Around five months ago, Sruli Friedman (Supa Vilda) and I sat down to chat with our friend Avi Goldstein (Your Cousin Avi).
Avi is a very talented producer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, videomaker, DJ, songwriter, and rapper. In fact, I don’t know anyone else in the world who possesses all of those skills the way Avi does, except for maybe Jack Stratton (Vulfmon).
While being recognized by his friends and community as a true artist, Avi is still in the early stages of getting his music heard by its full potential audience—which is why I was excited to talk to him. I wanted to hear about his trajectory, mainly leaving a well-paying job in the tech industry to fully dedicate himself to his artistic pursuits.
“Why can’t you do both?!” my inner Jewish mother wants to scream out at Avi in disappointment throughout the conversation.
You can watch me attempt to understand the psychology behind a creative and ambitious person trading in the coveted security of a nine-to-five for the uncertainty of the life of a paycheck-to-paycheck creative.
Seriously, what’s wrong with the regular American Dream, where so many kids seem to reject it for a life of artistic despair? Are we all simply victims of its success? Perhaps we were too comfortable and bored living regular life and somehow decided that creating art for a dedicated fanbase is the most fulfilling way to live. But for real—are we simply drunk on John Mayer and The Beatles, thinking that somehow all of us have a role to play in the history of pop music?
Riding the L train, I look next to me and there’s another thirty-something-year-old girl, nose-deep in The Artist’s Way. I know that book. We are all artists. God wants us to create. God demands it. Cue the Rick Rubin.
Anyway, here is our conversation with the talented "Your Cousin Avi.”
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Ben
Izzy Gilden has the voice of an angel and a heart of gold which is why he was willing to do my podcast. We talk about his love of singing and improv and his constant need to challenge himself.
Check out his music here:
https://www.youtube.com/@MrIzzlefoshizzle
Questions and comments can be sent to binyominlerner@gmail.com
Welcome to another episode of Jewish Therapy On Demand with Ben Lerner. Today we are speaking with my friend, Frum Female Filmmaker (FFF) Malky Weingarten. Malky Weingarten has directed 8 full-feature films that have each been watched by over 100,000 Orthodox Jewish women and girls. Four out of those eight films star my wife Mimi Friedman in the lead role as Mali, a girl with Asperger's Syndrome. Ever since I first met her, Malky was been an inspiration to me as someone who is leader in the world of groundbreaking Orthodox entertainment managing to both somewhat push the boundaries in her community while still remaining largely accepted and loved. Our conversation included the various obstacles she has encountered, memorable stories, her strong faith, and words of wisdom for other creators. We tried our best to keep this conversation understandable to a broader English speaking audience, and all of your feedback is welcome at binyominlerner@gmail.com. This conversation will be one in a series in which I will explore the lines between Jewish, Kosher, and secular art and entertainment.
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Ben sits down with Zach Adler, singer, dancer, and cohost of Mislaibeled Podcast to talk about Zach's newfound fame, growing up in Cleveland, and being the main live soloist in the original Yeshiva Boys Choir. Zach explains why he doesn't trust Jordan Peterson.
Welcome to Jewish Therapy On Demand With Ben Lerner!
This podcast has brewing in for a very long time and I'm relieved to finally be putting it into the world.
DISCLAIMER: The views I express in this podcast are in no way to be constructed as my actual views.
Please send your questions to binyominlerner@gmail.com to be read on air next episode.
We are back deconstructing Shtisel, this time focusing on Season 2.
Topics we discuss include
1) Who is the most hated character of the season?
2) What the show taught us about letting go.
3) Why having a good hobby can save you from disastrous situations.
I only got positive feedback from the last episode so feel free to email your criticisms to binyominlerner@gmail.com. Subscribe to stay updated.
Enjoy this throw away conversation with Mimi Friedman where we deconstruct our favorite TV show, Shtisel.
Topics we hit on include
1) What did the writers gain by portraying the characters as specifically religious?
2) The use of magical realism of including dreams.
3) The super-meta ending of season 1.
I am not sure yet where I am taking this podcast other then releasing one or two more Shtisel conversations. Subscribe to stay updated.
