Ben Franklin: Unplugged

.... And Other Comic Monologues

By: Josh Kornbluth

Narrated by: Josh Kornbluth

Gazing into the bathroom mirror one morning while shaving, Josh Kornbluth realizes that he looks remarkably like the guy on the $100 bill. Like any good Jewish son, he immediately calls his mother. From there he becomes obsessed with what it means to be a founding father, especially when your own father/son relationship (Ben had an illegitimate son named William who was a British loyalist during the Revolutionary War) is more than a bit strained. Part History Detectives and part embarrassingly hilarious autobiography, Kornbluth’s resulting investigation of the man behind the famous spectacles will take you from the hallowed halls of academia to Kornbluth’s richly comic interactions with his mother Bunny and Aunt Birdie, sharing along the way his discoveries about America’s history, family foibles, and the surprises beneath the surface of even our most familiar American tall tales.

©2013 Josh Kornbluth (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Satirical Disembowelment

Please Don’t Tickle Me, Ben Franklin, You Crazy Diamond! ​

If you haven't peed your pants listening to Josh Kornbluth, you haven't LIVED.​ Kornbluth is a master storyteller and his comic timing is peerless.​

After noticing a passing resemblance to Ben Franklin in the mirror, Josh Kornbluth embarks on a journey of—well not exactly ​SELF​-discovery. ​More like satrical disembowelment. ​

I laughed til I cried.

Perfection!

Where does Ben Franklin: Unplugged rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to a million (roughly) audiobooks ( : and I can't think of any I liked better than this one.

What did you like best about this story?

It is fascinating, intriguing, intelligent, funny, and brilliantly told.

Have you listened to any of Josh Kornbluth’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. I tried to listen to it while running. But I was laughing so hard, I would veer off track, which would make other runners stumble out of my way. So I started to walk instead while I listened. I have gained a little wait, but it was worth it.

Any additional comments?

I can't really begin to describe how entertaining I think this is. I think it's brilliant.

Very enjoyable

Loved this, and I'm a right wing Christian! Great modulation on voice, very enjoyable! Good story telling, amusing.

TERRIFIC

Just a magnificent performance. Kornbluth is brutally honest, humble, ironic, moving and always funny in unexpected ways.

Plus, in listening to this monologue you shall discover the meaning of YOUR BEN FRANKLIN.

I cannot recommend this more highly.

PS: The just-as-great Kornbluth monologues Love and Taxes, Citizen Josh and Andy Warhol: Good For The Jews are all included in this audiobook, which makes this purchase even more fiscally responsible and aesthetically rewarding.

Josh's Franklin

What did you love best about Ben Franklin: Unplugged?

Surprise, that is the first thing I felt when I listened to Josh Kornbluth's Ben Franklin Unplugged. Not at the quality of the writing or the delivery (I have seen Josh in concert), but the approach. I was expecting a Hal Holbrook-kind of presentation but what I got was more. Ben Franklin is like a mini-odyssey. From an off-hand remark by a relative, Josh looks for Franklin in history and in himself. It is both personal and universal. This is a good listen. Interesting. Entertaining.

What other book might you compare Ben Franklin: Unplugged to and why?

I do have a confession. I broke one of the cardinal rules in entertainment. I listened to Martin Short's I Must Say right after listening to Ben Franklin. I must say, I enjoyed Short's book, but it was not the same. I made more of a connection with Josh's Franklin than I did with Martin's Short.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to say. Enjoyed it all.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The theme of father and son.

Very entertaining!

This audio performance consists of 4 different monologues. Only the first is about Ben Franklin but the other 3 were also very enjoyable. I was surprised to learn something about Ben Franklin as I had expected it to be solely comedic. While it was comedic, I also found it informative (though it was mostly comedic). There is something about Josh Kornbluth (in his content, his delivery and in his voice itself) that I find absolutely delightful. He is both funny and insightful. Before listening to this, I had been unfamiliar with Josh Kornbluth. I am so glad I took the chance on this audio performance as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Josh added a short commentary to the end of the audio (which I found hilarious) and in it he asked the listeners to let him know if he converted his monologues (which he normally does in front of an audience) well enough to fit the audiobook format. So Josh, if you are reading this, you did an excellent job translating your monologues to an audio only format. While I am sure your facial expressions, body movements and gestures enhance your live performances, you did a great job getting the mood across using sound effects and your voice. I would love to listen to another audio performance from youl

Un-funny.

What disappointed you about Ben Franklin: Unplugged?

At least one reviewer said that he/she "couldn't stop laughing." I suspect that it was one of the author's relatives. Josh is a good storyteller, and parts of the narrative were amusing, but NOT funny.

Would you recommend Ben Franklin: Unplugged to your friends? Why or why not?

No. There are many other, more productive and entertaining ways to spend time.

Any additional comments?

I had very high hopes, based upon prior reviewers' comments. Very disappointed.

False Advertising

I recently listened to Ben Franklin: Unplugged written by Josh Kornbluth and narrated by Josh Kornbluth as well. 

This, ah, book cannot be done justice without quoting the publisher's blurb. I include it here, in its entirety, for easy perusal.

"Gazing into the bathroom mirror one morning while shaving, Josh Kornbluth realizes that he looks remarkably like the guy on the $100 bill. Like any good Jewish son, he immediately calls his mother. From there he becomes obsessed with what it means to be a founding father, especially when your own father/son relationship (Ben had an illegitimate son named William who was a British loyalist during the Revolutionary War) is more than a bit strained. Part History Detectives and part embarrassingly hilarious autobiography, Kornbluth’s resulting investigation of the man behind the famous spectacles will take you from the hallowed halls of academia to Kornbluth’s richly comic interactions with his mother Bunny and Aunt Birdie, sharing along the way his discoveries about America’s history, family foibles, and the surprises beneath the surface of even our most familiar American tall tales."

Based on this you might assume this is an audiobook about the performer's time both impersonating and learning about Ben Franklin. That was, to be frank, was my assumption. To be fair, this was true, but only for the first chapter. 

The remaining chapters cover thrilling topics such as tax law, Jewish language lessons, atheism, and lessons in communism. While in other contexts these might prove interesting topics worthy of study, they were just part a ceaseless babble with almost no meaning here. 

Supposedly this was an array of 'comic' monologues. The problem with this concept is that, aside from the first chapter about Ben Franklin, there was very little humor. In fact, the general tone, including his plea for additional work at the end of it, was one of maudlin desperation.

The narration was the only high point of the whole affair. He was extremely well spoken, his diction was clear, and he injected a great deal of emotion into his mindless wanderings. 

Conclusion: There are some who might think the first chapter is worth the price of admission. Perhaps it is, who can say? I, however, am appalled by the sheer waste of time of the rest of the content and the false advertising involved here. Due to the deception practiced on the unsuspecting public by this ne'er do well, I cannot recommend this audiobook under any circumstances. This is one audiobook you should avoid at all costs.

PLUG HIM BACK IN

If only I had started on this book sooner, I could have returned it for a free credit. Instead I forced myself to listen to the first third of it honestly wanting to give it a chance. In the end I just couldn't take it any more and deleted it from my device. I suppose that there are folks who do appreciate the humor (yes I got it) but I thought it was boring and not very funny. As a firm believer in live and let live I would say that if you want to try this audiobook, do that first. Listen to a sample before you commit yourself, or get it for a credit so you can return it if it is not your cup of tea. De gustibus non disputandem esse. (To each his own).

Whiny, liberal, commie crap!

The publisher's notes for this title are completely misleading. The author's overbearing references to progressive political views and entitled tone made it impossible to get beyond even the first chapter.