The first thing one notices when listening to Al Lewis speak is the shouting. His voice hasn't changed much since "The Munsters", but there is anger in his voice which one might never have expected, if one knew him only from his television roles.

But as many have discovered, there's far more to Al Lewis than either Grandpa Munster or Leo Schnauzer (from "Car 54, Where Are You?"). After 70 years of political activism (he's 88 now), supporting unions and opposing war and discrimination, his goal now is to use his fame to spread messages that might be ignored from lesser-known figures. Al Lewis is as much an entertainer as an activist; he knows what people will listen to, and as a result his statements often seem short, catchy, and loud.

Lewis is surprisingly comfortable with himself. While most celebrities feign disgust with their fame, Lewis revels in it. You won't see any Leonard Nimoy-style "I Am Not Grandpa" stories from him; if people recognize him more as Grandpa than as Al Lewis, that's fine with him. His goal now is to just get as much attention for the fledgling New York Green Party as possible, and if he must dress up in a tuxedo and vampire makeup on Halloween to do it, you can expect him to do it.

Press: Why do you think liberals who might otherwise vote for Vallone should vote for you instead?

Lewis: Vallone? He's a hack machine politician, out of the crookedest machine in New York CIty! Why shouldn't you vote for him? Look at his record!

Press: What's the most offensive thing you think Vallone has done in New York City?

Lewis: He put that incinerator in Brooklyn; it's poisoning the air. That's offensive!

They're trying to pass him off as the "lesser of two evils". Why would anybody vote for someone who's evil? He's a hack machine politician with a bad hairpiece. He has NO chance! He's only running because of the term limits in the City Council. He can't run anymore after this term. He wants to get attention so he can run for mayor.

Press: You think he eventually wants to run for mayor of New York City?

Lewis: Yes, he's only running to get attention. He wants to convince the Powers That Be to nominate him for mayor.

Press: Some issues that concern Long Island... What do you think of the LILCO takeover?

Lewis: Highway robbery! You can steal more with a pen than with a gun! People on Long Island, they got screwed by this.

Press: What about the Brookhaven Nuclear Reactor? Do you think the reactor should be shut down? Should the whole lab be shut down?

Lewis: The whole thing should be shut down. Nuclear power is a dead issue. The only reason it was done is because of the weapons. They want the by-product... That enriched uranium they've been using. It came from nuclear power plants.

Press: I've heard you're going to be at Rockefeller Center on Friday, protesting the "Rockefeller drug laws".

Lewis: I'm there every Friday, protesting.

Press: You've said the Rockefeller laws [which provide minimum sentencing for drug possession] should be repealed. Do you think all drugs should be legalized?

Lewis: Do you know what the most dangerous drugs are in this country? Alcohol and tobacco. If they're concerned about people's lives, why do they still sell alcohol and tobacco? Because the corporations who sell them contribute to the politicians! Those drugs kill far more people than all the illegal drugs put together.

Press: But some people would say that if legal drugs kill so many people, then legalizing more drugs would kill even more people.

Lewis: Those people are ignorant. A guy who grows marijuana in his backyard is just gonna smoke it. He's just growing it for his own enjoyment. The corporations who produce tobacco, they just want to sell it. Tobacco companies knew for 50 years that it was addictive, they never admitted it. That's why they increased the nicotine content in cigarettes. Why would they do that? Just to addict more people, so they can sell more cigarettes!

Press: I've read about how the Ralph Nader campaign in 1996 left a lot of the Green Party split, between those who supported a national race and those who just wanted to work locally. Has anything like that happened to the New York Green Party?

Lewis: I don't know anything about it. Everywhere I've been, people support me. All the Greens support all the candidates on the ballot, straight down the line.

Press: You've spoken about how much power corporations have in politics. How do you think this could be changed, short of Greens getting elected?

Lewis: Take the power away! Do you know how many lobbyists there are in Washington? Why is there even such a profession?

Press: What do you think people should do to fight corporate power?

Lewis: Organize! Just get lots of people to protest.

Press: Do you think that style of protest is as effective today as it was in the 30s or 60s? Many people think it doesn't do anything...

Lewis: It's not less effective now. See, people, through the media, have been dumbed down. They've been taught to think "There's nothing that can be done." That's the way they like it.

Politicians understand only two things: money and numbers. If somebody criticizes them, they don't care. IF they see 100 people protesting something, they don't care. But if they see 10,000 people protesting, they start to think, "Hey, those are my constituents; I'd better do something about that."

Press: What effect do you think your campaign will have in New York?

Lewis: I'm not a gypsy. I don't look into a crystal ball. All I know is whatever happens, they and you are gonna have to live with it.

Press: And finally - I hate to do it - I have to ask about "The Munsters".

Lewis: Go ahead.

Press: Do you have any favorite memories about "The Munsters" or "Car 54, Where Are You"?

Lewis: I'm proud of what I did. I'm proud of the fact that in 40-odd countries, I'm remembered and loved as Grandpa.