>> before i was diagnosed with cancer, i had lost my mother, and i had this potentially deadly intestinal disease. and nothing was striking me as funny. and then i got diagnosed with cancer, and i started miniakly laughing. this is hilarious, actually. >> somehow they're able to have a third person perspective on the drama of their life and that's what we love about great comedians. >> do not tempt me. >> laughter takes the air out of everything. for my hbo special, halfway through i took my shirt off and revealed my double mastectomi scars. >> when you laugh at a joke about death, it's funny considering the source. you're making a joke about death, the thing that's definitely going to happen to you. >> and now, ladies and gentlemen, the almost full monty. >> monty python was at the aspen comedy festival, and it was one of the first times they were all