Josh Kornbluth

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Josh Kornbluth
Kornbluth at a reception in San Francisco
Born (1959-05-21) May 21, 1959 (age 64)
Roslyn, New York
Occupation(s)Monologist, actor
Years active1989–present
SpouseSara Sato
Children1
Websitehttp://joshkornbluth.com/

Josh Kornbluth (born May 21, 1959) is an American comedic autobiographical monologist based in the San Francisco Bay Area who has toured internationally, written and starred in several feature films, and starred in a television interview show.

Early life and education[edit]

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.

Career[edit]

Overview[edit]

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 includes 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[edit]

Major filmed work includes:

Live monologues and other staged works 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 (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 with Franklin goes far beyond their obvious physical resemblance[1]
  • 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. In 2004 a judge at the United States Tax Court called Kornbluth to say he had cited a pivotal scene from the monologue in which a former Commissioner of Internal Revenue calls Kornbluth the Yiddish invective "pisher" for not paying his taxes, in a judicial opinion he had just completed, the first known instance of the word in American jurisprudence.[2] Kornbluth and his brother released a film version of the monologue in 2015.
  • 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
  • Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews? - a monologue commissioned by the Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco, about the exhibit Warhol’s Jews: A Retrospective.[3]
  • Sea of Reeds - a play with musical accompaniment about Kornbluth's preparations for having a bar mitzvah at the age of 52, and his learning to play the oboe.[4]

The Josh Kornbluth Show[edit]

Kornbluth hosted a television talk show,The Josh Kornbluth Show, for two seasons (2005–2007) on KQED 9, San Francisco. Guests included Alan Alda, Rita Moreno, and Amy Sedaris. The show often included a "man on the street" segment, "Wandering Josh".[5][6]

Citizen Brain[edit]

In 2017, Kornbluth served as an Atlantic Fellow with the Global Brain Health Institute at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center.[7][8][9] For this fellowship, he created and hosted a video series, "Citizen Brain", in which he and neuroscientists discuss brain science in connection with topics including empathy, ageism, and social justice.[7][10] In 2020, Kornbluth created a new solo show, also titled "Citizen Brain", based on these topics.[7][8][11]

Personal life[edit]

Kornbluth worked as a copyeditor in New York before moving to San Francisco in 1987. He is married to wife Sara Sato, with whom he has a son, Guthrie.[12]

Since 2012, Kornbluth has participated in the annual Team in Training endurance bike ride, a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.[13] In 2014, Kornbluth served as the inaugural artist in residence for the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Robert Hurwitt, "'Ben' is back -- just at the right time", San Francisco Chronicle, November 2, 2004
  2. ^ Garchik, Leah (July 30, 2004). "Davis Strives for Balance at Inauguration Events / As Democrats gather to celebrate, goal is to avoid Wilson-bashing by focusing on the future". San Francisco Chronicle.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ April Dembosky, "Reconsidering Warhol (and Jewish Identity)", New York Times, January 20, 2009
  4. ^ Robert Hurwitt, "'Sea of Reeds' review: Kornbluth, ensemble in tune", San Francisco Chronicle, July 12, 2013
  5. ^ Peter Hartlaub, "What did a schlemiel like Kornbluth do to deserve his own TV show?", San Francisco Chronicle, September 8, 2005
  6. ^ "The Josh Kornbluth Show". KQED 9. Archived from the original on July 30, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Mendel, Emily S. (October 26, 2020). "Josh Kornbluth's 'Citizen Brain' from Shotgun Players is engaging and enlightening". Berkeleyside. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Schiffman, Jean (June 19, 2023). "Science And Empathy Unite In Josh Kornbluth's New Solo Show 'Citizen Brain'". SFGate. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "Josh Kornbluth". Global Brain Health Institute. University of California, San Francisco. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Citizen Brain". Citizen Brain. University of California, San Francisco. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Rodriguez, Giovanni René (January 12, 2024). "Can A Comic Storyteller Spark An Empathy Revolution?". Forbes. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  12. ^ emma silvers (21 June 2013). "Sea of reeds: An actor's journey to find his faith - j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California". jweekly.com.
  13. ^ "Archive for Team In Training". Josh Kornbluth. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  14. ^ "One Night One Heart 2014". Zen Hospice Project. Retrieved 10 February 2016.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Josh Kornbluth.
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