Mandy Patinkin's Yiddish album

[Ingemar Johansson <hebanon...>]

In reply to Ari's reflections on my thoughts on Mandy Patinkin's Yiddish
album I first of all want to say this: I cannot see why we should leave
bodily functions out of the picture. This doesn't mean that I'm advocating
some vulgar criticism, per se, but sometimes your deepest reactions must be
expressed in a sensual way. And what is more sensual than your bodily
functions? If not bodily, what is otherwise the meaning of that
high-praised word "sensual"?

I, for sure, cannot judge the inner, national, American worth of Patinkin's
CD, but I really don't understand what Ari means when he writes that "it's
such an amazing tribute to language, to culture, and to our times and the
times of 75 and 100 years ago". Excuse my use of bodily, or animale
language, but this sentence is a piece of fly-blows. As to language MP is
just imitating, as to culture he just pretends to be rooted in the Yiddish
one, as to "our times and the times of 75 and 100 years ago" this just open
an abyss between Yiddish Culture, still alive, and the _contemplators_ of
its past. That's all. Thinking of it, you Ari, a non-Yiddish-speaking
critic, praising an album from a non-Yiddish-speaking singer to an audience
of predominantly non-Yiddish-speakers.  A farce, isn't it? 

To make myself clear: with all my shortcomings re. American culture this
album of Patinkins seems unauthentic to me,  thats the word: UNAUTHENTIC.
And that's why I don't like it.

Abisl zin, abisl reign;
Ingemar Johansson