I guess I’m addicted to writing in my blog because whenever I go longer than five days without posting, I start to feel vaguely uncomfortable and anxious. What kind of hubris is that? I’ve been taking a break from blogging because my sister is in town with her family. My seven-year-old nephew Sam keeps asking me why I say “Oy!” all the time. Does he really have to ask? It’s scary how alike Sue and I have become, both in terms of our endearing “fun” qualities and our dysfunctional oy-spewing anxieties. The above photo of my sister and mother was taken over 40 years ago but it seems like yesterday. This was the year that my mother’s bouffant started rising like a cinnamon roll in a hot oven and my sister wouldn’t go anywhere without her faux fur muff. Who knew this innocent little lass would grow up to marry the biker hellion on the right and give birth to these leather-clad rebels.
They’re in town because my brother-in-law Jeff is finishing up Wilco’s upcoming CD called “Sky Blue Sky” that will be released on Nonesuch Records on May 15, the very day that Nazi occupiers in the Netherlands banned all Jewish music in 1941. My nephew Spencer is reading “The Diary of Anne Frank” at the moment and while Jeff isn’t Jewish, I’m sure the authorities would have hurled his records onto the bonfires because of his Jewish wife and sons and his decidedly anti-Fascist lyrics. This new CD is Wilco’s first studio effort since “A Ghost Is Born” was released in 2004 and it’s going to be a great one. Stay tuned for more connections between Wilco and the Third Reich. Hey, it’s not just me. During their last trip to L.A. a year ago this week, Sammy told Jeff that he had the perfect name for the next Wilco CD. “What is it, Sam,” Jeff asked. “The Nazi Website,” Sam bizarrely replied. Oy.
Danny,
Enjoy the mishpocha!
Tell your sister that I had the same muff when I was about 8 years old (some 37 years ago), but mine wasn't faux fur...it was rabbit fur, and came with matching ear muffs. And no, my parents didn't buy fur for me when I was eight -- it was a hand-me-down from a cousin.
Posted by: TorontoPearl | February 10, 2007 at 05:26 PM
Oy, there you are! Glad you're back.
(Woot! Woot! New Wilco!)
Posted by: Amy Guth | February 10, 2007 at 06:00 PM
Music. Relatives. Jews. Nazi Germany. The only thing missing from making this an ideal post is a starlet from old Hollywood.
Posted by: Neil | February 10, 2007 at 10:38 PM
1. I love Wilco.
2. You know how much I love old photos and that is a great one.
3. Your mom is gorgeous.
4. My mom had a frosted bouffant wig she wore about that time.
5. My daughter was obsessed with reading The Diary of Anne Frank, Devil's Arithmetic and any other Holocaust book she could find when she was in 4th and 5th grade and she's only 1/8 Jewish. (her great grandmother moved to Mexico to escape religious intolerance in Germany)
6. Once again, you've written a great post.
Posted by: churlita | February 11, 2007 at 09:43 AM
Wow, this is great news. I told you that we watched the movie, "You're Trying to Break my Heart," about Wilco, last night on the Sundance Channel. Tom loves Wilco so much he couldn't stop watching to eat dinner! I will certainly show him this post. It feels like synchronicity - us seeing the movie and your writing the post ... or is it *just* a coincidence?
Posted by: tamarika | February 11, 2007 at 02:51 PM
NOW I AM EXCITED! NEW WILCO!
And... third reich connections.
Posted by: The Retropolitan | February 11, 2007 at 05:14 PM
I saw Wilco at the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennesssee in 2004.One of the best acts at the Festival. Also loved their work with Billy Bragg and the Woody Guthrie songs. Not a big fan of the Nazi's work, however.Way to genocidal.
Posted by: Ian | February 11, 2007 at 06:39 PM
I am ashamed that I don't know "Wilco"...sometimes the age-gap is just too much, you know? (LOL) But I say OY all the time, and OY VEY, and OY VEY IZ MEER, too! So satisfying, isn't it? Your nephew will be saying it soon enough, Danny! (LOL) And speaking of music....I just posted a bit ago a whole thing on that fantastic talent, Billy Strayhorn. Maybe you are too young to know who he is! OY!
Posted by: OldOldLady Of The Hills | February 12, 2007 at 02:58 AM
Hey, we **all** get anxious when you don't post. Don't do that to us anymore!!
Your nephews are gonna be heart-breakers.
Posted by: david | February 12, 2007 at 07:58 AM
That picture of the Three Wilcoteers is fantastic. I can't wait for the new record!
Posted by: Jen | February 12, 2007 at 12:46 PM
I have that same anxiety problem when I go too long without posting (which I knew was going to happen if I started a blog, but oh well, the rewards have far outweighed that problem).
And your sister's muff is exactly the sort I so admired when I saw other girls sporting them when I was about that age, but I never got one of my own.
Posted by: Emily | February 12, 2007 at 03:46 PM
Your mom! Sigh. The hair, the coat, the purse, the perfect pretty face and blue peepers. She looks like her name should be Trixie, and she should have her own show.
Posted by: V-Grrrl | February 13, 2007 at 02:03 AM
Give my pretend daughter and grandsons a hug from me. One for you, too.
Love,
Pretend Grandma Elaine
Posted by: Elaine Soloway | February 13, 2007 at 03:12 AM
Hi Danny,
Love the picture of your brother in law and nephews. They look just like Sue. I swear I can remember her carrying that fur to school! She still looks great. Does she still have the fur?
Take care,
Arlene
Posted by: Arlene (Silverman) Andresen | February 13, 2007 at 11:17 AM