Ben Lerman

Saturday, 29 August 2009
Reviewed by Craig Thomson

Ben Lerman, a New York-based musical comedian, tells an illuminating story. Invited by Cosmopolitan magazine to perform on their digital radio station, Lerman was also hit with a list of restrictions, because "they were familiar with my body of work." With no swearing or mocking of the magazine allowed, he turned to the pages of Cosmo for inspiration, and came up with a lovely number called 'Multiple Orgasm Pam'.

Lerman's body of work, you see, is filthy: hilariously filthy, raucously bawdy, and, er... funnily dirty. It's also most often based on his experiences as a young gay man in New York city. After 'Pam', he announces "that ends the straight sex portion of tonight's show", to the obvious discomfort of some of the young guys sitting by the stage. He does get smuttier and gayer, but he also gets funnier and funnier, and he takes the audience with him. It's a pleasing thought that, every night, the people crammed into the basement of Cafe Renroc take part in a singalong about oral sex.

With some furore recently around the proliferation of offensive comedy, it's important to note that this doesn't really fall into that category. Some people may, understandably, be a little uncomfortable with such frank discussion of sexual matters, but this isn't a show that sets out to offend - it's actually quite tender at points, and is, in a sense, good clean fun. Well, perhaps there's just a smattering of bondage, crystal meth and 'chubby chasers'.

You could also, charitably, assume that the Size Matters title is about the two ukuleles Lerman alternates between. Most often associated on these shores with Geeorge Fornby (although he, rsearch shows, actually played a banjolele), Lerman makes excellent use of the "guitar's two-year old baby". Lerman is an extremely talented singer-songwriter, and while some of the numbers are pushing at an open door (I could tell where the American Idol-inspired 'There's an Idol in Me' was headed before the first twang on the uke), he still goes for it at full speed, with nary an anal sex metaphor left unturned.

I kinda feel this is the sort of show about which many people would say "well, it isn't for everyone." Well, dammit, I think this is for everyone - who doesn't want to see this kind of charming, amiable comedian close up? Who doesn't want to take advantage of the best of the Free Fringe? Who doesn't want to laugh along with the story of an internet romance with someone whose online name suggests an "unconventional" relationship with a pig? On the Free Fringe point, be prepared with a sizeable donation: this is better than a lot of stuff you would pay upfront for.

Now, can I get a cookie for not saying "His name is Ben Lerman and he plays the ukulele?" Go see the show, you'll understand. - Fringe Guru, Edinburgh, UK

Ben Lerman's Size Matters
Ben Lerman
"My name is Ben Lerman and I play the ukulele." It's an introduction that does not instantly cause alarm. Beware though, as this façade of innocence is happily deconstructed through myriad self-composed songs centring on Lerman's own uncouth experiences. A hilarious cover of Natasha Beddingfield's 'Unwritten' emerges as a call for mankind to be 'Unshaven'. Next up is a witty critique of Manhunt, a men's dating site, portrayed through 'This Little Piggy Went To Market'. 'Multiple Orgasm Pam' extols the virtues of female satisfaction, whilst Karl Lagerfield is deemed, "crazier than hell" owing to his Amish-esque catwalk collections. Ultimately, Lerman's musings are always unforgiving, never modest and usually with a sexual undertone. Wordplay at its most hilarious! - Three Weeks, Edinburgh, UK

Ben Lerman's Size Matters
Ben Lerman
"My name is Ben Lerman and I play the ukulele." It's an introduction that does not instantly cause alarm. Beware though, as this façade of innocence is happily deconstructed through myriad self-composed songs centring on Lerman's own uncouth experiences. A hilarious cover of Natasha Beddingfield's 'Unwritten' emerges as a call for mankind to be 'Unshaven'. Next up is a witty critique of Manhunt, a men's dating site, portrayed through 'This Little Piggy Went To Market'. 'Multiple Orgasm Pam' extols the virtues of female satisfaction, whilst Karl Lagerfield is deemed, "crazier than hell" owing to his Amish-esque catwalk collections. Ultimately, Lerman's musings are always unforgiving, never modest and usually with a sexual undertone. Wordplay at its most hilarious! - Three Weeks, Edinburgh, UK

Ben Lerman covers familiar ground in his one-man show currently running at the LeftOut Festival. In Cheryl King's cozy performance space in the West Thirties, he runs through Britney Spears, American Idol, food and body image issues, early sexual experimentation with women, and online sex. While's there's little that's new in the material, the funny, musically gifted Lerman is such enjoyable company the time flies. He's like a sought-after party guest--witty, generous, entertaining, and he never wears out his welcome.


An Evening with Ben Lerman and his Ukulele is the no-frills title for this performance of standup comedy, music, and cheerful vulgarity. Clad in street drag--a hoodie, t-shirt and jeans--Lerman is no gay performance artist/firebrand. There's no outlandish transgenderism, no lacerating political content. But the thirty-something Lerman is an ingratiating and gifted performer. With his ukulele, he relaxes into his hour-long set of parody and novelty numbers, keeping up a steady stream of sly, self-deprecating patter, in between songs like "I Love You But I Hate It When You Touch Me." One song deals with his relationship with his Orthodox Jewish family in Indiana, and their equating of food with love. There's an aching love song (on video) to Anderson Cooper, sung to the tune of Elvis Costello's "Alison," where the narrator describes masturbating to the CNN anchor's coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq War. Another--"Pigfucker35"--deals with the romantic entanglements of an online sex partner, and all its attendant barnyard imagery. Lerman is such an easy-going, genial presence that one doesn't realize until later that he's a real talent as a musician and lyricist. There's an ease to his touch that belies the difficulty of holding an audience for an hour. He's not interested in preaching, educating, or bringing a tear to your eye--he just wants to have fun.


While some of the song parodies feel slightly worn--an Ace of Base send-up trots out familiar cliches on gay men's relationships to vaginas--others have a longing or even absurd quality to them, like "Pussy Pantry" where the narrator sings of his desire for female genitalia, so he could decorate it for the holidays. And it's very hard to not laugh at a Britney Spears parody with the title "I'm Not a Cub, Not Yet a Bear." In between, Lerman works several funny bits, including one where he purposely draws the audience's attention to his own ham-fisted segues. ("Which reminds me of a song I wrote!" Chord!) He even patiently coaches the audience in the time-honored practice of demanding an encore.


It would be interesting to see what would happen if Lerman dug a little deeper into his own experiences, or worked material with a little more zing than the tired landscape of pop culture. But I feel slightly churlish even writing that. After all, if any performer can make a roomful of strangers sing along to the chorus of "Smell Your Dick"--honestly--what more do you want? - NYTheatre.com

Ben Lerman covers familiar ground in his one-man show currently running at the LeftOut Festival. In Cheryl King's cozy performance space in the West Thirties, he runs through Britney Spears, American Idol, food and body image issues, early sexual experimentation with women, and online sex. While's there's little that's new in the material, the funny, musically gifted Lerman is such enjoyable company the time flies. He's like a sought-after party guest--witty, generous, entertaining, and he never wears out his welcome.


An Evening with Ben Lerman and his Ukulele is the no-frills title for this performance of standup comedy, music, and cheerful vulgarity. Clad in street drag--a hoodie, t-shirt and jeans--Lerman is no gay performance artist/firebrand. There's no outlandish transgenderism, no lacerating political content. But the thirty-something Lerman is an ingratiating and gifted performer. With his ukulele, he relaxes into his hour-long set of parody and novelty numbers, keeping up a steady stream of sly, self-deprecating patter, in between songs like "I Love You But I Hate It When You Touch Me." One song deals with his relationship with his Orthodox Jewish family in Indiana, and their equating of food with love. There's an aching love song (on video) to Anderson Cooper, sung to the tune of Elvis Costello's "Alison," where the narrator describes masturbating to the CNN anchor's coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq War. Another--"Pigfucker35"--deals with the romantic entanglements of an online sex partner, and all its attendant barnyard imagery. Lerman is such an easy-going, genial presence that one doesn't realize until later that he's a real talent as a musician and lyricist. There's an ease to his touch that belies the difficulty of holding an audience for an hour. He's not interested in preaching, educating, or bringing a tear to your eye--he just wants to have fun.


While some of the song parodies feel slightly worn--an Ace of Base send-up trots out familiar cliches on gay men's relationships to vaginas--others have a longing or even absurd quality to them, like "Pussy Pantry" where the narrator sings of his desire for female genitalia, so he could decorate it for the holidays. And it's very hard to not laugh at a Britney Spears parody with the title "I'm Not a Cub, Not Yet a Bear." In between, Lerman works several funny bits, including one where he purposely draws the audience's attention to his own ham-fisted segues. ("Which reminds me of a song I wrote!" Chord!) He even patiently coaches the audience in the time-honored practice of demanding an encore.


It would be interesting to see what would happen if Lerman dug a little deeper into his own experiences, or worked material with a little more zing than the tired landscape of pop culture. But I feel slightly churlish even writing that. After all, if any performer can make a roomful of strangers sing along to the chorus of "Smell Your Dick"--honestly--what more do you want? - NYTheatre.com

Benny and the Jest

Ukulele player Ben Lerman tickles our funny bone with his big mouth and tiny instrument.

By Jason A. Heidemann

Note to fence-sitters: Sometimes lightning does strike twice. So for those of you who missed ukulele-playing parodist Ben Lerman’s solo show at Mary’s Attic last month, you’ll be granted a second opportunity to see this New York–based funnyman when he concludes his Midwest tour at Homolatte on Tuesday 18. You really shouldn’t miss it.

Lerman, 33, began honing his satirical chops several years back as a keyboardist and participating songwriter for New York–based musical comedians the Isotoners. The band garnered minor acclaim for its skewering of gay stereotypes on its only album, Sometimes I Sit Down When I Pee, and while members have since gone their separate ways, Lerman carries on the tradition.

His newest release, Ukelear Winter, is a collection of original material and parodies that poke fun at queer culture, from drug binges to fag hags to gay ghettos. In “Not a Cub,” set to the music of Britney Spears’s “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” a hirsute and stocky Lerman imagines his emerging place in bear culture. In “Vagine” (not included on the disc, but available as a video on YouTube), Lerman reinterprets the Ace of Base megahit “The Sign” as an admission of his fear of female anatomy. “I saw Vagine,” Lerman sings, “When she opened up her thighs I saw vagine, stickin’ my hand in, without understanding.”

It’s funny stuff that takes pointed aim at the so-called gay lifestyle and occasionally offends in the process. In “Asian Baby,” a take on “Santa Baby,” Lerman mocks the gay adoption craze. In the song, he employs a number of exaggerated stereotypes for comic effect, like naming his Asian adoptee Kim Chee and hoping he’ll be good at math.

Lerman admits that songs like these do require the right kind of listener. “I feel like if something’s funny enough, then it doesn’t matter if it’s offensive,” he says. “I operate on a very sarcastic, satirical level and if the audience operates in an irony-free zone then there’s nothing I can do about that. Clearly I don’t want people to force an Asian baby down a chimney for Christmas and clearly I’m unfit to be a mother. I think people get that I’m not a racist and I’m not a misogynist and that I can barely spell those words.”

The self-described gay Jew-tard has been both funny and musical since his childhood in South Bend, Indiana. The youngest of six, Lerman says he got his musical talents from his father’s side of the family and developed a funny bone thanks in part to his mother. “One time, it was my five siblings and me and my mom in an elevator on family vacation and somebody walks into the elevator sort of in the middle of all of us,” he says. “The door closes, the elevator starts moving and my mom yells, ‘Okay kids, attack!’ All my older brothers and sisters were mortified and I thought it was funny. I guess I copied that.”

He’s still got family in the area (sister Alice owns Lincoln Park pet boutique Barker & Meowsky), not that his extended family, some of whom are Orthodox, are filling venues to hear him sing about masturbating to CNN’s Anderson Cooper like he does in “Anderson,” a parody of Elvis Costello’s “Allison.” Too bad for them because Lerman’s best asset is his stage persona, something that doesn’t translate on his CD. Take the droll presence of comedian Steven Wright, cross it with the deadpan delivery of Bebe Neuwirth’s Lilith on Cheers, give it a queer spin and you end up with Lerman.

Eventually, this gay ukulele player hopes to parlay his work into a staged show or film. “Clearly, I’m a faggot that needs to write a musical,” he says. Better preorder your tickets to Vagine on Broadway today.


- Time Out Chicago

Benny and the Jest

Ukulele player Ben Lerman tickles our funny bone with his big mouth and tiny instrument.

By Jason A. Heidemann

Note to fence-sitters: Sometimes lightning does strike twice. So for those of you who missed ukulele-playing parodist Ben Lerman’s solo show at Mary’s Attic last month, you’ll be granted a second opportunity to see this New York–based funnyman when he concludes his Midwest tour at Homolatte on Tuesday 18. You really shouldn’t miss it.

Lerman, 33, began honing his satirical chops several years back as a keyboardist and participating songwriter for New York–based musical comedians the Isotoners. The band garnered minor acclaim for its skewering of gay stereotypes on its only album, Sometimes I Sit Down When I Pee, and while members have since gone their separate ways, Lerman carries on the tradition.

His newest release, Ukelear Winter, is a collection of original material and parodies that poke fun at queer culture, from drug binges to fag hags to gay ghettos. In “Not a Cub,” set to the music of Britney Spears’s “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” a hirsute and stocky Lerman imagines his emerging place in bear culture. In “Vagine” (not included on the disc, but available as a video on YouTube), Lerman reinterprets the Ace of Base megahit “The Sign” as an admission of his fear of female anatomy. “I saw Vagine,” Lerman sings, “When she opened up her thighs I saw vagine, stickin’ my hand in, without understanding.”

It’s funny stuff that takes pointed aim at the so-called gay lifestyle and occasionally offends in the process. In “Asian Baby,” a take on “Santa Baby,” Lerman mocks the gay adoption craze. In the song, he employs a number of exaggerated stereotypes for comic effect, like naming his Asian adoptee Kim Chee and hoping he’ll be good at math.

Lerman admits that songs like these do require the right kind of listener. “I feel like if something’s funny enough, then it doesn’t matter if it’s offensive,” he says. “I operate on a very sarcastic, satirical level and if the audience operates in an irony-free zone then there’s nothing I can do about that. Clearly I don’t want people to force an Asian baby down a chimney for Christmas and clearly I’m unfit to be a mother. I think people get that I’m not a racist and I’m not a misogynist and that I can barely spell those words.”

The self-described gay Jew-tard has been both funny and musical since his childhood in South Bend, Indiana. The youngest of six, Lerman says he got his musical talents from his father’s side of the family and developed a funny bone thanks in part to his mother. “One time, it was my five siblings and me and my mom in an elevator on family vacation and somebody walks into the elevator sort of in the middle of all of us,” he says. “The door closes, the elevator starts moving and my mom yells, ‘Okay kids, attack!’ All my older brothers and sisters were mortified and I thought it was funny. I guess I copied that.”

He’s still got family in the area (sister Alice owns Lincoln Park pet boutique Barker & Meowsky), not that his extended family, some of whom are Orthodox, are filling venues to hear him sing about masturbating to CNN’s Anderson Cooper like he does in “Anderson,” a parody of Elvis Costello’s “Allison.” Too bad for them because Lerman’s best asset is his stage persona, something that doesn’t translate on his CD. Take the droll presence of comedian Steven Wright, cross it with the deadpan delivery of Bebe Neuwirth’s Lilith on Cheers, give it a queer spin and you end up with Lerman.

Eventually, this gay ukulele player hopes to parlay his work into a staged show or film. “Clearly, I’m a faggot that needs to write a musical,” he says. Better preorder your tickets to Vagine on Broadway today.


- Time Out Chicago

PLUCKING FUN

By Keo Nozari
Former Isotoner Gets Winter's Uke Up

What happens when—in the midst of garnering a Village Voice "Best of New York 2004" music-section cover—your popular group abruptly breaks up? For Ben Lerman, who was part of the celebrated gay satire band The Isotoners, it meant picking up the ukulele. Lerman "fell in love" with his uke named "Lenny" and to prove it, he just completed his hysterical solo album Ukelear Winter.

The tone of Lerman's debut doesn't stray far from The Isotoners' sharp skewering of gay and popular culture. In fact, he utilizes his uke to explore many curious obsessions—like vaginas. "'Pussy Pantry' is a song about storage solutions, which as a New Yorker I'm constantly thinking about," says the openly gay, Weird Al-inspired musician. "Besides, people are doing even worse things to the female anatomy than I am. I bet [Amanda Lepore] could fit a whole trip to Costco in that pantry," he deadpans.

Lerman also obsesses over Cable TV personalities. First he details a real-life, sordid night with MTV's John Norris. Then, on "Anderson" he waxes poetic about masturbating to Anderson Cooper. "I'm just glad we finally got a news babe of our own," he concedes. Regarding Coop's glass closet, Lerman says, "He doesn't deny that he's gay. It's just irrelevant to his job and it might even be distracting to some. So I get it, and I don't judge. I just enjoy the view."

Lerman doesn't shy away from other hot topics either. He capitalizes on the genius of Britney's "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" on his "Not a Cub, Not Yet a Bear," explores the adoption craze on "Asian Baby," and even tackles immigration-law-affected boyfriends on "Green Card." On the latter he says dryly, "I see relationships as an opportunity for foreign diplomacy. I've dated men from all over of the world, and the impending threat of deportation definitely keeps them on their toes. Breaking up can be so difficult. Sometimes it's just easier to let the government take them away."

But considering Lerman is about to embark on a cross-country tour with his uke "Lenny" kicking off November 16th at Sidewalk Café, will it be hard to find a better boyfriend? "Lenny and I are in love, and nothing will ever change that. But there are some things Lenny just can't give me. Let's face it: at the end of the day, he's just a ukulele with a short body, four strings, and one very large hole. I'm looking for someone with no strings." N

Visit benlerman.net for more info. - Next Magazine

PLUCKING FUN

By Keo Nozari
Former Isotoner Gets Winter's Uke Up

What happens when—in the midst of garnering a Village Voice "Best of New York 2004" music-section cover—your popular group abruptly breaks up? For Ben Lerman, who was part of the celebrated gay satire band The Isotoners, it meant picking up the ukulele. Lerman "fell in love" with his uke named "Lenny" and to prove it, he just completed his hysterical solo album Ukelear Winter.

The tone of Lerman's debut doesn't stray far from The Isotoners' sharp skewering of gay and popular culture. In fact, he utilizes his uke to explore many curious obsessions—like vaginas. "'Pussy Pantry' is a song about storage solutions, which as a New Yorker I'm constantly thinking about," says the openly gay, Weird Al-inspired musician. "Besides, people are doing even worse things to the female anatomy than I am. I bet [Amanda Lepore] could fit a whole trip to Costco in that pantry," he deadpans.

Lerman also obsesses over Cable TV personalities. First he details a real-life, sordid night with MTV's John Norris. Then, on "Anderson" he waxes poetic about masturbating to Anderson Cooper. "I'm just glad we finally got a news babe of our own," he concedes. Regarding Coop's glass closet, Lerman says, "He doesn't deny that he's gay. It's just irrelevant to his job and it might even be distracting to some. So I get it, and I don't judge. I just enjoy the view."

Lerman doesn't shy away from other hot topics either. He capitalizes on the genius of Britney's "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" on his "Not a Cub, Not Yet a Bear," explores the adoption craze on "Asian Baby," and even tackles immigration-law-affected boyfriends on "Green Card." On the latter he says dryly, "I see relationships as an opportunity for foreign diplomacy. I've dated men from all over of the world, and the impending threat of deportation definitely keeps them on their toes. Breaking up can be so difficult. Sometimes it's just easier to let the government take them away."

But considering Lerman is about to embark on a cross-country tour with his uke "Lenny" kicking off November 16th at Sidewalk Café, will it be hard to find a better boyfriend? "Lenny and I are in love, and nothing will ever change that. But there are some things Lenny just can't give me. Let's face it: at the end of the day, he's just a ukulele with a short body, four strings, and one very large hole. I'm looking for someone with no strings." N

Visit benlerman.net for more info. - Next Magazine

November 15, 2007

A Chat With Ben Lerman

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketFriend of the Bastion Mackenzie Condon, currently studying the legal nuances of defamatory fart jokes New York, tipped us off that Ben Lerman was going to swing through Chicago with his sick and brilliant ukulele comedy. Lerman will play songs from his album "Ukelear Winter" on November 25 at 7 PM at Hamburger Mary's on Clark Street in the Andersonville neighborhood. His songs can be heard here.


How would you describe your comedy and music?


I like to make fun of myself and the people around me. Since I’m a gay Jew-tard (or am I a Jewish gay-tard?), I have a lot to draw from.


How did you make the jump from living in your hometown in Indiana to pursuing "gay comedy rock stardom" in New York in 1998? Was there a college stint before then? Did you always know you wanted to head to New York?


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketAfter high school, I was an exchange student in Brussels for a year. I found myself legally drinking at karaoke bars with crazy Belgians. One time they tried to impress me by shotgunning cans of Stella Artois (the Belgian equivalent of Schlitz) and then vomiting the beer still foaming. Foamy beer vomit leaves a lasting impression. It looked like it was coming straight out of a keg, a keg made of a human body. After Belgium, I went to Washington, DC, to drop out of college and begin an illustrious career waiting tables. After 6 years I rose from the position of “waiter” to “waiter with a slightly better section.” With those successes under my belt, I knew that New York held no challenges I couldn’t conquer. Gay comedy rock stardom seems like a goal worth pursuing because there is no such thing. Here’s what I know: if something doesn’t really exist, it’s impossible to fail. So go for it, right?


What is your comedy background like -- did you study or train anywhere, or do stuff in college?


I’ve taken a couple of improv classes in New York, but improv is hard because I have OCD and I just tend to alphabetize imaginary CDs in every scene. Not so fun for an audience to watch, but highly organized. I think comedians can learn most from committing Lifetime original movies to memory. At this point, Meredith Baxter Birney and I think with one mind.


Have your parents heard you sing songs about wanting to masturbate to Anderson Cooper? And if so, are they still speaking to you?


Remember that anti-drugs commercial where the dad finds pot in his kid’s room, and the kid says, “I learned it from you, dad!” Well, it’s sort of like that. Um, just kidding. My entire family has been extremely supportive of me while simultaneously being extremely embarrassed by me. Now I’m trying to figure out what horrible thing I can say next that will test their love even more.


Is there something inherently funny about the ukulele, in your opinion? Might you have just as much success with an accordian, or a kazoo?


I tried to be a one-man kazoo band for a long time, but people complained that they had trouble understanding the lyrics. Lenny (that’s my uke’s name) is very offended by this question. He just stormed out of the room in tears. Don’t worry, Lenny is just overly sensitive because his last owner left him for a funny accordion.


We noticed that you are MySpace friends with Maya Lerman, who we're guessing is your sister - ? She's also a musician, but without the comedy component. Any theories on that? Less residual childhood psychological damage for her?


Until now my family has maintained that we are cousins. Now that you have revealed our dark family secret, she’s sure to have as much psychological damage as me.


What can people who show up to Hamburger Mary's on November 25 expect to see from you?


The should expect an answer to that nagging question, “What would happen if Weird Al Yankovic and Big Gay Al from South Park had a baby with Al Jarreau?” - The Bastion

"Strung out"

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/lgbt/24158/strung-out

Ben Lerman and his ukulele make one funny gay pair

By Beth Greenfield

Queer New Yorkers are no strangers to gay comics poking fun at them. But musical gay comics accompanying themselves on the ukulele? Enter Ben Lerman, 33, best known as the keyboardist for the Isotoners, the homo pop band that fired off songs about gay divorces and “man boobs” until breaking up in 2005. He’s since released a couple of videos on YouTube (including one for “Anderson,” a love song of sorts to Anderson Cooper, sung to the tune of Elvis Costello’s “Alison”), sharpened his ukulele skills and written some new material, including ditties like “Fag Hag” and “The Big Gay Paradise Valley.” You’ll find those on his just-released CD, Ukelear Winter, which Lerman (who has written for this magazine) will showcase on a multicity tour that starts this week at Sidewalk Café. We recently caught up with him for some laughs.

Why the ukulele?
Because keyboards are heavy, and lugging them around town for five-minute spots at showcases or open mikes seemed retarded.

Who is there to inspire you besides Tiny Tim?
You know, I’ve never been able to watch Tiny Tim. That’s the kind of thing that makes me uncomfortable. I feel like, Am I laughing at him? It’s disturbing. But I recently played at a New York ukulele night, filled with ukulele players! Stephin Merritt [of the Magnetic Fields] was the only person I knew of who was playing it. And the Hazzards. But I don’t know, it’s kind of thought of as hokey.

What part of the infinitely mockable gay culture do you live in?
I could pretty much survive on The Golden Girls. And I have ridiculous body issues. I’m totally one of those gays. I’m like the Weight Watchers gay.

Are you also furry?
Yes.

Though you’re “Not a Cub,” according to one of your songs.
I have mixed feelings about the bears. I feel like gay culture can be really alienating if you don’t fall into that Queer as Folk–hot look. So it’s good because there’s this other scene where something else is prized as beautiful. But there’s also something really weird about people self-segregating based on their weight and body hair. [Laughs] It’s, like, so image-[conscious] that it makes me a little bit uncomfortable and sad.

What’s your day job?
I’m not working right now, though I do a little work for my family’s business. They own a steel company. It’s like the B&H Photo of South Bend, Indiana. Orthodox Jews. But [when I was growing up] it was do-what-you-can. We would keep kosher in the house, but we would also go to restaurants. And we would go to shul on Saturday, but I would also play in Little League and we would drive to the games. My dad’s older brother is a rabbi in Brooklyn. He would be mortified.

When did you come out?
At 17. It was when they found the gay porn. My friends and I, after prom, decided we were going to a Grateful Dead show so we could get high. Three hours into a six-hour drive it occurred to me that I left Bus Depot in the VCR. I pulled into a rest stop and I called my mom to do some damage control. I was like, “There are these kids at school who say that I’m gay and they planted gay porn in my car and I didn’t know what it was and I put it in the VCR and I was disgusted and horrified and I turned it off immediately and totally forgot about it.” And my mom said, “Uh-huh.” - Time Out New York

Tiny instrument, big balls

Posted in Gay & lesbian by Jason Heidemann on November 27th, 2007

Venturing out of one’s cozy confines on a cold Sunday night is a gamble, but $5 out of my paycheck and one hour out of my life turned out to be a small price to pay to see politically incorrect parodist and all-around goofy gay guy Ben Lerman strum out a dozen or so tracks on his ukulele at Mary’s Attic.

Lerman has the combined energy of comic Steven Wright crossed with Bebe Neuwirth’s Lillith on Cheers, but it’s that kind of deadpan delivery that makes him so damn funny especially when singing songs like "Vagine," a parody of the Ace of Base hit "The Sign" but reworded to fit Lerman’s fear of female anatomy (see and hear it on his MySpace page). Lerman used to play in the band The Isotoners before breaking off on his own.

His performance last night was the second of a Midwest tour to promote his new CD Ukelear Winter. He’s back in town on December 18 playing Homolatte at Big Chicks, which is free bitches, so don’t miss this! - Time Out Chicago Blog

Tiny instrument, big balls

Posted in Gay & lesbian by Jason Heidemann on November 27th, 2007

Venturing out of one’s cozy confines on a cold Sunday night is a gamble, but $5 out of my paycheck and one hour out of my life turned out to be a small price to pay to see politically incorrect parodist and all-around goofy gay guy Ben Lerman strum out a dozen or so tracks on his ukulele at Mary’s Attic.

Lerman has the combined energy of comic Steven Wright crossed with Bebe Neuwirth’s Lillith on Cheers, but it’s that kind of deadpan delivery that makes him so damn funny especially when singing songs like "Vagine," a parody of the Ace of Base hit "The Sign" but reworded to fit Lerman’s fear of female anatomy (see and hear it on his MySpace page). Lerman used to play in the band The Isotoners before breaking off on his own.

His performance last night was the second of a Midwest tour to promote his new CD Ukelear Winter. He’s back in town on December 18 playing Homolatte at Big Chicks, which is free bitches, so don’t miss this! - Time Out Chicago Blog

Are Ya Listenin'?

By Amy George

Published: November 21, 2007

The album title Ukelear Winter may lead you to believe that this record is a barren wasteland of elevator music, the likes of which you might be forced to listen to while the yule log flickers cheerfully on the television screen. So you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that songs such as "The Big Gay Paradise Valley" and "Not a Cub" are included on this album. The artist behind Ukelear Winter is Ben Lerman, a musical gay comic who accompanies himself (you guessed it!) on the ukulele. Yes, he's funny, he's gay, he plays an instrument that looks like a tiny guitar, and he's coming to rock your world at 8:30 p.m. at the Way Out Club (2525 South Jefferson Avenue; 314-664-7638). Tickets are $7 at the door, and this show is for those who are 21 and older only. For more information on Lerman, including a chance to listen to some of his songs (you know you always feel so much cooler when you can sing along at the concert), visit www.benlerman.net. - The Riverfront Times - Saint Louis, Missouri

Are Ya Listenin'?

By Amy George

Published: November 21, 2007

The album title Ukelear Winter may lead you to believe that this record is a barren wasteland of elevator music, the likes of which you might be forced to listen to while the yule log flickers cheerfully on the television screen. So you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that songs such as "The Big Gay Paradise Valley" and "Not a Cub" are included on this album. The artist behind Ukelear Winter is Ben Lerman, a musical gay comic who accompanies himself (you guessed it!) on the ukulele. Yes, he's funny, he's gay, he plays an instrument that looks like a tiny guitar, and he's coming to rock your world at 8:30 p.m. at the Way Out Club (2525 South Jefferson Avenue; 314-664-7638). Tickets are $7 at the door, and this show is for those who are 21 and older only. For more information on Lerman, including a chance to listen to some of his songs (you know you always feel so much cooler when you can sing along at the concert), visit www.benlerman.net. - The Riverfront Times - Saint Louis, Missouri