AS an alternative to ordering Chinese food three nights in a row and hitting up another multiplex this Christmas season, Jews can continue relishing in the wonders of their eight-day holiday (which ended last week) with some rockin’ tunes and comedy.
Fresh off his first HBO special, “Captain Miserable,” comedian Dave Attell performs tonight at “Putting the Ha! in Hanukkah” at the HighLine Ballroom, which also features comedy rockers Good for the Jews and the LeeVees, as well as comedians Todd Barry and Rachel Feinstein.
On a recent USO trek to Kuwait, Attell got a unique view of what it means to be Jewish.
“I’m at airport security, and there’s a woman wearing full Arabic [headwear] looking at me like I’m a risk. It really does throw off your stereotypes,” says Attell. “So I’m going through security, and the guy goes to me, ‘That last name?’ And I go, ‘Oh, I’m on the other team’ – as a joke, laughing. Then he got it, and they went through every one of my bags.”
While Attell says he’s a “classic Jew” – by which he means he’s “balding, depressed, sarcastic and bad at sports” – he generally doesn’t include his heritage in his act.
“I’m more of a drinking/sex/porn guy,” he says.
Attell did dabble in Woody Allen-style nebbishness early in his career, and even faced occasional bigotry.
“In Ohio, I went at it with a guy who heckled me,” he recalls. “I remember hearing a long pause, and then the word, ‘Jew’ – because it took him a long time to think of a comeback.”
These days, though, Attell is more likely to draw fans that come specifically to see his brand of hard-core, uncensored comedy. But for tonight’s attendees hoping for a more specifically Jewish sensibility, rest assured that while he may not address it directly, he wouldn’t be where he is without it.
“The thing that makes Jews funny is that we make fun of ourselves more than most people,” he says. “That’s part of the secret to our humor. Growing up in a home where they make fun of you is good training ground.”