I'm Alan Olga and this is Clear and Vivid. Conversations about connecting and communicating.

W. Kamau Bell is a gifted comedian who's taken his comedian's ability to observe and comment

on the way we live and is used not only to make us laugh but to bring us together or at

least to find a way to divide us little less. I think sometimes people think you're just

there to shoot the show and you don't really care about them as a person and for me it's like,

no no we're here because we care about you as a person and I want you to feel like

the show is a fun thing to do and so it's my job to keep it fun. His program on CNN United Shades of America

puts him in places a lot of us wouldn't go like meetings of the Ku Klux Klan,

a place where you certainly wouldn't expect an African American to show up and to hold a dialogue.

While they burn across I think Kamau is brave in many ways and I was delighted when he joined us on the show.

Kamau thanks for being on the show. This is great.

You don't know how great this is Mr. Alden. I want to say that.

No don't say that. Come on.

It's a surreal experience when I was heard that you want to be on your podcast.

I just have to I know it's your podcast but I have to take a moment to be like,

I've literally been a fan of yours since I watched television. There was no bigger show in my house than mash so I know that's go taking you back quite away but.

I've been watching you since I was too young to know what was going on television you know what I'm not stopping you.

I could cut in there almost anywhere anywhere but no no no it's a it's a huge honor and I've of course followed your career since then but it's just.

You don't imagine when you start and show business that you're going to end up sitting across from somebody who literally helps form your idea of what comedy was well.

Well that's really kind thank you and I have been following your career for a shorter period of time but it's really impressive and it's made me want to talk to you on the podcast because you know we talk about.

Relating and communicating and you're like the cutting edge of communicating.

Communicating with the whole culture about the culture it's really a remarkable thing you do for the people who don't know I could describe the show you doing the united shades of America but would you describe it.

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