What is it about watching a comedian bomb thats so mesmerizing?
BROOKS: It all depends on the set-up, where the comedian is, how he connects the dots. If its in a comedy club and the comedian just stinks for a half an hour, the audience will get pissed. Ordinarily, Johnny Carson could get a laugh. That’s why he got so much more laughs when a joke didn’t make it. In Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, I tried to set it up that this was a guy who would do everything from A-Z to get a laugh. METRO: In Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, you have a dismissive gag about Lenny Bruce, but the real model for a comedian crashing and burning on stage is Bruce’s amazing “Palladium” routine, in which a bad Vegas yuckster starts a riot that destroys the most prestigious theater in London. BROOKS: Again, it’s the set-up; it’s set up so perfectly. Lenny Bruce could come out and do an hour even in his decline he could make people laugh. I’m hoping this movie has a lot of elements going on to make it come together. It’s more than just about the audience at