Name: Anonymous 2011-07-13 18:26
The history of New York punk is also the history of late twentieth century Jewish culture. As strange as that might sound, Steve Lee Beeber makes a good case for the natural progression from vaudeville to borscht belt to punk in his highly entertaining The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk. Full of information that even the most enthusiastic music fans may not have known, Beeber explores how the punk ethos and Jewish culture tied together musicians as disparate as Lou Reed and Joey Ramone, and where the influence of Judaism can be seen even in those who deny the influence of Jewish culture on their art.
Beeber's deep research misses little, and he is not afraid to tell the reader unflattering tidbits such as how Jonathan Richman walked away when Beeber tried to interview him about his childhood and upbringing or how Alan Vega from Suicide actually denied being Jewish for a very long time. He unabashedly refers to Debbie Harry of Blondie as a shiksa goddess. He bluntly informs readers about the breakup between German model and Velvet Underground singer Nico and Lou Reed by reiterating her statement, "I cannot make love to Jews anymore." When Tommy Erdélyi (aka Tommy Ramone) asks if Beeber is trying to "out Jews" with the book, readers may get a sense of what it meant to be Jewish in the mid-to-late twentieth century. Even post-WWII, Jews were outsiders, and many Jews felt that their heritage was to be hidden, not celebrated.
Just give a listen to NOFX's Judeo-African hit song, Kill All the White Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWrlbRdJsSE
Beeber's deep research misses little, and he is not afraid to tell the reader unflattering tidbits such as how Jonathan Richman walked away when Beeber tried to interview him about his childhood and upbringing or how Alan Vega from Suicide actually denied being Jewish for a very long time. He unabashedly refers to Debbie Harry of Blondie as a shiksa goddess. He bluntly informs readers about the breakup between German model and Velvet Underground singer Nico and Lou Reed by reiterating her statement, "I cannot make love to Jews anymore." When Tommy Erdélyi (aka Tommy Ramone) asks if Beeber is trying to "out Jews" with the book, readers may get a sense of what it meant to be Jewish in the mid-to-late twentieth century. Even post-WWII, Jews were outsiders, and many Jews felt that their heritage was to be hidden, not celebrated.
Just give a listen to NOFX's Judeo-African hit song, Kill All the White Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWrlbRdJsSE