- Surf City Synagogue
- "Jewish Evacuees Strive for Ritual" (Washington Post)
- Dar Williams
- Terrific New Theatre
- Detroit Jewish News
- HermesNews
Friday, October 07, 2005
Jews in Alabama, Episode #11
A looonnnnggg podcast to make up for our 10-day absence!! We talk about our first press coverage, Rosh Hashanah, anti-Semitic podcasts (and free speech), Adam Curry, Surf City Synagogue in LA, Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, and have some GarageBand issues. Sorry for the static in some of the episode! (51 minutes, 47 seconds)
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11 comments:
The singer sounds like she would be in the Christian rock section.
Its not a free speech issue with either of the podcasts- the white supremists or the pedophiles. No one was going to take away their ability to podcast. Just their ability to advertise on a privately owned site and Adam Curry finally made the decision to get rid of them.When I listen to people talk about free speech and how they rightfully want to protect it I somehow get the feeling that we have gotten so lost that we don't have a clue as to where to draw the line anymore. I would have rathered messed with the Nazi's then leave the alley. Their slogan is connected to Jews running the media- I would have loved to see for one month the top ten consisting of you guys, israelisms, israellycool, the view or any other Jewish named podcast. We could have done a mass push for it on all the Jewish blogs etc. The Nazi's are gone but are still around on the alley forum.
So I say- long live the pickle! I put you guys on my favorites list.
Dar's definitely not a Christian pop star -- more of a secular humanist, actually. "Teen for God," like a lot of her songs, is written tongue-in-cheek about organized religion. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of the movie "Saved," if anyone's seen that....great film!!
Long live the Pickle, indeed!! As Raya said, it's a much cuter name, anyway!
Haven't had a chance to listen yet, but just seeing that you linked Dar Williams makes me excited to catch up tomorrow! She's way up there on my list of absolute favorites.
We saw Dar in Atlanta last night. As always, she put on a FABULOUS show. Warm and funny, engaging to her audience -- she's just an amazing performer. We've seen her perform live 4 or 5 times now, and each time is just fantastic. We love her!!!
I'm so jealous that you've seen Dar that often! She tends to not play wherever I'm living while I'm living there... I've only seen her live once, but since it was free and outdoors and very community-oriented, I'm ok with that. Hopefully I'll catch her in Ann Arbor in a few weeks.
And by the way, I definitely consider her folk, as do most of the people I know who listen to her. Or folk-rock, although her older stuff isn't rock-y at all.
Where in Detroit are you from, Eric? My partner, Lauren, is from Southfield.
I grew up in the Macomb county suburbs of Detroit -- Mt Clemens, Sterling Heights, Utica, etc. Lots of Polish Catholic and Italian Catholic relatives still in Roseville, Warren, Richmond, Clinton Township, etc., etc., etc. These names probably mean nothing to you, but Lauren should recognize them!!
It's so bizarre and ironic that the first press coverage we get would be from the Detroit Jewish News. Our podcast covered by the Jewish newspaper from the town where I grew up Catholic. The world works in mysterious ways sometimes. Raya asked if I was worried that some of my relatives would see the issue. But I can't imagine why any of them would read the Detroit Jewish News!!!
It's not a secret from my Michigan family that I'm Jewish. It was actually a major issue for some of my dad's family when I converted, and he doesn't really have any communication with two of his brothers any more over the way they acted like mine and Raya's wedding just didn't exist.
I love Ann Arbor -- the quintessential "college town." What a perfect place for Dar to play!!
We saw Dar perform two sets last summer at FloydFest, a big ol' hippie festival in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. It was amazing to see her in an outdoor setting, the mountains visible behind the stage.
Raya and I bought T-shirts at this weekend's show with the "logo" of "Peace Branch Horse & Bible Camp" on the front, and a quote from "Teen for God" on the back. I was wearing mine on Sunday when we stopped in a kosher grocery store in Atlanta on our way out of town. I thought I might get some interesting looks, but no one really seemed to notice!! :)
I just listened to the podcast (took a while - I've had it since Saturday night) and to me it sounds like you guys have been in the South for too long :-) . Maybe I'm just an ignorant Noreaster but her song sounds like every other country song I've ever heard, just with different lyrics.
But if you like it...
This is the way G-d works-- My daughter and I went to the LA County Museum of Art, and we were walking blocks to get some lunch (my daughter gets hungry and tired and then will currently only eat Burger King. For years it was Subway. Now she won't eat Subway ever) and we walked past the El Rey theater. The only reason I knew it was from a DJ Quik song "You'z a Ganxta" from a few years back. Anyway. So I saw signs for Dar Williams October 14. "Huh. Dar Williams. I've heard the name. No idea what he plays. Or she. Huh." So then on the way home from the museum I listened to Jews in Alabama. And you guys brought up Dar Williams. So odd. What the heck and I supposed to do with that?
I was not sure whether I'd like Dar based on that one song, so I googled her lyrics. "The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis of a Co-ed" is one of many I really liked. I don't know if I'll like her music, but I like the words to a lot of stuff.
As far as your t-shirt --
no one notices much. One of the teenage girls in our congregation is currently "acting out," but attending Rosh Hashanah services while doing so. She wore a Chrome Hearts logo shirt. And while the Chrome Hearts brand does use hearts, it uses crosses a lot more. So she was doing the disaffected teenage thing of going from seats to bathroom to outside to seats to bathroom thing all throughout the service while wearing a t-shirt with a huge fancy cross on her back. We all know she did this on purpose. And she knows we know. Her mom was mortified, but no one else noticed a thing. I noticed it, because I knew the issues with this kid, but I thought it cute-- she was at services.
When I worked at Disneyland there was a small but devoted bunch of punk kids who would hang out in Disneyland all day and night all summer long. They were dressed up so tough, but they seemed to think everyone wouldn't notice they were at Disneyland.
OK, based on comments from Carol and J, I think we picked a bad Dar Williams song to play as an example. It's one of our current favorites from her new CD, but it sounds a lot different from much of her music. And I think you all missed the point -- she's not actually advocating being a "teen for God!"
And J - Dar is a noreaster too!
Rebecca - We're glad you're a kindred spirit!!
Lee - you should definitely go see Dar on October 14! I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Alright, enough of that soapbox...
Raya :)
Uh, it's Friday night, and if it wasn't, I probably would go, but while I am terrible about Shabbat on Saturday, I'm pretty good about keeping Shabbat Friday night. I have a ton more excuses where that came from... :)
Donnie, we'll be sure to let y'all know next time we head to Atlanta, and y'all can meet us there. Y'all be sure to send us some music lists; if y'all like it, we probably will too!! :D
Lee, keeping shabbas is a pretty good excuse, so we'll give you a pass, I guess. But a very weird coincidence; I still think the universe might be telling you to go to that concert...at the very least, you should listen to some of her music.
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