At 80, Mort Sahl is as funny and pointed as ever

"You know it's not the end of comedy, it's the end of civilization," says the godfather of political comedy, Mort Sahl. "The subject matter, I mean."

Those have always been the stakes for Sahl. Not airplanes or commercials or anyone's mother-in-law. When he started at the San Francisco club hungry i in 1953, it was President Eisenhower and foreign policy. It was an evolutionary leap forward for stand-up comedy as it severed its ties to vaudeville.

Sahl was virtually alone then deconstructing politics onstage. He still feels somewhat alone now, talking about Iraq, President Bush, and the gradual loss of humanity in civilized society over the past 50 years.

"Nobody's doing anything, not really," he says. "They're still getting up in those clubs and talking about leaving the toilet seat up. I mean, come on. Who cares?"

That's part of the reason he's flattered to be back in the spotlight a bit more lately. Tis summer, some of the biggest names in comedy -- past and present -- gathered in a tribute to Sahl's 80th birthday. George Carlin, Jay Leno, Bill Maher, Paula Poundstone, Harry Shearer, Bob Newhart, and Albert Brooks were there. The reclusive Jonathan Winters came out to salute his good friend. Woody Allen, who has long considered Sahl a major influence, and Don Rickles sent videos. James Wolcott devoted a column to Sahl in the August issue of Vanity Fair.

Sahl, who plays Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway through Sunday, has been truly flattered by the recent attention, but wants people to know he's not making a comeback. He never actually left. He's been doing theaters and private engagements for years and recently played a few clubs, including the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

"I've been on the road," he says. "I never retired, I mean, not voluntarily. Of course it's gratifying. Because I think it has more meaning this year, obviously. To have an election year like this when the country is really in the balance and have nobody doing anything is absurd to me."

According to Maher, Sahl hasn't lost a step. Maher saw him a few years ago and was impressed that he was still sharp, funny, and relevant. "He was doing what I try to do, get laughs," says Maher. "He had good jokes, but they were jokes that were also making a point." "

Kyle Ploof, a 21-year-old comic, was barely beginning to walk when Sahl's one-man show hit Broadway in the late '80s, but he, too, finds Sahl's story inspiring. He first found Sahl in a book about comedians of the '50s and '60s, which encouraged him to tackle subjects like religion and politics in his act. "It was a real eye-opener," he says. "The stories of all the comics in the book, including Sahl's, helped me realize that you need to speak your mind on stage, no matter what the audience may think."

Sahl will get another chance to speak to young adults when he starts his new gig -- college professor at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif. -- in two weeks. His course, which he says is called "The Revolutionary's Handbook," is about critical thinking in contemporary politics. "I want them to detect bias and realize that just going along with popular media, they won't know anything about their country," he says. "They won't know a thing about it."

Sahl's greatest hope for the future is that people get in touch with their humanity again, which means demanding more out of their culture and from themselves. "Sometime before you get in the coffin, you ought to be able to tell people who you are," he says. "Who knows? They might like it."

Dan Boulger, Chance Langton, Nate Johnson, and Bethany Van Delft are on the bill tonight at the Comedy Studio. Frankie Pace plays the Comedy Connection tonight. Paula Poundstone is at the Stoneham Theatre tomorrow. Tony Rock performs at the Comedy Connection tomorrow and Sunday.