The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah

by Marc Maron

By the author of Attempting Normal and host of the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, The Jerusalem Syndrome is The Gospel according to a spiritual memoir of your average hyperintelligent, ultraneurotic, superhip Jewish standup comedian and seeker. 


The Jerusalem Syndrome is a genuine psychological phenomenon that often strikes visitors to the Holy Land_the delusion that they are suddenly direct vessels for the voice of God. Marc Maron seems to have a distinctly American version of the Jerusalem Syndrome, which has led him on a lifelong quest for religious significance and revelation in the most unlikely of places.

Maron riffs on Beat phenomena with its sacred texts, established rituals, and prescribed pilgrimages. He spends some time exploring the dark side of things, as his obsessions with cocaine (known to Maron as “magic powder”), conspiracy theories, and famous self-destructive comedians convince him that the gates of hell open beneath Los Angeles. As his quest matures, he reveals the religious aspects of Corporate America, pontificating on the timeless beauty of the Coca-Cola logo and even taking a trip to the Philip Morris cigarette factory, where the workers puff their own products with a zealot-like fervor. The culmination of Maron’s Jerusalem Syndrome comes during his own tour of the Holy Land, where, with Sony camcorder glued to his eye socket, he comes face-to-face with his own ambiguous relationship to Judaism and reaches the brink of spiritual revelation_or is it nervous breakdown?

Marc Maron has considerably adapted and expanded his praised one-man show to craft a genuine literary memoir. Whether he’s a genuine prophet or a neurotic mess, he’ll make you laugh as you question the meaning of life.

“Marc Maron is blazingly smart, rapid-fire, and very funny . . . A brilliant and relentless screed.” –David Rakoff, author of Fraud

“Marc Maron is the first crazy person I’ve ever envied. In his brainiac-memoir-meets-hilarious-travelogue, he demonstrates the ability to tell a story with an extraordinary provocative intelligence that is regrettably shared by few.” _ Janeane Garofolo, comedian

Genres: Humor, Memoir, Nonfiction, Comedy, Audiobook, Biography, Religion

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2001

About the author

Marcus David Maron is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer and actor.

He has been host of The Marc Maron Show and co-host of both Morning Sedition and Breakroom Live, all politically oriented shows produced by Air America Media. He hosted Comedy Central's Short Attention Span Theater for a year, replacing Jon Stewart. Maron was a frequent guest on the Late Show with David Letterman and made more than forty appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, more than any other standup performer.

In September 2009, Maron began hosting a twice-weekly podcast titled WTF with Marc Maron in which he interviews comedians and celebrities. Highlights have included Conan O'Brien, Robin Williams, and an episode with Louis C.K. that was rated the #1 podcast episode of all time by Slate magazine. In June 2015, Maron interviewed the President of the United States, Barack Obama, at his podcast studio and home, in Highland Park, Los Angeles, California.

From 2013 to 2016, he starred in his own IFC television comedy series, Maron, for which he also served as executive producer and occasional writer.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw Marc Maron's stand up performance at a small comedy club in Ybor City about five or six years ago. Ever since then, I keep expecting him to become hugely famous overnight; he was utterly hysterical. It's never happened, and in the meantime, we have Dane Cook.

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed all day listening to this book, and that's a gift. The last chapter was a bit sentimental, but the rest was pretty relentless belly laughs. And who doesn't need those? Highly recommended!

[Yigal Zur · Rating 4 out of 5]

i got the book due to the title. i found it fun read, honest and to the end even very sensitive - a man comes to peace with himself. if it is jerusalem syndrome? maybe.

[Aurimas Gudas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was always waiting for author to go completely mad or to start to think that he is the Messiah and he doesn't. What a disappointment.
This book is more about using cocaine than about Jerusalem syndrome. Liked some jokes and the ending. I liked the way author described humor may help in suffering.
"Great. Thanks. I think it went well," I said.
"Are you kidding? It was fabulous, and you know who loved it the most?" She was holding back the answer for a moment to let it build.
"Who?"
"The rabbi," she said, smiling. "Marc, no one has seen him laugh for two years, and he was hysterical."
That was all I needed to hear. Faith in the face of disappointment is only enhanced by laughter in the face of pain. That’s my belief. That’s my job. Whether it is a God-given talent or a reaction to something embedded in my heart I don’t know, but it filled me with the heat of joy to hear that I made that connection, that I had that impact, that I provided that service, that I performed that mitzvah."

Jokes I liked:
"You gotta listen to me, man. It’s true. I read this in a book written by a guy who writes books."
How we start to believe in brands:
"These corporate entities quell our fears, they give us hope, and they make us feel as if we are part of something eternal and lasting. They present us with a manufactured reality that comforts us. In essence, they do everything God used to do."
"Babies are like cocaine to grandparents."
"We flew to Israel on El Al airlines. If you go to Israel, you’ve got to fly El Al. It’s in the Talmud."
"When we got to Sachnin, the road seemed to weave around for miles. There were no stores, no lights, no gas stations; no familiar brand logos lit up to show signs of life and hope."
"We had to leave for Jerusalem the following day. I thought about buying another camcorder, but it would’ve cost a fortune and the machines there operate by different format. They take pictures right to left. It would’ve been useless in the States."
"The interaction between us was different. It was the first time I really noticed that I wasn’t some hyper, anxiety-ridden, insecure high school student looking for approval from someone I respected. I had changed. I was a hyper, anxiety-ridden, insecure adult looking for approval from someone I respected."

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maron's memoir. Similar to the portions of Maron's podcast where he talks about his life. His experience of life is more extreme than mine. Scattered throughout there are details that light up important moments of his life that are things that I will never experience. There are little relatable moments, like how he gets so excited by shopping for sneakers that he tells the people at the store that they should come with a cape. Since I like Maron, this gave me a solid grasp on where he's coming from. I don't know that someone who didn't already like him would be interested in reading this. This isn't Angela's Ashes (which is my gold standard for memoirs.) And it isn't supposed to be. But it is better than a lot of the memoirs that I read about other people that I already like.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I impulse-downloaded this book to my Kindle while at the gym because I finished what I was reading, and had also recently finished working my way back through all the old WTF podcasts. Though some of the stories were familiar from the podcast, this book was surprisingly touching in addition to being funny. Devoured it in about 2 days and loved every second of it. Love Maron's honest comedic voice.

[Peter Knox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook. I'm a Maron fan but this book was of a weaker structure than Attempting Normal. Approach as bonus content/backstory to that.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Augmented my read of Attempting Normal with the audio version of this one. Maron's 2001 memoir, shaped around a God complex/religious theme. Being a huge WTF fan and having just read Attempting Normal, the difference to me between Maron now and Maron then is quite striking. The WTF era Maron is much softer and I have to say IMO much funnier. This one has an edge, a pressure to it that seems to actually make the jokes not land anywhere near as well, obscures them even. Plus, the religious theme seems a little foisted upon it, either that or it just makes him seem that much more of a pain in the ass/self-centered/narcissistic.

What's weirdest to me about it is that this audio version is new, so that edge and anger and whatever are, at least to him, really tied into the content and not just a factor of who is reading it. HE is reading it, and he read it recently. So either he is still reading it with the attitude that it was written with years ago (and leftover from the stage show about it), whereas it could actually be delivered more softly now and thus be a little more self-deprecating/palatable, or else that's just mixed into it enough that you can't separate the two. Either way, this book makes it clear how much work Maron has done on himself in the intervening decade and he's a much softer, more approachable version of himself now. Good on him.

[Kelley Tackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Faith in the face of disappointment is only enhanced by laughter in the face of pain."

"I still believe there are no coincidences, but I no longer think I am the chosen one. I think the path of my life has been to follow a trail of crumbs being dropped unintentionally by a God eating a piece of cake as he walks quickly away from a dinner I wasn't invited to on his way to deal with the end of the world."

"There is a realization one makes as one gets older. When you're young you really think you are angry for reasons and causes. As you get older, you realize you might just be angry. It was part of my voice. I still craved a purpose. A grand purpose. I felt that God had put me on hold."

[Denny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could write a long screed about all the aspects of The Jerusalem Syndrome that I didn't like but won't bother to spend any more time on it than I already have listening to it. I did not enjoy Maron's narration at all, and I quit counting how many times I almost gave up on it during chapters 6, 7, & 8, in which he explains, at great length, his years of almost unbelievable substance abuse. If Goodreads allowed it, I'd rate it 1.5 stars because there were 4 or 5 anecdotes near the beginning and end of the book that caused me to chuckle. This one's really not my cup of tea.

[Mitch Romig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read it before listening to 150+ episodes of Maron's podcast, where he has retold large portions of this book.

[Max Nussenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was 23 or 24, when I had just started listening to Marc Maron’s podcast, and didn’t really like it. I randomly re-read it again today because it happened to be in my line of sight when my kid woke me up at 4:45am, and I liked it much more this time. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m a deeper Maron fan now and could hear the book in his voice, and have some context about how his life and perspective has changed in the ~25 years since this book came out, or if it’s just because I’m older.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel that this was probably a great show but the jokes were lost in translation. There were a few good lines:

"Faux Bohemians dressed in vintage clothes. If they couldn’t find integrity in their own time, maybe they could find it in the pants of another time.”

“The thing about conspiracy literature is that it’s perfect for stupid people who want to seem smart and ground their hatred in something completely mystical and confusing...”

He also has some thought provoking ideas:

“All I know is that when I’m in a spiritual crisis, I’ll do anything—smoke, eat, drink, watch TV, get online, buy something, listen to music, go to the movies, take a drive—anything but get down on my knees and say, “God, it’s Marc. I don’t know who I am anymore. Can you help me?”

"As I stood at the Wall I realized that I was part of an ancient, mystical, and spiritual community. I have my own beliefs, but at the wall I felt that I was part of an eternal legacy. It was something other than the Internet, which might ultimately win out, as it slowly usurps the collective unconscious.”

"I think the path of my life has been to follow a trail of crumbs being dropped unintentionally by a God eating a piece of cake as he walks quickly away from a dinner I wasn’t invited to on his way to deal with the end of the world.”

"I had a moment when I understood the power of the religious community. I imagined what it would feel like to try to obey the laws of God. To age, move through and share all the processes of life with a circle of people with common beliefs. To rally together and persevere in the face of adversity and evil. To help and hurt each other in the name of love. To be there for each other’s successes, failures, joys, and tragedies, then to try to fill your heart with the good moments and elevate them to a true, deep feeling of worthiness as a human being. To know you’ve done the best you can in the eyes of your peers and in the eyes of God. Most important, to try to fight against that moment of horrible truth when you look around and realize how utterly unfair it all is, as the injustice of time and disease slowly levels everyone. That’s where the idea of God really comes into play. It eases the move toward the ground. Believing in the grand plan can take the edge off if you let it, because it really doesn’t end well for anyone. Acceptance.”

Excerpt From: Maron, Marc. “The Jerusalem Syndrome.” Broadway Books, 2002-03-05. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.

Check out this book on the iBooks Store: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/M...
This material may be protected by copyright.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book about comedian Marc Maron's journey of self discovery where he finds that he's not nearly as important as he once thought he was. I've been a fan of Maron's through his hosting gig at Short Attention Span Theater and his run on Air America and now his WTF podcast. The thing that keeps me coming back is his relentless honesty and ability to be candid about almost everything in his life, and finding humor in unlikely places, usually within his existential angst and personal trauma. In The Jerusalem Syndrome Maron charts his early life and career, describing his long bout with the titular syndrome, which is a psychosis characterised by an intense religious character with delusions of self importance and the belief that one is a major religious figure or might bring about the messiah, triggered by a visit to the city of Jerusalem, except in Maron's case, he had it long before visiting the city. He describes the ups and downs of his career, his drug addiction, flirtation with conspiracy theories to explain what was wrong with the world, his gradual realization that his career and personal problems have more to do with his failings than others', and ultimate revelation in Israel that he's not the chosen one. Maron is a good writer with an easy to read, witty, and very sardonic style. Worth a read.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Marc Maron's podcast, "WTF With Marc Maron." He is an intelligent, insightful interviewer, who can talk to comics, musicians, actors, directors with equal ease. He is also an anxiety-ridden, middle-aged Jewish comic, who does not hesitate to discuss his fears--however ridiculous--in front of an audience. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, although I'm pretty sure I expected it to be funnier than it was. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it; it just was something other than what I had assumed. It's a memoir that basically helped me to piece together the bits of his life to which he often refers in his podcast, in a more-or-less chronological fashion.

It was especially interesting to hear Maron read the book himself. I'm actually not certain he was the best choice. His style is somewhat frenetic, and I'm not convinced that's the best way to read this. Then again, he probably wrote it in the same frenetic fashion, so his reading is probably the truest representation of his intention.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I also have Audible. I just love getting memoirs and listening to authors tell their story in their own words. I pre-ordered Jerusalem Syndrome as soon as it was offered and waited patiently through the month long push-back release. I had to listen to it as soon as it came out and thought I would be done in a day. THIS BOOK IS INTENSE. You must listen in small bursts because it Maron tells his story with the intensity of a buzz saw.
I started to listen to Marc Maron back during his Air America- Morning Sedition days. I have listened to all of his stand up shows and most of his podcasts, both WTF and when he does other shows like Nerdist. I thought I knew all his stories so I was pleasantly surprised when 95% of the material is new and CRAZY! Wow, that guy has lived a life- most of it in his own head. It was exhausting, but in a good way.
I wish I could give it 4.5 stars because it was really good and I don't want to spoil it for you. Give it a listen because it was a very good time.

[Otto Lehto · Rating 3 out of 5]

How do Maron's two books compare? Having read this book after the later, lengthier and slightly better semi-sequel, "Attempting Normal", the similarities are obvious. Most importantly, the humour and wit is there, already, in "J.S.". The best parts are autobiographical, and fans of Sam Kinison (and detractors alike) should rejoice at the delightful anecdotes hurdled at that sadistic man.

I would say the quality of the writing is on par across the two books. The quality of the insights, and spiritual wisdom, is somewhat lower in "J.S.", perhaps because it is written by a younger man. And perhaps the context of recounting autobiographical youthful follies, with an extensive itinerary of the Holy Land, is just not quite as engaging as the post-marriage, post-breakup, post-podcast Maron of the later years. However, I would recommend the book despite its brevity and shortcomings; just don't expect more than a pretty good act by an angry Jewish comedian still building up his voice.

[Elwood D Pennypacker]

Endearing himself through his podcast, Maron has made his life story intimately available to any one who gives a damn. One of his themes, one that strikes a chord with me, is the age old question for a certain sector of the contemporary American neurotic, "How Jewish am I really?" (And a second question, "Oh no am I really going to die one day?", but as that is a harder question to tackle, the book gladly only dwells on the first question).

Maybe one should take this adaption of his turn-of-the-century stage show more literal - it really is about his phase as a paranoiac and brief flirtation with messianic delusion. But no. It's not really about that. That's a smokescreen for what is essentially a brief autobiography and coming full circle to asking that question above. Or so the Bundesliga, or whatever conspiracy group he believed in for a day would have you believe!

To be continued with Attempting Normal.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a tremendous book! I've been a Marc Maron fan, like, forever--like BEFORE he was on Conan's show. But I waited til now for some reason to read his autobiography, his other book, "Attempting Normal", is more like a gateway drug for the Marc uninitiated--it didn't suck, but it was somewhat familiar territory for me.

In this book Marc talks about his youth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, his college years, as well as the early days of his career in Los Angeles' famed Comedy Store.

What you will read here is that Marc Maron is actually a very spiritual guy--don't laugh, it's true. At one point he actually meditates.

Reading this, one will see the drive behind his manic, neurotic comedy, see the gestation and formation of the themes behind it. It was a great ride, I dug it!

There's your review, Marc, we good?

[Katie Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is extremely fast-paced. Maron grows up fast with drugs and parties and a comedy club lifestyle that I think most readers can't exactly relate to, but can watch from the outside with a slightly horrified look. His experiences in comedy were most definitely interesting. The title is misleading - Maron never believed he was a Messiah, only that God occasionally spoke to him. His description of his trip to Israel definitely blew my notion of what Israel is like. Waterskiing and sunbathing was not the picture of Israel that had been ingrained in me. I enjoyed that the book opened my eyes to that. It's an enjoyable read even when the author seems bent on self-destruction and narcissism, he does it in a pretty entertaining way.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this even better than Maron's collection of essays, Attempting Normal (which is also great). An interesting glimpse into Maron's childhood, early days as a standup comic, and battles with addiction. (There's one scene involving world travelers and weed that's an exception to the rule of drug experiences being disastrous – it's maybe the most beautiful scene in the book.) A great read for fans of Maron, comedy, or people who have ever suspected that their life might be important in ways they can't quite figure out.

[Roberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, engaging book that takes you into the mind of Marc Maron and his life story. If you happen to follow his podcast you probably have heard many of the stories that he writes about in this book, but none the less, on this book he manages to make the stories feel new to the reader.

You wont be constantly laughing at the stories but it will make you find yourself on a couple of occasions smiling or even laughing out loud. Some parts will make you hate him, other love him, but in the end you will notice that you can't but just care about what goes through his mind and want to know what comes next in his life adventure.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spiritual journey as only Marc Maron could tell it. This book depicts Maron's early life and the beginning of his career, events leading up to him and his wife traveling to Jerusalem. It is fun and engaging as well as heartfelt. The audiobook is three hours, something you could knock out on a Sunday morning while completing your chores. (Also, Maron describes his last religious experience before traveling to Jerusalem in full detail. This experience was traveling to Atlanta and visiting the World of Coke. I found this rather relatable.) (Also also, ironic considering Maron's past vices.)

[James Brigham · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of WTF, I was familiar w/ several of the stories but it was nice to see them presented in a larger context of spiritual exploration. Marc's a good writer and his authorial voice is very consistent w/ his podcasting demeanor. I especially liked the search for God w/ the help of a Sony camcorder and Maron's connections between religion and commerce. I dog eared several pages that spoke eloquently about my own feelings regarding the search for Truth and individual expression. A keeper for the shelf, this one.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I avoided reading this book for years because I consider myself a Marc Maron super fan, having listened to all the podcasts since the beginning, watching old stand up specials and seeing him live now. I have heard a lot of his stories repeated and figured this would be the same. It decidedly was not. This book covers huge swaths of Marc's youth that he rarely touches on in interviews and it gave me a whole new perspective on him. Love that he had a Beatnik/bohemian youth, and listening to him philosophize brought me right back to wine and coffee-fueled college days.

[Bob Fingerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marc Maron is one of the best minds in comedy, and also one of its funniest, sharpest, most astute practitioners. Not all comedians can translate their work to another medium, but in The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah , Maron succeeds in spades, rendering his caustic yet humane humor in lively prose. Granted, I would love an audiobook of this read by the author even more, but you can't have everything. A fine, funny, neurotic journey of self-discovery.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was turned on to Marc Maron through his podcasts, and now that I've seen his standup live as well, I can honestly say he's one of the funniest, most intelligent and introspective comedians I'm aware of. His book is very well written and entertaining, but it gets a bit dull in the last third when he actually goes to Israel. The Hollywood drugs and partying stories in the first two thirds are much more interesting and fun. Good book though, some real gems of wisdom and hilarious bits.

[Bronwyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read these in reverse order. This came not long after Maron got sober, and he hadn't gotten enough distance to really dig deep. Sure, he makes fun of himself, but it's clear he hadn't figured out yet how to simultaneously skewer and forgive himself as he's able to later in life. Much of it reads (listens?) like a fever dream, especially since it's read by Maron, which is appropriate for the coked up majority of it.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads really well, I felt like Marc was popping out of the pages, high as a kite. The flow from childhood to the Israel trip really worked well, ending the funniest image of Marc and his camcorder.. I feel like this is a great read for fans, but for anyone coming in cold, it could be less interesting. I don't think I'll forget this one so soon, even after hearing parts of this on his podcast for some time already. Looking forward to reading his follow up.

[Ray Lux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marc Maron is one of the best comedians I have ever seen live. The man knows how to deliver the laughter with heart and wisdom. This book is an interesting read about Maron as he grew up and became what he is today. However, I feel like I lost part of the connection by not being Jewish. It was funny in parts but dragged in others.

If you like Marc Maron you'll probably like this book.