Re: Kinky Jewish Music

[Alex J. Lubet <lubet001...>]

Responding to the message of <abc1603b(dot)36b3271d (at) aol(dot)com>
from jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org:
>
What Kinky Friedman (and the Klezmatics, for that matter) has done is to 
appropriate bigoted language and turned it on the bigots, the way 
African-Americans do with 'nigger' and gays and lesbians with 'queer.'  I've 
loved Kinky's stuff for 20 years.  Playing his albums got me through my first 
year of grad school in Iowa City, not exactly the New Jerusalem.  On the other 
hand, that sort of thing isn't to everyone's taste--some of it might be 
generational--and we should all try to understand each other on this.  
Yiddishkeit should remain--as it was in Abraham's time--a big tent.  We could 
all learn from Kinky and the Klezmatics and direct our vitriol towards 
appropriate targets.  (I'm not suggesting that Gideon has made his points--with 
which I wholeheartedly agree--inappropriately.  Quite the contrary, I wish I'd 
said it myself.  We do sometimes, as a group, get carried away.)
> 
> What I take from Simon's response is that antisemitism is so horrible that we
> have to shut our eyes and ears at the mere mention of any antisemitic phrase. 
> 
> 
> What Kinky Friedman does is well within the realm of self-mocking Jewish
> humor.  He also writes songs about characters who may or may not have the
> finest values.  Question:  Does anyone really think that Randy Newman thinks
> people of short stature really have no reason to live?
> 
> I don't know if you are familiar with Kinky's songs, but I honestly believe
> someone walks away from hearing them with improved views of Jews, not excuses
> to hate.  Jews in Kinky's world are strong enough to poke fun at themselves -
> we don't have to be perfect or holy to deserve to live.  
> 
> Also, we deserve to be the subject of "popular" songs in America's language
> and in a classically American musical style.  Kinky writes about Jews in
> English without sounding like another lame Judeo-pop(folk) singer who simply
> waits to say "Moshiach" every third line.  I guess if we want to be sexist we
> should just sing in Yiddish so most people will be unable to understand the
> lyrics.  And anyway, its a "folk" song so the singer today isn't responsible
> for the views expressed.  This has allowed British/Celtic singers to get away
> with anti-PC songs about murdering kitchen boys for years.  
> 
> And for the record, "They Don't Make Jews like Jesus Anymore" has nothing to
> do with phony cop-out terms like "Chanukah is a Jewish Christmas."  It is a
> strong song AGAINST antisemitism and racism.  While I don't have a direct
> personal connection to the Holocaust, I believe that "Ride Em Jewboy" is one
> of the best and most sensitive songs I have heard in English dealing with the
> tragedy.  If you can't get beyond Kinky's use of the word "Jewboy" or hate
> country music then you will not appreciate the song.  But I suspect others 
> may
> disagree, not on the basis of Jewish defense politics, but on the basis of
> songwriting.
> 
> Gideon
> 
> 
> .


Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music
Adjunct Professor of American Studies
University of Minnesota
2106 4th St. S
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612 624-7840 612 626-2200 (fax)

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