The similarities between the Jewish and gay personality quirks seem endless: built-in guilt, a little self-loathing, sarcasm, issues with food…need we go on? Given the comic goldmine they provide, it’s surprising that we haven't seen more gay-Jewish hybrids in the comedy world since the heyday of Sandra Bernhard and Paul Rudnick. Enter Eddie Sarfaty, whose debut collection of personal essays Mental: Funny in the Head (out June 30) goes beyond the particularities of these cultures to strike a universal chord that's both hilarious and heartfelt.
Nothing’s off limits in Eddie’s world, a trait he may have inherited from his grandmother, who in one story wants to discuss the intricacies of gay sex: “I hear that some of the boys use the behind!” Eddie’s everyday activities are fodder for his tales of odd dates (one guy he meets online is into emetophilia — erotic vomiting) and odd jobs (getting his standup comedy students from “zero to Seinfeld in six short sessions.”).
Sarfaty proves he's not just a joke machine: One story, about managing a Manhattan bar catering to sexagenarian gay men — the first generation to live with and die from AIDS — takes a poignant turn. This debut collection elicits a range of responses — laughing one minute, feeling verklempt the next — whether you’re Jewish, gay or some lesser form of being.
Mental: Funny in the Head will be available June 30 from Kensington.
