I'll never forget speaking with comedy legend Mel Brooks. He has been interviewed so many times that he is a master at redirecting to whatever he wants, and yet will comedically embrace being reined back in. I suggested at one point that he turn his classic Silent Movie into a musical, and without breaking a beat, responded, "That's a great idea. I'll write that down!" as if he'd said it 1,000 times before and didn't want to insult anyone. Although we were talking about the Spaceballs animated series, he really wanted to discuss his son's, Max Brooks, books. I still talk about this one as a highlight of my writing career.

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This article was originally published January 2009 in Geek Monthly Magazine #23 (pp. 38-39), and distributed in retail bookstores across the US.