The Pleasures of Being Out of Step

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scott f Nicely made documentary hits all the high points. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review walter m If you don't believe me when I tell you that Nat Hentoff is an interesting dude, then listen to what Lenny Bruce has to say in a clip from 1959. If you still don't believe either of us, then check out the documentary "The Pleasures of Being out of Step" which details Hentoff's decades long career as a jazz writer, not only as a critic but also as the writer of liner notes which also get explained here.(By the way, Hentoff was also a talking head in both Ken Burns' "Jazz" and Woody Allen's "Sweet and Lowdown.") He has also interviewed and befriended such notable figures as Lenny Bruce, Malcolm X and Bob Dylan, while also working the civil rights desk at the Village Voice. And that's where things could get quite a bit contentious for Hentoff, as while I could agree with him more often than not, sometimes his combative writing style could irk me at times. That, however, had little to do with his anti-abortion stand which came from some seriously twisted logic.(He thought that since one could discover a fetus' sexual orientation in the womb, then homophobes would chose to abort. However, these are the same kind of people who don't believe in science or abortion in the first place.) In any case, his manner in the documentary and in clips is rather reserved in contrast, especially in him not allowing to be baited by William F. Buckley. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Pleasures of Being Out of Step

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