Interviews With a J-Blogger: March 2006

3/19/2006

An Interview With ...Blog In Dm

Welcome everyone to another edition of The J-Blogger Interviews. This week I am very excited to introduce you to a personal favorite of mine, BlogInDm, AKA Hasidic Musician. A guy who has written many important posts, including this one, which I myself have referenced many times. I like to think of BlogInDm as the BlogFather and consious of Jewish Music.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions, I’m sure everyone will enjoy reading your answers.

LOR: Where were you born?

BiDm: Jerusalem, Israel. The US government won't let me put the Israel part on my passport though.

LOR: What age did you start playing an instrument?

BiDm: I started formal lessons when I was seven, but I'd been playing by ear before then.

LOR: Do you recommend every parent to encourage their children to take up playing an instrument? If yes, describe why you think it's important.

BiDm: I'm curious why you chose to phrase the question this way instead of asking "if no, why not?". I believe that everyone has unique talents that they should develop. If a child is musically inclined, than their parents should encourage music lessons, if they paint or draw, the parents should encourage the development of those skills. I believe that letting ones talents go undeveloped is a form of ba'al tashchit.

LOR: Do you think that we will see a Heimish (or dare I say "Shiny Shoe") singer reach the level of a MBD or Avraham Fried again anytime soon?

BiDm: What do you mean by level? Regardless of whether you mean talent, sales, popularity etc, the answer is yes.

LOR: Do you find that limiting yourself to the subject of music is constricting to you?

BiDm: Nope. My life is a lot more than the blog. The blog just happens to be about music and music-related posts. Its no more constricting than any other form of specialty writing. I view the blog as essentially being my own op-ed page on J-music. Judging by the readership I've established, the responses I've been getting, and the number of websites (Jewish and otherwise) that have linked to me, a lot of people are interested in reading about these topics.

LOR: Are there other things that you would want to blog about?

BiDm: Sure. Currently, I've been considering writing about the murder of Ilan Halimi in France. I also thought about blogging my thoughts on the Gaza disengagement this past summer, but ultimately decided not to.

LOR: There is a new site opening soon called J-Tunes which will be offering downloads of Jewish Music. Do you think this will successful?

BiDm: I have no knowledge of the specifics of their business model. I think the Jewish community is ready for a legal download option, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable both buying and selling music through a well-known company like Apple via iTunes or other similar companies. The company you mention has already announced and postponed their launch a number of times. I just checked out their site again and while they are now in "public beta", so far it's not confidence inspiring.

LOR: What are your views on being able to download Jewish music, good or bad for the JM Industry?

BiDm: Are you talking about legal downloading? I think it's a good thing. It will enable more artists to get their music out there with less upfront expense because they won't have to manufacture CD's. Illegal downloading is another story. I get a huge number of hits from people looking for illegal Jewish mp3 downloads. These hits increase during bein hazmanim. Recently, I've begun posting PSA's at those times encouraging people to support creative Jewish music.

LOR: What do you say to people who claim Halacha doesn't say anything about "intellectual copyright" in other words, music isn't physical so its not stealing.

BiDm: I’d suggest they talk to a posek about the issue; the kind that doesn’t say it’s ok to cheat on taxes. They might also want to investigate the concept called “Dina d’malchusa dina.”

LOR: Where do you think the line is drawn between Loshan Hora and kosher J-Blog reporting.

BiDm: That's a good question. I believe that it is fair to report and comment on public information which is what I usually try to do. I think that private behavior that has no effect on the public should not be covered. The sticky part is when there is public information about private acts or private information about acts affecting the public. It's a balancing act between preserving the individual's privacy and protecting the community. I've run posts about unpleasant topics by Rabbonim with experience in that area for review.

I should point out that there are many bad actors in the frum community at large that rely on the public's ignorance of the Halachos of Lashon Hara to protect themselves from the consequences of their actions. This is an area in which I think blogs can have a huge positive impact.

Sometimes, some sensitivity is required. For instance, I wrote two posts about how the industry should respond to one performer's arrest in Israel for highly inappropriate behavior. Many people know who I was referring to, but they didn't learn his identity from me. By design, neither of those posts mentioned his name, because since the people in the JM industry knew who I was referring to, it wasn't necessary to include his name in the post. I also deliberately didn't link to the many posts by bloggers or on websites who were naming him. Such nuance is often lost on some readers, but the intelligent ones get it.

Also, J-bloggers need to be careful not to ascribe motivations to others. I recently posted about a Bar Mitzvah I'd played that Chabad of Mineola had hosted for a 76 year old Holocaust survivor. One blogger whose opinion I respect was very critical of Chabad's actions due to a number of assumptions he'd made that happened to be untrue in this case. IMO, if he'd not ascribed motivations, he'd have avoided tripping up. The irony is that his underlying premise is unfortunately correct in some cases. Not this one, though.

LOR: Do you think by blogging about certain hypocrisies and reporting on real issues in the JM world that people in the industry will think twice about trying to pull fast ones on the consumers? In short, do you think we're making an impact?

BiDm: Absolutely. I’m not going to give examples here, but I’ve received emails from artists commenting on things I (and other J bloggers) have written. I know who many of my readers in the industry are, and I know that some have acknowledged making changes in response to issues raised on blogs. More importantly, the next generation of net savvy J –musicians all know that the free ride on this sort of thing is over. I am aware of a number of JM websites that have changed content in response to criticism from bloggers.

LOR: BlogInDm is a great name, but what if when you started it had been taken. What alternative name would your blog have been given?

BiDm: Blog in D Freygish

LOR: Which JM "star" would be most likely to have their own cereal box?

BiDm: Dedi

LOR: Which JM "star" would be most likely to have his own designer clothing line?

BiDm: Shloime Dachs

LOR: In your second post on your blog you wrote about the famous Yidden song's true origins. Today when people speak about Jewish Music copying goyish music without crediting the original source, Yidden is the first and probably still best example of this.

Why do you think MBD did it, and do you ever think he would talk about it, speak out against it, and show regret or anything along those lines?

BiDm: These are questions you should really ask MBD. Incidentally, Yidden isn't the first example of this. MBD had previously recorded Bobby Vinton's Melody of Love as "Shir Hashalom" and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Close Every Door" from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" as "Lichtiger Shabbos."

LOR: What's your message to young/new JM singers who might be thinking of borrowing "goyish" music and pretending it's their own.

BiDm: Don't do it. If you're going to use someone else's song, then license it and credit it in the appropriate way.

LOR: Do you think there is a level of hypocrisy that the same people who chastise Matisyahu have only prases when it comes to Reb Shlomo who, whether people like to hear this or not, went way beyond the lines of what's considered frum when dealing with his chevra.

BiDm: One one level, there is an element of inconsistency which is only human. But on the other hand, Shlomo isn't with us anymore. Matisyahu is. There is still the ability to impact what he does. Clearly, he's taken some of the criticism to heart. I believe that's why he's no longer stage diving at shows.

Also, Shlomo wasn't just a singer. He also taught a lot of Torah, single-handedly brought many Jews back to Judaism, and gave virtually all his money to tzedaka. He got results that Matisyahu hasn't and won't ever get singing Jewish reggae. And then there's the whole Yechi thing...

LOR: What's your favorite Jewish album of all time?

BiDm: It's hard to choose just one.

LOR: Could you try? Maybe name a few of your top albums.

BiDm: OK. Here are a number of albums that come to mind. This is hard to do. I’m sure I’m omitting many. I’m going to keep it limited to “Jewish” music for brevity. In no particular order, they are:

The New Neginah Wedding Album Volume 1. In my opinion this is the best Jewish wedding album (of NY Orthodox wedding repertoire.) Few of the musicians on that album play for Neginah anymore though.

Ruach – Vol. 1
Neshoma Orchestra – A Simcha Celebration (Vol.1)
Diaspora – The Diaspora Collection
Adi Ran – Ha’acharon Sheba’am
Yosef Karduner – Simanim Baderech
Shlomo Carlebach – In The Palace of the King
Issac Bitton — Songs for a Brother Volume 1
Piamenta – Mitzvah
Chilik Frank – Chasdei Hashem
Captain Dovid and the Rebbes of Rhythm
Kol Simcha – Crazy Freilachs
Gershon Veroba – Sasson V’simcha
London/Sklamberg/Caine – Nigunim
Mooshy - Assia
Hasidic New Wave - Kabology
Klezmatics – Jews with Horns
Margo Leverett – The Art of Klezmer Clarinet
Fleytmusic – Adrienne Greenbaum
Chaim David – A New Light
Andy Statman and Zev Feldman – Klezmer Music
Micki Rosenbaum – Psipas (Mosaic)
Yitzchak Attias – Gather The Sparks
Kesher - Vol. 1
Shlock Rock - Vol. 8
Avraham Fried – Avinu Malkenu
Lipa Shmeltzer – Letova
613 Torah Avenue – Bereishis
Dveykus - Vol. 2

LOR: What are you listening to currently?

BiDm: Chaim David – Ma'aser Rishon

LOR: Who is your mentor musically?

BiDm: I don't really have one mentor. I try to learn from all of the musicians I listen to or work with.

LOR: Let's play Yes or No.

MBD's new album will be a huge success. Yes or No?

BiDm: No. But it will sell a lot of copies.

When Eli Gerstner releases The Chevra 3, with new singers. It will bomb tremendously. Yes or No?

BiDm: Yes.

Avraham Fried will have a new album by next Chanukah. Yes or No?

BiDm: Yes.

Will Chaim Dovid ever have another hit like Yamamai. Yes or No?

BiDm: Yes. He's writing some interesting tunes these days.

LOR: What advice do you want to give to someone who wants to start a career in the Jewish Music scene, band wise or CD wise.

BiDm: Be yourself. Be honest. Try to focus on your unique expression rather than trying to copy everyone else. Be very wary of producers who make promises they can't deliver. There are some real "winners" out there who will sell you a bill of goods. These guys are happy to produce an album that they know won't sell because, in addition to their fees, they get to direct a whole lot of money to their friends in the industry including musicians, studios, graphic designers, etc.

LOR: Would you advise future Jbloggers to blog about just one topic?

BiDm: Sure. If they're so inclined.

9:05 AM | Permalink |

3/12/2006

An Interview With .... David 'Treppenwitz' Bogner.

I want to thank David of course for agreeing to take part in this interview. I also want to thank all the bloggers who linked to this site. I really appreciate it. This blog had just about 1,000 hits in the first week. I'm extremely proud of this new project and I really encourage everyone to link to it.

There are tons of amazing Jbloggers, and I hope to get to everyone. You can always check the sidebar to see who is coming up. You can also submit questions to me to any Jblogger on the roster.

Now please enjoy this interview with David of the Treppenwitz blog.

Life-Of-Rubin: What city were you born in?

Treppenwitz: Long Beach, New York. I only lived there for a few months before we moved, though. Here are some other places I've lived:

Troy, New York
New paltz, New York
San Diego, California
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Trumbull, Connecticut
Honolulu, Hawaii,
Beer Sheva, Israel
Jerusalem, Israel
New York, New York
Brooklyn, New York
Fairfield, Connecticut
Efrat, Israel

LOR: Please describe for us your idea of a perfect dinner.

Trep:

Appetizer:
Tossed green salad with duck confit
Plate of toast rounds with pâté de foi gras
Snifter of Pappy Van Winkle's 23 year old bourbon

Main Course:
64 oz. perfectly marbled Prime Porterhouse steak (medium rare) served with bernaise sauce and sides of steamed spinach, baked potato and freshly baked bread.
A glass or two of any good 'oaky' Merlot

Dessert:
Crème brulee and/or orange flan with caramel sauce
A small wedge of bittersweet chocolate
Strong Turkish coffee or double espresso
A glass (or two) of good Port

Dining Companion (the most important ingredient of all):
My lovely wife Zahava.

[We've had this exact meal on more than one occasion]

LOR: Can you tell us what inspired you to become a musician?

Trep: After years of taking piano lessons I heard a trombone for the first time and fell in love with the sound. I was too young to play the instrument (my arm wasn't long enough) so I took lessons on the Bass Fiddle to become more comfortable with reading base clef. The moment I could reach 7th position (I cheated and used a rubber band to keep the slide from falling off) I switched over to trombone and never looked back.

LOR: If you could choose any three musicians to jam with anywhere in the world, which would they be? Oh and they have to be living. (Sorry - Jimmy Hendrix, Shlomo Carlebach and Beethoven are just too easy an answer.)

Trep: [I'll assume you mean other than the one's I've already had the pleasure of jamming with]

1. Bill Watrous 2. Christan Lindberg 3. Eddie Bert

(All trombonists, for those not in the know)

LOR: What (if any) Jewish Music are you listening to these days?

Trep: If by 'Jewish music' you mean music composed, arranged and/or performed by a Jew, I don't think there's much value in differentiating between that and music composed, arranged and/or performed by non-Jews. It's either good or bad.

However, if you mean music of a purely Jewish nature, I'd have to limit the list to a couple of old Benzion Shenker recordings of Modzitzer niggunim and the Carlebach Oeuvre (performed by the composer himself! If Reb Shlomo could have heard what some of these unwashed poseurs (whoops, did I say that out loud?) are doing to his innocent Jewish music he would probably have stipulated in his will that his body be wrapped in copper wire and placed inside a magnetic coffin so that he could at least supply the world with abundant free electricity as he spun rapidly in his grave).

LOR: What would your blog be like if you hadn't moved to Israel. Do you think you would even have a blog?

Trep: I doubt there would be a blog. I started treppenwitz because I am bone lazy and couldn't bear the idea of having to email my family and friends individually to keep them apprised of our goings on here in Israel. I set up the site with the idea that whenever there was anything newsworthy worth sharing or a few new pictures I'd post them. This would place the onus of checking in entirely on everyone else! What I didn't anticipate were all the other people who would inexplicably take an interest in what I had to say.

LOR: I know you've sort of addressed this on your blog - but if you could go back to the beginning WOULD YOU start off as a anonymous blogger?

Trep: I go back and forth on this issue (because time travel is such a pressing issue), but if I had it to do over again I would still probably be completely 'out'. I've found that the occasions when I've truly longed for the expressive freedom that anonymity would provide are usually the times where I want to say something really irresponsible or really hurtful. I truly believe that if I had the opportunity to do either of those things on a regular basis it would slowly blacken my soul.... and I'd end up like any of the trolls who spew their anonymous filth all over the blogosphere. Being 'out' forces me to act responsibly (most of the time, anyway).

LOR: Speaking of going back to the beginning, if you could what other name than 'the wit of the stairs' would you choose for your blog?

Trep: I've actually grown to love the name treppenwitz (along with its wonderful meaning), although I have to admit that I didn't anticipate people calling me 'Trep (or treppie). But as they say: 'Into each life some rain must fall'.

However, if I had to chose another name for my site... I'd probably choose:

"M'Naghten Rule Journal"

'Laying the groundwork for an insanity defense since 1961'

LOR: You don't shy away from speaking from the heart on many issues. Is that hard given that you are not an anonymous blogger?

Trep: I'd have to say that my big problem (as you correctly point out) is speaking from the heart and not from the head... not the fact that I write under my own name.

Most (but not all) of the kerfuffles that occur in my comments section stem from my not having given enough thought to something before posting it. I always wait between 4 and 6 hours between writing something and publishing it to allow some common sense to kick in... but clearly that isn't a foolproof safeguard. :-)

LOR: Psycho Toddler, who is another blogger who uses his real name and also is a musician, has children that are now of bloggable age. In fact they are blogging. Do you think when your own kids reach that age they will also want to blog?

Trep: Mark and I go back many years and have even performed together on occasion, but I don't know his family well. In fact, I only really know them from his descriptions... and from their blogs. But my impression is that they are all quite extroverted. Both of my big kids are extroverted in their own way, but I don't know if they would feel comfortable with this particular form of public self-expression. Only time will tell. The most likely scenario is that, like Zahava, they will occasionally guest-post on treppenwitz. Who knows... maybe one of them will take it over one day.

LOR: One of the things that everybody loves about Teppenwitz is that you take the time to answer or reply to every comment. How important is something like this in maintaining a good relationship with your readers?

Trep: I would argue with the basic assumption you've made in that first sentence since I can name of plenty of people who have expressed feelings for my site (and me) ranging from dislike to disdain. But setting that aside for the moment I'll address the whole 'responding to comments' issue: If a writer makes the decision to allow comments on their site (and I can make a compelling argument for going either way on this issue), they are making a tacit agreement to engage in a dialogue with anyone who shows up and responds to what is posted.

To allow comments and then not respond to them is like inviting someone to play tennis... repeatedly showing off your fancy serve... and then refusing to return any of the volleys.
Who would stick around for that sort of nonsense?

LOR: Now that I have you here, tell us the truth, does your wife being the designer of the winners badges for the JIB's have anything to do with the fact that you win so many? :-)

Trep: I'm assuming this is a gag question, [Ed. Note, It was] but I'll play along...I've seen this particular accusation floated in the darker corners of the J-blogosphere and it's one of those things that baffles me. Just like those who ignored the open nomination process and then accused Aussie Dave of stacking the JIBs with only right-wing and/or religious blogs... anyone who would say that treppenwitz gained a meaningful edge in the JIBs voting because Zahava designed the logo is willfully ignoring the mechanics of how the voting was conducted.

A more cogent question would be whether the fact that treppenwitz is featured several times a week on the Jerusalem Post's 'Blog Central' should have disqualified it from being in the JIBs at all. The same could be asked about several others, such as the Dry Bones blog that had ammassed a tremendous amount of brand equity from having been featured for several decades in the Jerusalem Post.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this. How does one quantify enough additional exposure to qualify it as an unfair advantage. Should such additional exposure also disqualify bloggers who regularly contribute to group blogs and journalistic forums? Should it disqualify bloggers who are well known in political, journalistic or entertainment circles?

Blogging/Journaling is measured according to many criteria; One is quality. Another is popularity. It isn't enough that you are the best damned writer on the planet if nobody knows about you.

Obviously one of the main goals of the JIBs is to increase people's awareness of as may blogs as possible. But the ones that get the most votes are (in theory) the ones that have met both the quality and popularity requirements. So if a blogger/journaler has fulfilled these two requirements to such an extent that other sites start featuring them (potentially making them even more popular) should they then be handicapped, or even disqualified, for having achived that level of 'success'?

I honestly don't know the answer to that question, but if by next year there is a growing feeling that blogs/journals like mine should step aside and let some of the new writers have their moment in the sun... I'd have no problem with that whatsoever.

LOR: How does one measure if their blog is successful?

Trep: I already considered treppenwitz a success before I even published my first entry. Some people measure success in numbers... of links... of comments... or of visitors. I measured my initial success by the tingly, mildly buzzed sensation I got when I was writing down something that was important to me. I absolutely loved the feverish, almost possessed way the writing made me feel.

Most bloggers I know place almost as much value on comments/feedback as they do on traffic in terms of measuring their 'success'. Both traffic and number of comments can be helpful tools... but they are not always reliable indicators of success or failure.
For instance, you might post 20 wonderfully crafted entries about things that are deeply meaningful to you without garnering any significant traffic or comments... yet when you dash off a mindless post about something salacious or controversial you are suddenly flooded with both.

The combination of search engine users looking for specific terms and certain topics that will always garner an eager audience, has tempted many a blogger to abandon their original format and pander to the basest interests of the mob. I would strongly discourage anyone from going down that road.

Just as the class clown and the class slut quickly discover the most expedient way to attract attention to themselves... I suspect that neither one ends up entirely pleased with the long-term quality of the attention they attract.

LOR: Do you like being called a J-Blogger, would you rather just be known as a BLOGGER or maybe an I-Blogger (Israel Blogger)?

Trep: I actually prefer the term 'journaler' to 'blogger'. In my mind 'bloggers' are people who write about, and link to, all the neat stuff they encounter while surfing the web. Journalers are those that are simply keeping an online journal of their thoughts, opinions and experiences.
Obviously the border between these two terms has blurred to the point that nobody can really get upset by being saddled with one title or the other. But 'journaler' still seems to feel more 'right' for what I do. As to the addition of the hyphenated 'J' or 'I'... no thanks. My topics are just as frequently about secular topics as Jewish or Israeli ones.

LOR: What advice do you give J-Bloggers who are just starting out?

Trep: I can't over-emphasize the importance of being nice to people online. This sounds easy but it is sometimes quite difficult (just look at some of the responses I've posted on my comment board!). The online world is full of 'tards and trolls. Most of them are trying to provoke confrontations that they wouldn't dare attempt in real life. Be nice if you can... ignore them if you can't.

Being nice to other bloggers is also a simple way to get your first few readers. Not surprisingly, some of the most voracious readers of blogs are bloggers. If you find a few blogs that interest you and you take the time to occasionally leave a cogent comment, there is a a good chance that the blogger, or some of his/her readers, may wander over to your site to see who you are.

Shamelessly plugging your blog in someone else's comments section or begging other bloggers for reciprocal linking is not the way to endear yourself to anyone. You'll most likely just come off as sounding needy. The same can be said for sending impersonal, cut & paste email requests for linkage to every blogger with a visible e-mail address.

You also probably don't want to go the route of leaving deliberately provocative / inflammatory comments around the blogosphere in hopes of drawing attention to yourself and your site (can anyone guess who I'm talking about?). This kind of 'Jerry Springer' approach to blogging will get you noticed... but will probably not get you the kind of attention or reputation your were hoping for.

If you are going to set up a blog, you'd better enjoy the idea of feeding it, because it is always going to be hungry. The huge number of abandoned blogs floating around the blogosphere with only a handful of half-hearted entries is a pretty good indicator of how many people rush to adopt a virtual puppy, kitten or bunny... but have no desire to own and care for a full grown virtual dog, cat or rabbit.

Keeping up a blog is like having a 'special needs' child. It is never going to be self-sufficient and it will make demands on your time and attention that you can't even begin to imagine. This isn't to say that your efforts won't be richly rewarded... but the reward isn't always what you expected it would be.

Disclaimer: Before anyone takes anything I've said to heart... please remember that I could be completely full of sh*t. Oh, one more thing: Thank you to Chaim for inviting me to participate in this wonderful idea. I hope the idea still seems as wonderful now that I've participated. :-)

[Full Disclosure: Some of the advice on blogging I've included here was excerpted from a post I wrote a couple of years ago. You can read the whole thing here.]

8:56 AM | Permalink |

9 AM

Check back here at 9AM, I will have the Treppenwitz interview up. You can read David's Pre-Interview post here.

7:33 AM | Permalink |

3/05/2006

An Interview With .... Dan 'Mobius' Sieradski.

Thanks again to Mobius for agreeing to take part in this. I really appreciate it. Let me also just thank the other bloggers who have been agreeing to take part in this. Without you guys, this blog would never work.

Life-Of-Rubin: Where were you born?

Mobius: Brooklyyyyn! My parents were living in Teaneck at the time but my mom didn't want me to have to go through life saying I was born in pansy-ass Teaneck. So she drove, in labor, to Brooklyn.

LOR: How important a meal is breakfast to you?

M: I live for eggs and homefries. I'm launching a new site in a couple of weeks with Harry from The View From Here. My regular feature will be breakfast reviews.

LOR: Who is your favorite male Yid in Hollywood?

M: Jon Stewart.

LOR: Who is your favorite female Maidel in Hollywood?

M: Sarah Silverman.

LOR: How hard is to have and/or maintain 32,345,620 Blogs? Do you ever sleep?

M: A piece of me dies inside with every mouseclick. Just kidding, sort of.

It's tough to deliver high quality content consistently. It's tough to sit hunched over a keyboard for 12 hour stretches. It's tough being so open and getting so much shit from the cruel and socially inept. It's tough, busting your ass for three years solid and watching other folks jack your site model and steal your thunder because their shtick is more "socially acceptable." It's tough standing up for what you believe in and being hated for it by perfect strangers.

I go to bed when the sun comes up, roll over at noon, throw back a latte, and hit the keys again. Wash, rinse, repeat.

LOR: Of all the things you've done on the Blogs you're active on, which one thing are you most proud of?

M: I'm presently most excited about Radical Torah. It will probably take a while before it fulfills the vision I have for it, but we're off to a great start, and I have high expectations.

LOR: Do you like being called a J-Blogger? Would you rather just be known as a BLOGGER?

M: I'm a blogger, yes. I'm a Jewish blogger. That makes me a jblogger. But I used to run a blog that had no Jewish content whatsoever. Would I still have been a jblogger then? Or do I need to be writing about Jewish content to qualify? The bigger question is, who cares? What purpose does the label serve? Am I supposed to give some pissy Philip Roth answer about being "just a writer" and not a "Jewish writer." I'm a Jew. I'm a writer. I'm a Jewish writer. I'm a writer who covers Jewish subjects. I'm a Jewish writer who covers non-Jewish subjects. The labels are irrelevant. I'm just a dude, man.

LOR: Who invented the term J-Blogger anyway?

M: It was probably Steven I. Weiss, hot shit that he is.

LOR: Do you think J-Blogging will ever become passé or 'tired'?

M: Man, I'm like, so over it. I'm working on my exit strategy.

LOR: Where does a J-Blogger draw the line between respecting another J-Bloggers opinion and being too mean or harsh towards the other a J-Bloggers opinion?

M: How much tolerance and patience do you have within you? And when is tolerance and patience inappropriate, and direct action necessary? It all depends on who's crossing what lines. The Dalai Lama, who's in Israel this week, would probably say, getting upset and lashing out a someone is never productive. But damnit, sometimes it's such a necessary release. Reading the endless spouting of intolerable views, you get riled up at the whole world and need to let off some steam. Screaming your head off on a website is a lot less dangerous and embarrassing than doing it in real life. But yeah, it's tactless, irresponsible, and non-compelling. Sometimes, though, you just have to tell an unrepentant prick where to stick it.

LOR: Where do you think more J-Bloggers blog from Israel or the U.S? Do you think the NY area J-Bloggers think they are the hub of the J-Blog community?

M: Definitely more in NYC. But Jerusalem is definitely the hub. It's where Jewschool and Jewlicious are both based, even if most of Jewschool's writers are in NY.

LOR: Cholent: treasured Shabbos dish or gross bowl of beans?

M: Tasty Metamusil alternative.

LOR: If Matisyahu and D'mitri Salita suddenly engage in a dance off, who would win?

M: Horny teenage girls.

LOR: Oy ... lol... Do you think O.J. will ever find the "REAL" killer?

M: Did you ever see Momento?

LOR: Who's more pathetic of a creature a NY Mets/Yankees fan or an Israeli Soccer fan?

M: The Yankees fans, for being the right-wing conservatives of the baseball world -- cheering on the wealthy (who inherited their fortunes) as they pummel the underprivileged (who have broken their backs for everything in life) into the ground.

LOR: … and last on the list. What advice do you give J-Bloggers who are just starting out?

M: Buy a notebook and a pencil, go sit under a tree, and put the goddamn computer away.

There you have it. Thanks again for agreeing to be part of this. I encourage people to link to this blog, and of course interact. Please comment, or send me suggestions and/or questions for the J-Bloggers coming up. To see who is coming up next, please click here.

7:52 AM | Permalink |

3/19/2006

An Interview With ...Blog In Dm

3/12/2006

An Interview With .... David 'Treppenwitz' Bogner.

9 AM

3/05/2006

An Interview With .... Dan 'Mobius' Sieradski.

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