Q&A: A Comic Jackhammer

Kirk Baird

Saturday, Jan. 6, 2001 | 2:54 a.m.

Jackie Mason is a lot of things: comedian, author, editorial columnist. But quiet is not one of them. Nor is the Wisconsin-born, Manhattan-raised Mason lost for opinions.

And why should he be? The 69-year-old comedian has had quite the life. Mason became an ordained rabbi at 25, following in the footsteps of four generations of his family.

Three years later however, he quit his synagogue to become a comedian -- a decision he said he's never regretted, even when an incident on the "Ed Sullivan Show" in the early '60s, when he was barred from the program, cost him a shot at stardom.

But in the late '80s, Mason found fame -- or did fame finally find him? -- with his one-man Broadway show, "The World According to Me," which earned him several awards, including a Tony, and helped him land a sitcom, "Chicken Soup," on ABC that lasted half a season in 1989.

Since then he's had four new one-man productions on Broadway, all of which have toured the world. Mason performs his latest show, "Much Ado About Everything," Thursday through Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre.

In a recent phone interview from Toronto, Mason discussed his career and his opinions of today's political world.

Las Vegas Sun: It seems with the continuing success of your latest show, your career is going very well.

Jackie Mason: Thank God with this Broadway show idea. Fifteen years ago when my career was in the dumps, it was so far down that nobody could remember that I was in show business. They thought I either disappeared, or passed away, or was captured by a mob of Indians and was in Peru. Every time I said, "Hello," they said, "Are you still living?" All of a sudden I came to Broadway with a one-man show and the last thing in the world that I thought would be a hit became a hit.

Sun: How difficult was it for you when you were trying to get your career going?

JM: The truth of the matter is even when I was struggling, I was still making a comfortable living. In this business, even if you're somewhat of a name, even if you're a faded name, there's enough name value to make a comfortable living. If you're making $5,000 a week in this business, you're considered destitute. But if you're making $5,000 a week in any other business, you're considered a tycoon.

Sun: Sometimes your jokes can be pretty brutal. Do you feel you ever cross the line with your humor, particularly the insults?

JM: How come I never get any complaints from any audiences about anything I ever said? The only people who complain are newspaper writers. The writers who say, "Uch, he's just making fun of people." I'm making fun of people in a way that's strictly good-natured and nobody is ever insulted. I almost never cross the line. If I ever cross the line, let me know.

I never do sadistic jokes that comedians do today. Ugly jokes that are abusive, that make humor out of suffering, pain or agony.

Sun: Are there any comedians you like today?

JM: There are a million great, young comedians. I find comedians today better than ever, because they're much more educated and sophisticated than the people who became comedians 30 or 40 years ago, when I became a comedian. When I became a comedian, there were mostly ignorant people who never went to school, who knew from nothin' -- except they were wise guys with a big mouth who would ordinarily be a used-car dealer, or pimps or murderers. And these other people became comedians. Today the kids that become comedians are people who went to college and became lawyers.

Sun: Does today's politically correct climate, especially when it comes to humor, help you?

JM: I don't find anything so restrictive about jokes. I find it very easy to talk about whatever I please, without offending anybody. I make fun of the president for being a sex addict, or make fun of (George W.) Bush because he can't speak English. Or I make fun of Al Gore because he can't keep up with his own lies.

Sun: What distresses you the most about today's political world?

JM: The fact that politicians in general have no concept about the truth. Jews worship the fact that (Joseph) Lieberman was nominated for vice president. But the minute he got the nomination, he reversed everything he ever thought before in his life. He had no conscience. All of his life he was against affirmative action. They told him if he was against affirmative action, he couldn't get the job. He said, "I'm for affirmative action." But you voted against it. He said, "You can't tell by votes. What do votes have to do with it?"

Sun: Do you see it as your role to point this out to people?

JM: I don't think my job is a messenger, and I don't think I'm going to influence human behavior. It takes a psychiatrist 30 years to affect human behavior. I don't think a comedian making a mockery out of it is going to affect people's attitudes. But I still think it's worth pointing out and it's a great subject for comedy. If it makes you think a little, then it's useful, too.

Sun: Have you ever considered running for political office?

JM: I'm too busy trying to make a living.