took my daughter to a book signing by comedian lewis black yesterday. partly so that she could hear what he had to say about american politics, but mostly because she's just fun to take anywhere. especially when you know that you're going to stand in line for several hours. (we ballet danced to pass the time, even though we forgot our tutu's.)several things struck me about the crowd, which numbered 200 or so: 1) they listened to mr. black as if he were the only person in the world that could tell them what's really going on, especially in washington, and 2) jewish portion attendees (about half the crowd) seemed to be under the impression that mr. black is purely a jewish phenomenon. they seemed surprised that goyim would come to hear him talk or understand his brand of humor. is this because of the dirth of jewish athletes? are comedians the judaic equivalent of lebron james and joe namath?
god, i'll never understand religion.
i learned a lot about mr. black's life and struggles with religion, politics, and airports. i also learned that he doesn't write his own material on the daily show, which is actually a relief, because his daily show material is crap, whereas his live performances, film roles, and recordings have been largely brilliant. until yesterday, i was under the impression that mr. black suffered some kind of mental hernia during daily show appearances. whichever producer came up with the brilliant idea of not letting one of the sharpest, funniest minds of our time write his own material, and have him spout shallow, unfunny drivel instead should apply to mcdonald's no later than the end of the week.
the book that mr. black signed is called me of little faith. i'm about halfway through it now and, while not as funny as most religious texts, it sure beats going to church (or temple, if you prefer). it also gives us another welcome peek into the mind of the only man who seems to be saying what we wish we could say, or wish our reps in washington would say on our behalf, or wish that god would write in words of fire ten miles tall.in person, by the way, mr. black was kind, insightful, and extremely generous with his time & attention. he genuinely seemed to like hearing from the crowd, listening to everyone's thoughts and answering questions. he even complimented my daughter on her tie-dye outfit.