If you’ve watched Stephen Colbert’s show with any regularity over the past few years, you know that the best interviews he ever does are with people who don’t seem to be in on the joke. How that is ever the case at this point is beyond me, but it does still happen, and it’s even funnier if the person who doesn’t seem to be in on the joke is a grumpy old man.

With that said, 83 year-old iconic children’s book author Maurice Sendak — most notable for “Where the Wild Things Are” — is a grumpy old man, and he didn’t appear to me to be in on the joke at times last night. Predictably, hilarity ensued.

Honestly, it was one of the best Colbert Report segments I’ve ever seen. And there’s a second part to it that’s going to air tonight, so you know it must be good if they’re having to split it into two parts (Editing be damned!). Spoiler alert: Sendak doesn’t appear to be very fond of children, despite devoting his life to writing books for them. Enjoy.

(UPDATE: Part two of the interview aired last night and is arguably funnier than the first.)