BRATTLEBORO — Sean Altman may be best known for writing the theme song to PBS' hugely popular children's show, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, but he's hoping to go down in history for something a little different - penning the first great Irish-style, Jewish drinking song.
“I wanted to show how preposterous the Blood Libel is,” says Altman about his song Christian Baby Blood, a satirical take on the ancient myth that Jews murder Christian babies and use their blood in the baking of Passover matzoh.
“That's one of the songs I'm most proud of, because it tackles a sensitive subject - anti-Semitism - and an accusation as egregious as the Blood Libel, and deflates them with humor. The way to ultimately dispel such myths is to poke fun at them.”
Christian Baby Blood is one of many humorous songs featured in Jewmongous!, Altman's critically acclaimed, Jewish-themed musical comedy show, which comes to the Hooker-Dunham Theater on Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Recommended for audiences over the age of 16 due to adult content, the performance is a benefit for the Brattleboro-based In-Sight Photography Project, which offers free photography classes to teens in an encouraging, supportive environment.
Since its premiere in 2006, Jewmongous! has played in dozens of cities both in America and Europe, garnering positive press from newspaper heavyweights such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Along with the aforementioned Christian Baby Blood, the show, which Altman recently turned into an album titled Taller Than Jesus (a tribute to John Lennon's misunderstood declaration that The Beatles were “bigger than Jesus”), features over a dozen original tunes, including the fractured Passover story song They Tried to Kill Us (We Survived, Let's Eat); the venomous, anti-Jews-For-Jesus punk anthem Jews For Jesus; the raunchy cowboy romp Long-Tongue Shloime; and the dysfunctional Bar Mitzvah anthem Today, I Am a Man.
The road to raunch
Altman, who likes to say that he's younger than Madonna but older than the eldest of the Jonas Brothers, was a high schooler when he was first bitten by the showbiz bug at, as fate would have it, a Jewish resort in the Catskills, where he spent the summer working as a bus boy.
Ironically, it wasn't the Jewish comedians on the Borscht Belt circuit who inspired him, but a waiter who invited him to hear his barbershop quartet.
“I'd never heard that style of singing before, and I just fell in love with it. It was a seminal moment for me.”
Altman sang in a capella groups through college and, after graduating from Brown, founded Rockapella, which, in addition to performing Carmen Sandiego's theme song, was featured as the show's house band for five years.
With the fanatical success of Carmen Sandiego - the show claimed 20 million viewers worldwide - Rockapella continued to gain popularity as well; Altman soon became known as “the father of modern a capella.”
After performing with Rockapella for 11 years, however, Altman felt ready for a change.
“I was just hitting my stride as a songwriter, and the stuff I was writing was quirkier and darker than Rockapella's clean image, so I headed out on my own. All these years later,” he adds, with a laugh, “I'm still trying to figure out why I gave up the wealth and riches of a capella to become a mid- to low-level Jewish novelty singer.”
Altman enjoyed a successful solo career as a singer-songwriter, with a small handful of solo albums that generated good reviews and a devoted regional following. Then, for fun, he began throwing a couple of novelty songs into his set.
“They started to get a much better reaction than my heartfelt love ballads,” Altman remembers, “so I started to write other comedy songs.”
The comedic crooner took the matzo ball and ran with it: 15 Jewish-themed novelty songs later, Jewmongous! was born.
While thrilled with the attention he's received with this repertoire, Altman admits that success as a novelty song stylist is for him, bittersweet. “I like to think of myself as a talented, sensitive singer-songwriter who happens to be good at writing comedy songs, too.
“Maybe,” he adds resolutely, “there are just too many heartfelt songs in the world, and people need more songs about the blood libel and anti-Semitism.”
Not only can non-Jews appreciate the quirky humor of Jewmongous!, Altman insists, but also having audience members of other faiths is a critical component to the show's success.
“Early in the show, I ask who's not Jewish,” he explains, “and then I poke some lighthearted fun at the fact that they're outnumbered, when normally it's the other way around. But part of the show is me attempting to explain some of these bizarre rituals, even something as simple as the bar mitzvah ritual, or blowing the shofar on the High Holy Days - explaining these things to the goyim in the audience.”
The biggest test of his comedic chops came when he performed in Dublin, Ireland,for an audience comprised entirely of non-Jews.
“I mean, who comes to see a show called Jewmongous? I was shocked. I asked my normal 'Who here is Jewish?' question, and not a single hand was raised. So I said, 'Why are you people here?' I mean, I don't go to see a show called Islamongous. But actually, it went over really well. I was surprised.”
“Although,” he adds, for the sake of full disclosure, “there were certain songs I didn't do.”
Despite the irreverence of some of his shtick, Altman is quick to assert that it's not his intention to offend.
”Fortunately, the name Jewmongous! tends to weed out audience members who are not predisposed to enjoy some of the comedy,” assures Altman, who also registered the domain names Jewnormous.com and Jewronimo.com before settling on his current title. “No one's going to come see an act called Jewmongous! and think that they're seeing Israeli folk dancing.”
“I just want to make people laugh,” he continues, more sincerely. “But I don't want to be 'cute,' either. I'd rather be Lenny Bruce than Alan Sherman. Sure, I do take advantage of some of the stereotypes. But I hope that when I use some of the stereotypes in my lyrics, it's more to deflate them than to imply that they're true. My act is very affectionate and full of pride.”
Altman is part of a growing movement of young, hip Jewish comedians - including Sasha Baron Cohen, Jon Stewart, and Sarah Silverman - who simultaneously mock and celebrate their Jewish heritage. In fact, a recent TimeOut New York cover story hailed this burgeoning breed of comics, including Altman himself, as the “new Super Jews.”
“I like the sort of self-aggrandizing Jew, flexing his or her muscles, image of comedy,” says Altman, “a lot more than the poor me, Woody Allen stereotype, trying unsuccessfully to assimilate. Part of that is about being comfortable with your Jewishness and feeling protected - not just as a New York Jew, but as an American Jew - by the fact that Jews have achieved so much in this country. Not only is there no shame, but the pride is overflowing. I'd like to think that I'm a part of that movement and am proud to be associated with them.”