The Jeff Ross Special

Netflix trailer: "Take a Banana for the Ride": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR_Ap5NFqno This is not what I expected. As a matter of fact, I probably wouldn't have watched it at all if Harold hadn't given me a heads-up. So I was going hiking in the mountains... Am I the only one who has become burned-out on podcasts? Enough with the true crime, enough of the happy-talk banter, I need something more fulfilling. So I've recently started watching Netflix shows while I climb the mountain. No, not narrative stuff, but Bill Maher and comedy... I figure whatever I miss is not relevant, because otherwise I probably wouldn't watch these shows at all. But I do find myself taking my phone out of my pocket and peeking now and again... So I know Jeff Ross from late night TV, when he was trying to make it, at the advent of his career. Once he became the vaunted Roastmaster...I can't say that roasts are my thing. Maybe because I've been made fun of too much in my life. I know, most of it is in fun, but there are always some jabs that hit home and...I don't find it enjoyable entertainment. Not that I haven't been exposed to Jeff Ross... You hear him here and there... But I was prepared for an hour of roasting, put-downs, which done solo are a bit more palatable, but that's not what I got. What I first got was a Jewish song...yes, Jeff sings in this special, with the refrain "Don't f*ck with the Jews." Now I've got to say, at this point in time, probably my whole life unless I've been with members of the tribe, I downplay my Judaism. Almost all of us do, after two thousand years of persecution. Furthermore, there are all the tropes about the Jews being cheap, yet rich... And it's even worse these days. Can you say "Israel"? So I'm wondering how not only I am going to cope with Jeff's song, but the rest of the world. How are Jews going to feel about this? Do we want this to be emblematic, do we want to go on the offensive? Especially if the crimes Jeff delineates are not so heinous? So Jeff is singing about his family catering hall, and then he segues into a litany of all the inventions the Jews have created. Now if you know your history of "Seinfeld," you know that they made George half-Jewish, because they were fearful if he was 100%, it would be too much for the audience, even though Jason Alexander radiates his Jewishiness from the get-go. Now in the old days, when the world was smaller, yet bigger, when every event was not broadcast online for the world to see, there were places Jews went where they were amongst themselves and they could be themselves. Most famously, "the mountains," i.e. the Catskills. And the entertainment in the hotels ultimately graduated to television, Jewish humor took over the airwaves, from not only Lenny Bruce, but to Alan King and Totie Fields, and laughs were gotten and comics were inspired but there started to be this feeling, this belief, that the Jews were squeezing the rest of the public out, not giving the goyim opportunities, so you don't see the broad Jewish jokes of yore on TV anymore. And, once again, antisemitism has never been more rampant and intense in my lifetime. And Jeff Ross is broadly proclaiming his Jewishness and telling people not to f*ck with us? But how many people were going to watch a Jeff Ross special anyway? Then again, he is the ROASTMASTER! So, I'm waiting for the roasting. And believe me, there are asides. And at first I think Jeff's going to sing the whole show, but ultimately he settles down and starts telling his story. Yes, that's what "Take a Banana for the Ride" is all about, Jeff Ross's life story. Everybody's got one, most people are too anxious to tell it, especially if it makes them appear vulnerable, or less than. Sure, there are bleeding hearts begging for sympathy online, but that's not what Jeff is doing here. He reveals his illness... This special is the best advertisement for getting a colonoscopy ever. But his family... Conventional wisdom is every Jew has a white collar job and is rolling in dough. But this is patently untrue. Some of Jeff's relatives had blue collar jobs. But Jeff was born in 1965. And as he grew up it was no longer the dark ages. Believe me, when I grew up I didn't have to worry about my father doing cocaine. And back in the day, cancer was more often than not a death sentence. So Jeff is just going along, trying to get along. But he's embedded in the family business, and the family issues, and he's just like you and me, but then there are some twists and turns... You'll laugh, you'll cry. Literally. Watching this special tears will come to your eyes. Now checking my phone as I was hiking I realized Jeff was projecting some images during the show, and I just finished the last half hour now, but I was inspired to start from the beginning again. Because I wanted to see the images. To be honest, the vibe is different when you look instead of see. Or maybe it was because I was exercising, the words hit me ever so much more. And I'm not a pet person. And when Jeff started to devolve into his dog story...but he made it work, he made EVERYTHING work. This is not a conventional standup special. Far from it. But it's not an actor's one person show either, because being a comedian Jeff's presentation is broad, yet much more intimate, much more human. Now a lot of times you watch this stuff and it's made to feel you inadequate, they're them and you're you and never the two shall cross in life. They're up there and you're down here. But Jeff Ross... I went to school with this guy. And if you grew up in the suburbs with a modicum of Jews in your neighborhood, you did too. He wasn't the smartest, the most popular...but those aren't the people who surprise you, but those who are overlooked by the system, who find their own way. I've never seen a comedy special like this before. Chris Rock tells some edgy stories about his personal life, but they're always about the resulting joke, whereas in "Take a Banana for the Ride" not every line is funny, or a buildup to a payoff. Sometimes they're just the facts of Jeff's life, like we all have, but they made them who he is. And you'll have sympathy for Jeff, but at the end he sends the message that you should have sympathy for yourself. You'll be envious of the number of friends Jeff has, who communicate with him and are there for him, but the funny thing is by the end of the special, despite some crowdwork with put-downs, Jeff appears warmer and more approachable than almost every other comedian. Which is especially head-turning, because he's literally is the Roastmaster. He's not the other, thinking he's better than you, nor do you picture him isolated, writing jokes in his hotel room or with his buddies at the diner. No, you see him as someone you know, the kind of friend you hang out with, watch the game with, b.s. about life with. This is an amazing achievement. I don't want to build it up too much, because then your expectations will be so high that you'll be disappointed. But I will say that each and every person reading this should watch "Take a Banana for the Ride," it's more human and fulfilling than anything else on TV right now. Watch it. Right away. 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