Youssef has lost none of his wit or political insight since his days on center stage of an actual revolution, and the conversation is laden with relevance for a certain country dealing with a dangerous, wannabe-authoritarian leader. Youssef’s analysis of the role of political satire during troubled times delivers a pointed lesson for all us taking solace in the wit of Colbert, Bee, SNL & Co. LARB Radio Hour: Bassem Youssef’s Revolutionary Comedy
By LARB AV – March 9, 2018
Bassem Youssef, author of Revolution for Dummies: Laughing through the Arab Spring, joins co-hosts Eric Newman and Medaya Ocher to discuss what it’s like to launch an entirely new genre in the Middle East — mass media political satire (modeled upon Jon Stewart’s Daily Show) — and then become Egypt’s most popular TV host before having to flee the country.