April 26, 2010 | 1:21 pm

Not a Jew, Bret Easton Ellis tells the Jewish Journal at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at UCLA

Posted by Ryan Torok

Follow JewishJournal.com on

The cover art of Ellis' soon-to-be-released "Imperial Bedrooms"

After a panel session featuring Ellis (“Less Than Zero”, “American Psycho”) at the Festival of Books at UCLA on Sunday, nervously I approached the clean-cut, bright blue polo shirt-wearing author, introduced myself as a writer from the Jewish Journal and asked if he was Jewish. I don’t normally go up to authors I admire and inquire about their religious affiliation, but my editor here informed me that Ellis is, in fact, Jewish – his last name is Ellis, she said – and so I thought that if I could confirm this with the elusive writer (this was his first public appearance in four or five years, Ellis said during the panel with music journalist Erik Himmelsbach) then I could perhaps interview him for the newspaper in light of his new book “Imperial Bedrooms,” a sequel-of-sorts to his debut, “Less than Zero,” which Amazon says will come out in hardcover this June. 

No, I’m not Jewish, Ellis said. Sorry.

“You don’t have to apologize for not being Jewish,” I said, stupidly.

Amidst the hubbub surrounding Ellis as he attempted to make his way out of the crowded lecture hall, he introduced me to his mother. I have no idea why.

April 19, 2010 | 1:51 pm

The Best of Coachella 2010

Posted by Ryan Torok

Like a lot of people I’m sure, I took the day off from work on Friday and went to Coachella with a few friends. Some of the best musical moments from the three-day festival were:

-Thom Yorke pleasantly surprising on the Outdoor stage with an acoustic version of “Airbag”—during the encore of his 9 p.m. Sunday set with Flea and friends. I hadn’t been expecting any Radiohead songs from the electro-rock supergroup, which has been performing under the name “Atoms for Peace,” a song title off of Thom’s solo album, “Eraser.”

-Jay Z coming onstage (the main Coachella stage) and going right into “Run This Town.” The rap heavyweight headlined on Friday night.

-Leaving Jay Z around midnight to catch the last hour of deadmau5, a buzz DJ that the L.A. Times ran a story on in Friday’s Calendar section (apparently the versatile electro-spinster spent eight months preparing for his Coachella performance). Before Coachella, I hadn’t heard of deadmau5. It was my one of my friends who insisted we make our way all the way across the huge polo fields to check him out in the sweaty Sahara tent. It was good that we did. We had to fight for our spot—the tent that was way too small to accommodate the masses spilling out of it—but it was worth it. We danced.

-My other friend screaming out, “I LOVE YOU VICTORIA!” to the lead singer of Beach House in the Mojave tent. Our band choices on Saturday afternoon would’ve made the editors at Pitchfork proud if only they would read this blog. We squeezed in Girls, the XX (whom Jay Z watched from somewhere in the back) and Dirty Projectors.

-Indie alt-rockers Spoon seriously kicking ass on the main stage on Sunday—I’ve always heard great things about these

. Now I understand why. It was too bad we couldn’t stay long—we had to hurry over to the adjacent stage to see Phoenix.

(Spoon is actually from Austin, Texas. The lead singer’s name is Britt Daniel, so I guess I got used to seeing that name in articles about the band and assumed they were British. Thanks to a commenter for pointing that out.)

5 Comments — Leave your comment

April 13, 2010 | 2:46 pm

Israeli short story writer Etgar Keret inspires, jokes, reads new work and more in Santa Monica

Posted by Ryan Torok

Last night, during an interview and Q-and-A session with Israeli short story writer and filmmaker Etgar Keret, held by Birthright Israel at Bergamot Station, a Santa Monica art gallery, Keret gave me goosebumps (the good kind). Answering a question about his writing process, Keret said that he writes when he doesn’t want to go out and doesn’t want to stay at home.

I have since told two friends of mine. They both agreed that what Keret said was awesome.

One of them even wrote it down.

Surrounded by nonsensical artwork and photographs, the night of April 12, after a short reception with free wine and cheese, Keret—hair uncombed and wearing a button-down shirt untucked with loose-fitting jeans—sat for an interview with his old friend Luke Davies, an Australian author.

When Davies asked Keret how his son was doing, Keret said fat and fascist—but he also said that one of the only times he’s fully “present” is when he’s playing with his son (the other times are when he’s writing or getting a foot massage).

Birthright Next commissioned Keret to come to L.A. for the event.

Keret read a couple of new short stories from a book that will be available in Israel shortly (he didn’t say what the title is). He also showed clips from his films “Jellyfish,”—which he co-directed with his wife—along with “$9.99” and “What About Me?”

During a reading of his first short story, in which a guy holds a gun to Keret’s head and tells him to write a story (it’s fictional), I realized what makes many of Keret’s stories great: They have people acting calm in ridiculous situations, which creates humor.

Goran Dukic, the director of “Wristcutters,” sat in the audience. The film, which starred Shannyn Sossymon and Tom Waits and was about people who kill themselves only to end up in a place just like earth, only slightly worse, was an adaptation of Keret’s short story “Kneller’s Happy Campers.”

Originally, Keret explained, a French director was supposed to adapt “Happy Campers.” When Keret told a contact of the director’s that he was going to let Dukic do it, the French director had a stroke – but the stroke was unrelated, Keret said.

Still, Keret continued, as a second generation Jew, I felt very responsible.

We’re friends now, and he’s well, Keret said.

In Keret’s film, “$9.99,” a gun popped up again. A homeless guy holds a gun to his head and threatens to pull the trigger if another guy in a suit doesn’t give him a dollar. To which the guy in the suit tells the homeless guy that he’s being manipulative.

If this sounds cool to you, check out Keret’s “The Girl on the Fridge,” which has politically incorrect but touching and humorous short stories – some of them not even a page long.

0 Comments — Leave your comment

April 9, 2010 | 5:36 pm

The Food Stamp Challenge:  $21 for Seven Days

Posted by Ryan Torok

In 2008, at a food justice conference held by environmental advocacy organization Hazon, a rabbinical student from American Jewish University—Justin Goldstein—saw a documentary that resonated with him. The film, “Food Stamped,” followed a young, socially conscious Berkeley couple and their decision to only spend $21 on food to last seven days.

The couple aimed to show that $21 a week—$1 a meal—wasn’t enough for a healthy, balanced diet, though it’s what U.S. food stamp clients receive approximately.

Last month, rabbinical students from American Jewish University and Hebrew Union College engaged in a week of activities related to food justice, a growing movement in the Jewish community.

Goldstein proposed that students participate in what the documentary help popularize as “The food stamp challenge.”

“The awareness is being raised around the difficulty to eat healthfully while on such a low budget,” Goldstein wrote in an email to me at the beginning of the challenge.

Only a handful of students participated. My editor at the paper asked me if I wanted to do the challenge. I agreed. Although there is something obviously problematic with middle class and upper-middle class students and journalists pretending that they are poor for the week—when others live such lives permanently – I figured the week could only make me more empathetic with the plight of the food insecure. To simulate a more realistic experience, I would not be allowed to accept handouts.

I purchased my week’s worth of food at Vons. $18 bought five pieces of chicken, pasta, tomato sauce, three big oranges, a bag of carrots, wheat bread, a can of beans, butter, rice and coffee grounds.

I thought: ‘This is great. Look how far my money took me.’

By day five, I was ready for the challenge to be over. These are some notes I took in a journal during the week:

Day 1, the official start of the challenge, for breakfast I make a cup of black coffee and eat a carrot.

“Oh yeah, rice and squash is exactly what I want at 11 at night instead of cookies and milk,” he says.

Conclusions: With $21 a week to spend on food, a person doesn’t starve. There’s not, however, any variation in your diet.  I had either chicken or pasta every night for dinner.

Organizations like the Progressive Jewish Alliance, Hazon, and Mazon have been tackling food justice issues. Visit their respective websites for more information.

0 Comments — Leave your comment

April 7, 2010 | 10:37 am

Jeff Garlin - his new book and his comedy show [VIDEO]

Posted by Ryan Torok

Comedian and HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” co-star Jeff Garlin promoted his newish memoir, “My Footprint: Carrying the Weight of the World,” on the Temple Emanuel bimah with actor and environmental activist Ed. Begley, Jr. last Wednesday, March 31. The crowd probed a trimmed-down Garlin for secrets on how to shed pounds.

But of course Jeff Garlin has come to fame for his comedy, and I tracked him down that weekend, on Sunday, April 4, at his $1 wholly improvised stand-up show at Upright Citizens Brigade:

Here are my notes from the show:

Garlin comes onstage. He grabs audience member’s cell phone and talks to guy’s mother on the phone. Garlin gives phone back.

Garlin and Emo dance.

2 Comments — Leave your comment