Comedy

The comic whose Beyond the "Seven Dirty Words" routine that sparked a famous obscenity case in the 1970s, George Carlin has been an icon of American humor for decades. Now he has a new HBO special, Life is Worth Living — a parody on life, death and suicide. The show, Carlin's 13th HBO special, will air on Nov. 5.

He's been called the funniest man on television, and Richard Pryor calls Chappelle his favorite comedian. Chappelle himself claims he's "America's No. 1 source for offensive comedy." Chappelle's Show is Comedy Central's top ranked broadcast. Season two is just out on DVD. Dave Chappelle’s movie roles include parts in Half-Baked, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Con Air. This interview was originally broadcast on Sept. 2, 2004.

Newhart has been a part of the American comedy landscape since 1961 comedy album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart became a surprise hit. He's starred in three TV shows, including the Peabody-award winning The Bob Newhart Show. The first season of The Bob Newhart Show is now out on DVD.

Rock will host the 2005 Academy Awards, airing Sunday. The comedian spent time on the cast of Saturday Night Live and In Living Color, and his comedy TV specials include last year's Chris Rock: Never Scared and Chris Rock: Bigger and Blacker. This interview was originally broadcast on Feb. 6, 1997.

The weekly HBO program Real Time with Bill Maher begins its new season Feb. 18. Previously, Bill Maher created and hosted the late night political round-table show Politically Incorrect.

As half of the comedy duo Cheech and Chong, Tommy Chong made a career out of making jokes about being stoned. Along with Cheech Marin, Chong recorded six gold comedy albums and starred in seven films. He currently has a recurring role on FOX TV's That '70s Show.

Anchorman, starring Will Ferrell, is now out on DVD. It's a spoof of local TV news shows. McKay was the head writer for Saturday Night Live from 1997 to 2001 and a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe. This interview was originally broadcast on July, 8, 2004.

As one of the original stars of Saturday Night Live, Dan Aykroyd brought to life several classic sketches: the Coneheads, the Wild and Crazy Guys, and the Blues Brothers. He went on to star in a number of films, including Trading Places and The Blues Brothers, and was Oscar-nominated for his role in Driving Miss Daisy. We rebroadcast an interview from Nov. 22, 2004.

Before The Onion and The Daily Show, Mort Sahl's shtick satirized the news of the day. Sahl revolutionized stand-up comedy, leading the transition from tame jokes to the dark, satirical wit of comedians like Lenny Bruce and Woody Allen. Terry Gross spoke to Sahl in December 2003.