With the 2016 election careening toward Judgment Day, Lewis Black is back on Broadway this fall, giving voice to the grand majority of Americans and citizens worldwide perplexed at our politics and our political discussion. Black is performing “Black to the Future” Monday nights on Broadway, and heading out on the road for tour dates across the country in between, delivering his comedic rants and interacting with fans both in his live audience and livestreaming online. Black called in to ShowBriz Studios from the road in Michigan, where he shared with me how he transitioned from playwright to stand-up comedian while serving as the playwright-in-residence at the West Bank Cafe, the people who made it possible for his “Back in Black” segment to happen at The Daily Show with original host Craig Kilborn, and what it’s like for him now with host Trevor Noah, the difficulties of political satire when real-life already feels like satire, and what he’d say now if he were to deliver the same keynote speech at Montreal’s Just For Laughs.

So let’s get to it!