Talk with comedian and activist against child abuse Barry Crimmins, of Call Me Lucky, who is Barry Crimmins? progressive comedy in the Reagan era, channeling anger into comedy, the process of remembering childhood abuse, breaking silence, speaking up for children, finding the context for craziness, explicating the “inexplicable,” 9/11 & US foreign policy, Hollywood revenge fantasy “solutions,” Jimmy Savile & the culture of abuse, the Catholic Church’s art of changing the subject, UK boarding school system, systemic betrayal, initiation through abuse, the pillars of society, the fate of whistle blowers, US’s resources of destruction, following the money, aol.com and child porn, healing activism and active healing, avoiding narcissism, encountering resistance, risking career suicide, a suicide note with every joke, preaching to the converted, Amy Berg’s An Open Secret, wherever there is power, child abuse in Hollywood, walking a high wire without a net, abuse survivors in entertainment, seeking approval, Judd Apatow and Bill Cosby, seeking voices in the popular culture, receiving support from the entertainment industry, false & true allegations, recognizing abuse, self-loathing symptoms, Lloyd deMaus & abuse statistics, carrying around the pain, healing through disclosing, the toll, passing on the pain of the abuser, not looking away, hacking into the consensus of child abusers, US jail system, taking care of oneself to take care of others, a beautiful abomination of a world.

“A Secret Nation” (accompanying article & review of Call Me Lucky)