The Pleasures of Being Out of Step

Few writers have been more versatile, more controversial, and more unpredictable than Nat Hentoff. David L. Lewis's documentary offers a sharp, invigorating profile of Hentoff, detailing his impact on the worlds of popular culture and politics. Born in 1925 and raised in Boston, Hentoff developed an early love for jazz, and he leveraged his passion for the music and his considerable communication skills into a radio hosting gig while still a teenager. His first career peak as the editor of the jazz publication Down Beat helped bring a wider popular appreciation of jazz to the public, while also enabling a generation of creative artists to reach new audiences. (An attempt to carry over jazz to television was short-lived, but featured some brilliant performances, including a rare turn by late-life Billie Holiday.) Hentoff brought his love of jazz to a column in New York's provocative weekly The Village Voice, where he began to expand his writing, championing political causes that many of the newspaper's loyal readers found objectionable (including his opposition to abortion and his advocacy of First Amendment principles for neo-Nazis seeking to march in a predominantly Jewish town). While Hentoff doesn't really elaborate here at greater depth on his political ideas, the film nonetheless serves as a winning tribute to an iconoclastic writer who continues to make a profound impact on his readership and the world of journalism. Recommended. (P. Hall)