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When I put up Viktor Frankl (#28) on FB, I heard from one of the funniest people I know, whose path I get to crisscross when lucky. He mentioned that he’s a fan of Frankl’s work too. One reason: Frankl’s perspective that humor is an important tool for survival.
When I watch news, it’s usually John Oliver. But I’m starting to add Larry Wilmore into the mix more regularly after hearing these interviews on Fresh Air. When the ads first went up for The Larry Wilmore show, I recognized him as the “Senior Black Correspondent” from the Daily Show. But this Feb 2015 interview filled in a lot of blanks about Wilmore’s background as a writer and actor (1980′s: police officer on Facts of Life; 1990′s: writer on a Rick Dees talk show, In Living Color, Fresh Prince, Jamie Foxx Show. In the 2000′s, he created The Bernie Mac show, which I need to check out, as he sounds especially proud of it as a groundbreaking work. It won an Emmy and Peabody. After that, he was a writer on the Office, where he appeared in a couple of episodes).
I have many favorite moments from the first Wilmore interview, as well as this second one in Aug 2015. Here are a few of them:
ON RACE:
GROSS: What was it like for you to be one of only two black students in your high school class?
WILMORE: Well, it’s funny because I never went to a predominantly black school, so I always felt like - my phrase is, I feel like I’m at a family reunion and I’m not in the family, you know?
ON RELIGION:
GROSS: What did religion mean in your life or your family’s life?
WILMORE: It was really important to me. I thought about being a priest at one point to be honest with you when I was really young. And then I heard about the whole no-sex thing and I was like…
GROSS: (Laughter).
WILMORE: I don’t think that’s going to work out.
ON BEING A FEMINIST:
WILMORE: And I didn’t even know how much of a feminist I was. And I realized oh, my god, I was raised by a single mom who had to raise six kids. I have three sisters. Larry, you’ve been a feminist your whole life, you really didn’t know it until you’ve been presented with these issues. And it was the Cosby issue that made me realize how much I really cared about women’s issues and how much I realize it’s important for me to be an advocate for issues that aren’t necessarily my own - to be an ally for issues.
Finally, take a look at this list of some of his recent funny moments. Here’s a favorite:
“Sharpton? Again?!” Wilmore asks incredulously. “Al, slow down man. You don’t have to respond to every black emergency. You’re not black Batman.”
“You’re literally stretching yourself thin,” he continues. “ Al, you need to eat food, not just airtime.”
Larry Wilmore, thanks for taking on the time slot that Colbert left behind. It’s not a job for the faint of heart. Thanks for creating the Keep It 100, and for making the people who come on your show stick to it. Thanks for fighting the expectations that networks have thrust on you for years, and staying funny. We can all learn a thing or two from you.