Whenever Mark Russell is down in the dumps, he opens the newspaper and immediately cheers up. Practically everything he sees strikes him funny. Some days, he says, the jokes jump off the pages and write themselves.

Born in Buffalo, New York, he readily admits that when he was a kid he dodged the draft by joining the Marine Corps in the 1950s. After finishing his service in the Marines, he found himself playing piano in the smoke-filled bar of the Carroll Arms Hotel on Capitol Hill. His tunes accompanied songs he made up about his customers, many of whom happened to be politicians. Shortly after, he outgrew the saloon.

Around the time the New Frontier was invading Washington, Mark stormed the Shoreham Hotel for a risky two-week gig. For twenty years, the Marquee Lounge became the place where politicians would come to hear Mark's jokes about the things they had done that day.

Russell, still escorting his piano, is now in his 26th season on PBS. He works live and fresh, performing stand-up comedy on topics that change with the headlines. The Mark Russell Comedy Specials have consistently been among the top-rated shows on that network.

TV Guide has called Mark Russell "the funniest man on television," but he disagrees. "No," he says, "the funniest guys are on C-SPAN."

Today, his syndicated column, CDs, tapes and videos are enjoyed all over America. In addition to his work for PBS, he is also a weekly commentator on CNN's Inside Politics Weekend.

When asked if he has any writers, Mark answers "Oh yes. I have 535 writers. One hundred in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives."