(www.lethalinjection.com) Issue 7 July 2001
Interview with Bram
AZNR:
So how did you come up with the idea for the band?
Bram: It was the natural consequence of many late nights spent watching
Mel Brooks films, eating cholent and dredging up long-repressed memories
of being screamed at in Hebrew school. Come to think of it, we weren't
even aware that Hebrew could be spoken at a normal volume. We thought
it was a screamed language. How I wish someone would have told me that
it wasn't before my Barmitzvah because I got up there to read from the
Torah and was chased out before I got through the first five minutes (although
my grandmother thought it was great that she could hear me and told everyone
how well I was singing).
A:
Do you have many fans who aren't familiar with Hebrew/Yiddish and Jewish
traditions?
B: Surprisingly we've been received really well by Jews and non-Jews alike.
I think it's great. A real testament to the strength of punk. I always
say that one of the things I love most about punk rock is its tolerance
and egalitarianism. It accepts all sorts. I mean who would ever have thought
that people would like having some unintelligible language shouted at
them by a bunch of smartarse Aussies?
A: How often do people get completely confused about
what you guys are doing?
B: All the time! I mean, we often confuse ourselves. But then again, we
are Aussies so that might explain a lot. Everything is upside down here.
Seriously though, the only misconception that I don't like is that we
are a religious band. We're not. That's like saying a band like Shelter
or MXPX is just a band for Hare Krishna or Christian listeners. That's
garbage. If you like the music, then that's all that matters.
A: Do you play any songs that you've originally
written?
B: We have a couple, one of which will be on the new EP. They're kinda
fun songs of universal application. Anyone can relate to them. You know
all the important topics that shape people's lives - tolerance, equality,
bagels, Natalie Portman, kangaroos, cross dressing Eurovision Song Contest
winners… That sounds like a good pitch for a movie actually. I think
I'll approach Natalie Portman to play a cross dressing kangaroo who enters
the Eurovision Song Contest to win the heart of a little Aussie punk rocker
called Bram… Think she'll buy it?
A: What are some of the problems you've had with
Jews who felt you were being blasphemous?
B: Other than the push to have us excommunicated, I can't really think
of anything. Oh, there was talk of performing second circumcisions on
us as punishment, but we've tried to ignore it.
A: Are there even that many Jews in Australia?
B: Compared with America no, but there is, in relative terms, a fairly
big, vibrant Jewish community here. I don't know numbers and I tend not
to ask people in the streets to drop their pants (well, I did once, but
it was a bail condition that I don't speak about it in interviews). Just
a trivial aside for you though; we do have the biggest Holocaust survivor
population per capita in the world. Lots of survivors came to Australia
after the War because it was the furthest place from Europe they could
think of.
A: What are your favorite Jewish foods?
B: Cholent, latkes, gefilte fish… Anything made by our grandmothers.
And we're not just saying that because we'd never hear the end of it if
we didn't. Really.
A: Do you play Bar Mitzvahs?
B: Is that an offer? We haven't yet but I think it'd be pretty bloody
funny if we did. I mean I'd definitely be up for it. I'd love to see people
try and dance the punk rock Hora for over five minutes. I think there'd
be major coronary complications going left right and centre. We'd need
to take out insurance first.
A: Do you play shows on Shabbat?
B: Urm… guilty. Look, I figure if we're already going straight to
hell what's another transgression?
A: What YIDcore songs get the best crowd reactions?
B: Lonely Jew at Christmas from South Park always gets a good laugh. Hora,
Dayenu and Yerushalayim Shel Zahav go off. But the best reaction we ever
got was when we were playing an all ages show in Oldbridge, NJ and we
played Nazi Punks Fuck Off. The kids went nuts, stormed the stage, grabbed
the microphones and started shouting along. I jumped into the pit and
joined the mosh. It was surreal.
A: Any plans to sell YIDcore yarmulkes for band
merch?
B: You read my mind. The other day I was thinking of Yogurt's message
in Spaceballs, you know that the power of the Schwartz is in the moichandising.
Yarmulkes were one idea. Matzohs in the shape of the YIDcore logo was
another. Then there's the non-alcoholic YIDcore Shabbos wine, the YIDcore
home circumcision kit and, of course, the YIDcore sheitl for the ladies.
Wow, the possibilities are endless.
A: So you've got this thing for Natalie Portman…
B: I like to call it a healthy respect. The rest of the guys refer to
it as an insanely sickening obsession. But I ask you, what's insane about
inserting her name into everything we do, owning all her movies on DVD
and video (even though I don't have a DVD player), buying every teen magazine
that has her picture in it, stealing any street sign with either Natalie
or Portman on it (or Nat, Port, Man, or any combination thereof), dressing
up as her when I'm lonely, asking other people to dress up as her in my
presence (including my grandmother), or referring to everyone I know as
Natalie? See, it is obviously just a healthy respect.
A: What do you think of Britney Spears?
B: Well, she ain't no Natalie Portman. And, embarrassingly, I had to tell
her that when she wanted to dump that N'Sync guy for me. I was like "Britney,
you're nice and all, but I am committed to Natalie, so sorry". Dave
(drummer) was with her though. That was weird. Not as weird as Myki and
Paul's threesome with Christina Aguilera, but that's a long story.
A: Anything else you'd like to add?
B: Hi Natalie, you crap on Britney. Hehehe…
PUNK
INTERNATIONAL
(www.punkinternational.com)
May 2001
Interview with Bram
When and why did you decide to start a band that
would play strictly covers if Jewish folk songs and the sort?
Myki and I actually wanted to start a Jewish boy band. You know harmonies,
choreography, the lot. Along the lines of Fingerbang. So we hold these
auditions at Glicks Kosher Bakery (THE melbourne Jewish cultural hub)
and we suffer an indignity that no talent scout has ever suffered before
- all the people who came to audition rejected us. Oh the shame. We became
like pariahs in our own community. THEY BANNED US FROM GLICKS!! Even the
religous crew who hang around outside Glicks being supportive of the community
ne'er do wells told us to fuck off. So we went to drown our sorrows in
this dingy little cafe nearby where we met Dave and Paul who had also
been ostracised, but in their case it had to do with some sort of deviant
acts being committed with matzoh balls, schnitzels and Shabbos wine (we've
never dared to ask about the details). So the four of us got talking and
discovered that we all had a lot in common. We all had been expelled from
Yeshivah (religious school). We all had found direct references to ourselves
and walruses in the Bible Code (in fact Paul believes he is the walrus).
We were all embroiled in bitter paternity suits involving both Mel Brooks
and Sid Vicious. It was just too much to be coincidence. We decided then
that we had to join together and create a vehicle that capitalised on
all our shared elements - yes, we decided to form a boyband. Except our
boyband was loud and fast and didn't have nice dancing... which meant
we weren't really a boyband at all. No, somehow we had become punx. As
for our choice of music, let's just say we all lived sheltered childhoods.
Do you have another band or project for writing
your own music?
YIDcore dabbles in original stuff as well. We write songs on the crucial
themes of anti-racism, identity, pride and Natalie Portman. You know,
topics of universal application. We've also been toying with the idea
of taking off the make-up as it were (can you tell I went to the KISS
concert last week???), and being a straightforward tongue-in-cheek but
politically aware punk band in our spare time. But we'll have to consult
the alphabet chicken soup oracle on that one.
What
kinds of different reactions to your music do you get from the Jewish
community and the rest of your audience?
We tend to actually get the same reaction from Jews and non-Jews alike.
They start by staring at us in confusion. Then they laugh at us. The they
laugh at us some more. After a while they begin to laugh with us. And
then its on for young and old in the pit. Mohawks, black beards, chains
and tzitzis flying around. I mean, watch out. We kinda keep hoping that
people will throw matzoh balls or kishkes at us (we get hungry on stage,
what can i say?), but that hasn't happened yet.
I've
read in your bio that some people have absolutely hated your covers. What
have been some of the funniest comments you have received?
There's this one teacher at our old high school that told every class
she teaches that there is no place in heaven for people like us who desecrate
tradition and mock Judaism. Not only that, but she told them that they
will go to hell if they like us. Like real fire and brimstone stuff. I'm
kinda happy she included the second part though, cos at least we'll have
someone to play to when we get there. Just as an aside, the last time
I visited the school I walked into a class she was teaching and smiled
smarmily and said hi. She wasn't impressed. Maybe next time I'll blow
her a kiss. She might prefer that.
Another
good one came from one of the major Jewish music distributors in the US
who really have it in for us for some unknown reason. They returned the
CD to Swell with a note that they were 'shocked and appalled' by YIDcore.
I mean, sorry for not playing violin and piano accordion, but.... I guess
some people really need to learn to laugh. What can I say? I laugh at
myself every day, but that's cos I'm a schmuck.
We've
also had our Jewish cred questioned several times. I was once asked about
my commitment to Judaism during an interview, so i replied by stuffing
gefilte fish down my pants, eating a whole jar of red hot horseradish
and smearing shmultz over my man-boobs. What stronger commitment could
I possibly show??!? And by the way, although I wish I just made that story
up its 100% true. I still have the stains and scars to prove it. The DJ
is still in therapy from what I hear (Hi Dominique. I'm sorry. Really).
How
far and wide has the Yidcore CD been distributed and where have you been
active touring?
The CD's really only available over the net at the moment. We're still
seeking distribution for shops and the like, although it is available
at some punk stores in New York. But the lack of distribution hasn't prevented
us from being played on the radio in some pretty cool places. As far as
we know, we've been played in Australia, US, Canada, Israel, France and
Japan. I have this great mental picture of Japanese punksters moshing
to Hava Nagila. That's the beauty of punk. It is truly multicultural.
It transcends borders and language. Because we've only been around a short
time we haven't done much touring yet. We did an East Coast US tour at
the start of this year, and that's about it. Hopefully we'll get out more
soon but we'll have to wait and see I guess. It really depends on whether
our grandmothers let us.
Tell
me about the label you're signed to, Swell Records. How did you cross
paths with them?
We originally set out to record a little 5 song EP that we were going
to pass around our friends and maybe some other skids in the Mebourne
Jewish community. As it turned out, Jared, the guy who produced the EP,
knew Jace from Swell from their New Zealand days. I think they used to
milk sheep together or something. Anyway, Jared sent Jace a copy of the
EP and he thought it was funny and signed us. Swell was perfect for us
because it is an emerging DIY operation that captures the fun punk ethic
we subscribe to. Also they were the only ones who would agree to pay us
in chicken soup and cholent, so how could we go wrong?
What are the origins of some of your songs on the
CD? Traditional folk songs and anything else?
There
are some folky songs but there are also campfire singalong classics, prayers,
songs from popular culture (e.g. Fiddler on the Roof) and even the Israeli
national anthem. A lot of people have been pissed off about us doing the
anthem because they say it mocks Israel. I say garbage. If Australia had
a catchy anthem I'd happily play that too. Now there's a good reason to
change our anthem to Waltzing Matilda, hey little Johnny?
Live
we pillage popular music much more liberally. We do stuff like The Brews,
Nazi Punx Fuck Off, songs by Adam Sandler and songs from South park. A
lot of that stuff will be on the second album when we finally record it.
What
music, punk or otherwise, is most frequently in your CD player?
We have really diverse music tastes. I'm a mad politico-punk fan and am
also quite stupid for tongue-in-cheek laugh-out-loud punk. Yet, I also
love Broadway tunes and swing. Myki loves indie guitar pop like Weezer
and You Am I (awesome Ozzie band) but also gets into some of the poppier
punk stuff like NOFX. Paul is the funk and jazz man. You know, all class.
On the punk side he's into bands like Ignite. Dave likes all punk, from
Ataris to Satanic Surfers to you name it. He is far punker than the rest
of us.
We
did a desert island disc thing and came up with "YIDcore's 10 Stack
Long Drive CD Collection":
Propagandhi
- Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes; Frenzal Rhomb -Meet the Family; Weezer
- Pinkerton; Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack; NOFX - Punk in Drublic;
Ignite - Place Called Home; Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Blood, Sugar, Sex,
Magik; Oscar Peterson Trio - West Side Story; Backstreet Boys - Millenium;
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Are A Drag.
What other plans for the band do you have for the
rest of this year?
We just finished recording a new EP which should be out mid-year. It has
two new studio songs and four or five live tracks that we recorded at
CBGBs when we played there in January. We're really excited about it;
it sounds great and we think it's pretty darn funny. Then again, we still
laugh at fart jokes (we like cholent, how couldn't we???).
We
had also intended to go back to the US for a Summer tour. However, the
Oz dollar crashed big time and is now worth less than my diet tips, so
the tour isn't overly likely anymore. Maybe the end of the year. We had
such fun last time we wanna go back. Maybe we could go to a few other
places while we're out of Australia. Until then we want to start playing
around Ozland a bit. Ironically, we've toured America but never really
played in our own country.
HOWEVER,
while all those intentions sound really noble, the truth is that we will
most likely be tucked away in some dingy cafe slurping down chicken soup
and cholent and screaming our favourite Heebesque songs at the top of
our lungs until the cops come and kick us out just like they did in Moorabin
(but thats a whole other story).
