(le) poisson rouge
158 Bleecker St.
Friday, March 8, $12-$15, 7:30
www.lepoissonrouge.com
www.indigestmag.com
“The sign in the Sweet Apple kitchen declared it a nut-free zone, and every September somebody, almost always a dad, cracked the usual stupid joke,” begins “The Climber Room,” the first of thirteen stories in Sam Lipsyte’s new collection, The Fun Parts (FSG, March 5, 2013, $24). “The gag, Laura, the school director, told Tovah, would either mock the school’s concern for potentially lethal legumes or else suggest that despite the sign’s assurance, not everyone at Sweet Apple could boast of sanity.” Indeed, throughout his career, native New Yorker Lipsyte has featured many characters whose sanity could be debated, in such seriocomic books as The Subject Steve, The Ask, and Home Land. Lipsyte, who teaches creative writing at Columbia, once appeared in an infomercial for an exercise machine, is the son of sportswriter and young adult novelist Robert Lipsyte, and was the screaming frontman for the punk band Dungbeetle, takes a razor-sharp, cynical, and very funny knife to the foibles of modern-day America in his always entertaining writing. The bounds of sanity will be tested at (le) poisson rouge on March 8 at the official launch of The Fun Parts, which should consist of many fun parts itself as Lipsyte is joined by former New York Press columnist Mike Doughty, leader of the 1990s band Soul Coughing and author of the rock-and-roll memoir The Book of Drugs. Doughty will perform a live set, then sit down for a conversation with Lipsyte moderated by humorist Dave Hill, author of Tasteful Nudes . . . and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation. Clearly, when you put these three men together, just about anything can happen, and probably will.
“What’s up with this song? So kitschy, yet so profound,” director and narrator Roberta Grossman says at the beginning of her rollicking documentary, Hava Nagila (The Movie). “And what’s the deal with the chair?” A staple at Jewish celebrations, primarily weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs, “Hava Nagila” instantly gets friends and family members out on the dance floor, forming a circle and doing the Hora. Grossman delves into the history and mystery of the catchy song, which over the years has been performed by an unlikely crew that has included Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Johnny Yune, and Regina Spektor, all of whom appear in the film and discuss the tune’s popularity. (There are also archival performances from all around the world as well as an anti-“Hava” song from Bob Dylan.) Also putting “Hava Nagila” into perspective are Yiddish theater veteran Leonard Nimoy, communications professor Josh Kun, and KlezKamp founder Henry Sapoznik, a “Hava” hater who says with a more than a touch of cynicism, “It’s relentless. It’s resilient. But then again, so are cockroaches,” a statement that exemplifies Grossman’s playful attitude, exemplified by her corny captioning and clever clips from such TV shows and movies as Laugh-In, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Danny Kaye Show, A Serious Man, Wedding Crashers, History of the World Part I, and Fiddler on the Roof. But she also reveals another side to the song, as described by professor James Loeffler, who explains, “‘Hava’ is a portal into a century and a half of Jewish history.” Grossman ( Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh) sets off on what she calls a “Hava Quest,” venturing to the village of Sadagora in Ukraine, the birthplace of the song, and later meeting with two warring families battling over authorship of the words and music. She traces its impact on the development of the State of Israel and the Jewish migration to suburban America, and, yes, she lays out precisely what the words of the song mean. Like the song itself, Hava Nagila (The Movie) is a fun and fanciful frolic into the fascinating story behind one of the most famous songs that so many know so little about. The film opens March 1 in New York, but you can catch a special sneak preview on February 28 at 7:00 at the JCC in Manhattan, followed by a conversation with Grossman.
