Rabbi Sol Solomon chats with mime artist Avner Eisenberg (aka “Avner the Eccentric”).
Topics include: “Exceptions to Gravity” returns to NY, The Jewel of the Nile, Woody Allen, Jacques LeCoq, Marcel Marceau, Maine.
Segment originally aired March 2, 2013 on the “Dave’s Gone By” radio program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Note: Interview segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2013 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com More information on Rabbi Sol Solomon: http://www.shalomdammit.com
Here is the 414th episode of the long-running radio show/podcast, Dave’s Gone By, which aired on UNC Radio, March 2, 2013. Info: davesgoneby.com.
Note: Audio difficulties necessitated the re-recording of the opening segment and some over-modulation of the volume in the first part of the show.
Featuring: Rabbi Sol Solomon’s chats with mime and clown Avner “The Eccentric” Eisenberg and with actor-singer Chuck Muckle. Plus: Inside Broadway, a Saturday Segue (Lou Reed’s birthday) and Rabbi Sol on disappearing delis.
Host: Dave Lefkowitz
Guests: singer Chuck Muckle, clown Avner “The Eccentric” Eisenberg.
00:00:01 DAVE GOES IN 00:03:00 SATURDAY SEGUE – Lou Reed 00:31:30 INSIDE BROADWAY 00:44:30 GUEST: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews Avner “The Eccentric” Eisenberg 01:41:00 Sponsors 01:53:00 DAVE SAYS BYE – Bonnie Franklin 01:58:00 RABBI SOL SOLOMON’S RABBINICAL REFLECTION #059 – Disappearing Delis 02:04:30 BOB DYLAN – Sooner & Later (clowns) 02:26:00 GUEST: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews Chuck Muckle 03:11:00 Friends 03:14:30 DAVE GOES OUT
March 2, 2013 Playlist: “Growing Up in Public” (00:03:30), “How Do You Think it Feels” (00:11:00), “The Blue Mask” (00:15:00) & “Satellite of Love” (00:23:00). “I’m Waiting for the Man” (00:06:30) & “I’ll Be Your Mirror” ({live} 00:20:00; The Velvet Underground). “Electricity” (00:41:30; Joni Mitchell). “Queen Jane Approximately” (02:05:00), “Shake Shake Mama” (02:10:30; Bob Dylan). “Like a Rolling Stone” (02:18:30; Bob Dylan & the Band). “Abandoned Love” (02:14:00). “Turn Another Corner” (02:27:00; Chuck Muckle). “Applause” (03:16:00; Applause Broadway cast w/ Bonnie Franklin on 1970 Tony Awards).
Avner EisenbergChuck MuckleBonnie FranklinLou ReedThe Stage Deli
RABBI SOL SOLOMON’S RABBINICAL REFLECTION #58 (2/24/2013): More Purim Jokes
aired February 23, 2013 on Dave’s Gone By. Youtube clip: http://youtu.be/e9ICds0fO8k
Shalom Dammit! This is Rabbi Sol Solomon with a Rabbinical Reflection for the week of February 24th, 2013.
Happy Purim everybody! A wonderful day on the Jewish calendar where we give thanks that we weren’t all killed by Persians a couple of thousand years ago. We celebrate by reading the book of Esther, giving shalach manos – which is a charitable donation of food and snacks to people we care about. We celebrate by putting on costumes, getting drunk, and, in certain areas of the world, watching Nascar.
I like to celebrate by spreading laughter, by telling a joke or two, and then explaining the joke for people who are too shikkered up on Kedem to get the punchlines. Or, more importantly, the moral.
Let’s begin with the tale of three sons, nice grown Jewish boys, all of them successful abroad, all of them forever trying to impress their mama back in Brooklyn.
They meet for lunch in London, and the oldest son, Moishe, says, “I built mama a three-story house near Prospect Park. She just moved in last week.”
The second boy, Yitzchak, says, “Well, I bought mama a brand-new Mercedes with a round-the-clock driver to take her anywhere she wants to go.”
Avi, the youngest son, says, “I’m the only one who’s really thinking of mom’s needs. I bought her a parrot!”
“A parrot?” the other two go. “What are you meshuggeh?”
“Not at all,” says Avi. “Mama’s a widow, she’s lonely. I got her a beautiful parrot that is also brilliant. I spent thousands of dollars getting language teachers to teach the bird English, Hebrew and Yiddish. And then I paid a Rabbi even more money to help the parrot memorize all five books of the Torah, so whenever mama wants, he can recite.”
Just at that moment, Moishe’s cellphone rings, and it’s mama on the phone. He puts her on speaker and says, “Mama we’re all here. How do you like our gifts?”
And the old woman’s voice comes out the phone and says, “Well, to be honest, the house is very nice, Moishe, but it’s so big. I can’t deal with the cleaning, and I get lost from room to room. I think I’ll move back to my apartment.”
Moishe sighs and hands the phone to his brother. “Yitzchack,” the mother says, “I know you mean well, but a German car? And that driver, he never shuts up. Really, I’d rather walk.”
Yitzchak deflates and hands the phone to the third brother. “Avi, my youngest,” the mama says. “Thank you! Thank you! What a perfect gift! The chicken was delicious!”
We have all heard the old adage, “It’s the thought that counts.” It’s not how much money it costs or how puffed up you feel by making an impression. It’s trying to please the person you are gifting. You could buy a $200 pair of Nikes, but if you give them to Oscar Pistorius, what’s the point? Of course, if you gave him a Smith-Wesson, that he might have use for.
A studious but poor young Rebbe would sit in the backyard of his little shul and ponder and ponder and ask questions of God. This went on for months, years, until one day, HaShem decides to make it a conversation.
“I’m here,” He says, “What do you wanna know?”
“Well,” says the Rebbe, “I’ve been thinking about the nature of time. For example, what is a million years to you?”
God says, “You’re a human. A million years to you is just one second to me.”
The Rabbi thinks a little bit and says, “What about money? What is a million dollars to you?”
“Ha!” God laughs, He says, “a million dollars to you is less than a penny to me. It’s a pittance.”
“In that case,” the Rabbi says, “can I have a million dollars?”
“Sure,” says God, “in a second.”
If there’s one thing that Jews seem to know better than almost any other religion is that God, if He exists, follows His own rules and principles. We can assuage him with prayers and good deeds, we can interpret the Torah six ways to Shabbos, but really, HaShem does what He does, and we all follow furtively along. Like storm chasers. Get too near the tornado, you’ve got the Tower of Babel; stray too far from the tornado, and you wander for forty years. So the best bet is to pursue God with a lot of awe, a little fear, and a good pair of binoculars.
Last joke: What’s the difference between an Orthodox Jewish wedding, a Conservative wedding, a Reform wedding and a Reconstructionist wedding?
Simple. In an Orthodox wedding, the bride’s mother is pregnant. In a Conservative wedding, the bride is pregnant. A Reform wedding, the Rabbi is pregnant. And in Reconstructionist, both brides are pregnant.
What I love about this joke is that despite the mockery, it embraces all the different strands of Jewish practice. You don’t have to wear a fur hat and payes – especially if you’re a woman. Or if modern ways are a little too modern, you can create the niche of Jewish custom that works for you. So, if you want to celebrate Purim by going to synagogue and singing and hearing the megillah, great! If you don’t observe Purim at all, but you’re a good person and Jewish in your heart, also great. And if you’re somewhere in the middle, but you wanna send me some shalach manos – prune is my favorite, though the apricot isn’t bad.
This has been a Rabbinical Reflection from Rabbi Sol Solomon, Temple Sons of Bitches in Great Neck, New York. Purim Sameach!
Rabbi Sol Solomon chats with author and Hollywood expert Stephen Schochet.
Topics include: Hollywood stories, film, movie stars.
Segment originally aired Sept. 22, 2012 on the “Dave’s Gone By” radio program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Note: Farewell to our Friend of the Daverhood, Stephen Schochet, who passed June 4, 2015 at age 52.
Note: Interview segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2013 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com More information on Rabbi Sol Solomon: http://www.shalomdammit.com
Dave Lefkowitz chats with his dad, PHILIP LEFKOWITZ
Topics include: dad’s birthday.
Segment aired Feb. 23, 2013 as part of the “Dave’s Gone By” podcast program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Sad Note: Our father of the Daverhood, Philip Lefkowitz, passed May 5, 2021.
Please Note: Segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
Here is the 413th episode of the long-running radio show/podcast, Dave’s Gone By, which aired on UNC Radio, Feb. 23, 2013. Info: davesgoneby.com.
A pre-Oscar show featuring Rabbi Sol Solomon chatting with Hollywood expert Stephen Schochet and with Dave’s dad, Philip Lefkowitz. Plus: Rabbi Sol’s Rabbinical Reflection (Purim jokes), Inside Broadway, the News Gone By, Bob Dylan – Sooner & Later and a Saturday Segue dedicated to recent passings in music.
Host: Dave Lefkowitz
Guests: author Stephen Schochet, Dave’s dad, Philip Lefkowitz
00:00:01 PRE-SHOW 00:07:00 DAVE GOES IN 00:17:00 SATURDAY SEGUE – Passings 01:00:00 INSIDE BROADWAY (news (01:00:00) & “Madea Gets a Job” review (01:22:30)) 01:33:00 Sponsors 01:41:00 GUEST: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews Stephen Schochet 02:19:00 NEWS GONE BY 02:26:00 RABBI SOL SOLOMON’S RABBINICAL REFLECTION #58: More Purim Jokes 02:33:00 BOB DYLAN – Sooner & Later (movies) 02:57:00 Friends 03:02:00 GUEST: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews Philip Lefkowitz 03:25:30 Weather 03:27:00 DAVE GOES OUT
Feb. 23, 2013 Playlist: “The Birthday Present” (00:05:00; Loudon Wainwright III). “The Saints” (00:20:00), “My Bonnie” (00:29:30), “Why” (00:36:00) & “Nobody’s Child” (00:48:00; Tony Sheridan & the Beatles). “Leader of the Pack” (00:22:00) & “Remember” (Walking in the Sand)” (00:34:00; The Shangri-Las). “Midnight Blues” (00:25:00) & “The Sky is Crying” (00:39:00; Magic Slim). “A Girl’s Gotta Do What a Girl’s Gotta Do” (00:31:30) & “You’ll Never Know” (00:44:30; Mindy McCready). “A Beautiful Morning” (01:10:30; The Rascals). “The Color Purple (Reprise)” (01:18:30; The Color Purple Broadway cast). “Life Can Be Like the Movies” (01:39:30; Chaplin, 2012 Broadway cast). “If You were in My Movie” (02:16:00; Suzanne Vega). “Things Have Changed” (02:34:00), “Hero Blues” (02:39:00), “Clean Cut Kid” (02:40:30) & “Brownsville Girl” (Bob Dylan). “Prisoners of Love” (03:22:30; “The Producers” (1969 film soundtrack).
Stephen SchochetPhilip LefkowitzMadeaTony SheridanMagic SlimShadow MortonMindy McCreadyHappy Purim!Rabbi Sol Solomon
RABBI SOL SOLOMON’S RABBINICAL REFLECTION #57 (2/17/2013): Pope Benedict Retires
aired February 16th, 2013 on Dave’s Gone By. Youtube clip: http://youtu.be/H3KYHpwGAFs
Shalom Dammit! This is Rabbi Sol Solomon with a Rabbinical Reflection for the week of February 17th, 2013.
Big news for goyim this week when Joseph Ratzinger – aka Pope Benedict the 16th – announced that he would be stepping down from his Popery at the end of the month. It’s an unusual step, since most Popes either die in office or quit to take on consulting work in the fashion industry. But Pope Benedict felt that both his mind and body were starting to go, so rather than decline into a senile figurehead, he’s gracefully bowing out so the cardinals can groom someone else for the most important job in all Christendom. Well, apart from being CEO of Hobby Lobby.
In his eight years of Popeing, Benedict has racked up a decidedly mixed record. To be fair, he had a hard act to follow. In 2005, he succeeded Pope John Paul II, who not only traveled extensively but won the Miss Congeniality pageant four out of the seven years he entered. Following Pope JPII is like coming after Jimi Hendrix at Monterey; you can either burn two guitars and play a third with your shmeckel, or you go the other way, hang back, do your thing, and try to make your own little contribution while half the crowd is stumbling to the concession stands.
Let us also not forget that Pope Benedict did not exactly have the saintliest early life. He was a German. In the `30s. So when he was 14 years old, he was forced to join the Hitler Youth. He wasn’t crazy about it, but he didn’t exactly take a martyr’s stand against it, either. Two years later, he was a soldier in the German air force and then the infantry. Again, he wasn’t thrilled to be there, but tell that to any western allies he flew over or shot at. Then, when the war was all but over, he deserts and runs home. Interesting qualifications for being the holiest man in the world and spiritual guide to millions: be part of the most racist, homicidal regime in history, fight and be ready to kill for that country, and when the going gets rough, escape and be a traitor. In the same shoes, would I have had the moral fiber to be any different? Probably not, but I’m not Pope.
Nor am I likely to be. My application for the open position has already been rejected, they say because I don’t have Quark Express, but ehhh… I think it’s anti-Semitism.
Anyhoo, once he became Pope, no question, Benedict had the courage of his convictions. He was a conservative who believed in sticking with time-honored traditions and pulling Catholicism back from what he perceived to be a hastening secularized decay. When a religion is 2000 years old, there’s a comfort in that – hearing the Latin, upholding the old guard, knowing that the geezer charge has more in common with a monk from the 1200s than with a slacker from 2012. I compare it to the ultra-Orthodox Jews you see at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem every day. They’re incredibly insular and right wing, and they believe the bible word for word, and anything new you throw at them is so terrifying, they shrink into their black coats like potato bugs curling up into a ball. But they’re also a link to the past that would be really sad to lose. They’re out there being perfect so the rest of us don’t have to.
Except, nobody’s perfect. And Pope Benedict’s back-to-the-dark-ages position on certain issues isn’t even close. Women priests? No way. Abortion? No, but no surprise there. Same-sex marriage? He likened it to anarchy and called it “contrary to human love.” Because a celibate ex-Nazi is certainly my go-to expert on love and matrimony.
He did better, much better, on Jewish matters, making sure to renounce the whole “Jews killed Jesus” thing and visiting Auschwitz in 2012 – and not just to reminisce with old classmates and relatives. He did restore to the liturgy a Latin prayer that had a part in it about making sure to convert the Jews. But they cut that line years ago. I think they replaced it with some lyrics from Led Zeppelin IV. And when it’s come to Israel and the Arabs, Benedict has tried to be even-handed and a champion of peace, which is exactly what you’d want and expect from the Pope. He also pissed off the Arabs when he audaciously mentioned that Islam doesn’t exactly have a peaceful reputation. That’s about as self-evident as saying Paulie Shore movies don’t reach the level of high art – but when the Pope says it, it’s news.
Did Benedict do too little, too laity about all those pedophile priests? Of course! Heck, as a Cardinal, he was as guilty as anyone of hushing things up and making sure all the horrors stayed inside the church. Heaven forbid they should get in the clutches of such pesky outsiders as police and courts and the public’s right to know. But ultimately, the biggest disappointment about Pope Benedict is the hypocrisy that I’m sure he doesn’t even see. He’s willing to leap into the modern era with a Facebook page and Twitter tweets, and he’s the first Pope in 600 years to step down instead of drop dead. So why is he willing to break those traditions, yet making the church evolve in its stance on women and gays and embryos – that would be heresy.
When all is said and done, the real story of Pope Benedict is that he’s a smart guy whose career was spent either saving his skin or salvaging the status quo. If the Nazis come, salute; if they put you in a uniform, fight; if they lose, run; if your colleagues are shtupping little boys, juggle; if you say something risky, backpedal; but if the world turns forward, stand still.
The Vatican has an opportunity now to turn the corner. They can get a Pope from Africa, or Latin America, or Passaic. They can elect a guy who’ll separate important moral principles from stuff that’s been done just because it’s always been done. I’m not expecting to see Catholicism suddenly embrace pro-choice rallies, lady priests and gay honeymoons – but why not? If a black man can become president, and a Hitler Youth can be Pope, and Honey BooBoo can be a TV star, anything can happen.
This has been a Rabbinical Reflection from Rabbi Sol Solomon, Temple Sons of Bitches in Great Neck, New York. Dominus vobiscum, zie gezundt.
Here is the 412th episode of the long-running radio show/podcast, Dave’s Gone By, which aired on UNC Radio, Feb. 16, 2013. Info: davesgoneby.com.
Featuring: A pre-President’s Day show with Saturday Segues (presidents, Yoko Ono), Inside Broadway, Bob Dylan – Sooner & Later (shooting stars), News Gone By and Rabbi Sol Solomon on the Pope’s retirement.
Host: Dave Lefkowitz
00:00:01 DAVE GOES IN 00:09:00 SATURDAY SEGUE – Presidents (Part 1) 00:36:30 INSIDE BROADWAY 00:55:30 Sponsors 01:02:30 SATURDAY SEGUE – Yoko Ono 01:40:30 Weather 01:41:30 NEWS GONE BY 01:52:30 BOB DYLAN – Sooner & Later (shooting stars) 02:31:30 RABBI SOL SOLOMON’s RABBINICAL REFLECTION #57 – Pope Benedict Resigns 02:40:30 Friends 02:47:00 SATURDAY SEGUE – Presidents (Part 2) 03:11:30 DAVE GOES OUT
Feb. 16, 2013 Playlist: “Young Americans” (00:10:00; David Bowie). “On the Nickel” (00:15:00; Tom Waits). “Who Needs the Peace Corps?” (00:21:30). “Arthur” (The Kinks; 00:24:00). “Burn On” (Randy Newman; 00:29:00). “Poppa Knows Best” (Two By Two 1970 Bway cast w/ Danny Kaye; 00:52:00). “Yang Yang” (01:11:00), “What a Mess” (01:14:30), “Listen the Snow is Falling” (01:17:00), “I Felt Like Smashing My Face in a Clear Glass Window” (01:20:30), “Toyboat” (01:28:00), “A Story” (01:31:30) & “We’re All Water” (01:34:00) & “Hard Times are Over” (03:13:30; Yoko Ono). “The Ballad of John and Yoko (The Beatles w/ John Lennon; 01:25:00). “I Had to Kill that Rabbit” (01:48:00; Tom Paxton). “Changing of the Guards” (01:53:00), “Union Sundown” (01:59:30), “Desolation Row” (02:05:00), “Romance in Durango” ({live 1975}; 02:16:30) & “Shooting Star” ({live MTV Unplugged version; 02:21:30; Bob Dylan). “Mr. Wilson” (02:47:00; John Cale). “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy” (“Once” {film soundtrack w/ Glen Hansard}; 02:50:30). “Captain Kennedy” (Nikki Sudden; 02:51:30). “The Campaigner” (02:55:30; Neil Young). “Famous Blue Raincoat” (02:59:00; Tori Amos). “The Dreaming” (03:04:00; Kate Bush).
Pope Benedictwhite smoke!Yoko OnoRabbi Sol Solomon
RABBI SOL SOLOMON’S RABBINICAL REFLECTION #56 (2/10/2013): Valentine’s Day
aired February 9th, 2013 on Dave’s Gone By. Youtube clip: http://youtu.be/yK-2Mmg9-yk
Shalom Dammit! This is Rabbi Sol Solomon with a Rabbinical Reflection for the week of February 10th, 2013.
Would you be my Valentine? Actually, you’re wise if you wouldn’t. St. Valentine, upon whom the Valentine’s Day holiday is kind of, sort of, not exactly really based, was a possibly apocryphal figure – well, all the saints were apocryphal to Yids like me. But if you’re a goy, and you believe in such stories, St. Valentine was one of two things: He was either a composite of a couple of different saints because he was so undistinguished as a saint himself. Or he was a good guy, a hard-working believer – who was clubbed to death and martyred on February 14th. Either way, who the hell wants to be him?
As for Valentine’s Day itself, very likely it was the Catholic Church’s response to a pagan celebration – the feast of Lupercal. Personally, I think Sustacal and Metrecal are more slimming. But the point is, the church couldn’t have some idolatrous holiday interfering with their practice, so like Halloween and Christmas, they morphed the comical into something canonical.
How did hearts and cupids and $180 Zales receipts creep into it? I have no idea, but I’m glad they did, because it makes Valentine’s Day a holiday everyone can celebrate. That human beings need an excuse to express affection is a sad thing. But if one day of the year, you can turn to your partner or spouse or well-paid escort and say, “I love you. Thank you for all you bring to my life. Please pick up some rye bread on the way home.” That’s a beautiful thing.
I realize that for those who are alone and lonely, Valentine’s can be a hollow holiday indeed. Seeing all those Hallmark cards in the Rite Aid, watching couples on the street holding hands, watching couples in porn holding glands, and finding 2-for-1 restaurant coupons in the Sunday paper, then wondering if it’s worth the embarrassment to go solo and put the second entrée in a doggie bag.
My single friends, I feel your pain. It’s just below the ribcage and spasms uncontrollably, but it’s okay, I’m on medication. The solution for everyone is to not look at Valentine’s Day as just for romantic couples. It’s for everyone who has loved you or you have loved in the course of your travels: family, neighbors, pets, inflatable dolls with lifelike genitalia. As Stephen Stills once put it, “Love the one you’re with.” Just make sure you have warm towels and a disinfectant.
And let us not forget that Valentine’s Day now has a whole other context thanks to The Vagina Monologues. Eve Ensler’s play about women and their nether parts became a global phenomenon. And now, February 14th is a day to protest violence and abuse against women, for women themselves to take pride in their achievements, and, of course, for us all to pay tribute to those hairy little pusselehs.
So let this and every Valentine’s Day be not just about $70 restaurants and 7-11 roses, but mutual appreciation. A day of smiles, and hugs, and thank yous and vaginas. If you’re lucky, not necessarily in that order.
This has been a Rabbinical Reflection from Rabbi Sol Solomon, Temple Sons of Bitches in Great Neck, New York.
Rabbi Sol Solomon chats with Martin Charnin, Broadway director and lyricist
Topics include: the York Theater Company’s revival of Two By Two and the Broadway revival of Annie.
Segment originally aired Feb. 9, 2013 on the “Dave’s Gone By” radio program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Sad Note: Our friend of the Daverhood, Martin Charnin, passed July 7, 2019 at age 84.
Note: Interview segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2013 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com More information on Rabbi Sol Solomon: http://www.shalomdammit.com
Rabbi Sol Solomon chats with author and Hollywood expert Stephen Schochet.
