Lewis Black
Me of Little Faith
Friday, June 6th, 1:00pm, Borders Bookstore
Friday, June 6th, 6:00pm, Coolidge Corner, $5
Saturday, June 7th, 7:00pm, First Parish Church Meetinghouse, $5

Everyone's favorite sputtery funnyman, Lewis Black, is in town for not one, not two, but three book readings this weekend! Given that Black's new book, Me of Little Faith, is about religion, that's a suspiciously holy trinity. The only question remains--which appearance is which? Is Harvard Book Store the father, the son, or the holy spirit? Is Borders more Jesuslike or birdlike? At least we know that Brookline Booksmith, given its location, is probably not reppin' for Jesus.

We had a chance to read the book, which is about as funny as an altar boy’s haircut. Which is to say—pretty hilarious. Unfortunately, the book's short, funny musings on religion don’t have the advantage of being delivered in Black’s infamously angry, sputtering style, so you’d be best off going to see him spout off live. Bostonist had a chance to talk to Mr. Black Himself (we're gonna capitalize that, even though we didn't cap the trinity above, because humor is our religion) in preparation for his Boston appearances. When we weren't busy peeing our pants with laughter (which we seem to do a lot), we got in a couple of questions about his Boston connections, writing experiences, Comedy Central show, and even marriage proposals. More from Black after the jump.

Black’s first book, Nothing’s Sacred, was an autobiography. While rooted in Black’s own religious experiences, Me of Little Faith also makes use of broader themes. Right at the beginning of the book, Black makes an astute observation on a topic that’s always bugged this Bostonist. After delineating his infant confusion at entering the world and interacting with adults, he concludes “it turned out that the existence of God is something that I’d have to learn.” And learn he did—to hilarious results.

We asked Black whether writing his second book came more easily than the first. He said it was still "hard in certain ways, but mostly easier," and he enjoyed the process more, feeling more confident. Since Black studied drama, earning an MFA in Drama from Yale, we also wondered about the difference between playwriting and nonfiction writing. Black called playwriting one of the most difficult genres, because it's easier to write "in your own voice as opposed to characters in your head." Plays have to create an imagined yet plausible world and captivate audiences with it. Drama has to do more work to "get on its feet with people" than nonfiction does. It's a little simpler to engage people by writing about reality.

Since both religion and drama rely heavily on performance, we for Black's thoughts on the connection between the two. He mentioned the ancient Greeks, for whom plays and public spectacle were closely interlinked with offerings to Zeus and Apollo, and even suggested that some modern festivals had religious overtones. Providing Woodstock and Bonnaroo as examples, Black said it doesn't matter whether "the god you believe in or pot smoking" makes you feel spiritually elevated, as long something gets you "high."

We wondered (though we're not complainin') why Black has so many appearances in Boston—we may be a Catholic city, but that doesn't make us highly receptive to mockery of our religion. Black said of his publicity plans, "They just tell me where to go," but noted that "At least you can read" in Boston. We're happy to be a relatively literate city that still maintains a sense of humor, as long as it gets us Lewis Black appearances!

With regard to political news, Black said simply, "They have to shut up." (While we agree with that on some fronts, we have to say that we never get tired of Barack's voice. Swoon.) He finds the prevalence of religious discussion in politics disturbing, and was particularly off put by the inclusion of questions about the BIble in the presidential nomination debates. "You can be worshipping guppies for all I care," Black summed up his stance on the issue, saying that actions trump beliefs in politics and elsewhere. He laments how our current president "seems to be wrapped in the Bible" and oblivious to anything outside of it, and we tend to agree.

We don't want to give away too much of Me of Little Faith, but we'd like to mention that Black has an amazing (if not necessarily religious) experience in the Mormon Tabernacle in Utah. Suffice to say that a certain religious figure is rendered there in a way that's more appropriate to Chuck E. Cheese characters than infallible icons. Black's response is to further preach the hilarity of religion. This theme is echoed at Jim and Tammy Faye Baker's PTL complex, where there's even a Jesus-themed burger joint. We'll have a double cheeseburger with a side of salvation, please. Hold the hellfire. And are those faith fries? Delicious!

One of Black's best ideas in Me of Little Faith is licensing Jesus-related paraphernalia and making a little bit of money off the fanatics. (Not like it hasn't been done, but why not get in on the action?) We asked him why Jewish people haven't gotten on the merchandising bandwagon, and he made the excellent point that Jews—God love 'em—are "not proselytizers," usually attempting to convert people only when it comes to marriage. And why wouldn't you want to break bottles and get carried around in a chair at your wedding?

Speaking of marriage, one of our Bostonist staffers—who shall remain nameless—proposed a marriage of convenience to Lewis Black, saying he's the perfect husband—"good looking, funny, smart, and on the road all the time." Black, whose ex-wife is the target of sufficient vitriol in his book, found the idea of a sight unseen marriage "a little psychotic," but allowed that he might consider the nuptials ("to a point") if we send him some pictures. Or, since he's in town, maybe we'll do it in person. Show up to one of Black's events this weekend and you could be witness to an epic proposal!

After his book tour settles down, Black's Root of All Evil show on Comedy Central will be starting back up on July 30. The show pits two upcoming topics include PETA vs. the NRA, Disney vs. Scientology, and Boob Jobs vs. Steroids. He enjoys the show for the "opportunity to work together" with favorite colleagues that it supplies. We enjoy it for the anger, and we encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to see Black in person this weekend—if it's not a holy experience for you, it's sure to be a hilarious one.