One of the reasons that I am such a fan of the comedy of Daniel Solzman is that he continually rejects the common assumption that you have to “work blue” in order to be funny. Comedians today use the f-word as commonly as “the”, and their discussion of sex is explicit and deeply immoral. But Daniel Solzman has constantly bucked this trend. Daniel is able to be hilarious while staying true to his moral foundation. He is funny and insightful because of the content of his material, not because he uses lewd language and material as a simple shortcut to get laughs.
Which is why Solzman’s recent Youtube video is so troubling.
To say that this video is “blue” would be a great understatement. It is vulgar. It is crude. And it is deeply immoral. And it is a sign that this Daniel Solzman is not the Daniel Solzman that I became a fan of.
Why such a dramatic change in his comedy approach? I’ve been asking myself this question all week (while I should have been preparing myself for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). Unfortunately, I think what has happened is that Fame and “the big city” have changed him.
When in Kentucky, he was still under the umbrella of our value system and still under the radar of national fame and notoriety. But in Chicago, he must be under the influence of some unsavory characters that have unfortunately rubbed off on him. And judging by the out-of-control material in his latest video, I would not be shocked to discover if this new crowd of goyim and shiksas he is running with has tempted him with the use of marijuana cigarettes, which have ruined the lives of countless young people. And his newfound fame has obviously had a negative effect on his value structure. Has he now succumbed to audience demand for lewd material, simply to satisfy his growing fan base in the Chicago/LA/NY crowd?
It certainly appears so, and it greatly saddens me.
Hopefully, Daniel comes back to his strong Jewish faith and realizes that while fame and notoriety have certain advantages, they do not outweigh the benefits of being a strong and moral role model for young people today, and the Jewish community. (Additionally, for Solzman to release this disgusting video just before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our holiest of days, is beyond insulting to people of our faith. What kind of example is this setting for his young Jewish fans???)
Let us hope that Solzman realizes this soon and comes back to the comedy material that boosted him to fame in the first place. Good, wholesome, moral comedy is what made Daniel Solzman a star in the comedy world. It is not disgusting talk of sticking your t*ngue into d*rk an*ses.
Daniel, may you soon find the path back to G-d (and our hearts). And may your tongue find a path less dark, too.
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3 comments:
What the crap,
I just have a quick question for you but couldn't find an email so had to resort to this. I am a progressive blogger. Please email my assistant back at barbaraobrien@maacenter.org when you get a chance. Thanks.
Bill
i can't find your email anywhere. i just released a book.
Actors of fully Jewish background: Logan Lerman, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mila Kunis, Bar Refaeli, James Wolk, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Julian Morris, Adam Brody, Esti Ginzburg, Kat Dennings, Gabriel Macht, Erin Heatherton, Odeya Rush, Anton Yelchin, Paul Rudd, Scott Mechlowicz, Lisa Kudrow, Lizzy Caplan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gal Gadot, Debra Messing, Robert Kazinsky, Melanie Laurent, Shiri Appleby, Justin Bartha, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Margarita Levieva, Elizabeth Berkley, Halston Sage, Seth Gabel, Corey Stoll, Mia Kirshner, Alden Ehrenreich, Eric Balfour, Jason Isaacs, Jon Bernthal, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy.
Andrew Garfield and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are Jewish, too (though I don’t know if both of their parents are).
Actors with Jewish mothers and non-Jewish fathers: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dave Franco, James Franco, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Daniel Radcliffe, Alison Brie, Eva Green, Joaquin Phoenix, River Phoenix, Emmy Rossum, Rashida Jones, Jennifer Connelly, Sofia Black D’Elia, Nora Arnezeder, Goldie Hawn, Ginnifer Goodwin, Amanda Peet, Eric Dane, Jeremy Jordan, Joel Kinnaman, Ben Barnes, Patricia Arquette, Kyra Sedgwick, Dave Annable, Ryan Potter.
Actors with Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, who themselves were either raised as Jews and/or identify as Jews: Ezra Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alexa Davalos, Nat Wolff, Nicola Peltz, James Maslow, Josh Bowman, Winona Ryder, Michael Douglas, Ben Foster, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nikki Reed, Zac Efron, Jonathan Keltz, Paul Newman.
Oh, and Ansel Elgort’s father is Jewish, though I don’t know how Ansel was raised. Robert Downey, Jr. and Sean Penn were also born to Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers. Armie Hammer and Chris Pine are part Jewish.
Actors with one Jewish-born parent and one parent who converted to Judaism: Dianna Agron, Sara Paxton (whose father converted, not her mother), Alicia Silverstone, Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
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