Earlier this week I was pulling into work when a replay of a Renee Montagne interview with the great Mel Brooks came up on Michigan Radio.
I took the the opportunity to sit in the car and listen to the entire thing. It was good timing all around. Like always, he made me laugh out loud, but he also gave me some perspective.
Brooks has made a brilliant career out of finding the humor in the absurdity, the cruelty, the hypocrisy of life. As such, I could quote a thousand Mel Brooks lines that capture the essence of the 2016 campaign. But what came to mind as I got out of the car and walked to the office was one of his more obscure efforts.
The Twelve Chairs was Brooks' second movie (after The Producers and before Blazing Saddles). It is primarily about relentless human greed, and it's hilarious.
One of the best parts is the theme song written specifically for the film. If you don't have time to dig for the film, I strongly encourage you to listen to the song.
It's my theme for the impending Trump presidency.
The title? "Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst."
Take a listen here:
John Auchter is an editorial cartoonist. Views expressed in his cartoons are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management or the station licensee, The University of Michigan.
