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“Part history lesson, part standup set and, often, part love letter . . . Kasher’s ability to blend humor with homework works almost too well.”—The New York Times
After bottoming out, being institutionalized, and getting sober all by the tender age of fifteen, Moshe Kasher found himself asking: “What’s next?” Over the ensuing decades, he discovered the answer: a lot.
There was his time as a boy-king of Alcoholics Anonymous, a kind of pubescent proselytizer for other teens getting and staying sober. He was a rave promoter turned DJ turned sober ecstasy dealer in San Francisco’s techno warehouse party scene of the 1990s. For fifteen years he worked as a psychedelic security guard at Burning Man, fishing hippies out of hidden chambers they’d constructed to try to sneak into the event. As a child of deaf parents, Kasher became deeply immersed in deaf culture and sign language interpretation, translating everything from end-of-life care to horny deaf clients’ attempts to hire sex workers. He reconnects and tries to make peace with his ultra-Hasidic Jewish upbringing after the death of his father before finally settling into the comedy scene where he now makes his living.
Each of these scenes gets a gonzo historiographical rundown before Kasher enters the narrative and tells the story of the lives he has spent careening from one to the next. A razor-sharp, gut-wrenchingly funny, and surprisingly moving tour of some of the most wildly distinct subcultures a person can experience, Subculture Vulture deftly weaves together memoir and propulsive cultural history. It’s a story of finding your people, over and over again, in different settings, and of knowing without a doubt that wherever you are is where you’re supposed to be.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
January 30, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593790052
- File size: 323947 KB
- Duration: 11:14:53
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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November 27, 2023
In this winning blend of humor and pathos, comedian Kasher (Kasher in the Rye) details the years he spent immersing himself in various subcultures, from Judaism to Burning Man, after his teenage stint in rehab. Kasher begins by describing his early life as a nerdy child of divorced, Deaf parents who split his time between Oakland and New York City, before briefly recounting his decision to get sober at 15 (which he covered in depth in Kasher in the Rye). From there, he writes—in the “six scenes” of the title—about finding refuge in communities as wide-ranging as Alcoholics Anonymous, 1990s San Francisco Bay Area raves, and stand-up comedy. Though the tone skews wry and self-deprecating, there’s plenty of room for raw emotion, as when Kasher reflects that, in dying, his Jewish father “had given me a connection to the faith. But he never saw it.” Throughout, Kasher is an erudite and charismatic tour guide, providing well-researched introductions to each of his chosen subcultures before diving into his own experiences with them. This will resonate with readers who’ve felt alone in an overwhelming world. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. -
May 31, 2024
Comedian Kasher (Kasher in the Rye) chronicles the subculture communities to which he has belonged. From sobriety to stand-up, deaf culture to dance, and raves to religion, his personal experiences are detailed alongside the history of each faction and phenomenon. Through heartfelt, humorous life stories, he demonstrates that one can feel gratitude to a group even after outgrowing it. Read by the author, apart from a few lines delivered by friend Larry Wilson, Kasher's memoir takes on a candid, conversational air. While undeniably heartwarming and hilarious, many of his experiences, such as rehab at age 13 and an inconstant relationship with religion, are emotional and affecting. Though free from enhancements and frills, Kasher's expressive delivery yields a captivating listening experience, and his Home Improvement-style "huh?" is not to be missed. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a playful yet poignant narrative about a variety of life experiences, from AA to EDM. Recommended for fans of Maria Bamford's Sure, I'll Join Your Cult and Natasha Leggero's The World Deserves My Children.--Lauren Hackert
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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