You’ve Got to Blurb Somebody
An endorsement from Bob Dylan is a rare thing, but when it’s attached to a marital guide by an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, it’s a sure sign that the times they have a-changed. Rabbi Manis Friedman’s ‘Doesn’t Anyone Blush Anymore?’ (Harper Collins), a how-to on reclaiming intimacy and modesty in realationships, came Dylan’s way through a friend. And the singer felt strongly enough to lend his imprimatur: “Anyone who’s either married or thinking of getting married would do well to read this book,” Dylan’s blurb says.
“I think his values pretty much coincide with what the book says,” says Friedman, whose popular show ‘Torah Forum’ promotes ethical thinking in cable markets across the U.S. “He’s a very strong family man.” While Friedman is big on family, he thinks the sexual revolution has led to an assortment of problems. “People have become very disenchanted with sex in general,” he says. “We’re squandering it, wasting it all over the place. And when it comes to settling down and having an intimate relationship, we’re finding that we’re not capable.”
This is a story from the January 10th, 1991 issue of Rolling Stone.