Subculture Vulture: A Memoir in Six Scenes
Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “hilarious” (Dax Shepard), “surprisingly emotional trip” (The Chainsmokers) through deep American subcultures ranging from Burning Man to Alcoholics Anonymous, by the writer and comedian Moshe Kasher
“Part history lesson, part standup set and, often, part love letter . . . Kasher’s ability to blend humor with homework works almost too well.”—The New York Times
After bottoming out, being institutionalized, and getting sober all by the tender age of fifteen, Moshe Kasher found himself asking: “What’s next?” Over the ensuing decades, he discovered the answer: a lot.
There was his time as a boy-king of Alcoholics Anonymous, a kind of pubescent proselytizer for other teens getting and staying sober. He was a rave promoter turned DJ turned sober ecstasy dealer in San Francisco’s techno warehouse party scene of the 1990s. For fifteen years he worked as a psychedelic security guard at Burning Man, fishing hippies out of hidden chambers they’d constructed to try to sneak into the event. As a child of deaf parents, Kasher became deeply immersed in deaf culture and sign language interpretation, translating everything from end-of-life care to horny deaf clients’ attempts to hire sex workers. He reconnects and tries to make peace with his ultra-Hasidic Jewish upbringing after the death of his father before finally settling into the comedy scene where he now makes his living.
Each of these scenes gets a gonzo historiographical rundown before Kasher enters the narrative and tells the story of the lives he has spent careening from one to the next. A razor-sharp, gut-wrenchingly funny, and surprisingly moving tour of some of the most wildly distinct subcultures a person can experience, Subculture Vulture deftly weaves together memoir and propulsive cultural history. It’s a story of finding your people, over and over again, in different settings, and of knowing without a doubt that wherever you are is where you’re supposed to be.
Praise for Subculture Vulture: A Memoir in Six Scenes
“You’ll probably learn something—unless you’ve lived an identical life to his, which seems statistically impossible—and laugh in roughly equal measure . . . Kasher’s research shines through, revealing detailed histories that might surprise readers . . . Kasher’s ability to blend humor with homework works almost too well.”—New York Times
“Moshe Kasher’s travels through recovery are laid out beautifully, honestly, and effortlessly. I don’t know that I’ve read a more succinct description of the entire experience from soup to nuts. With equal parts authority and humility, Subculture Vulture is an elegant and a hilarious reminder that none of us really know anything for certain.”—Dax Shepard
“An electrifying, hilarious, and surprisingly emotional trip through the worlds Kasher has inhabited, including the one we share: the world of electronic dance music . . . He takes us on a trip through the rave scene of the nineties and you won’t feel like you ‘had to be there,’ because you’ll feel like you are.”—The Chainsmokers
“[Kasher’s] engaging writing style . . . he’s a wry, affable tour guide. It makes for compulsive reading.”—Datebook
“[Kasher] blends his personal narrative with cultural history and criticism, creating a layered, multidimensional story that’s not just about him. . . . His honesty is disarming, and his story is a testament to the constant growth we experience throughout our lives.”—Jewish Book Council
“Whatever your situation, you’ll think anew about the groups you belong to and come away with a new comprehension of those you don’t, as Subculture Vulture provides a brightly paved and wildly winding path to understanding.”—Joyzine
“This book is a godsend, with edgy humor cleverly woven into the captivating tapestry of Deaf history, all seen through the unique lens of a culturally Deaf individual who also happens to be hearing. Prepare to be enlightened and entertained simultaneously.”—Nyle DiMarco, activist, actor, producer, and New York Times bestselling author of Deaf Utopia: A Memoir—and a Love Letter to a Way of Life
“Kasher has the rare gift to simultaneously celebrate a community while also making fun of it. His writing succinctly captures the insanity, the joy, the ridiculousness, and the radical act of fully embracing these worlds.”—Nick Kroll
“A deeply felt meditation on, well, all of Jewish history and Kasher’s place within it . . . It’s thoughtful and funny and, in places I didn’t expect to be, just plain wise.”—Nathan Englander, Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author of What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank
“Kasher’s thoughtful account of the world of comedy is inspired and funny, and the accounts of those early open mics rang very true for me, even though I bombed a lot less than him.”—John Mulaney
“This will resonate with readers who’ve felt alone in an overwhelming world.”—Publishers Weekly
“Vivid and great fun.”—Kirkus Reviews
