Direct questions, real answers. On with Kara Swisher is where “Silicon Valley’s most feared and well-liked journalist” gets to the heart of what makes powerful people tick. Kara makes sense of tech, business and politics through tough conversations with the newsmakers who matter. So why do they show up? “Smart people,” says Kara, “like difficult questions.” Plus, it’s fun. Every Monday and Thursday. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Should anything be off-limits in comedy? Kara and Nayeema discuss this question and the recent Dave Chappelle SNL monologue before Kara’s interview with our guest today: writer-comedian Eric Idle who is an OG in the craft. When he and his fellow sketch artists launched Monty Python on the BBC in 1969 it was unclear whether anyone would even watch. Now there are generations of Python fans. Today Idle talks about what made Monty Python unique and how they pushed the line and the social conversation with their unique brand of humor.  Both avid Twitterers Kara and Idle also discuss their frustrations with Elon Musk (he’s a noted fan of Monty Python though Idle is not a fan of Musk). And Idle describes how his recent bout with pancreatic cancer has made him a more accepting person.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where’s the Line in Comedy? Monty Python’s Eric Idle Has an Idea

On with Kara Swisher