Stomping Shagitz: Jews in Punk Rock

The Jews are the people of the book, that is a known fact. It is also known that some of them made it big in Hollywood and that they are extremely successful in the music business as well. It is hardly a secret that Bob Dylan (whose real name is Robert Zimmermann) and the three Beastie Boys (Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch, Michael Diamond) are of the Jewish persuasion, as are two members of Rock and Roll legend KISS, namely Paul Stanley (Stanley Eisen) and Gene Simmons (Chaim Witz, who was born in Israel and even studied to become a rabbi in his youth). And, while Britney Spears and Madonna remain non-Jewish, in spite of even the deepest interest in Kabbala - rumors that Lenny Kravitz and Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash (Sol Hudson) are also Jewish continue to exist, even though they are not entirely true (since only their fathers were). It is a definite fact, though, that Jews were and still are a driving force in one specific area of Rock and Roll music: punk rock.

In the late 70s, this raw, fast and powerful type of music evolved in opposition to mainstream society and bourgeois conformism. Punks understood themselves as outsiders and misfits, and their movement as rebellion against the state and all other forms of authority. They tried to define themselves from the people who they hated by dressing provocatively (often in ragged and ripped up clothes) and using offensive language. "No Future" and "Destroy the System" became the slogans of some of the more aggressive punk bands. The Sex Pistols, who, together with their Jewish manager, punk legend Malcolm McLaren, started the punk rock revolution in England, put the conservative music world into shock when they sang songs about "Anarchy in the UK" and the queen's "fascist regime."

Less aggressive and less political than the Sex Pistols, but with the same chutzpah and a similar dislike for the conventional way of life, four guys from Forrest Hills, Queens, went out to become America's premier punk rock band. With short but catchy songs like "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Rock and Roll High School," the Ramones won the respect of the entire movement. At the end of their career, they were so popular that when their Jewish lead singer Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman) died in 2001, the New York City Community Board officially named a street corner in the East Village the Joey Ramone Place (East 2nd and Bowery).

The Ramones were one of the most important groups in punk rock history; there is hardly a contemporary punk band that wouldn't name the Ramones one of their main influences. One of today's most successful and prominent punk bands is NOFX from Los Angeles. Out of respect for guitarist Eric Melvin's Jewish grandparents, they changed the planed title of their 1992 album from "White Trash, Two Kikes and a Spic" into White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean (Bassist and singer Fat Mike being the second Heeb in the band). NOFX's homage to the Jewish community "The Brews" from their record Punk in Drublic (1994) has become a real classic and is one of the most popular songs at NOFX concerts. There is hardly a Jewish college kid who doesn't know the lyrics by heart: "Friday night we'll be drinking Manishevitz, going out to terrorize goyim / Stomping shagitz and screwin' shicksas, as long as we're home by Saturday morning..."

Fat Mike (Mike Burkett) is indeed a Jew with a good sense for business. In accordance with punk rock's dislike for mainstream society and its affinity for the underground, he founded his own "independent" record label Fat Wreck Chords, which has become one of the largest and most profitable labels outside the world of music industry's major players. Fat Wreck Chords is, in fact, the second biggest punk rock label in the United States. The biggest, Epitaph Records, was founded in 1981 by Mr. Brett (Brett Gurewitz), who became well-known in the punk rock scene as main songwriter and guitarist of the Californian punk band Bad Religion. The group with the provocative but famous logo - a "no cross" sign - has published numerous records since the early 80s and is known to be one of the most successful punk bands in America.

It may seem, however, that even though punk rock has had its Jewish influences, there is not really a place for traditional Jewish tunes in a rebellious, loud and often aggressive music style like punk rock. It is certainly true that successful punk bands like The Clash (with their Jewish manager Bernie Rhodes and "half breed" guitarist Mick Jones) or The Offspring (with guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, who is Jewish but was raised in a Catholic family) do not often deal with Jewish topics. But one band proves the opposite to be the case: Tim, Dave, Bram and Myki from Melbourne, Australia call themselves Yidcore and are proud to be known as the first punk band that is really Jewish to the bone. Even though they also compose some songs themselves (both in English and Hebrew), Yidcore are more famous for their merciless cover versions than for their own songwriting qualities. Nothing is safe from Yidcore - they cover hits by present-day Jewish songwriters (like Adam Sandler's "Hanukkah Song" or Mordechai ben David's "Just one Shabbos"), as well as traditional Jewish songs taken from prayers and psalms. While not observant themselves, Yidcore take pleasure in playing punk rock adaptations of Adon Olam, Ose Shalom, B'tzeit Yisrael and many other Jewish classics.

Not everyone may enjoy hearing these Jewish evergreens in this new, somewhat unconventional punk rock sound. But while their interpretations of "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" and "Maoz Tsur" - which are more screamed than sung - might actually offend many people who appreciated the originals, Yidcore's version of "Minyan Man" from their 2001 self-titled album is a real highlight: "It was 6 o'clock on a summer Friday afternoon, shabbos was an hour away / I walked around the town, wondering what to do / Shabbos is no time to be feeling blue, then I saw a man who looked the same way too - I was quite relieved to find a fellow punk rock Jew!"