Do you enjoy autobiographies/memoirs? Do you love clever observations on life often told in hilarious screaming rants? If so…this podcast is for you. I came to know about Dave Juskow’s pod after listening to the podcast he co-hosts, “Billy Joel A to Z”–he ragged on Billy Joel one too many times & I was OVER IT!!! That’s right, he TOTALLY ticked me off. At that point I had to learn more about this jerk; so I sought out his podcast, Juskow in the City, (formerly “The Nightfly”). As of today, 1/5/2021 I’ve listened to at least 150 episodes &I’ve discovered that he is, in fact, a jerk-but-he’s an endearing jerk with depth &humanity. Each episode reveals a week in the life of a middle-aged Jewish man who lives in NYC. He shares his struggles, experiences, &reactions as he talks about his family, his friends, &his experiences working &living in the city. As his stories unravel, he infuses clips from TV, film, & music from pop culture –mostly the 70’s & 80’s– and it’s flipping hilarious. He does fantastic impersonations of John Travolta, Abe Vigoda, Harry Harrison, &many others. I’m a feminist, but that does not keep me from loving this guy. He says some sexist &racist things, but, only to point out the origin & absurdity of such behaviors. He has an “everyman” quality that reminds me of all the guy friends I had growing up &throughout college. Get ready to abandon stereotypical conceptions of manhood because shares his emotions, friends, prejudices, humility –all the while working to figure out how to be the best version of himself. He’s hilarious. He’s sensitive. He can be a jerk who knows how to say he’s sorry. He’s artsy. His thumb is on the pulse of what’s hip both now AND back then. Listening to him is like serving myself a dose of humanity. At times it feels like an adult Sesame Street–we get to know his friends, his family, his habits, his preferences–definitely his dislikes–while he explores societal expectations, his faults, very little politics – I’m telling you, this pod, and this guy is THE BEST.
