Welcome to the first edition of The Humor.com Marginally Definitive Interview, where intrepid reporter Amanda Wolfe conducts unorthodox interrogations of the most popular names in comedy today.

One of the greatest things about this job is having the opportunity to interact with comic genius. When I first obtained an interview with Lewis Black, undoubtedly one of my comedy heroes, I knew I couldn't bear to ask him traditional questions about where he gets his ideas or what it's like to be on television. Instead, I went into the meeting with what I knew were probably the strangest things he'd ever been asked in an interview. I wasn't surprised that Lewis passed the test, providing off-the-cuff opinions on George W. Bush, scrapple, and the Fat Boy Special at the International House of Pancakes--all amid rapid-fire shifts in topic. (This interviewing style may be why someone at CNN once told me I wasn't meant for journalism...but then they've never thought to ask Madeleine Albright if she'd ever been shot out of a cannon.)

So here's my conversation with Lewis Black, speaking with me from the "Daily Show" office in New York on January 30th, 2001.

A: Lewis Black, this is Amanda from Humor.com...welcome to the greatest moment of my life.

L: Oh, stop! Stop it!

Signing CDs for the crowd

A: No, seriously--

L: Then maybe we should have a re-examination here.

A: (laughs) Well, anyway, the first question I have for you is: Is there anyone on the "Daily Show" staff that just really needs a kick in the ass?

L: Not really...oddly.

A: No kidding?

L: No, it's a pretty good group, which is odd for me to say. But I'm lucky because I don't have to deal with a lot of them. I'm in my own little world; I'm in my own bubble, in a way. Which helps--you know, I'm not good in groups.

A: I can understand that myself...so, what's the most revolting thing you've ever eaten?

L: Scrapple! I've had some scrapple that was just wrong.

A: What's in that exactly?

L: It's parts of the pig. Kind of a pig paté.

A: God! I'm so sorry...but as long as we're on the topic of "wrong"--if George W. Bush called you up today and said "Lew, I need some advice," what would you tell him?

L: I would tell him that if he's going to talk about education, spend some time with someone who's been educated. The interesting thing about him is that they keep talking about how he went to Yale, and that should be a good thing--but what they don't seem to realize is that maybe Yale sucks.

A: You went to Yale, didn't you?

Post-show chat with a fan

L: Yes, but I went to the Drama School.

A: I would guess that's a big difference.

L: Yeah.

A: I've gotta admit, I really enjoyed your mp3 on ComedyCentral.com, "The Election Year Blues"...

L: (laughs) Oh, thank you.

A: It really got me through those tough times. Did you ever think about a professional singing career, maybe some musicals?

L: It's so wrong that they made me sing at all...it just defies description. I can't even listen to myself sing. Having been in theater, I know what a voice should sound like when it sings, and mine is just flailing around to find a note--it's just not fun.


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