Tony Kushner
Nov. 10th, 2004 08:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mojosmomTony Kushner knocks me out.
I went to hear him in conversation (with a Professor of Yiddish studies whose name I did not catch) at the Harold Washington Library Center, as part of the Nextbook program. I could listen to him talk forever. His command of the English language is, well, what you'd expect if you've seen any of his plays. (You've got to love a guy who uses words like "ineffable" and "deracination" in casual talk. And "capitalist pigs".) He reminds me a lot of my friend Jamie in that respect. The initial conversation was, naturally, much about the connection between his Jewish heritage, his homosexuality, his politics (socialist), his theology (agnostic) and his writing. However, he did, as I anticipated, get around to fulminating about the election. He was astonishingly (I thought) optimistic about the prospects for the future. His mouth to G-d's ear.
He was also quite generous with his time. He signed books (three for me, thank you very much!), and was shaking everyone's hand and actually having conversations with people as he signed books. We had a chat about politics and Mr. Gonzales (the future AG), and he was free with advice for the young man in front of me in line who wants to be an actor ("don't major in acting, major in liberal arts and do theatre on the side"). I was towards the beginning, so I don't know if he was able to keep this up for the rest, but I'm sure he tried.
His mother, G-d rest her soul, would kvell.
I went to hear him in conversation (with a Professor of Yiddish studies whose name I did not catch) at the Harold Washington Library Center, as part of the Nextbook program. I could listen to him talk forever. His command of the English language is, well, what you'd expect if you've seen any of his plays. (You've got to love a guy who uses words like "ineffable" and "deracination" in casual talk. And "capitalist pigs".) He reminds me a lot of my friend Jamie in that respect. The initial conversation was, naturally, much about the connection between his Jewish heritage, his homosexuality, his politics (socialist), his theology (agnostic) and his writing. However, he did, as I anticipated, get around to fulminating about the election. He was astonishingly (I thought) optimistic about the prospects for the future. His mouth to G-d's ear.
He was also quite generous with his time. He signed books (three for me, thank you very much!), and was shaking everyone's hand and actually having conversations with people as he signed books. We had a chat about politics and Mr. Gonzales (the future AG), and he was free with advice for the young man in front of me in line who wants to be an actor ("don't major in acting, major in liberal arts and do theatre on the side"). I was towards the beginning, so I don't know if he was able to keep this up for the rest, but I'm sure he tried.
His mother, G-d rest her soul, would kvell.
