With brilliantly conceived characters like Father Guido Sarducci, Don Novello has satirized, skewered, and stood up to authority for decades. As Lazlo Toth, he authored the infamous Lazlo Letters, a seminal piece of what came to be post-modern satire and a direct line to Sacha Baron Cohen. As a performer and writer, Novello has been in the foreground and background of everything satirical, including The Smothers Brothers, SCTV and Saturday Night Live as well as his own books and published collaborations. Looking back, he offers insight on what he feels comedy can and cannot accomplish, and how with enough rope, authority will always hang itself.

Don Novello’s conversation with Paul is in the book.