And the ’80s was also an interesting, very conservative time — coming out of the Reagan years and going into the first Bush presidency. And being a Democrat living in Massachusetts, comedy was a great outlet for a political point of view.
So I moved to New York and started pursuing the goal of a one-man show of social and political humor in a theater atmosphere. Eric Bogosian, Spalding Gray, John Leguizamo, and Reno were all doing one-person shows there, and Jackie Mason started his show on Broadway. I found them all inspiring. And working in places where they weren’t serving alcohol, I found an audience that paid more attention, were politically aware, and were happy to allow me to develop themes instead of shooting for a laugh every 15 seconds.
What’s your take on the other candidates?
I’m going to be diplomatic. I might need some of these people in my Cabinet if I’m elected. Plus, if I lose, maybe there are some platforms in my campaign they’d like to borrow.
For example, I’d broaden the definition of national defense to include health care, education, and alcohol and drug treatment. There are plenty of people who can’t get into rehab programs because they don’t have money or assistance, but at the same time we can put a new round of nuclear warheads in submarines and send them around the world’s ocean. So why can’t we build submarines for addicts, and while they get clean under water, they can patrol our coasts? If they stop a suspicious boat, who’s gonna be better at finding drugs aboard than these people?
