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47:03

Billy Crystal's Comedy and Jazz Memories.

Billy Crystal is a comedian currently enjoying success on television. He also grew up around jazz musicians due to his father's business; Billie Holliday was his sometime-babysitter. Crystal joins the show to discuss his career and jazz memories. (INTERVIEW WITH DAVID KARPOFF)

50:09

Ralph Allen on Burlesque Humor

Writer Ralph Allen returns to Fresh Air to talk about his new musical Sugar Babies and the history of burlesque, and to tell his favorite jokes from that tradition. Fresh Air listeners call in to join the conversation.

Interview
51:35

Roy Blount On "Crackers" and Politics.

Writer and humorist Roy Blount's new book is "Crackers," a book of "impressions" about Southerners, Northerners, Jimmy Carter, and a fictional Carter family. Blount joins the show to talk about his book, Carter, the 1980 election, and the current political climate.

Interview
34:33

One Woman's Irreverent "Social Studies"

Humorist Fran Lebowitz talks about her career as a writer and how her choice of profession has affected her personal life. The interview is briefly interrupted by a press conference by President Reagan about the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Interview
29:42

Tonight Show Guest Host David Letterman

The comedian's morning television program, The David Letterman Show, was recently canceled. Since then, he's been a frequent guest host on The Tonight Show. Letterman explains the differences between daytime and evening programming, as well as how he paid his dues as an up-and-coming comedian.

Talk show host David Letterman in 1986
38:36

An Illustrated Take on Urban Life

New York City-based cartoonist and illustrator Ed Koren is best known for his work in The New Yorker and The Nation. He talks about how he chronicles many aspects of city living, ranging from daily commutes to street protests.

Interview
52:32

A Late-Night Legend and the "Funny People" Who Inspire Him

Comedian, television host and musician Steve Allen performs his original songs and compositions for Fresh Air. He also talks about his career as the host of his own late-night television program and his new book, Funny People, which pays homage to some of his favorite comedians.

Interview
57:17

Comedian and Political Activist Dick Gregory

Gregory uses his celebrity platform to raise awareness for a number of different issues, including alcoholism, the policies of the Reagan administration, and the the state of the black community today. He is currently on a hunger strike in solidarity with women in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Interview
52:43

"Jules Feiffer's America."

Jules Feiffer is a cartoonist known for satirizing the middle class, politicians, and sexual attitudes in his comic strip "Feiffer.". He began his career at The Village Voice and is now syndicated nationally. Feiffer has also written several screenplays, including "Little Murders." A new collection of his work "Jules Feiffer's America: From Eisenhower to Reagan."

Interview
14:04

Valley Girls and Cartoons.

Mimi Pond is the author and illustrator of the new book "The Valley Girls' Guide to Life," which she researched by spending time in the mall with Californian junior high students. Pond is a cartoonist whose strip "Mimi Pond's Famous Waitress School" appears regularly in The National Lampoon.

Interview
44:19

Paul Zimmerman's "The King of Comedy."

Paul Zimmerman is the screenwriter of the film "The King of Comedy," directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis. Zimmerman was previously the movies editor for Newsweek and has written several books. ZImmerman is based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and is active in the Bucks Alliance for Nuclear Disarmament (B.A.N.D.). Now, that "The King of Comedy," has been released, Zimmerman returns to Fresh Air to discuss the film.

Interview

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