This morning I was on a radio show with Bruce Weber, the New York Times obituary writer who wrote the obit for the man who invented the Hokey Pokey, E.L. Doctorow, Edward Albee, Jonathan Demme.. to name a few– He also wrote a book called Life is Wheel about cycling across the country by himself that I liked very much, so I kind of feel like I know him. We didn’t actually speak on the show to each other– he was on before I was, and he was in CT and I was in AK, but still. It was nice to share such good company. You can listen to the whole show here, if you’d like. The host, Colin McEnroe, probably had no idea that the most challenging part of a live radio interview was keeping a puppy from barking, or a friend from stopping by and yelling up the stairs for me ( I was in my bedroom with the door and windows closed) or a grandchild from running through looking for the fruit leather treats in the pantry. Chip took over the helm of the household, and opted to put Trixie in the car for 15 minutes, which makes me think Andy Warhol may have had a puppy too, as that’s about all the time anyone with one has to be famous.
Case in point, my friend Aaron Davidman (and now neighbor– he’s building a house down the beach) has no dogs, and way more than 15 minutes in the limelight. He has written and stars in a one man show, Wrestling Jerusalem, which is now a moving and important film, and if you are in Haines, you may see it tonight at 7 in the Chillkat Center. I have seen the play and the movie, both are great. Aaron’s subject is Israel, and the conflicts there, and he illustrates the complexity of it all by voicing the thoughts, feelings, and observations of some two dozen characters on all sides of it.
There are many reasons to attend the show– his acting is amazing, the film is beautifully done, you’ll learn all about Israel –but mostly, the stories he shares reminded me what it means to be part of the human family in this troubled world, and provide plenty of food for thought on why it is imperative that we learn to live together and respect our differences– otherwise we are all doomed.
