why its' awkward sincerity helped inspire the comedy of Tim & Eric, Adult Swim, and SNL.
The Daily Show, MST3K, & Joke Farming w/ Elliott Kalan
Former Daily Show head writer Elliott Kalan (MST3K, The Flop House) joins CH101 to discuss his new book, Joke Farming, and the nuts-and-bolts behind professional joke writing.
We go inside the Daily Show writers’ room with Jon Stewart, why MST3K once had too many jokes, how comedians write jokes on deadline, why inspiration is overrated, and how audiences complete every joke.
A behind-the-scenes look at joke writing, comedy craft, and how humor helps us make sense of the world.