Voices of Swell
@voices · 3:35
The Voice of Art Bell : Creator of HBO’s Comedy Central
But, boy, I did not know about the beginning of Comedy Central and all that went into that all the serendipity, all the heartache, all the politics, all the stuff. And we're going to talk about that, because today I am going to have a conversation with you, the listener, and with Art Bell, who is basically the founder of Comedy Central. It was actually called the Comedy Channel. That was his concept when he was working at HBO in the late 80s
Art Bell
@ArtBellWriter · 5:00
It was starting to get a big audience, starting to make a name for itself in the comedy world and on the verge of making money, there were hundreds of people working at the channel, but I still felt that it was ultimately my responsibility to make Comedy Central successful since I was the one who started it. The Russian Tea Room had been a favorite of artists, actors, and people who worked in show business since the 1920s
Deborah Pardes
@DBPardes · 1:15
Because we don't know because you didn't tell us, can you drop us into that experience and how you had the composure to be the person you are to get people to leap in faith with you? And how do you conjure up that kind of dynamic with people? Because I think everyone wants to be the person that can evangelize an idea and get people to jump on board. And that's what you do as a producer. But how was that first meeting? What happened
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Art Bell
@ArtBellWriter · 2:34
I think I had the right person in Michael, and the other thing that I will mention is that I've been thinking about it for so long and talking to so many people about it before. And when I say so many people, I mean, friends of mine in the business and friends of mine not in the business and just talking about what a comedy channel should look like and be
Deborah Pardes
@DBPardes · 1:15
Of course. Is there a place in your book that you can read to us where it was an AHA moment for you in terms of realizing that, wow, this has traction. You kind of hit a vein, and you had a big feeling of elation that the struggle was, quote, over. I know it's never over. But did you have a moment of, like, pure elation? And did you write about that?
Art Bell
@ArtBellWriter · 3:20
Reflecting a serious cynicism towards the politicians of any major party, but primarily because of the sophisticated, witty comments of Comedy Central's two correspondents for the speech, Al Franken and Bill Kimball. The surreal takeoff also embodied some of the best elements of humor rebellion and a healthy lack of conventional taste
Art Bell
@ArtBellWriter · 1:47
Hey, Kate. Yeah. That's a good question. With a pretty simple answer, which is no. I did not expect it when I was pitching it or even as I envisioned it becoming a trusted news source. I did think about the connection between comedy and news. I grew up watching a lot of comedy and listening to a lot of comedy. I knew that comedy was sometimes at its best when it was topical. There was a show on TV called that Was The Week
Deborah Pardes
@DBPardes · 1:09
I want to turn to the subtitle of your book, which is how you lost your sense of humor. It's a pretty stark contrast to the name of the book, so I know it's very powerful, and that tension is really curious to me
Art Bell
@ArtBellWriter · 4:37
He lets us all sweat, work ourselves into a frenzy of terror before he even gets here. I nodded grimly. 20 minutes later, Michael walked in without saying a word. We all watched him as he took off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair near the window. Then he grabbed another chair, moved it into the circle, and stood behind it. It took the Comedy Channel to make me lose my sense of humor