Some might not recognize Al Frankenâs name, but his comedic work is hard to ignore.

With a new book coming out today, the funnyman is continuing his legacy as left-wing satirist extraordinaire.

Franken is best recognized in his most recent ãSaturday Night Liveä skits, performing as Stuart Smalley, the character who gives ãDaily Affirmations.ä He wrote for the show off and on until 1995, winning five Emmys.

Later, he embarked on writing a series of books, the most recent of which is ãOh, the Things I Know! A Guide to Success or, Failing That, Happiness.ä

ãI thought this would be a funny book,ä Franken said. ãI mainly consider myself a comedian or a humorist and not necessarily a political ÷ I mean, Iâm a political satirist, but this is another aspect of what I do.ä

The new book is a satire on inspirational books often positioned as gifts for graduating college students.

ãMy publisher showed me a couple of these books, these advice books sort of targeted to graduation, and I thought they were kind of ridiculous and a little bit insulting to the reader,ä Franken said. ãSo Iâd do one that was a little less insulting.ä

Franken started modestly, born May 21, 1951, to a Minnesota couple. His mother was a realtor and his father a printing salesman. Thanks to hard work and good grades, Franken was accepted to Harvard, where he said he had some of the best and worst experiences of his life.

ãMy best experience was probably meeting my wife,ä he said. ãIâve been married now 26 years, and we got married a few years after college.

ãSome of my worst experiences were of being a little bit of a rube, like when I was surprised the teacher was a woman. The woman was Dr. Mendelson, and Iâd come into a course not everybody could get into ÷ you had to interview for it ÷ and she said ÎIâm Dr. Mendelsonâ and I said ÎOh, I expected a man!â ä

Great success followed Franken shortly after college.

In 1975, after seeing Franken and his comedic partner Tom Davis performing their stand-up routine, Lorne Michaels signed up the two to work on the soon-to-be successful ãSaturday Night Live.ä

ãItâs taken me a few years to understand I was kind of lucky ... sometimes Iâve been successful and sometimes I havenât,ä Franken noted. ãLike the ÎRush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiotâ was a huge success, and that came out after the Stuart Smalley movie, which was not a huge success.ä

Franken has always had an interest in politics as well as comedy. His Harvard degree is in political science. He has long been a supporter of the left, switching party affiliations from Republican to Democrat in the 1960s as a reaction to Barry Goldwaterâs opposition to civil rights.

ãRush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations,ä one of his best-known books, was written as a jab at the right-wing radio talk-show host. But Limbaughâs battle with hearing loss affected Franken.

ãThe real immediate reaction was ÎOh, man thatâs too bad,â because, I often forget how much I hate Rush until I listen to him again,ä he said. ãSo I wasnât listening to him when I found this out. Somebody from the Washington Post called me to get my reaction. My second reaction was that I laughed.ä

Frankenâs biting wit has gained the criticism of some and the acclaim of many others.

Fortunately, he said, he has his wife Franniâs support and understanding that what he does is all for the laughter, especially considering she is the butt of many of his jokes, such as the chapter ãOh, Just Looking at Your Spouse Will Make Your Skin Crawlä in the new book.

Franken makes quite a living doing comedy. He currently earns about as much for public speaking as the Dalai Llama. It is through family ties that Franken said he stays grounded.

ãIâve been lucky in the regard Iâve been married this whole time and that I have two kids that I really like, and Iâm able to do my work that I like to do,ä Franken explained. ãI work hard and have frustrations only about my family and my life, it isnât all about ÎHow did my last book do?âä

Franken had advice to give to anyone who wishes to pursue comedy as a career.

ãMost people I know who are talented and really, really want to do it find their way into a career. Sometimes it takes longer than others,ä he said. ãMost comedy people I know, most successful ones, really couldnât do anything else.ä