FRESH AIR: Minnesota Sen. Al Franken has the distinction of being the only former Saturday Night Live cast member to serve in the U.S. Senate. It’s a singular career trajectory, but it’s also not particularly surprising given Franken’s deep interest in politics and comedy. It all started in high school, when Franken began writing satire with his friend (and later SNL writing partner) Tom Davis. “One of the first things we wrote was a local newscast the night of the day of World War III,” Franken says. “It was … ‘Well, it happened. World War III. The stock market closed today — for good.'” Franken was a writer and cast member on SNL from its inception in 1975, and he performed off and on until 1995. Throughout it all, Franken maintained his interest in politics, and in 2008, he won a seat in the Senate. Despite his penchant for humor, the Democratic senator is quick to note that his gut reaction to the Trump administration isn’t levity — and that his colleagues on both sides of the aisle feel similarly.”It’s clear that this guy is outside the norm in many ways,” Franken says of the president. “That rightly frightens and makes nervous all of us.” Franken looks back on his life in comedy and politics in his new memoir, facetiously titled, Al Franken: Giant of the Senate.