Comedian Marc Maron is incredibly skilled at getting famous people to move past surface PR stuff and engage in organic, in-depth conversations. His “funny, brainy romp” with Lena Dunham on Monday’s edition of his WTF podcast is a perfect example of this. The creator and star of “Girls” chatted with Maron about being raised in the art world, feminism, Oberlin College (her alma mater), and criticism of “Girls.”
But let’s get to the important stuff. Here, the Jew-ish highlights.
On growing up amongst observant Jews in Soho: “I lived in a community that was only Hasidic people and artists,” Dunham says, clarifying that the Hasids did not actually live in her neighborhood, but owned businesses there. “I think I didn’t understand that it was a religious preference—I thought it was some peoples’ style. I thought, some people dress like punks, some people like to wear big hats and grow beards and tendrils from their heads. I don’t think I understood it signified anything.”
On Woody Allen: “In the latest Woody Allen debate I am decidedly Pro-Dylan Farrow and decidedly disgusted with Woody Allen’s behavior. But for me, when people go through his work and comb through it for evidence of child molestation, that’s not the fucking point,” says Dunham, who has been very vocal on Twitter about the importance of victims of sexual abuse speaking out. “I’m not comfortable living in a world where art is how we convict people of crimes.”
On Philip Roth: Dunham thinks Roth is a better artistic hero than Woody Allen, despite his treatment of women (they’re adults and if they’ve read his work they’ve been warned, she tells Maron, which basically totally contradicts her “you can’t judge an artist by their art” point, but we’ll let this one slide). That said, she does feel a bit conflicted about liking him so much. “Being a feminist obsessed with Philip Roth is not the most clean-cut position, but his life’s work, his legacy, the whole thing is all super compelling to me.”
On dating guys like Philip Roth, i.e., “enraged dick Jews”: Dunham admits to dating “like 15” of them. “They were specialty de maison before my current relationship.”
We’re glad (albeit not very surprised) to learn that Jack Antonoff does not fall into the enraged dick Jew category.
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