A friend of mine was telling me how she really wanted me to do a show for Nycha and asked if I would help.

So, are you going to keep organizing comedy events until you get the $32 billion Nycha needs?

Wouldn’t it be fun if that’s how it worked out? I solve poverty one comedy show at a time?

We understand that the need is so great that one comedy show is not going to solve it. But it’s not a sad charity event. It’s still going to be a comedy show. It’s a secret lineup, because I didn’t want people to buy tickets based on the performers they’re going to see. I want people who really want to be there and really help.

Going without heat, it really sucks.

Did you go without heat?

Of course. You think I lived in the one Nycha building with heat?

You go without heat. You go without food. You go without doorknobs. You go without everything. Elevators don’t work. There was grease and oil inside the elevators to keep off graffiti, but then you couldn’t touch the wall.

And the thing is, it’s all fixable! We can do something about this.

Public housing developments also faced problems with crime and drugs in the ’80s. Were you exposed to that?

You remember the people sleeping outside. You remember the murders of people in their teens and 20s, people making tons of cash who weren’t making tons of cash the day before. It’s a very familiar story.