Comic Pinsky Offends No One … and Everyone
Daryl Pinsky got knees slapping and lips singing to his unique brand of humor and musical comedy.
After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.
It was standing room only at The Punchline on March 13 when Daryl Pinsky charmed the audience with his relatable humor and lively guitar antics.
If Roswell Road was the Borscht Belt, Pinsky would be the Alan King of Buckhead. Never has one man “worked a room” for a full hour covering so many topics without coming up for air. A diamond wholesaler by day, Pinsky has been performing for as long as he can remember. Sister Dana Joffe, who came up from South Florida for the show, said, “Daryl was always funny. Sometimes after mom would yell at him, she realized how funny it was, and would have Daryl imitate her. No one stayed mad for long.”
Pinsky, who has appeared with stars like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jeff Foxworthy, opened concerts for Joan Jett, Billy Ocean, and Pat Benatar. Now with his fresh, politically topical act, he is an “equal opportunity offender,” deriding Trump’s tariffs alongside Kamala’s “word salad,” and then there’s Joe Biden.
The “thing” about Pinsky is he eschews foul language; and his humor is not cruel or biting; but he does take accurate aim with his bow by addressing Jewish topics.
He said, “Looking at colleges? UJH (University of Jew Haters), Harvard, MIT. Christopher Columbus was Jewish. When the Indians said ‘How,’ he added, ‘much?’ … My son-in-law is not Jewish. He asked if the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) was the good or bad cholesterol.”
Pinsky explained his overall hypersensitivity, when Latinos say, “What Jew (you) been up to?”
Even checking out at the farmers market, he misinterpreted a German accent, “Let me see your papers (peppers); would he then ask me to get on a train?”
Bouncing from a German accent, he took on men with lilting British accents. “The new president of Mexico is Jewish. She’s changing the country’s trout symbol to ‘gefilte.’”
Pinsky’s facility with transitioning topics is easy to follow. He goes from The Beatles with British accents, to using Alexa, then Sean “Diddy” Combs, in a blink. Then, in the next sentence, he confuses Vladimir Zelensky (getting a “seal” of approval in the Oval Office) with Monica Lewinsky (getting the “kneel” of approval).
Another funny bit was the interaction with his Israeli wife, Ronit, who was in the audience and took it all in good stride. Three women in the audience raised their hands when Pinsky asked for Ronit to identify herself.
“I had to fight for a pronounceable name for our newborn children … You know how Israelis have that harsh heechkk sound? Cats could speak Hebrew … it’s like having a hairball in your throat.”
One of Pinsky’s biggest laughs was, “I grew up tough in a Miami gang. We didn’t sell drugs cause our dads were doctors and could prescribe anything.”
Then, there’s the second act when Pinsky pulled out his guitar. Audience member Marshall Goldberg told the AJT, “I was blown away by his guitar segment and how he covered so many topics.”
Elissa Kingsland echoed, “His music made the act so much fun.” Comic and friend Elaine Silver summed it up, “Daryl is so relatable. Adding the music makes it much more than just jokes. He’s very creative.”
Akin to classic impersonator Rich Little, Pinsky performed more than a dozen ditties and parodies, not just in rhyme, but also in the style of the original star. Some selections included:
* The Rolling Stones’ “Under my Thumb,” but as, “Under my Gums”
* “The Girl from Ipanema” was “The Girl from Slovenia” … “I feel so sorry for Melania”
* Neil Young’s famous falsetto singing, “Searching for Rehab” … mocking “Heart of Gold”
* A raspy Bob Dylan doing, “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
* To the tune of David Bowie’s “Major Tom” … “Birth Control to Elon Musk” (now with 14 children)
* And to the tune of Pink Floyd, “We don’t need no vaccinations”
“We should have a Woodstock 2025. It could be in The Villages,” referring to the outsized senior living community in Florida.
Comic Andy Gunnin served as the emcee and opening act; and Jamie Bendall, aka “Jamie the Lawyer,” rounded out the evening as the second performer.
Pinsky left the audience with the song, “Natural Woman,” channeling Aretha Franklin. “You make me feel like an LGBTQ polyamorous, transexual, cisgender, non-binary, pansexual … I just want to pee in my own bathroom.”
Capturing Pinsky’s act is like capturing a moon beam in your hand. He’s all over the place. Just glad that he’s in our place.
comments