media
matthue out loud
video
because poetry is meant to be seen. and heard. and felt, and reacted against, and maybe even loved.
pretty much everything i do passes through here. i'm updating. i promise.
I'd been sleeping on my friend C.J. (see below)'s floor for probably three and a half weeks at this point. David Sacks, who used to write for the Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle and is a kind of role model for me, called me to tell me about this project making Jewish movies that he's involved in. He asks if I have anything scripted, and can they film me? I tell him no and yes. And we do it.
The two-minute Cliff's Notes music-video version of my book Never Mind the Goldbergs, performed live with Shanir Blumenkrantz, Yudi Simon, and DJ Handler.
good thing i don't touch girls (or i'd touch you)
This might or might not have been filmed when I was sort of engaged. My ex was in Australia, and this random guy came up to me right before I went on and said, "I'm Sruly." (excruciatingly long pause) "I'm your girlfriend's cousin." I think: do I thank him for coming? Make extravagant apologies? Or change my set list? Before I get a chance to reply, he says: "I'll be reporting back to the family." And then I go ahead and do this.
mp3
I'm putting some old concerts online, the ones that are good enough quality and aren't too embarrassing. The first part, anyway. Here's the first one, with an old version of "Good Thing I Don't Touch Girls (or I'd Touch You)" and some other stuff. It's $1 to download or free to listen to.
And here are some mp3s:
For Israel's 60th anniversary, 60 bloggers got asked to talk about what Israel means to them. This was my volley. (You can also read the lyrics.)
Dreidel Maven
Recorded live during Chanukah 2001 in San Francisco, CA, when I opened up for Carlos Santana. It was a special Chanukah show and I had no idea what to do. So here's what I did.
Orthodox Girls
My grandmother says to tell you she likes this one. It's a poem that's a panegyric to post-marital lovin' -- which means, if you're under the age of 15 or so, you should probably cover your parents' ears when you listen to it.
Go here to download pretty much the latest stuff I've got online. A more-or-less fresh rotation of poems, stories aloud, and the occasional hip-hop bouncey bounce track.
chibi vision
http://www.myspace.com/chibivision
from the official bio:
Chibi Vision is a science-fiction hip-hop boy band supergroup. Featuring Matthue Roth (Def Poetry Jam, PUSH/Scholastic Books) and Cookie Jar, a.k.a. F.l.i,p. (Funny Looking Island Person) from the Palestinian-Filipino hip hop group The Philistines, CV is a blend, philosophically and funkalistically, of hipster cute-pop, playful punk rock, lyrical bombast, and of Middle East Indies sensibility.
Individually, they've appeared at 4 ouf 7 Ivy League schools, toured America, Europe, Australia and the Phillipines, and been written up in places as diverse as Punk Planet and the New York Times. Together, they've appeared on the Henry Rollins Show and toured various parts of LA. They're currently recording their first album, The Elements of Style.