Lee Siegel Cannot Be Serious

The first I ever heard of Lee Siegel was in 1999, I believe, when he was hosting a panel in New York City, at The Cooper Union. The friend who had invited me to the panel referred to Siegel as a tummler — a word that comes from Yiddish and often refers to a Borscht Belt entertainer who cajoled the audience members onto their feet and engaged them — provoked them using insults, slapstick or one-liners, whatever worked. The tummler pulled a penny from behind your ear (and let you keep it), and then danced with your grandmother. He kept things zippy.