99 Year Old Men (Mel Brooks) and Teenage Brains
Today, Ali and Asif discuss the career of Mel Brooks and the recent documentary on his life and career “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” (1:25). The guys start off by discussing when they first started watching Mel Brooks and then go over how the documentary highlights some little known aspects of Brooks’ career. They discuss his origins in comedy, his work with Carl Reiner and the ups and downs of his career. They also discuss how influential Brooks was as a producer, including promoting the careers of David Lynch and David Cronenberg.
Then the guys shift to the other end of the age spectrum and discuss teenage brains (29:01). They start off by discussing the misconception that teenagers as impulsive "risk machines; Asif corrects this assumption and discusses how neuroscience has helped us uncover what exactly is going on in the brains of teens. He discusses the brain changes that occur during adolescence and the concepts of myelination and pruning and the key brain areas involved – the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system. Asif expands upon risk taking and peer pressure in the teenage years and why youth may be more at risk for mental illness than adults. Finally the guys discuss “warning signs” in teens and what parents and doctors can do to help guide teens through adolescence.
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Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay
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Show Notes:
- Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio on Making a Doc About Their Hero, Mel Brooks: https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/awards/judd-apatow-michael-bonfiglio-mel-brooks-doc-interview/
- Judd Apatow on Mel Brooks, Interviewing Rob Reiner and What It’ll Take to Revive Studio Comedies: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/judd-apatow-interview-mel-brooks-99-year-old-man-hbo-1236482327/
- 5 Takeaways From the HBO Documentary ‘Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!’ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/arts/television/mel-brooks-the-99-year-old-man-documentary-hbo.html
- The Amazing Teen Brain: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-amazing-teen-brain/
- What neuroscience tells us about the teenage brain: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/07/feature-neuroscience-teen-brain
- Teens aren’t just risk machines – there’s a method to their madness:https://theconversation.com/teens-arent-just-risk-machines-theres-a-method-to-their-madness-89439
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