Metal Jew

The End All Around US

I have a chapter in a new edited collection The End All Around US: Apocalyptic Texts and Popular Culture The chapter is called 'End of the World Music: Is Extreme Metal the Sound of the Apocalypse?'.

Remember him this way

When Elvis Presley died in 1977, the New Music Express which was then smitten with punk, ran a front cover with a picture of the pre-army Elvis on stage. The headline was 'remember him this way'. This is pretty much what I am feeling about the death of Michael Jackson. Yes I feel bad for his kids. But he hadn't produced any music of note since 'Bad', his messianic hubris was appalling, his relations with children were at best bizarre and at worst abusive, his financial extravegance was disgusting.

So I will be remembering Michael Jackson as the extraordinary talent of the Jackson 5 era, when he voiced some of the most perfect pop ever created. Sure his 80s albums were also good, but it was in the 70s that he was truly extraordinary. It was of course his experiences in that time, being famous as a child, that probably damaged him irrevocably, making seeing him on stage as a kid bittersweet.

So, remember him this way:

 

Remember him this way

When Elvis Presley died in 1977, the New Music Express which was then smitten with punk, ran a front cover with a picture of the pre-army Elvis on stage. The headline was 'remember him this way'. This is pretty much what I am feeling about the death of Michael Jackson. Yes I feel bad for his kids. But he hadn't produced any music of note since 'Bad', his messianic hubris was appalling, his relations with children were at best bizarre and at worst abusive, his financial extravegance was disgusting.

So I will be remembering Michael Jackson as the extraordinary talent of the Jackson 5 era, when he voiced some of the most perfect pop ever created. Sure his 80s albums were also good, but it was in the 70s that he was truly extraordinary. It was of course his experiences in that time, being famous as a child, that probably damaged him irrevocably, making seeing him on stage as a kid bittersweet.

So, remember him this way:

 

The genius of Koby Israelite

Last Monday my wife and I went to see Baaba Maal at the Festival Hall, part of Ornette Coleman's Meltdown season. Baaba Maal was amazing but the real suprise was support act Koby Israelite . An Israeli living in London, he is a multi-instrumentalist who plays accordion on stage. He grew up as a drummer and apparently was in 'Israel's first speed metal band' (not sure who he's referring to. His current music is an extraordinary mix of klezmer, jazz, gypsy, balkan and metal music - often switching from one to another during the same song. His stuff is released on John Zorn's Tzadikl label. Has to be heard to be believed. Check him out. Also, there's an interview at Zeek.

International Day of Slayer

Today is the International Day of Slayer. Here's what you're supposed to do:

How to Celebrate

Listen to Slayer at full blast in your car.

Listen to Slayer at full blast in your home.

Listen to Slayer at full blast at your place of employment.

Listen to Slayer at full blast in any public place you prefer.

DO NOT use headphones! The objective of this day is for everyone within earshot to understand that it is the National Day of Slayer. National holidays in America aren't just about celebrating; they're about forcing it upon non-participants.

Taking that participation to a problematic level

Stage a "Slay-out." Don't go to work. Listen to Slayer.

Have a huge block party that clogs up a street in your neighborhood. Blast Slayer albums all evening. Get police cruisers and helicopters on the scene. Finish with a full-scale riot.

Spray paint Slayer logos on churches, synagogues, or cemeteries.[erm...maybe not]

Play Slayer covers with your own band (since 99% of your riffs are stolen from Slayer anyway).

Kill the neighbor's dog and blame it on Slayer.

It's Shabbat of course (I myself blogged this on Friday) but what better way of celebrating Motzei Shabbat than with a blast of 'Reign in Blood'?

This is a strange project in that it's hard to tell how tongue in cheek it all is. I'm interviewed on the site as part of a panel of experts. They asked some pretty serious and challenging questions. Have a look and decide for yourself.

Miscellaneous ('aint that a catchy title)

• My article on Jews and The Wire is now up - I'm quite proud of it.
• Invisible Oranges has a post featuring metal versions  of Hava  Nagila (although they don't mention this one)
• I hadn't  mentioned Punk Torah before. The ever-woinderful Y-Love offers his take here.

New publications

Although neither of these publications have much to do with my metal side, I am quite proud of them:

Jews talking about talking about Israel - article in Haaretz

Communities in conversation: Jewish involvment in inter faith activities in the UK - report published by the Board of Deputies