Lewis Black.

• Author: D'Ambrosio, Antonino.
• Position: Interview

There is an old southern Italian saying: dobbiamo ridere per mantenere via le rotture (we must laugh to keep away the tears). Comedian Lewis Black not only believes this, but also practices it every day by making people laugh at the absurdity and hypocrisy that dominate modern American politics. As one of America's foremost social satirists, Black caught the American public's attention with his volcanic, hands-trembling, ticking-time-bomb-like social "commentaries on everything" in the "Back in Black" segment on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Here's a sample about the Enron scandal: "You don't want another Enron? Here's the law: If you have a company, and you can't explain, in one sentence, what the fuck it does, it's illegal!"

Lewis Black was born fifty-six years ago to a middle class Jewish family in Washington, D.C. During the McCarthy Era and the Vietnam War, Black's mother, father, and grandfather would condemn-loudly and outrageously--the government's misuse and abuse of power. He told me his dad would say, during Vietnam, "If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have stayed in Russia."

As a young man, Black first turned his creative sights on theater, namely as a playwright. Influenced by the likes of Beolco's cammedia dell'arte, Moliere, and Nobel Prize-winning satirist Dario Fo, Black would tackle every genre of theater, ultimately writing forty plays. While serving as playwright-in-residence and associate artistic director of the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar in Hell's Kitchen, New York City, Black began performing stand-up as an opening act and master of ceremonies before each play. Black's theatrical background gave him a unique edge: He cast himself as both prankster and prophet in his own one-act show.

Black has recorded five albums to date, winning a 2007 Grammy for Best Comedy Album for The Carnegie Hall Performance. He is also a bestselling author (Nothing's Sacred), star of two HBO specials, and an actor appearing in a number of films, from Hannah and Her Sisters to Man of the Year.

Fittingly, I first met Black at an event in New York City honoring Lenny Bruce and free speech. Some of America's top comedians were slated to perform, including Sarah Silverman. Black was the night's emcee but did perform a show-ending monologue that brought the packed house to its feet. Afterwards, when I spoke to him, he was not the raving on-stage persona that has caused many to worry for his physical and mental health but a subdued, thoughtful man who graciously offered to meet with me to discuss his work.

Q: You have often said that you don't consider yourself a political comic but a social satirist. Why?

Lewis Black: The overall theme for me is social satire because my setup is...