The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk
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- Author：Steven Lee Beeber
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Summary
Based in part on recent interviews with more than 125 people—among them Tommy Ramone， Chris Stein （Blondie）， Lenny Kaye （Patti Smith Group）， Hilly Kristal （CBGBs owner）， and John Zorn—this book focuses on punk’s beginnings in New York City to show that punk was the most Jewish of rock movements， in both makeup and attitude。 As it originated in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the early 1970s， punk rock was the apotheosis of a Jewish cultural tradition that found its ultimate expression in the generation born after the Holocaust。 Beginning with Lenny Bruce， “the patron saint of punk，” and following pre-punk progenitors such as Lou Reed， Jonathan Richman， Suicide， and the Dictators， this fascinating mixture of biography， cultural studies， and musical analysis delves into the lives of these and other Jewish punks—including Richard Hell and Joey Ramone—to create a fascinating historical overview of the scene。 Reflecting the irony， romanticism， and， above all， the humor of the Jewish experience， this tale of changing Jewish identity in America reveals the conscious and unconscious forces that drove New York Jewish rockers to reinvent themselves—and popular music。
Reviews
Jeremy
，
Fun and fascinating！ Unique look at the origins of punk。 Impressive access and research and a really interesting take on the Jewish and post-Holocaust influence on a very New York/American form of music。 Highly recommended！
David Roover
，
Great research， clearly a labor of love。 Some of the connections / conclusions /influences just seemed a bit contrived to me。
Jennifer Giacalone
，
A well written history of the growth of punk rock and the punk scene， looking specifically at its Jewish lineage from Lou Reed to the Ramones， it’s spiritual roots with Lenny Bruce and how Jewishness shaped the punk attitude。 Recommended reading for music history nerds and punk enthusiasts。
Mercer Smith
，
This star rating is for the content of the book rather than the book itself。 I learned a lot by reading and got much deeper insights into this culture。 But， my god， is the author smug as get out。 It was torturous to read in places because he was so full of himself。
Antonije Mirović
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am so interesting about immigrant jewish influences in foundation of american and newyorker new wave and punk rock movement。
Micaela
，
I'll start by saying I loved reading this。 It taught me a ton I didn't know about Jews in punk （obviously） as well as punk in general， a genre I like and have listened to a fair amount of but is a subject in which I'm not really educated at all。 （For example， I was sure that the Sex Pistols formed before the Ramones， but that was wrong。） More than just knowledge though， it also gave me a fresh appreciation for the genre。At some point in my life I knew Joey Ramone was Jewish， since I recently re- I'll start by saying I loved reading this。 It taught me a ton I didn't know about Jews in punk （obviously） as well as punk in general， a genre I like and have listened to a fair amount of but is a subject in which I'm not really educated at all。 （For example， I was sure that the Sex Pistols formed before the Ramones， but that was wrong。） More than just knowledge though， it also gave me a fresh appreciation for the genre。At some point in my life I knew Joey Ramone was Jewish， since I recently re-found a post on my blog that says I knew it， but I'd forgotten - as I'd forgotten the line "it's not kosher" in "Rock the Casbah" - so there was an element of rediscovering in this book， but most of the book was new。 As a way of learning about punk history， this was definitely an interesting angle。 And it's fun！ It's not particularly propulsive， but being able to point to moments in the text and go "oh I know that song" or make a playlist of the songs that got mentioned is just a good time。All that said， the only thing I have written in my notes （where I keep things I want to make sure I mention） is， "some things are a stretch。" And they most definitely are。 Being a permanent diaspora is tough。 Our culture（s） has/have disappeared or been decimated by genocide or by time。 My theory is that the phenomenon of people trying to ascribe Jewishness to things that have nothing to do with it （Beeber is far from the first to do this！） is a kind of desperate search for a distinct new culture， in the absence of our own。 Beeber does this， however， in spades。I certainly think that as an ethos， the punk attitude of living outside a mainstream or on the periphery， rejecting authority， etc。 certainly has an element of Jewishness about it， but saying any more than that requires a really good case to back it up， which I don't think Beeber accomplished。 He puts the label of Jewish-ish onto bands and individuals who have no relationship with Judaism besides people they associate with or， somehow， the Nazi symbols they wear （I really don't think I have enough words to get into this bit）， and he tries to make a case that not only does punk as a culture have a touch of Jewishness， potentially because of New York in general， but that it's somehow intrinsically Jewish。 （He makes some bold comparisons with jazz， which I bristled at; jazz is a much more intrinsically Black art form and it's not an equivalent at all。）I thought he also missed an opportunity when talking about Richard Hell， who rejected Judaism and objected to being involved in the book。 Beeber insists he is Jewish in religion and personality anyway， forcing something on him that he has not only grown apart from but wholly rejected。 I think there was a chance here to talk about how punk essentially became a new belief system， rather than just making the unoriginal point that Jewish people who no longer identify as Jews are， well， somehow still Jews against their will。 （This is obviously a complicated and thorny issue; I'm not really taking a side， just pointing out that if Beeber was already slapping Judaism onto a lot of things somewhat willy-nilly this was a chance to actually explore the part of punk that not only wasn't Jewish but rejected Jewishness。） I have two other gripes， but I will keep them short: Considering it is a book about Jewish punk， the Nazi participation in punk was so glossed over。 Not only did Beeber seem reluctant to admit that nothing about Johnny Ramone should be considered Jewish （since he was a raging antisemite！）， but the fact - THE FACT - that Nazi skinheads were an unfortunate part of punk in the 80s （see， I know some things） was essentially ignored in favor of a fantasy that punk is an idyllic scene with no Nazis。 Not true， and unfortunately， any account of Jewish history that ignores significant antisemitism will always be an incomplete one。And finally， Beeber seems really， really reluctant to admit that a lot of the development of punk rock happened in England。 In a book like this it's understandable to treat New York as the birthplace and breeding ground of punk， but the fact is that even if it wasn't born there， punk owes as much to British punk as New York punk。 （This， in my opinion， is a product of insisting that every item in the book not only be related to the Jewish punks or Jewishness but be literally Jewish itself， which forces a narrow view。）But anyway。 All of this griping， and I still really liked it。 How can I write a review more punk or more Jewish than that？ 。。。more
Jo
，
I’ve been wanting to read this for almost 10 years， and it was only at the end of last year that I finally managed to get hold of a copy。 Two copies， to be precise: a book I got via interlibrary loan and a new purchase。 Imagine how excited I was。And what can I say: it was well worth the wait。 As expected， I wasn’t too happy with the chapter on English punk and how non-American contributions in general are downplayed or neglected。 （I recently stumbled across the Peruvian proto-punk band The Saico I’ve been wanting to read this for almost 10 years， and it was only at the end of last year that I finally managed to get hold of a copy。 Two copies， to be precise: a book I got via interlibrary loan and a new purchase。 Imagine how excited I was。And what can I say: it was well worth the wait。 As expected， I wasn’t too happy with the chapter on English punk and how non-American contributions in general are downplayed or neglected。 （I recently stumbled across the Peruvian proto-punk band The Saicos， for instance。 Why only now？） But of course， a deeper investigation into that would have been beside the point。Apart from that， the book is just brilliant。 My brand new copy soon got stained with coffee and looks a bit rotten。 First I was pissed off because of that， and then I thought: how very fitting。 。。。more
Alysia Abbott
，
Steven Beeber has written the music book I've been waiting to read。 From Lou Reed （ne Lou Rabinowitz） to Blondie's Chris Stein， Punk Rock's Jewish roots are vitally important but have been too long ignored。 Beeber has the music scholarship and the writing chops to create a vital and compelling read。 I couldn't put it down！ The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's is a must have for every serious music lover。 Steven Beeber has written the music book I've been waiting to read。 From Lou Reed （ne Lou Rabinowitz） to Blondie's Chris Stein， Punk Rock's Jewish roots are vitally important but have been too long ignored。 Beeber has the music scholarship and the writing chops to create a vital and compelling read。 I couldn't put it down！ The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's is a must have for every serious music lover。 。。。more
Sherry
，
Like many other reviewers， I too really wanted to agree with the argument of this book。 I think the premise is flawed， though。 As Beeber says over and over in the book "According to Lenny Bruce， if you're Catholic in NYC， you're Jewish" （paraphrasing）。 It's easy to conflate being Jewish and being a New Yorker。 But， the sound and attitude were first cultivated by the MC5， Stooges， and lesser-known Death - all from Detroit and none Jewish。 Okay， their manager was Jewish - it's a far cry to say his Like many other reviewers， I too really wanted to agree with the argument of this book。 I think the premise is flawed， though。 As Beeber says over and over in the book "According to Lenny Bruce， if you're Catholic in NYC， you're Jewish" （paraphrasing）。 It's easy to conflate being Jewish and being a New Yorker。 But， the sound and attitude were first cultivated by the MC5， Stooges， and lesser-known Death - all from Detroit and none Jewish。 Okay， their manager was Jewish - it's a far cry to say his Jewishness made their sound or that they wouldn't otherwise have been discovered。 Well， perhaps， since he didn't represent Death and they never "made it。" It's still too much of a stretch for my taste。What I have always taken from Punk's relationship to NYC is the downtown aspect of "how ugly can I make my art and have you consume it？" Now， I am a great fan of punk rock music。 It's my first love。 You have to admit， Patti Smith and Television （at least for their time） were as "ugly" as a Vincent Gallo movie。 Not Jewish; ironic， intelligent， GG Allen-esq art。 Lenny Bruce was the same; he was Jewish， but was completely rejected by the larger Jewish community because his art was too "ugly" for the catskills set。Having said all of that， I did enjoy the book。 After I set aside the core argument， I did enjoy reading about the backgrounds of my fellow punk rock Tribesmen and women。 I had no idea Tommy Ramone was a Holocaust survivor。 And I did appreciate the chapter on why so many Jews at the time were co-opting nazi paraphernalia。 That one stumped me for the first half of the book。 I'm still not totally satisfied with the response， but it was interesting。 。。。more
Robin
，
Oy， those sweet little bar mitzvah pictures。
Jime
，
The musician cast is the same as in McNeil and McCain's "Please Kill Me" but instead of entertaining the reader with stories of punks and pre-punks shooting up on the stairs， getting the clap， cross dressing， and stabbing Nancy Spungen， this book argues that the Jewish background of the subjects is responsible for Punk as a significant aesthetic and cultural movement。 Given the stories recounted in "Please Kill Me" it seems like a stretch to say that Jewish influence is somehow to be blamed for The musician cast is the same as in McNeil and McCain's "Please Kill Me" but instead of entertaining the reader with stories of punks and pre-punks shooting up on the stairs， getting the clap， cross dressing， and stabbing Nancy Spungen， this book argues that the Jewish background of the subjects is responsible for Punk as a significant aesthetic and cultural movement。 Given the stories recounted in "Please Kill Me" it seems like a stretch to say that Jewish influence is somehow to be blamed for the appalling culture destruction that was Punk as practiced by the Jews of the NY scene。 I'll leave that to people channeling Goebbels - and to the many skinheads whose scene was mostly ignored by the author， despite their having almost as much Nazi paraphernalia as the Jews profiled in this book。 There is almost no support for the book's thesis obtained by examining the punk scenes of other cities。 It is unfortunate that the experience of Jewish Punks outside NY is barely discussed。 And doubtless the Jews in the NY scene were indirectly traumatized by the Nazi death camps， watching Vietnam lost to communism on TV， Reaganomics， and seeing their parents labor in dull careers to provide material security to ungrateful offspring。 But this was not only the experience of Jews or New Yorkers。 Even if one doesn't have relatives who were gassed， thinking about the Holocaust is traumatizing。 Ditto for Vietnam and the many wars before and after。 And insufficient appreciation of elders' sacrifices was part of the general youth culture of the time （although the book does argue that this culture was itself a Jewish creation and phenomenon， since so many Jewish youths were leaders of it， scoring a point for Goebbels。） It's not clear that the reaction of Jewish youth to these influences is very different from that of other youth， except for the inside jokes Jews occasionally smuggled into songs。 So there's little case that Punk is an especially Jewish expression， though as the book shows there certainly were a lot of Jews making the music and working in the business side of it。Despite these shortcomings， I don't regret having read this book。 The chapters about Hilly Kristal and Jonathan Richman were close to uplifting。 They were welcome relief from the degradation， wasted talent， narcissism， exploitation， destruction of self and others， destruction of almost all positive values and the positive culture that might have been， that shocked lobes into senselessness in three chord blasts。 。。。more
Armand
，
Dull。
Music Guy
，
FIVE STARS for this bold and surprising read。 Through a combination of original interviews and archival research， Beeber uncovers the hidden-in-plain sight Jewish origins of American punk rock， wittily examining the lives and lyrics of artists such as Lou Reed， the Ramones， and Jonathan Richman （the Modern Lovers）。 Carefully researched and compulsively readable。
Rishon Blumberg
，
Interesting！
Tom
，
Interesting idea about jewish influence in punk music in New York。 I think the author stretches his case too far including saying that London punk is also jewish influenced because Malcolm McLaren （sex pistols manager） is jewish。 There is some new information in the book but at times seems too strident。 This book is only recommended for people already informed on the topic of New York punk music。
Topher
，
punk rock jews（really， I'd give it more like 3。5 stars but that's not an option） punk rock jews（really， I'd give it more like 3。5 stars but that's not an option） 。。。more
Sam
，
The main argument found in Steven Lee Beeber’s Heebie Jeebies is hinged on two main points: First， Jewish Americans played a pivotal role in the formation of not only the punk rock movement， but in American and Western music as a whole。 Second， that this is an overlooked secret。 To the first part I say: duh; and to the second I say… well I guess it’s not such a secret。 I was unaware that not only scholars， but people in general were ignorant to the prominence of Jewish Americans in music history The main argument found in Steven Lee Beeber’s Heebie Jeebies is hinged on two main points: First， Jewish Americans played a pivotal role in the formation of not only the punk rock movement， but in American and Western music as a whole。 Second， that this is an overlooked secret。 To the first part I say: duh; and to the second I say… well I guess it’s not such a secret。 I was unaware that not only scholars， but people in general were ignorant to the prominence of Jewish Americans in music history and popular culture。 Granted， Beeber effectively highlights some stories of Jewish punk rockers that might get swept under the proverbial rug， but he does so in a way that becomes quickly redundant; to the extent that he seems to stretch issues and points to make connection isn't really there。 The strength of the work lies in the analysis surely， but honestly his most thought-provoking arguments seem to be derivative based on his source notes。 To say that I did not like the work as a whole is a fallacy， but it bothered me for several reasons: first the weakness of the thesis， the lack of musical theory to coincide with punk rock as a cultural movement， and finally Beeber manages to make a subject that is not boring， a tedious read。 For a more comprehensive look at punk rock， that in my opinion doesn’t gloss over the prominence of Jews in punk， just stick with Please Kill Me （monograph that Beeber sights often）。 It’s is a larger volume， but leaves the tedium at the door。 。。。more
Lee
，
I went through a Punk Rock phase a long time ago， never fully realized that it was largely a Jewish movement。 Very well written and insightful。
Sherri Machlin
，
It was so enjoyable to learn some of the historical background and theories behind the slam dance between Jews and Punk Rock！ Growing up as a suburban Jewish NY teen， I was nourished by The Ramones， Blondie， Richard Hell and the Voidoids， countless other bands- your book was a unique take on the post-modern Jewish experience。
Arielle
，
This book was overall awesome and had some really interesting ideas （explanations of the use of swastikas and discussions of the holocaust， connections between jewish comedians/radical activists and punk music， etc。） but it had a couple of huge problems。 The first problem was that it was EXTREMELY repetitive （some quotes had to have been used at least 4 times， often within paragraphs of each other） and the second problem was that Beeber was super loose in his definition of "Jewish" （Dee Dee and This book was overall awesome and had some really interesting ideas （explanations of the use of swastikas and discussions of the holocaust， connections between jewish comedians/radical activists and punk music， etc。） but it had a couple of huge problems。 The first problem was that it was EXTREMELY repetitive （some quotes had to have been used at least 4 times， often within paragraphs of each other） and the second problem was that Beeber was super loose in his definition of "Jewish" （Dee Dee and Johnny Ramone are the ultimate self-hating honorary Jews？！？） and in his definition of "punk" （the Beastie Boys）。 It's definitely worth reading if you're interested in New York punk history and/or Jewish culture， but it's also frustratingly flawed。 。。。more
John
，
An analysis of Punk rock that takes the position that Punk sprang from Jewish angst。 Beeber covers Jewish influences such as Lenny Bruce and Lou Reed as founding reasons for a subsequent wave of Jewish punk rockers。 While Joey Ramone， Richard Hell， Chris Stein just to name a few were Jewish this seems a forced dissertation for a movement that had to happen。 Disco， prog rock and self indulgent arena rock （with those endless drum solos）were the real cause of Punk。 That some of Punk's best were fro An analysis of Punk rock that takes the position that Punk sprang from Jewish angst。 Beeber covers Jewish influences such as Lenny Bruce and Lou Reed as founding reasons for a subsequent wave of Jewish punk rockers。 While Joey Ramone， Richard Hell， Chris Stein just to name a few were Jewish this seems a forced dissertation for a movement that had to happen。 Disco， prog rock and self indulgent arena rock （with those endless drum solos）were the real cause of Punk。 That some of Punk's best were from New York （and more likely to be Jewish） doesn't take into account the west coast movement。 While the author try as he might pushes for the angst angle， he doesn't give due weight to the merely ironic。 Yes Punk was angry but it was also funny and sometimes completely ironic。 The many interviews were great （and some of those interviewed also seemed surprised by the premise of the author） but I kept thinking that an even-handed oral history might be better。 。。。more
NYLon Carry On
，
Jewish punk！ Who knew！？ I'd never thought about it， or noticed it before。。。 But， yeah， punk is a Jew thang！ Great interviews。 Very well written。 Never boring。 And， I LEARNED SO MUCH！！！ Jewish punk！ Who knew！？ I'd never thought about it， or noticed it before。。。 But， yeah， punk is a Jew thang！ Great interviews。 Very well written。 Never boring。 And， I LEARNED SO MUCH！！！ 。。。more
Lawrence A
，
When I saw the title of this book， I nearly plotzed。 I became a punk/new wave fan in 1976-1977， during my freshman year at Brandeis， when my classmate Neil Kaplan （younger brother of Ira Kaplan， the soon-to-be-frontman of Yo La Tengo）， played me the compilation record "Live From CBGB's" and Television's "Marquee Moon，" the latter of which quickly became one of my 2 or 3 favorite records of all time （see， e。g。， my profile picture on Goodreads， in which I'm wearing the cover art of that album on m When I saw the title of this book， I nearly plotzed。 I became a punk/new wave fan in 1976-1977， during my freshman year at Brandeis， when my classmate Neil Kaplan （younger brother of Ira Kaplan， the soon-to-be-frontman of Yo La Tengo）， played me the compilation record "Live From CBGB's" and Television's "Marquee Moon，" the latter of which quickly became one of my 2 or 3 favorite records of all time （see， e。g。， my profile picture on Goodreads， in which I'm wearing the cover art of that album on my t-shirt）。 I was hooked。 While I was then， and still am， a big fan of classic rock， psychedelic rock， and jam bands， the immediacy， humor， and outrageousness of the punk ethos appealed to my sense of the absurd and my dislike of sacred cows。 In addition， although I've always loved playing the parlor game "Jewish or not Jewish，" and I had known for quite some time that several leading lights in the punk movement had Jewish backgrounds （Joey and Tommy Ramone， Chris Stein， Richard Hell）， I hadn't thought to connect the issues of Jewish outsiderness， musicality， and the propensity for questioning and arguing about everything， with the sudden flowering of punk as a uniquely Jewish aesthetic。 Beeber has done that brilliantly here， tracing the punk attitude back to my "landsman，" the great comedian and social critic Lenny Bruce （we both grew up in the same suburban town---North Bellmore， on the south shore of Long Island's Nassau County） and rock icon and Velvet Underground founder， Lou Reed （who grew up in Freeport， only 2 stops away on the Long Island Rail Road）， as well as the great Jewish Brill Building pop song craftsmen and women who sometimes informed the interests and influences of their wilder musical progeny。 The writing is excellent， both analytically and descriptively， with lots of Jewish humor and more than a little poetry。 Beeber not only has meticulously delved into source material and obtained excellent interviews with many of the movers and shakers of the punk era， he also gives a cogent aesthetic， social， and political explanation for the Jewish influence over， if not the conscious creation of， punk and DIY music。 Moreover， Beeber has good explanations for the seeming incongruity of Nazi and fascist imagery in much of punk music， both American and British， despite punk's reputation as an inclusive， outsider artform。 As he explains it， it was a semi-conscious， or sometimes blatantly self-conscious， attempt by the sons and daughters of the Holocaust generation to defeat fear with irony and humor， as if to say "the f***ing Nazis lost and we won" or "we're not little puking Yeshivah-buchers， we're badass" （see e。g。， the great Jewish proto-punk band The Dictators or mostly Jewish hardrockers Blue Oyster Cult）。This book was a delight to read， and truly reveals the spirit of the mid-to-late 70s and early 80s， as well as where the various artistic and musical branches led thereafter。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Techrtr
，
The best thing about this book is the title - it's quite witty。 Trying to convince readers that if it wasn't for Judaism， Lenny Bruce or Hitler， there wouldn't have been punk rock， or that if he hadn't been Jewish， Joey Ramone wouldn't have become the Godfather of punk is a real stretch。 In fact， most of the book reads like a compendium of castoff lines from Seinfeld or Shecky Greene - "it's our musicality and punkishness that has sustained us as a people for 2000 years。 。 。 " The Yiddish expres The best thing about this book is the title - it's quite witty。 Trying to convince readers that if it wasn't for Judaism， Lenny Bruce or Hitler， there wouldn't have been punk rock， or that if he hadn't been Jewish， Joey Ramone wouldn't have become the Godfather of punk is a real stretch。 In fact， most of the book reads like a compendium of castoff lines from Seinfeld or Shecky Greene - "it's our musicality and punkishness that has sustained us as a people for 2000 years。 。 。 " The Yiddish expressions throughout the book get really annoying after a while too。 You almost need a Yiddish - English dictionary to figure out what Beeber is saying sometimes – in places it reads a bit like an inside joke that non-Jews are not privy to。Anyhow， be sure to read a preview of this book before you buy it - I found it quite boring and difficult to wade through all of the specious attempts to demonstrate that punk rock would not have happened were it not for "punkish" Jewish kids or agitators like Malcolm McLaren。 For a much more interesting read about the New York punk scene， read Micky Leigh's "I Slept with Joey Ramone。" 。。。more
Emily
，
It was kind of like a punk game of Jew-not-a-Jew。 Loved it。
Jon Y。
，
Starts out making a somewhat interesting argument about the influence of Jewish culture on Punk before devolving into all sorts of speculation and some fairly insulting， preposterous notions （Nazi-obsessed Ramones Johnny and Dee Dee are de facto Jews because they grew up in as minorities in a largely Jewish enclave。。。according to Beeber， being alienated or marginalized in any way is synonymous with being Jewish？）。 The turning point comes when Richard Hell （ne Myers） objects to being included （he Starts out making a somewhat interesting argument about the influence of Jewish culture on Punk before devolving into all sorts of speculation and some fairly insulting， preposterous notions （Nazi-obsessed Ramones Johnny and Dee Dee are de facto Jews because they grew up in as minorities in a largely Jewish enclave。。。according to Beeber， being alienated or marginalized in any way is synonymous with being Jewish？）。 The turning point comes when Richard Hell （ne Myers） objects to being included （he was raised in Kentucky by his mother and secular Jewish father， who passed away when he was eight）， feeling no affinity with Jewish culture， and Beeber still goes out of his way to analyze the ways that being Jewish has supposedly shaped Hell's outlook and music。 On top of that， so much was left out- he mentions Rick Rubin and The Beastie Boys and their contribution to rap， but somehow neglects how both got their start in punk （and with all the talk of nazi imagery in "Jewish punk"- Reagan Youth？ Hullo？）（hardcore is glossed over entirely， mentioned only in relation to the anti-semitism present in some elements of that scene）。 Some interesting stories abound， no doubt， but so much is rushed through， and the majority of the book is grasping for straws。 Some day someone might very well expand on this concept and make some really excellent points， but overall， it's a slight read with a flawed premise and some rather glaring omissions。 。。。more
Sam
，
Steven Beeber interviewed scores of NY punk/new wave scenesters （including pre-， post-， etc。） about the influence of Jewish-American culture。 This is good stuff: it turns out that for some of these people there was an influence， & it's been little-discussed previously。 Now for the book's flaws。。。 The editing is sound as far as grammar & fact-checking goes but readability would have been improved by simply crossing out the many repetitions of anecdotes， descriptions， phrases & quotes， which reapp Steven Beeber interviewed scores of NY punk/new wave scenesters （including pre-， post-， etc。） about the influence of Jewish-American culture。 This is good stuff: it turns out that for some of these people there was an influence， & it's been little-discussed previously。 Now for the book's flaws。。。 The editing is sound as far as grammar & fact-checking goes but readability would have been improved by simply crossing out the many repetitions of anecdotes， descriptions， phrases & quotes， which reappear from chapter to chapter & even from page to page。 Beeber's writing is uneven; well-written parts bump up against what reads like excerpts from an enthusiastic， possibly drunken， early draft。The general tone is one of claiming something positive for Jewish-American culture but this positive spin on late-'70s punk gives it the wrong tone， imo。 Hearing the characters describe what happened in their own words， in the oral history Please Kill Me， gives the distinct impression that many of those involved were pretty despicable people， junkies who couldn't be trusted by even their friends。 （Though， sure， especially at the time， the music was innovative & exciting。）And how Heebie was CBGBs？ A quick look at wikipedia's New York City demographics page suggests that Jews made up about a quarter of the white population circa 1980。 Since the bands & fans were 90-something percent white， if Jews had only an average involvement in NYC punk they should have made up somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the band members。 And that does seem to be the case。 The fact that some of these interviewees kept their Jewishness under wraps also suggests that it wasn't a disproportionately Jewish or philo-Semitic movement。Another quibble is Beeber's suggestion that the prevalence of nazi references in NYC punk was due to Jewish concerns about that subject。 In fact， this was part of the punk aesthetic， & could be found in most punk scenes （though there were/are few outright supporters of naziism）， including those with few Jews。 Still， if you're interested in Jewish-American culture & NY punk/new wave you'll want to read this book。 Or if you're just interested in the music & you've already read Please Kill Me & seen the Ramones doc End of the Century。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
The title kicks ass over the content。 Hilly was the most interesting chapter in the book。
catechism
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I read this at the same time I read Please Kill Me， and that’s actually something I think everyone should do。 Or， if you are not someone who reads multiple books at once， you should read these close together。 They complement one another extremely well。 That one’s the oral history， the dirt and the gossip and who’s fucking whom in which bathroom while on what drugs; this one is the background， the influences， the history and the culture that made that other book possible。 （While you're at it， rea I read this at the same time I read Please Kill Me， and that’s actually something I think everyone should do。 Or， if you are not someone who reads multiple books at once， you should read these close together。 They complement one another extremely well。 That one’s the oral history， the dirt and the gossip and who’s fucking whom in which bathroom while on what drugs; this one is the background， the influences， the history and the culture that made that other book possible。 （While you're at it， read Men of Tomorrow: Geeks， Gangsters， and the Birth of the Comic Book around the time you read this， for a look at the Jewishness of an earlier NYC subculture that has a lot in common with punk。）Beeber’s thesis， stated in the intro， is: Punk is Jewish。 Not Judaic。 Jewish， the reflection of a culture that’s three millennia old now。 It reeks of humor and irony and preoccupations with Nazism。 It’s all about outsiders who are “one of us” in the shtetl of New York。 It’s about nervous energy， the same nervous energy that has characterized jews from Abraham， Isaac， and Jacob through the Hasids to the plays of David Mamet。 Punks， like Jews， self-consciously identify with the sick and twisted， what Hitler referred to as “the decadent。” Punk’s home is the home of the Jews — New York， especially downtown Lower East Side/East Village New York， the birthplace of this new music known for its populist vibe， its revolutionary attitudes， its promotion of do-it-yourself like some sort of anarchist mantra。It’s not just that so many in the music， as well as so many in the audience， happen to be Jewish， among them Lou Reed， Joey and Tommy Ramone， the Dictators， Richard Hell， Malcolm McLaren， Lenny Kaye， Genya Ravan， Chris Stein， Jonathan Richman， and Helen Wheels。 Punk reflects the whole Jewish history of oppression and uncertainty， flight and wandering， belonging and not belonging， always being divided， being both in and out， good and bad， part and apart。 The shpilkes， the nervous energy， of punk is Jewish。 That shpilkes， the “Heebie Jeebies” of Little Richard’s song， captures exactly what was happening in the Bowery as that first generation to come of age after the Holocaust made its mark on poplar music at a little Jewish-owned and -run club called CBGB。 Of course， people can — and do — go back and forth ad infinitum about where punk rock started: New York or London， New York or London。 I don’t really care; that part of it isn’t particularly interesting to me， and it’s not like there’s ever going to be a definitive answer。 But let’s just pretend that we’ve decided that the answer is New York， that American acts like the Velvet Underground and the Stooges and the MC5 were the progenitors of punk， that the Clash and the Pistols came from us and not the other way around。Given that， I find Beeber’s Punk-Is-Jewish argument completely persuasive。 I mean， it’s not like he’s talking about a handful of people no one’s heard of; it’s a lot of big names， both in and out of the spotlight， and although Beeber focuses on the Jews， he doesn’t do so the exclusion of everyone else。 You don’t come away thinking the early NYC punk scene was only Jews， which can be a risk with a book like this one。 So you’ve got this book about the history of a movement， about many of the people who were pivotal to that movement， and about what they had in common。 And it was quite a lot。I really learned a lot from this book。 I wasn’t surprised that there were Jewish punks， but I hadn’t realized （or even thought about） how many Jews were involved in the early days， or how pivotal they were， or what the stories were behind many of the stories。 As far as I can tell， not many people did — the book has a lot of anecdotes about the author tracking people down who didn’t much want to talk to him， who would neither confirm nor deny their Jewishness， who had no idea there were so many others like them。It’s a fairly academic text （my copy has a giant USED sticker on the back of the type you find on books at college bookstores）， and there are a few places Beeber was trying too hard to be a ~writer~。 At the beginning of one chapter， he takes several pages to try to enticingly set a scene， lovingly describing who’s on stage at CB’s， how the scene is doing， what Seymour Stein is up to， on and on and on， and meanwhile there is this dude on stage with his back to the audience。 And it’s like， for fuck’s sake， WHO IS IT。 JUST TELL ME。 Months later， and I get frustrated thinking about it。Still， despite the occasional misstep， I found the writing to be smooth and entertaining; it definitely wasn’t one of those books where I read three pages and then had to read comics for a week until my brain recovered。 I mostly appreciated that it offered a different perspective on punk history。 As you may have gathered， I’ve read a lot of books about punk rock， and it’s totally awesome whenever one brings something new to the table: a new perspective， a new way of telling the same stories， anything。 Beeber does a good job of slotting the punks into the better-known pantheon of smartass Jewish entertainers — he starts with Lenny Bruce — and branching out into John Zorn’s dissonant art and then back around to the Beastie Boys， who， if you will recall， started as a shitty hardcore band。 But these days， I don’t know， they’re just three emcees and they’re on the go; Shadrach， Meshach， Abednego。Verdict: Essential reading for music nerds。[review originally posted here。 I'm moving those reviews to GR at a rate of one per day， if any regular GR friends are wondering why you're suddenly getting updates with really long reviews of books I read years ago。] 。。。more
Jenna
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