Josh Kornbluth

Josh Kornbluth (born 1959) is an American comedic autobiographical monologist based in San Francisco Bay Area who has toured internationally, written and starred in several feature films, and stars in a television interview show.

Biography

Kornbluth was born in 1959 to mother "Bunny" and father Paul, the oldest of four children. Raised in New York City, he briefly attended Princeton University but dropped out, never completing his undergraduate degree. He worked as a copyeditor in New York before moving to San Francisco in 1987. He is married to wife Sara, with whom he has a son.

Career

Overview

Kornbluth's live and filmed works are almost entirely solo monologues based closely on events and people his life, his upbringing, and his career. As such he is among a small group of artists that include Eric Bogosian, Lily Tomlin, and Spalding Gray.

Most of Kornbluth's monologues relate to personal and societal ethics, self-fulfillment, and the role of the individual in society, drawing a connection between his own personal foibles and larger issues of citizenship. Playing a hapless, sincere, and sometimes buffoonish everyman caught up in world events, he demonstrates the relevance of these concepts to daily life. His live performances, occasionally include a question-and-answer session with academic lawyers or other experts and scholars. Despite the serious messages and somewhat dry themes his works are all lighthearted and highly humorous.

Works

Major filmed work includes:
*"Haiku Tunnel" - his experience as an inept legal assistant
*"Red Diaper Baby" - an affectionate account of growing up Communist in America
*"Strange Culture" - a documentary on the bizarre case against Steve Kurtz

Live monologues include:
* "The Mathematics of Change" - describes how despite a love for mathematics he "hit the wall" in his freshman classes at Princeton; draws parallels between calculus and life
* "Mr. Smith Goes to Obscuristan" - a San Francisco Mime Troupe show (star and co-author)
* "Ben Franklin Unplugged" - describes how in the course of researching the personal and public life of Ben Franklin, he realizes that his affinity Franklin goes far beyond their obvious physical resemblance
* "Love and Taxes" - revisits the events of Haiku Tunnel, the royalties from which he did not report to the IRS for years despite working for a well-known tax lawyer; explores the meaning of the tax system and necessity to pay income tax, as well as events surrounding his marriage
* "Citizen Josh" - in which he completes his final requirement for an undergraduate degree by writing a monologue about the role of civility in public debate

References

*cite news|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=2007-08-18|url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/11/02/DDGRR9J95F1.DTL&type=performance| title='Ben' is back -- just at the right time|author=Robert Hurwitt|date=November 2, 2004

External links

* [http://www.joshkornbluth.com joshkornbluth.com] - Official website
* [http://blogs.kqed.org/joshkornbluth/ kqed site] = Josh Kornbluth Show Blog