This program originally aired online via zoom on February 20th, 2025 at 12:30pm Eastern.
Julie Salamon (New York Times best-selling author) sits down with author, playwright, and screenwriter Paul Rudnick to discuss political humor, growing up culturally Jewish, and his new book, What is Wrong with You? For many years Paul has written satirical film reviews under the pseudonym Libby Gelman-Waxner, and has even received a few marriage proposals from fans unaware of her true identity. He enjoys a “populist” taste in movies and thoroughly enjoys superhero films, Mission Impossible, and similar franchises if for nothing else, the delight of watching actors “deliver the most absurd lines in total sincerity.” Julie and Paul discuss his Covid era HBO special Costal Elites directed by Jay Roach, shot remotely in the homes of participating actors due to lockdown. He shares stories about being asked after writing Addams Family Values if the Addams Family was Jewish.
Paul grew up in New Jersey in a secular Jewish household that prized culture and the arts, “the rule was no Christmas trees, no Volkswagens, but you could still go to Rockefeller Center at Christmas time.” His parents encouraged his career in the arts, and were particularly proud when he published his first book. Paul shares hilarious stories about his mother, his husband, and the people that inspire his writing.
Topics covered in this program: Interacting with the American public on X, Jewish influence on American superheroes, what it means to be culturally Jewish, literary heroes, Jewish tradition of laughter through suffering, Wendy Wasserstein, the glory of junk food, Jewish cultural heritage.
