came from the Long Island-raised Siegel. "It started
with me being a little homesick," he says.
"We had all been living in Madison for many years
and wanted a change of scenery, and being in
Manhattan affords us opportunities we didn't have in
Wisconsin."
One of those opportunities is a one-year "first look
deal" with Miramax. "That means [Miramax] has the
right to get the first look at anything we pitch as a
movie," says Siegel. "In turn, there is more of a chance
for us to get a movie made."
The move to the nation's print media capital had some
readers wondering if the paper's focus would change. But
Siegel insists the editorial crew still comprises the same
low-key, unpretentious gang of 10 zany writers.
"If I have done my job right, you shouldn't be able
to tell we have moved," says Siegel, who doesn't have
any plans to expand the staff. "Obviously New York is
What To Surf
E
ver since Sept. 11,
Americans more than
ever are looking for a reason
to laugh. In addition to
The Onion's Web site, at
www.theonion.com , here are
several other Web sites that
offer some comic relief.
DISPAT
M
•
II I4 1
"Dispatches From
the Tenth Circle."
Responsibilftyun: of humor. "
a big city and we will have New York stories, but I
don't want anyone to think we are specifically speaking
to an East Coast audience."
Jewish Connections
With the paper being based in New York, will there be
more Jewish stories? "Not more than before," says
Siegel, who happens to be the only Jew on staff. "But
www.modernhumorist.com has
timely satirical humor, including
war updates.
wwwhumorsearch.com includes
`Area Jew Feels Left Out of Worldwide Jewish
Conspiracy.' It was about a Jewish guy who was-
n't tapped into the 'vast network of Jewish
power. –
As for Siegel, he believes his humor is tied to
his Judaism. "If you ask me who my favorite
comedians are, I'd say Jerry Seinfeld, Woody
Allen, Gary Shandling, Jon Stewart and Howard
Stern," he says.
"Those comedians are all Jewish and with
them you get that Jewish guilt, Yiddish phrases
and a certain way of looking at the world."
Siegel says Judaism was a part of his life while
growing up — and it still is. Although not
strictly observant, his family belonged to an
Orthodox synagogue. He went to Hebrew school and
celebrated his bar mitzvah.
During his years at U-M, he attended Passover seders
at the homes of his friends from the Detroit suburbs
when he couldn't make it home to New York.
"Now I may be one of those 'temple twice a year'
guys," he says, "but my religion is a big part of who
I am."
Is Nothing Sacred?
Comic finds his material in unlikely places.
NAOMI PFEFFERMAN
Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
A
www.latestsedition.com is similar
to the Onion, with parodies.
fter the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,
club owners told California-
based comedian Marc Maron to
lay off the topic. But the irreverent comic
just can't seem to let it alone.
"The TV spin is all just white noise,"
the 38-year-old performer says. "The
comic's job is to push the harder ques-
tions, while being respectful of the dead."
Since then, Maron has joked that, in
his Pakistani Queens neighborhood,
Bin Laden jokes, bizarre stories
and jokes.
www.newsjoke.com has topical
humor and jokes.
www.comedycentral.com/da ly
show features host Jon Stewart's
celebrity interviews, Web exclusive
headline stories and highlights
from the show's correspondents.
csk,,
"Occasionally
we hear from the
Anti-D e famation
Arabs, Israelis Loved Ones Recall Local Man's
following a
Sign 'Screw Cowardly Battle With Cancer
Jewish-related story,
Peace' Accord
we really hear
more from the Catholic
in H
G row
I e nth Ci r de Added To Ra idly
g e II League, "says Siegel
The Ex edini
Funyuns Still
"Jews seem to have
Outselling
more of a sense
H I
filled with fake news reports, tips
to live by, jokes, analysis and more.
we will continue to lampoon all religions."
Of course, when the paper satirizes religion, not
everyone is amused. "Typically we take a stereotype
and report it in an exaggerated manner," says Siegel.
"Sometimes people either don't get what we are doing,
or get _it and still find it offensive.
"Occasionally we hear from the Anti-
Defamation League following a Jewish-related
story, but we really hear more from the Catholic
"The Onion's"
League. Jews seem to have more of a sense of
latest compilation
humor.
of newspapers in
"One of our Jewish stereotype stories read:
book form is titled
the ONION
Oprah
Viewers Patiently
•
•
wwvv.nationallampoon.com is
displaying a flag "can mean patriotic
unity, or it can mean, 'Please don't hit
me.'" He's wondered if it's "OK to hate
the president again."
Maron has been edgy practically
since his birth on Kol Nidre Eve 1963.
He was so obnoxious at his
Albuquerque, N.M., Hebrew school
that he made his teachers cry.
Later, he set off on a spiritual quest
that included a pilgrimage to Beat
author Jack Kerouac's grave and com-
ing out as Jewish in front of an anti-
Semitic crowd in North Carolina.
Since Siegel's return to New York, he has been
involved in a serious relationship. "And she is Jewish,"
he laughs. "See what happens when you move to New
York."
Celebrity Status
Last year, however, Siegel was still a very eligible bache-
ldr. In fact, he was named one of People magazine's 100
most eligible bachelors for 2000.
"I was the 'Wisconsin bachelor' and the only one in
a three-state area," he says. "At first I thought it was a
joke, but then they came and took my picture. I got
made fun of by all my friends, but my parents were
excited and proud."
Despite his new reputation as a desirable man-about-
town, Siegel's time is mostly spent working at the
Onion.
In addition to the contract with Miramax, Siegel and
the staff have been talking to networks about a possible
television show. They also have a radio news program
that's being syndicated in 30-40 cities, although
Detroit isn't yet one of them.
And their third book, Dispatches From The Tenth
Circle: The Best of The Onion, was recently released by
Three Rivers Press ($16).
"The problem we have now is there are only 10 of us,
and we get more opportunities than we can possibly take
advantage of," says Siegel. "Not a bad problem at all."
❑
Print copies of the Onion are available at Barnes
& Noble and at Borders. To order a mail sub-
scription to the print version of the Onion, go to
www.theonion.com or call (866) 4ONIONS.
"The great thing about being Jewish is
that we got all the money ... and we run
the media," he tells his audiences. "I'm
surprised I have time to do this gig."
Maron first chronicled his life jour-
ney in the monologue Jerusalem
Syndrome, (now a book — Broadway
Books; $12.95). It was inspired by
symptoms of the psychological syn-
drome of the same name (believing one
is a direct conduit for God's voice while
in Israel) he says he exhibited during a
1998 trek to the Holy Land.
But he found the most satisfying
answers to his spiritual questions while
making his ailing childhood rabbi
laugh at a temple benefit.
"Performing that mitzvah filled me
with joy," he says. ❑
wk;v;
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2002
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