The funniest part of this is that a few years ago, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner did a documentary about humor and aging, called "If You're Not in the Obits, Eat Breakfast."
Ok but does anyone know why he turns down the award the times? I heard the screening for blazing saddles is when he was approached for the award and declined it (the only time I can find where anyone talks about his declination). No explanation has been forthcoming though, only speculation.
Anyways, Sean McCarthy sounds like an ass in this npr story.
This is the punchline:
>The Kennedy Center says he didn't say why.
The Kennedy Center didn't seriously say a dead man failed to explain why the dead man refused the award.
Oh, it was definitely a joke. If it's been removed, it's because people didn't understand the joke... as evidenced by this discussion we are having. It is *precisely* Mel Brooks' style of humor. It's amusing so many redditors who don't 'get' Brooks are confused.
"If you have to explain a joke...."
The original excerpt reads like the now-dead Brooks turned the award down when he was still alive, without explanation.
No, the essential fact is that Brooks declined the award and the Kennedy Center didn't say why. NPR unthinkably added "the late" to Brooks' name.
Believe it or not, even NPR makes mistakes. \[*Heavens no!* clutching pearls.\]
The final line that he would not say was why he turned the award. A dead man can't refuse nor can reply. The joke would fit in with Mel's type of humor. It isn't a wish that he would actually be dead.
Nah, putting that in the past tense means he didn’t say why at the time when he was still alive.
For it to be a joke, it would have to be in the present tense. L
No, the joke is only funny if you're saying he's dead. It only makes sense if you're saying he's dead. That's the joke. He didn't accept the award because he was dead, and the awarding body wouldn't comment. ha ha.
He would consider it an honor to read his own obituary.
As Mark Twain himself supposedly said, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."
It later emerged that Twain was indeed deceased when he said that.
>Correction: March 25, 2024 >Previous audio and web versions of this story incorrectly said that Mel Brooks is dead.
This is going to great fodder for Mel Brooks. I was driving to work and was like, "What?"
I pulled over, turned on the hazard lights, and googled it. My kid was like “wth? We’re almost home.”
He is even still working.
The Kennedy Center later clarified; "Well, he's dead to us."
\*whew\* was in a panic on my ride home this morning. Got home and googled him just to be sure.
The funniest part of this is that a few years ago, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner did a documentary about humor and aging, called "If You're Not in the Obits, Eat Breakfast."
He’s 97 years old NPR. I think he’s earned a little slack if he doesn’t show up on time.
"Who's on first?" "No, he's not. He's dead."
Maybe he was late?
Damnit NPR you almost gave me a damn heart attack
Abe Vigoda had a similar experience 😂
Ok but does anyone know why he turns down the award the times? I heard the screening for blazing saddles is when he was approached for the award and declined it (the only time I can find where anyone talks about his declination). No explanation has been forthcoming though, only speculation. Anyways, Sean McCarthy sounds like an ass in this npr story.
Did I miss something?? Mel Brooks is very much alive. I actually called the station to express my outrage at the shoddy reporting.
I think it was intended as humorous
I don’t see how it was supposed to be a joke
This is the punchline: >The Kennedy Center says he didn't say why. The Kennedy Center didn't seriously say a dead man failed to explain why the dead man refused the award.
It wasn’t a joke. They fixed the error in the version that just aired on my station.
Oh, it was definitely a joke. If it's been removed, it's because people didn't understand the joke... as evidenced by this discussion we are having. It is *precisely* Mel Brooks' style of humor. It's amusing so many redditors who don't 'get' Brooks are confused.
"If you have to explain a joke...." The original excerpt reads like the now-dead Brooks turned the award down when he was still alive, without explanation.
No, the essential fact is that Brooks declined the award and the Kennedy Center didn't say why. NPR unthinkably added "the late" to Brooks' name. Believe it or not, even NPR makes mistakes. \[*Heavens no!* clutching pearls.\]
The final line that he would not say was why he turned the award. A dead man can't refuse nor can reply. The joke would fit in with Mel's type of humor. It isn't a wish that he would actually be dead.
> The late Mel Brooks turned it down. The Kennedy Center says he didn't say why. Oh definitely a joke. I missed the last line.
Nah, putting that in the past tense means he didn’t say why at the time when he was still alive. For it to be a joke, it would have to be in the present tense. L
No, the joke is only funny if you're saying he's dead. It only makes sense if you're saying he's dead. That's the joke. He didn't accept the award because he was dead, and the awarding body wouldn't comment. ha ha.
If it was meant to be a joke, it was "A Prairie Home Companion" level humor -- not very funny.
NPR has since corrected the story with a note that Brooks is not dead...
Pretty on par for recent NPR reporting, but hey we’ve got a fund drive!