"בגלל המוזיקה"--For the music

I love radio. I grew up listening to WINS--1010 WINSRADIO--"You give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world". On Fridays, my mother would get ready for Shabbat listening to Art Raymond. As I grew older, I started listening to pop music on WABC-AM. I also listened to Don Imus and Howard Stern on WNBC-AM. I listened to Stern when he moved to FM as well, although he started to get totally raunchy and not as funny. When I started driving to work a couple of years before we moved here, I listened to audio books and when those would finish, to talk radio, mostly Sean Hannity and Mark Levine.

I'm happy to say I love radio in Israel, too. I'm relieved to say I understand [most of] it. Like any good Israeli, I turn up the volume when the news comes on. Unless it makes me ill, which is fairly often. I listen to all kinds of talk radio. Fridays on Galei Tzahal (army radio), mothers dedicate songs to their soldier sons and daughters and that always gets me. I listen to psychology and political call-in shows. I once heard a whole segment on air conditioning systems. Fascinating stuff in any language.

But my morning drive is reserved for Galgalatz. I just love the way the announcer introduces the DJ (Hadar Marks) and her show ("lo bo-ayr"). She has a bluesy, husky voice. The playlist consists of both English and Hebrew pop music. Out of the blue I can here a song like California Dreamin', or a Beatles song, or something more recent like the Black Eyed Peas or Beyonce. I'm always surprised, usually pleasantly, and I love to sing LOUD when a good song comes on the radio. (My kids just love that about me). I've even begun to recognize Hebrew songs, and if they play them often enough can start butchering those songs as well.

Here's one song I found on Youtube that's being played alot. I wonder if that means it's a new song. I wonder if the artist, Dani Sanderson, is very popular here in Israel. By being an immigrant, I'm just not in the loop on the pop culture thing. It's definitely something I want to change. It's probably alot more fun than politics (although in the states I was up on both).

Anyway, this song has a catchy tune and reminds me of country-western music:



I like the refrain:

ואתה לבד And you're all alone
מתגלגל בדרכך rolling along your way
אתה לא לבד you are not alone
אחרים לבד איתך others are alone with you

Hope you enjoyed that.

Laila Tov--G'nite.

Watching Israeli Idol, otherwise known as כוכב נולד--A (Israeli) Star is Born

What can I say? I knew that sooner or later I'd watch this show. If you know me, you know that pop culture is something I enjoy uselessly filling my brain with; I'm trying to develop an understanding of the Israeli version of this so I can fill up my brain with more useless facts. Not so easy to do while trying to maintain the American part at the same time. After I read an article in the Jerusalem Post about Elchai Refuah, one of the contestants, I decided this was the season to get into this very popular show here in Israel. Here is what the official "Kochav Nolad" website has to say about Elchai:

אלחי נולד לפני 18 שנה בירושלים בתור ילד שני במשפחה של ארבעה ילדים. הוא סיים את לימודיו בישיבה התיכונית "חורב" ירושלים וכעת ממתין לגיוסו. הוא עדיין לא יודע באיזו יחידה הוא ישרת, אך אם לא יתקבל ללהקה צבאית הוא מעדיף לשרת ביחידה קרבית או מודיעין, כי יש לו חיבה לשפות זרות. אבל אל תחשבו שהוא לא עושה כלום עד הגיוס. אלחי מדריך בסניף של "בני עקיבא", מתנדב בעמותת "שלווה" וגם לומד במרכז למוסיקה בירושלים. אגב, הוא טרם מצא את בחירת ליבו

Elchai was 18 years ago in Jerusalem, the second of four children. He finished his high school studies in the "Chorev" Yeshiva and is currently waiting to be drafted. He still does not know in which unit he will serve; if he is not accepted to the army band he would prefer to serve in a combat unit or intelligence because he has a love of foreign languages. But don't think he's doing nothing until he is drafted. Elchai is a madrich (counselour) in his local Bnei Akiva branch, volunteers for the organization "Shalvah" and is studying at the Music Center of Jerusalem. By the way he has not yet found the love of his heart (Hey!! I'm just translating the stuff!)

So this kid is a graduate of a very highly respected boys yeshiva in Jerusalem. According to the JP article, Elchai asked the school administration about participating in the show. He states, "They were not enthusiastic, but they did not forbid my participation. If they had, I wouldn't have done it.They advised me not to lose my modesty, not to forget to put on tefillin. I felt it could be a glorification of God's name if a religious singer did well."

This is the seventh season of "Israeli Idol". I watched tonight's show--and was surprised to see not only Elchai, but another young man wearing a kipah. The other singer sang the hebrew version of Simon and Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence . Some may argue that this is not an appropriate venue for religious people. Go ahead, argue away. I enjoy watching people blessed with G-d-given talents realizing their dreams. And wearing their kipot while doing so.

The show itself is kind of cheesy. The judges consist of Dana International, Tzvika Pik and others I don't recognize, but the ones I mentioned are kinda scary looking (sorry to be mean about it). Definitely no Simon Cowell or even Paula Abdul here. Still, it was fun to watch. And for now my favorite contestant is safe, so I'll try to keep up with the show. Unfortunately, I have noone at work to discuss this with at the watercooler (I doubt my chareidi colleagues are into Idol) and noone in my family is willing to watch with me. So I guess I'll have to report every now and then to you, my not-so-captive audience.

What's that you say? Project Runway is coming to Israel? I am so there. I'll report back soon.



BTW, Haveil Havalim is up at How to be Israeli--a blog I really enjoyed getting to know.