Michael Gerber is Editor and Publisher of the humor magazine, The American Bystander. We talk with Michael about his love of all things humorous, from him reading (and understanding) the National Lampoon when he was six years old to the next issue of the American Bystander (which is an all cartoon issue!)

While at Yale, he resurrected the oldest published humor periodical in the country, The Yale Record (which produced many renown cartoonists). He also wrote the Harry Potter parodies (Barry Trotter), which is one of the best selling independently published parodies every written and he served time in SNL writing for the news segment (they released him for good behavior, which will always get you kicked out of SNL).

We have a wide ranging discussion of humor and cartoons and cartoonists in particular. Michael shows a great passion for the medium and for all the people who have contributed to the world of humor over the last 100 or so years. 

You can find out more about The American Bystander (and start a subscription) here: 

https://www.americanbystander.org

You can also become a member of the American Bystander Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/bystander

And you can subscribe to The American Bystander Viral Load Substack:

https://theamericanbystander.substack.com

  
 On Part 1 of the episode, we discuss...    

The winning caption for New Yorker contest #858 (Back Alley Adoption).  

 Finalists for contest #860 (The Restaurant at the End of the Pier). 

Current New Yorker contest #862 (Seeing Red, Date Night and Blue). 

Send us questions or comments to :  

[email protected]