CREATIVE LOAFING
October 18-24, 2006

An illustrator, storyteller and visual artist before turning to music, Friedman's twisted debut -- "Taken Man" -- suggests he's made an entertaining, if not necessarily solid career move. He may sound like Lou Reed channeling a Bob Dylan head cold, and plays old school country and folk so worn down the ruts have ruts, but this is no nostalgia or novelty act. In the end, narratives like "I Don't Want To Die Like Andy Kaufman," "Self-Portrait In White-Knuckle Death Grip," "Guys Like Me Don't Get Grants," and "Probably Shouldn't Call," work because they're both clever and poignant enough that you won't care if Friedman is playing Strauss walzes on a Jew's harp and sings like Roseanne Barr. He's also written the funniest song ever penned about the Silver Jews' David Berman -- true, that's a small pool, but it's a really funny song.