Why Did You Choose Comedy Instead of Screenwriting?

This week's guest is the remarkably witty, acerbic, and insightful Peter Sagal. He is the host of one of my favorite shows, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! He is to wit what Mount Chimborazo is to mountains. If you've never heard of Mount Chimborazo, it's time for you to fire up Google to learn why it trumps Mount Everest as far as mountain metaphors go. Appearing on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! was on my bucket list. I reached that pinnacle of personal success in 2013 when I played “Not My Job” on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE Like many remarkable people, Peter has worn a multitude of hats: playwright, screenwriter, marathoner, Jeopardy contestant, podcaster, documentary host, foreign correspondent, and magician's assistant. Peter hosted CONSTITUTION USA with Peter Sagal for PBS and the National Geographic Channel. Essentially, this was about a bald Jewish guy riding around the Midwest on a Harley. He studied English literature at Harvard and is the author of The Book of Vice: Naughty Things (and How to Do Them) and The Incomplete Book of Running. In this episode, we cover what it's like to be the target of Fox, Bill O'Reilly, and an evangelical megachurch pastor, the reason why it works to make fun of Bill Clinton's sexual peccadillos but not Donald Trump's, the flawed assumption that renders the US Constitution impotent these days, and why it's a good thing for Peter that I didn't die on August 17, 2022. I know you will enjoy this episode with the one and only Peter Sagal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.