Ladies and Gentlemen: the Bible - Jonathan Goldstein

If, like me, you are a fan of Jonathan Goldstein’s droll and whimsical take on life and human dynamics that is presented weekly in his CBC Radio program, Wiretap, then you’ll love Ladies and Gentlemen: the Bible. And if you listen with any regularity, you are no doubt familiar with the segments in which Goldstein reinvents stories from the Old Testament, stories that are well-known, but which have the typical Goldstein twist of modern angst and self-doubt.

David is a frustrated comic, never quite satisfied with the way his life turned out after slaying Goliath failed to generate laughs from the crowd. Samson is a love-struck knuckleheaded bully. Jacob is smothered by an overbearing mother. The snake in the garden of Eden fancies himself to be quite the ladies’ man.

These are all characters who people the pages of Ladies and Gentlemen: the Bible. Their names have been ingrained in human culture and history for eons, but what were they really like? Jonathan Goldstein thinks he knows. And despite being big shots who had the ear of God, they had just as many neuroses and were just as fucked up as we are.

But Jesus they are funny.

This is one of those books in which you can hear the unmistakable radio voice of the narrator in your head as you read these stories. And that alone makes me laugh.

Ladies and Gentlemen: the Bible is well worth reading, particularly if you are a fan of Wiretap. But even if you are not, chances are you will find it amusing and entertaining. Perhaps even enlightening.