PJ Grisar is a Forward culture reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] and @pjgrisar on Twitter.
PJ Grisar
By PJ Grisar
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Culture Why was Freud great? Magic, says Netflix.
Sigmund Freud couldn’t help but think that he was destined for great things — and, as with so many things in his worldview, the fault lay with his mother. The future father of psychoanalysis was born with a caul, a bit of amniotic membrane attached to his head. Amalia Freud believed that its presence portended…
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Culture Adam Schlesinger wrote the songbook of my youth — and the soundtrack for everyone else
If you were anywhere near a radio, television or movie theater in the past 25 years, you’ve heard Adam Schlesinger’s music. The songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist known for his longtime work in the bands Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, also wrote, co-wrote or produced hundreds of songs for film and TV. “I’ve never really…
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The Schmooze A PSA from Larry David: Stay inside, watch TV, don’t be an idiot
Don’t think I haven’t wondered how Larry David was faring in the current COVID-19 crisis. The answer, it turns out is pretty, pretty good all things considered. But, like many older people, he wants to keep it that way. Last night we received a much-needed update from the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star, who, like most…
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Culture Daily distraction: Tomie dePaola, films from the Met vault and TikTok dances
Welcome to your daily distraction, our recommendations for ways to stay engaged and entertained while we socially distance ourselves to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak. You can find our past recommendations here; many of the opportunities we’ve highlighted are ongoing. And… it’s April. We hope that if you’re staying home with others they have not…
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Culture Closed by coronavirus, Jewish museums consider an uncertain future online
As the world faces the novel coronavirus pandemic, the stewards of history face a unique challenge: How can museums continue to engage audiences while their physical buildings are shuttered in the interests of public health? The answer, for many, lies in retooling online infrastructure, bringing programming to social media and launching outreach campaigns. Museums are…
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Culture The 1918 Marx Brothers musical stopped short by the Spanish Flu
In late September 1918, at the height of the Spanish flu outbreak, theatergoers in Grand Rapids, Mich. showed up in masks, found their seats and watched as the Marx Brothers failed to entertain them. The show was called “The Cinderella Girl” — and was changed later in its brief run to “The Street Cinderella,” according…
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Culture Daily distraction: Freud solves mysteries, an ‘I, Claudius’ podcast and letter-writing
Welcome to your daily distraction, our recommendations for ways to stay engaged and entertained while we socially distance ourselves to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak. You can find our past recommendations here; many of the opportunities we’ve highlighted are ongoing. Greetings to you from my home office. Judging by Twitter — the 21st century town…
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Culture As schools and synagogues go digital, this online Torah source is racking up record numbers
With everyone at home these days, web traffic is spiking and — apparently — online Torah is much in demand. Many schools have closed their physical campuses and moved classrooms online in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. The effects of these extreme measures has forced educators at Jewish day schools…
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