watching al jazerra america i am morgan radford live from new york city, the stream weekend is coming you next. and remember, for news updates throughout the day you can head over to aljazerra.com. see you at 2:00. >> hi, you are sfreemz. dubbed unpolitically correct. we are joined by mel brooks, reflecting on 60 years of pushing the envelope in show bis. >> we are here and bringing your in the live feedback.

we grew up on the comedy of mel brooks and this is checking something off of your bucket list. >> i had top ten of interviews and mel brooks was on it, i saw all of his movies. produzers and blazing saddles and life stinks and we have a community that loves him. saying that... mel brooks uniting families, saying that if you don't love young frankenstein you can't be our family. my grandmother's favorite movie is history of the world... it is good to be queen.

today it is good to be host. >> it is indeed. in the past 60 years mel brooks doing his share to shake things up on the silver screen, and breaking barriers as a director, actor and writer. in his film his of the world part one putting a spin on historical and religious events like the revolution and the last supper. >> does everybody want soup? >> please, we must talk, this could be our last supper. this is my last order. are you all together or separate checks? >> his humor is known for testing the boundies of what is politically correct to expose the issues through satire and blazing saddles catching the heat for some of the scenes.

who can forget the black sheriff in the frontier town in 1874. with an emmy, grammy, oscar and tony. mel brooks is in a league of his own. welcome to "the stream." >> it is a pleasure to be here. >> we are honored to have you here. any slice of your career is great, the hits continue to come, old west to outer space and cyber space, it seems everything you touch turns to told. what is in is secret sauce? >> well, just enlarge and multiply what people are doing and thinking and actually being, just multiply that and you have

a funny movie. >> that's so not true. i think if that was as simple as that, everybody would have a funny movie. there is something special you do. think about the movies, my dad who is 74 or i talk to a friend of mine in the 20s, everybody snows blazed saddles and blazing saddles and history of the world, something you do that endured, what is it, what did you tap into? >> you know, that's a remarkably good question, but i don't know. i suppose you need talent or gifted or you have to take observations and put them through some kind of brain change and come out with a plan for, you know, for presenting comedy. >> and you have to have humor, which he has.

the community is talking about humor... gary says... nick says... mr. brooks, i was saying earlier to you i bought a thousand copies of your son's book to get you here and thank you for saying yes. you have been a major influence on modern comedy and you have a remarkable gift of using comedy to talk about slaifr ri, talk about anti-semitism and if you

can do that today what is the taboo subject now? >> oh, i don't know, it might be fox news. i'm not sure. >> you said that, not us. >> there's a lot of stuff happening in the world. i mean, i would, maybe we should take out all of congress and hang them. i don't know. we can't get anything done because of the fighting and the infighting in congress and it's not fair to the public. it is not fair to the general people of america that political insanity is not helping anybody. >> well, not just the political insanity but the political correctness and one of the brilliant things you have done is a way of making us feel

uncomfortable but confronting the subjects that nowadays are too politically correct to confront and have we gone too far on the politically correct? >> yes, you must use the n word or you don't have a bad guy to topple in the end. so it is important to be politically incorrect so you can make your point about what's human and what's good and what's right and you have to be bad to be good. >> the community is talking about what's the role of the artist here. nick is saying... mark says... and rj saying...

mr. brooks, the question is what the line today between being bold, subversive and prejudice, is there a line? i don't think there is a line. i think it is, you know, it is subjective. it is in the, it's our beginnings. it is in our education. it's in our belief system. i mean, why are we prejudice. why do we hate another person or a race. we have been taught. so my job is to unteach, unteach, to do outrageous things that explode new ways of thinking. mel, you can be outrageous and lord knows you are amazing at

being outrageous, it seems to many that comedy of three or four decades ago was smart, it was sophisticated and had a point and i'm disappointed now that comedy relies on being offensive, do you think that the national taste for what is humorous changed? >> no. we were taught when we were young smart, sophisticated black and white movies, making, we were taught that you need act 1, 2, 3, a structure, a story and a plot and an ending. and today, i think movies rely on crass behavior without a point. without a structure.

and when i grew up, all of that, i learned from just watching these black and white fast talking movies of the 20s and 30s that told me these are little playlets and you have to write a little play and there needs to be an ending. >> we have a lot of questions, two quick ones before break... dean asks... >> well, i think i was actually i remember a group of faces peering down in my crib and getting hysterical. looking at me. i must have been the funniest in the family. when we come back mel brooks is taking questions from the biggest fans and now up the interaction with the show, we have a way to do.

>> tv is no longer one way with the app.share your thoughts throughout the show. disagree with a guest, great, tell us. get the app content, receive graps and quizzes and interact in real time. you can be our third co-host. vote, tweet, record video and we'll feature them on air. use the app and drive the discussions on live tv. that puts you in the control room. on techknow, our scientists bring you a sneak-peak of the future, and take you behind the scenes at our evolving world. techknow - ideas, invention, life. on al jazeera america

mel, your dad passed away and sid was a father figure you and how so? >> well, he -- i worked for sid. therefore, he was my superior. so i guess he was kind of like my father. but he was kind, and cruel, like any father should be. but any way, we bonded and we had the same kind, we had the same sense of humor.

sid's real talent was making fun of human foibles and humanity and we were never current. we never did anything about the news or even when we had great opportunities with nixon, he didn't do political, we always did the human comedy and sid was gifted and was indeed a genius. he could do humans and pinball machines. he could do anything. i want to say something about al jazeera, i'm doing this, i thought it was arab and muse muslim and slanted and i didn't know and then i saw it, and it was like a breath of fresh air, it is like the new york city times of news, neither nbc on the left or fox on the right.

it was giving me the news as honestly as i ever got it and that is why i salute al jazeera. and i'm happy to be here and doing that even know the money is very small. >> yeah, we don't pay well, do we. thank you for that wonderful endorse. , mr. brooks. >> i am paying in compliments not >> i want to ask... [indiscernible] >> i don't know. that is a good question. you know, it's like, it is the ability to ad lib. something comes up, you see it, and you nail it.

we had to do that, we had a 907 minute show and we only had, it was all live and it was 90 minutes and six comedy sketches and we just, i don't know, we did something magical. we just did it. we have ryan here in d. c., ryan, mel brook played a human impact on you. >> which historical figure is the funniest of all times? >> louis the 16th. because he was fooling around repairing watching and had no idea thefrp going to chop his head off. i love that in a major character. [laughter] >> mel, i was watching a documentary and you stay up until 3:00 a.m. in the morning

every night, what do you do? >> between 1-2 i eat cheerios with nonfat milk and 2-3 i cry and after that i go to sleep. that is nearly the truth. >> laughter and tragedy of life. the community is saying... we got this question from kenneth... ken actually conveys a sentiment i have in watching your movies as a kid i was amazed how you brought in jewish identity and culture to the forefront and the jews were seen as ethnic and outsiders and comedy main

streamed them do you think that can help today with muslims and gays and lesbians. >> well, accept for lesbians you are right. i'm kidding. it was the opportunity to make you laugh. >> we'll take the opportunities. >> i agree, you know, if there was a funny guy and he happens to be muslim, he's funny and we are going to love him and be grateful to him for making us laugh. >> speaking of women, the women you worked with hollywood say that it can be miserable making comedies with some of the men, you let the women with sexy and funny and that is a rare find and it is still tough tr the female comedians in hollywood, why is still so tough?

>> there is still a great deal of male prejudice and even comics, i hate saying this, male comics didn't think that females or ladies had the right kind of force or timing or explosive power and that's, you know, that's just bull. that is nonsense. because between kara silverman who kills me, i adore her and ellen degeneres and so many great ones, carol burnett and carried the comedy, and you know, it's nonsense. ladies are just as funny as men and not as funny looking but funny. >> well, mel, i have a question for you, i noticed that you know young frankenstein beautifully directed and brooks filming

making elephant man and society they love the comedians but not giving them proper respect for the seriousness behind the craft, so you role is not respected as it should in society? >> that is a good question, it is a matter of baggage. you take the baggage with you. i am mel brooks and make sunny faces and write funny things and make people laugh and i also produce ued the elephant man and kept my name away from it. if i bring the baggage of my name to it the audience expects something funny and silly and stupid and that was a very important story to tell with a very important character. >> brooks films is unbelievable

enterprise. >> we have done, brooks films have done terrific films. the first one my late great wife ann bancroft did fatso and that is a classic and i still get letters from the people that manage to see it and there's frances, the story of fran seuss farmer which is a great film, directed beautifully and my favorite year, maybe peter's best performance ever on film. there's the doctor and the devils with price and ray and dalton and twiggy and directed by freddie frances, a brilliant film and i mean, there's, i'm going to be on tcm in march and

i'm interviewed and we are going to do six brooks films and with some of the ones i mentioned and i let you know about that. look for tcm to broadcast that. >> we will. it is amazing the dimensions here that a lot of people don't know about. the names of the films i know that. there is never another mel brooks, but what is the next best thing in the next generation of comics we going to ask mel who he thinks that is. tweet us the same. we'll be right back. o it.

>> mel is laughing, that is great. that is a clip from a favorite here on our team and a gairt everywhere, mel, a familiar face, dey chapel and giving him

a break on the big screen and this the opportunity you have given to many and dafd has a question related to that, go ahead. david. >> mel, it is an honor. is there someone that shares some of the characteristics of your style as you influenced and impacted the comedians, including myself? >> david, try to get a job in a deli and making sandwiches and if you fail at that return to comedy. comedy is hart. seriously, don't give up, you will make it. i promise you. >> we have a lot of community questions for you, i am trying to get them in. here is one listens talking about the classic scene

from space balls when is then now, mr. brooks? >> that was so much fun. i can't tell you working with the late great john candy and rick and everybody on the, you know, and all of the assholes that worked, that was their names, i'm sorry, major asshole in charge of them. but that was so much fun. that is all i can tell you. working on the ship a great production designer designed. it was fabulous. >> the answer is soon. one more from our producer, this is her brother-in-law... >> it is a lost art. well, i didn't have time to say anything else. no, i don't know.

it comes back with the people. i mean, you know, we have three new great late night hosts, jimmy fallon, jimmy kimmel, conan o'brien and they are all there and literally encouraging the great comedy. from that something wonderful will be born and come to us, you know, on the big screen, hopefully. >> mel, a lot of artists, including your son max decided not to do the hollywood route because of feeling their art and craft is compromised, and but you somehow have carefully navigated around that is working with the big studio ises and how did you pull that off? >> well, i lied to them. i told them things that i never intended to do. i told them what the budget would be and always went over

it. i was always hiring clark gable and carol lombard and i never did. what you do is you go out to lunch with the heads of the studios and you pick up the tab and they are impressed and they buy a lot of the bullshit. >> a favorite quote, from sid, life has to be lived and enjoyed and if you don't you are a fool, have you lived and enjoyed the ride? >> i think i have been doing more in between. i have been doing a lot more life in the past 20 years than i have show biz. i will get back to it. >> mel brooks, it is a pleasure

being oen show tonight. >> this is a great experience, the only disappointment of what i'm paid to do it. it was really fun. violated. and this cannot be the way to conduct international