Jewcy interviewed Marc Maron almost exactly one year ago. At the time he had a very popular podcast that was essential listening for comedy fans. He had already interviewed Judd Apatow, Ben Stiller, and Robin Williams and had show defining episodes with Dane Cook and Carlos Mencia. Then his cult hit slowly grew into a full-grown hit with a New York Times Profile, a NPR Syndication deal, and a Pilot Presentation for Fox.

His interviews are often accurately described as intimate, uncompromising, and intense and more than just conversations about comedy they’re one of the purest looks into the mind of the artist that we have. This is why the show has greatly extended beyond its initial comedian and comedy nerd fanbase.

One of the most prominent themes of the show is Marc’s exploration of both his relationship and the relationship of comedians in general with Judaism.  This has always been a part of Maron’s work culminating in his one-man show The Jerusalem Syndrome. What has manifested itself over the course of the podcast’s run is an exploration of the evolution of the Jewish comedian archetype. He implicitly creates a narrative that links Woody Allen to Richard Lewis to him to Joe Mande.

Here is a list of the top Jewish episodes:

Episode 16 Eugene Mirman

In the very early goings the podcast started to develop a reputation for being too Jewy (as pointed out in Episode 39 by Chelsea Peretti). However, it was interview with Eugene where it was most Jew forward. In so much that talking about Hitler is the most Jewish thing to Jews could do.  Maybe it was a coincidence or maybe not, but after this episode the frequency of Jewish guests slowed significantly.

Episode 103 & 104 Judd Apatow

Despite having such a prolific career, it’s arguable that no one has done more to define today’s man-child Jewish comedic archetype than Judd. Yet, as was apparent in his interview with Marc, Judd cares and worries a lot. The two men bonded over what is best described by a very Jewish term David Rakoff popularized, “defensive pessimism.” Still, much of the episode was spent talking about comedy, so as an added bonus there is a priceless clip from an interview a teenage Apatow conducted with a very young Jerry Seinfeld, who has never sounded more like a Long Island Jew.

Episode 114 Jonathan Ames

Jonathan Ames and Marc Maron are opposite sides of the same coin in a way. Both are known for the hyper-confessional nature of their art that is cut with a grittier version of the whole Woody Allen thing. There is a sense that partially Jonathan rather he was a stand-up like Marc and Marc a writer like Jonathan. As Marc is able to joke about being angrier version of the Jewish comedian, Jonathan can with being a more perverted one.

Episode 117 Ira Glass

Ira Glass is not a comedian but there is no way he’d be off this list (or else I’d fear the wrath of Bambi). This was an episode of dueling insecurity. Both feel like they don’t measure up to the other and don’t deserve the success they have. Their wavering between narcissistic confidence and nagging feelings of inadequacy would not have felt out of place at many creative Jews therapy sessions.

Episode 142 Joe Mande

Joe grew up primarily in Minnesota, but he was born in Alburcurque, which was enough to bond Marc with him over being a Southwest-Jew. The Jewishness of the interview took the form of Joe’s story about how he lost faith. Not to spoil too much, because it’s a pretty amazing story, but it involves a Hassidic con artist, who may or many not have hid a shiv in his beard (spoiler alert: he didn’t).

Episode 162 Michael Showalter

Michael Showalter is a different strain of the Jewish Comedian archetype. He has plenty of neurosis, but being the son of two professors, they manifest with an intellectuals bent. The standout moment was his explanation that he was plagued with sexual anxieties for much of his youth because he tried to treat it like an academic pursuit.

Episode 191 Will Arnett, Keith Robinson, Marina Franklin, Judy Gold, Jon Benjamin, Jonathan Katz

Live episodes are a very different beast than the standard WTF, leaning towards being more performative. The conversations are drastically less personal, which results in less religion talk.  This one is the exception, however. Seconds after Jonathan Katz gets introduced, Marc asks, ““Where do you stand on the whole Jew thing?” This set off minutes of great Semitic riffing, including a discussion on their issues with Klezmer music. Katz puts it perfectly, “Why are we living our lives in a minor key?” They even mumble an aliyah together.

Episode 193 Richard Lewis

This might be the show’s most Jew-packed episode. It’s wall-to-wall manic neuroticism. The episode started with Marc describing the first time he saw Richard’s “Woody Allen on speed” shtick and wanting to be a comic just like that. In a way, this episode is Marc’s tribute to Richard’s comic persona both in terms of his stand-up and his self-destructive life-style

Episode 203 Carol Leifer

Carol is from Long Island and the rumored basis for Elaine on Seinfeld, which is probably enough to get her on this list. However, the moment that really stands out from her episode was her story about telling her parents that she was in love with a woman. Carol before she met her partner lived a completely straight life, which didn’t make an already very tough conversation any easier. Choked up, she explained their response, “at least she’s Jewish.”

Episode 207 Sandra Bernhard

The episode has a Jewy intro, as Marc discusses the plight of the “Jews with tools” and his anxiety surrounding bugs in his house. Then Sandra sits down and Marc puts it best, “Sandra Bernhard is in my garage, we’re talking about old Jews in a very abstract way, as we’re slowly becoming them.” The first fifteen minutes of the interview is all-Jew talk, including discussions of how the Orthodox smell bad, being Jewish anti-Semites, and Sandra’s time working on a kibbutz. Later she talks about getting her daughter Bar Mitzvah at a Chabad. It is might have the most total time of explicit Jew talking.

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Last Wednesday I joined the covenant of Abraham.  I stood before the mikveh a gentile and left a Jewish woman.  My rabbis blessed me and handed me the Torah and now I’m part of the Jewish people.  I’ve studied and prepared for the day when I’d be able to say that I am a Jew.  For over a week I’ve been able to make that declarative statement, yet the same question keeps popping into my head-What happens now?

Our rabbis warned us that this would happen-the let down. If you’ve never been through the conversion process you may not know what I mean so let me explain.  There’s a lot of support and checking-in for would-be Jews.  When you are in the process of converting to Judaism you have a huge team of people behind you every step of the way.  These people are usually your rabbi but can also be other people in the process of converting.  If you’re as lucky as I was, you have between 4-7 rabbis at your beck and call almost any time of the day.  For the past year I knew that I could pick up the phone, write an e-mail, send a text, or Facebook message any one of them and was guaranteed to have a response within the hour.  Every week I went to the synagogue for conversion classes.  I sat in the same spot at a table in a room full of who wanted to convert to Judaism.  Each week I was engaged with Jewish texts, I was encouraged to look at them, read them, question them and read them again.  At least once a month and sometimes twice a month I sat down with my conversion rabbi to ask hard questions about my life, my future, my decisions.  I was asked to consider how I felt about God, Israel, the Jewish people.  I was asked to reflect about my Christian past and think about what trips back home would look like, sound like, feel like.  I was given so much information-passages of Torah, print outs, books with the most important chapters and pages highlighted for me, suggested supplemental reading and memoirs of converts.  You are given so much information in a loving, caring, thoughtful way and then one day, mikveh day, it all comes to an end.  This is not to say that my rabbis have deserted me, they have not and they are still there, but they’ve got new students to get to the place that I am now, a week-old Jew.

All primates care for their young.  Turn on any Discovery Channel special on primates and you’re sure to see a small infant monkey or great ape clinging to its mother for dear life.  Just as the baby clings to the mother, the mother clings to her baby.  She doesn’t let other monkeys come too close.  I read some where that it’s not unusual for orangutan babies to stay with their mother until their teens.  It occurred to me the other day that I’m a week-old Jew trapped in the body of a thirty-one year old woman.  Had I been born Jewish I would have an entire network of Jewish people to guide me through this infancy.  This is why it’s important to have a congregation before you convert-so that you have a group of people around you when you take those first steps into Jewish life.  Without a congregation to call my own, I’m like an orphaned Jew.  I thought that these first few weeks as a new Jew would be all about finding ways to live more Jewishly, finding deeper meaning in my Jewish practice, feeling more connected spiritually to Judaism.  With the High Holidays looming in the not-too distant future, it’s been more about trying to find a congregation that I can call my own.

Throughout the conversion process the community aspect of Judaism was always the largest pill to swallow.  Since I had refused to set foot back into my Baptist church at twelve-years-old I’ve been on a spiritual and religious path.  When I found Judaism last March I knew that I found what I was looking for.  Accepting the religious aspect of Judaism was not hard for me, being a loner-prayer it was the people part was the part of Judaism I struggled with.  This community aspect of Judaism was one of the questions that my beit din asked, “How did I see myself fitting in the Jewish community?”  I answered the question with a question, naturally.  “In an ideal situation, a congregation or Jewish community is a sort of safety net, the folks you turn to when things are going on in your life-good or bad.”  That’s what our conversion rabbi would remind us.  Isn’t that what my friends and family are for, I wondered.  Can’t I be a Jew on my own?  Turns out, you can’t.  Ever been to a seder with only one person present?  Neither have I.

For the most part, it’s safe for me to assume that the women and men in my conversion class have the safety net our rabbis talked about because the synagogue we studied in, the synagogue that handed me Torah, is their home synagogue.  If I was an Upper West Side-r it would be my home, my safety net.  As a Brooklynite, I’m still wandering.  Luckily I have a network of Jewish friends that serve as my Jewish family.  I have three synagogues that I’m seriously considering as synagogue homes.  It will be nice to have a group of folks to sit next to on Friday nights and Saturday mornings-going into a new shul, by yourself is so nerve-wracking.

There should be a support group for New Jews-New Jew Anonymous-where we lost at sea Jews can lean on other folks going through the same process.  One of my favorite bloggers and fellow Jew by Choice recently wrote about this feeling of “New Jew Angst“.  He reminded me that while I may be “lost at sea” trying to find my way,I’m in control of the ship.  As I read his words of encouragement I realized two things 1.  He’s really good at that ever-so-Jewish art of imagery in story telling. 2.  He’s right, I am in control.  As much as it sometimes feels like I’m drifting on an ocean of uncertainty, I have control of my Jewish destiny.

The other day one of my seven rabbis sent me an e-mail linking a trip to Israel she thought I would be interested in.  She closed her e-mail with the following, “Fly little bird, Fly!”  So that’s what I’m doing.  As much as it feels like I’m lost I was given a really solid step to start on.  I’ve learned so much in the past year and know that there is so much more for me to learn.  I could be complacent.  Just as I made the choice to become Jewish I could make the choice not to do another Jewish thing for the rest of my life.  I could ignore Fridays when they come around, I could forget to go to shul, I could never open my pocket Tanakh again, but why would I?  I’ve accepted this really beautiful gift, Judaism, and I want to make sure I’m as good to it as it has been to me.  So here I am, just a week old taking my first steps in this big Jewish world.

The post Black, Gay, And Jewish: I’ve Become A Jew! appeared first on Jewcy.

Another Bambi-approved rerun heralds in a Jewcy rerun infatuation post. And it’s on the best topic there is: intelligent foxes who can make a buck, from MIT engineers to game show playas.

You’ve tapped into another epicenter of pleasure for me this week, Ira, by way of gourmands’ delights. And capitalism. Yum. After touting two competing Brooklyn Vietnamese restaurants’ identical bánh mi selections (Classic, grilled pork, grilled chicken, sardine, shredded chicken, tofu. Classic, grilled pork, grilled chicken, sardine, shredded chicken, tofu…), I feel better than a mantra’d-out Hari Krishna after a George Harrison wet dream. In regards to one restaurant stealing the entire menu, word for word, recipe for recipe from another, the rogue owner asks, “If you’re a kung fu student and the master didn’t teach you, how are you supposed to learn?” Good thing this bullshit grasshopper got called out good by Ira, another not-so-rare moment of satisfying bust.

“Sandwiches and bubble teas are this unlikely million-dollar idea,” and therein lies the sub: the million dollar idea (and there’s nothing that turns me on more-think intensely intelligent sexies manifesting their surreal designs in very real ways. Gimme some of that, Mr. Gates).

Act 1: We don’t want the Indiana Joneses of the world to have to choose between life and sex

Ira interviews Tim Rowe, an entrepreneur who runs a 60-second elevator pitch contest at MIT annually. “There are maybe a hundred venture capitalists looking for the next thing to invest in.” Finest formula to score? Uncomplicated, cheap, qualified, and exciting. Sounds like an ideal one-night-stand, but also a fine way to be a moneymaker. In all, another perfect mantra to carry around in your pocket for a rainy day.

Interestingly, Rowe remarks of these catalysts for big money deals con great ideas, “they would prefer to make an investment that both makes money and does something exciting that makes the world a better place…otherwise they would just be working on Wall Street.” While I don’t make a habit of expecting scrupulous ventures from men throwing money at hot messes with no foreseeable future, I think I’ve been sold on this one. Take it, boys.

All I know is next time I’m looking for a quick (uncomplicated, cheap, qualified and exciting) good time, I’m goin’ to Cambridge.

Act 2: If you fucked up while you were making it, everything would explode and you would die

“OK kids, say no to drugs,” suggests Ira after comedian Kumail Nanjiani presents valuable information about the hottest street thing among kids that, to my surprise, is not sizzurp.  Can’t blame ‘em-if school, parents, friends, and possible mates are too much of a bore on an empty stomach, you’ve got to find your yen somehow. While I’d suggest deserting Boreville to find strange excitement elsewhere, judgment and opinionating goes the wayside if I may suggest a little advice from Woody in seeking out Whatever Works to make you happy.

Act 3: Early death does save society money

Planet Money takes us to the Czech Republic to explore the benefits of sin-more dead smokers equals less cost to society at large. I love this logic-especially pertaining to a toxic behavior that depends solely on individual choice. The right to pursue happiness is just as important as the right to seek self-deprecation, as all the hooker-chasing politicians will vote YES on in their private boudoirs. Living in Prague, I preferred to do so with Mr. Philip Morris’s arch nemesis Start cigarettes. Their honest business practices lit my fire like strategically placed Icy Hots.

Unlike Start, Matt Meyers, campaign rep of an anti-smoking crusade fighting Philip Morris, is confused. He is not in touch with his inner economic Buddha, unaware that the world revolves around a dollar like a dancer on a pole. “We’re very clear,” says Meyers. “Efforts to reduce tobacco use have nothing to do with economic cost. They have everything to do with quality of life.” Yeah, good luck trying to get a lapdance from someone who’s not into you or what you stand for without considering economic incentives.

Act 4: We had no rules against what he was doing

Picture it: Press My Luck game show, 1980: Enter Michael Larson, scammer extraordinaire who won the most jack on a game show in history ($110,000-half of which he took out in singles in the weeks to follow in an attempt to win another contest. All of which was stolen from his house). His brother said of his late frère, “He didn’t understand the value of good, honest, hard work….he thought those people were fools.” And who’s to say he’s the fool if miserable mascara stains grace the cheeks of sadclowns in all demographics, not withstanding pious nine-to-fivers?

Larson played the system by blowing morals to the curb and “was convinced that someone smart could find loopholes in game shows that average people missed.”  If this guy’s tactics are unrelated to Mike Aponte’s MIT ploy in Vegas, I don’t know what is. And I’d have to say my intuition was right to look toward MIT for satisfaction a few acts ago.

The venn diagram of million dollar ideas and doing whatever the fuck you want overlaps at the point where an individual understands of the rules and norms and willingly disregards them for self promotion, which, in most cases, has more benefits than costs for all. One perky point of sinful behaviors is that they will bring you said benefits by way of pleasure. And if an individual wants to smoke, do cheese, or make forged bánh mi sandwiches, the world continues to go round with a few more happy campers on the bus.

The post The Ira Glass Infatuation Post/ This American Life Review: Million Dollar Idea Rerun appeared first on Jewcy.

Josh Kaufman is a busy guy. As a full time musician, he’s always touring, producing records, collaborating in various bands, or putting out his own records as Rocketship Park. Cakes and Cookies (Serious Business Records) is Kaufman’s latest record and was just released on May 31^st.

Besides being a hard worker, and talented musician/producer, Josh is super nice guy. I had the chance to chat with him over a cup of coffee.  We spoke about some of his current projects, and the importance of musical relationships.

Last night you were in the studio with Balthrop, Alabama.

“They’re a brother and sister group from Mobile, Alabama that now live in Brooklyn, NY.

This isn’t the first record you’ve produced…

“Yeah, I’ve produced my own stuff (Rocketship Park), and some production work with other people.  Ya know it’s really hands on, so the productions always come as a result of that…. shaping things by playing on records. I co-produced Caithlin De Marrais’ first record with Kyle Fischer. She was in a band called Rainer Maria for a long time, and I am working on her second album now. I’m co-producing it with a guy named Steve Salett, who is an amazing singer/songwriter and producer. He used to be in a band called King Of France. And before that he was in the Kelly deal 6000. He’s a great musician.

As a producer for the project you’re working on right now, are you helping to finish the songs? I noticed some of their stuff online is more electronic based.

Yeah, some of it is. They are the song writers/singers, ya know, but shaping it aesthetically is something I’m helping with.  My approach is organic, people playing in a room together.

You play with a lot of other bands. Do you only play guitar in other bands?

(For recording) I end up playing other instruments. I mostly fiddle around.  I find myself not really hearing the guitar all that much in recordings.

Lately?

For a long, long time actually. Even back to 4 tracking and stuff. When I start imagining someone playing guitar I find myself getting grossed out.  So I have to avoid the image of that in my mind. But the guitar is a great instrument to bring on tour. It’s small, you can do a lot of things with it, and I feel comfortable playing it.

As far as Cakes and Cookies…

Yeah, there is some guitar on it. A lot of the electric guitar on “Off and Away”(Rocketship Park’s 1st record) is Eric Jackson, who is my buddy from high school. We’ve been friends forever.

You can tell each other something you’re doing sucks, and it’s not a big deal?

Exactly, and the conversation can go beyond music too, which I think is an important thing. So, Eric plays guitar on a lot of that stuff. On Cakes and Cookies, some of it is Eric, some if it is Brian Kantor, our drummer, some is Kevin Fish, who is in a band called Higgins, that I am also in. Kevin is also a very old friend, and we’ve known each other since high school. We’ve been playing music on and off together for many years.  The pedal steel stuff is my friend Mike Phillips. The lap steel stuff is me. The piano on the first album is all Rob Burger. But the piano on the new record is me and Kevin. I don’t know… These roles aren’t predefined or anything…  we we’re there, working out parts, and it’s just how it ended up.

You’re a full time musician? Are you doing anything outside music?

No.

That’s amazing.

Yeah (laughs). It’s hard. You know, you did it for a while, right?

Yeah, I didn’t have an apartment for 2.5 years while doing it. How long have you been full time?

Full time its been maybe 3, 3.5 years. Prior to that I was still playing a lot of music I just worked other jobs too. I worked at a printing press SOHO for years.

As a songwriter, when did you start writing songs? Generally, when you fist started to exercise those talents, were you just playing guitar in rock bands, or did you approach this whole thing thinking I want to be a songwriter? How did the whole thing unfold for you?

Hmmmm. It was the first thing that seemed natural. I played guitar in bands with friends in high school but I wasn’t very good at covering songs. So I started making my own. My friend had a four-track, and we recorded at home, and it was immediate and fun. We went into some real studios, but I never really liked those experiences as much. They were very rushed and I felt inadequate. But when we were screwing around with cassette tapes it was really fun.

Since you started, there is a solid aesthetic. It’s smart, self-aware, there is a pensive undertone, but its also celebratory. I assume you wrote tons and tons of songs before the Rocketship Park records.  Has the material you wrote even before Rocketship Park always been like that?

Thanks. I don’t think it was brand new. I think it just took a long time to feel comfortable making an album of my own stuff. Maybe the older stuff was less refined, and came from a younger place.

But the celebratory thing… the vibrancy that you’re picking up on has always been there, I think.

It seems like you have a tight group of friends. I love that video that you just put up with Sam Cohen. He’s a very tasteful guitar player.

Oh yeah, he’s amazing. I also play in his band, Yellowbirds.  That’s a group that I’ve played bass and guitar in.  Sometimes we do duo things. All these projects for me, are about a conversation. This musical conversation with people and all the different styles around me. It’s never been just about one thing for me. It’s always been a bigger community thing.

That’s interesting cause a lot of people in NY don’t work like that at all. They have a certain sound they want to do, and that’s it.

Yeah, and that works really well for a lot of people, but for me it doesn’t. I am just not interested in one thing. You know, it’s a life for me. I need it to be diverse and inspiring. For now, this is it. It’s got to be worth it.

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