Is Larry David the Last Man?
On this episode of The Time of Monsters, Daniel Bessner talks about Jewish comedy, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer
The Time of Monsters podcast features Nation national-affairs correspondent Jeet Heer’s signature blend of political culture and cultural politics. Each week, he’ll host in-depth conversations with urgent voices on the most pressing issues of our time.
Why Biden Continues Supporting Israel’s Onslaught in Gaza
On June 28, I delivered a speech at the central branch of the Regina Public Library on the history of American support for Israel. The speech almost didn’t happen. The library briefly cancelled it because they claimed the group promoting it was encouraging discrimination against Jews. Fortunately, a city councillor intervened to sponsor the talk. For this podcast, I give the gist of my talk.
The podcast will be going on a summer break and return in a few weeks.
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Larry David on April 18, 2024, in Hollywood, California.
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)As cocreator of Seinfeld and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David has dominated American television for more than three decades. The recent airing of the final episode of Curb, which mirrored the plot of the final episode of Seinfeld, marks the end of the era.
To discuss Larry David’s legacy on The Time of Monsters, I was joined by historian Daniel Bessner, who wrote an essay about the comedian for The Nation. In a wide-ranging talk, Daniel places David’s career in the trajectory of Jewish American comedy, looking at both predecessors (Mel Brooks, Woody Allen) and successors (Ben Stiller, Seth Rogen). We take up the comedy of rudeness and the humor of shared frailty, as well as the question of David’s somehow evading cancel culture. Tying in with Daniel’s earlier writings on Francis Fukuyama, we also ask if David is the singular comedian of the end of history and the embodiment of the “last man” that Nietzsche feared would one day dominate the world.
The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer
The Time of Monsters podcast features Nation national-affairs correspondent Jeet Heer’s signature blend of political culture and cultural politics. Each week, he’ll host in-depth conversations with urgent voices on the most pressing issues of our time.
Why Biden Continues Supporting Israel’s Onslaught in Gaza
On June 28, I delivered a speech at the central branch of the Regina Public Library on the history of American support for Israel. The speech almost didn’t happen. The library briefly cancelled it because they claimed the group promoting it was encouraging discrimination against Jews. Fortunately, a city councillor intervened to sponsor the talk. For this podcast, I give the gist of my talk.
The podcast will be going on a summer break and return in a few weeks.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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