Make Moves

Jay Ruttenberg – Editor of The Lowbrow Reader and Connoisseur of Tasteless Humor.  Jay's love of the movie Billy Madison prompted him to start a zine dedicated to lowbrow humor, and in the process he invented a new cultural space for the finest journalists in America to write about comedy. Jay discusses: How the movie Billy Madison changed his life How he transitioned from writing about indie rock to starting a comedy zine How the rough exterior of punk rock was a trojan horse for smart culture, and how comedy works the same way The difference between working with friends and famous people Interviewing one of the Beatles How he got connected to Drag City, and how the Drag City aesthetic influenced his thinking Why the Lowbrow Reader has to be great or it isn't worth doing at all Balancing a two-decade zine project with his day job of writing for publications like New Yorker magazine Lessons learned the hard way People who changed his life but didn't know it Featured Music: With permission of Drag City, this