No Business Like Show Business: Unorthodox Episode 4

It’s Thursday, which means the new episode of Unorthodox is here. On this week’s show, Jewish rapper Matisyahu gets booted from a Spanish reggae festival’s lineup for refusing to condemn Israel (he’s since been reinvited), Jews in Hollywood sign off on the Iran nuclear deal; and the film Straight Outta Compton offers a not-so-terrible depiction of former NWA manager Jerry Heller.

Katha Pollitt, longtime columnist for The Nation, tells us what it’s like being portrayed by Patricia Clarkson in the film Learning to Drive, which hits theaters this week and is based on her 2002 New Yorker essay of the same name. She also discusses the latest threats to reproductive rights in America, and why she believes the new generation of pro-choice activists are smarter than ever, despite a wider climate of apathy.

Comedian and musician Dave Hill, host of the “Goddamn Dave Hill Show” on WFMU, is this week’s non-Jewish guest, and he has two questions for the panel. First, why don’t Jews drink as much as Catholics? And second, why haven’t ultra-Orthodox men, whose uniform is a plain black suit, white shirt, and often a black hat, seized the sartorial opportunity presented to them?

Tune in for our answers. And tell us what you think of Unorthodox: [email protected].

Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.