Heady lot shirts

All you Phishheads know that a certain segment of the culture at shows is the creative t-shirts that people wear.  A mocking reclamation of corporate America, the shirts often display common brand images that have been morphed into insider song references.  Like Art Spiegelman's Wacky Packages created for Topps Bubble Gum, they are meant to be humorous and fun.  The difference is that Wacky Packages were mainstream as well as very dark.  You  could go into any place where they already were selling baseball cards (in my case, it was Cedar Heights Variety store...I still remember that blended smell of tobacco and gum and walking on a hardwood floor) and get Wacky Packages.  Shirts aren't generally sold in any commercial venue.  And Wacky Packages were warped and weird...dare I say they were wacky.  Phish lot shirts are more fun, light, and happy, happy happy.  

Unless you look carefully, you probably don't even realize that a Phish t shirt is different than the original.  Sure, it is in clear violation of Title 17 of the United States Code, but who the heck really cares?  The big corporations have bigger phish to phfry than to go after those folks who created the "YEM" t-shirt that looks like the IBM logo.  But, you still won't be able to see it or buy it online because we be smart pholks and know that would be pretty darn silly to post online!

It is all in good fun and happiness, and chances are that those YEM shirt wearers are big fans of International Business Machines, or more likely their own fathers worked for big blue and enabled them to have a nice house in Larchmont which enabled them to get into a good school which enabled them to be enabled and enabled and enabled and fall into listening to Phish (because most likely they were a huge computer nerd or stats guy or sports fan who by their very nature are stats guys) which led them to love You Enjoy Myself (because of course when you are in Florence and visit the Uffizi you are happy to know you know this song...or the flipside could be that you , and this would be my own personal experience, had visited the Uffizi during college and had no clue about this song at that time, and only later did you learn the song and come to appreciate its funniness).

I must admit that a very fun past time of mine over the years has been to observe all the variety of shirts out there.  I am not alone in this game...my brother in law told me of an awesome shirt riffing on the Re/Max logo which has the familiar hot air balloon with the word Reba in it.  Only a phan would get that.  (Reba is a Phish song)

This is not unique to Phish:  The Grateful Dead also had its own t-shirt culture.  My very own husband, Stango, had a shirt based on the song "Cosmic Charlie" which featured Snoopy and Charlie Brown.  After viewing its stained pits and holes, I decided that it was worth a shot on selling on ebay, and somewhere around 2002 I sold it to a person in Japan for somewhere around $75.  Yes, for a stained-pit t-shirt.

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white

This wedding in Israel has a grooving, moving vibe.  Check out what looks like was a raging party.  The blend of the American and Israeli influence here can be heard through the music and seen through the people.

What a beautiful couple!






Mazal tov to your whole phamily!

p.s.:  I don't know the names of the artists singing, but it sounds like Aron Razel...please correct me if I am wrong.

Maui X-Mas

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know that December 25, 2011 is now long past, but if you still are in the holiday spirit you will be 100% entertained by Jeremy Safron's latest and greatest.



For entertainment sake, Mr. Safron is fully there, but if you start to think about it on a deeper level, there is much greatness to his message. Spread more rainbows, remember the promise, and always smile, smile, smile. Oh, and of course always Speak Nicely.

Surely, Mr. Safron is somehow familially connected to Jonathan Safran Foer. Oy, still must finish Eating Animals.

A more eloquent review of "Ya'alili"

Martin Bodek writes a much more detailed and critical review of "Ya'alili" worth a read.

Ya'alili = What you make of it

We have been hearing this song every day at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, where we are spending our July days and where the campers dance to this song every day (it is one of this summer's theme songs that is to be performed at July's zimriyah).

If this isn't a celebration of Jewish unity, we don't know what is! Loving the blend of different cultures within the Jewish world. Not simply when the band, 8th Day, sing, "Ashkenazi and Sephardi" but when they say "Tanz tanz tanz habibi," a blend of Yiddish for "dance" and Israeli/Arabic slang for "my sweet friend."




The Whole Phamily that is gathered in this video (which, sadly, ends of being a bit of a promo for the Brooklyn kosher food store Pomegranate, which to tell you the truth we were not terribly impressed by contrary to mainstream opinion, although the marketing and cleanliness of the store we recognize is superb) is really a joy to watch!

Great performance, tune, and overall message, 8th Day!

It don't hoit that the Marcus brothers are Lubavitchers...the Rebbe has done his holy work yet again.

Modesty is a virtue

Jewish women and men practice "tznius" which is a way of saying modesty.  Modest in dress and behavior, these will ultimately lead to great blessing and a good life.

Just listen to what Chaya Sari says. Is she going viral in the Jewish world?




Love the blend of Yiddish and English.
Love the whatevers.
Love the story about shoes.
Love the daquiri reference...yes they have "a bissel bronfen" (liquor) in them.
Love that Miami is a beautiful content. Indeed, the geography is just stunning.
Love the tuna salad sandwiches. Mamish like a picnic.

It's Adar, let's get super happy

Not only is today the new moon...

(And in case you didn't already read why this is a Jewish holiday especially for the women-folk, check out that old post of ours just one 'mo time...)

...It's the Jewish month of Adar

That means Purim is sure around the corner!

So, exactly ***why*** did I do those 2 loads of laundry today?  I thought Rosh Chodesh was mama's day off...

Check out Reb Moshe of Tzfat's crazy Purim party last year. 

We believe this firmly...

Thank you to Josh Fleet for your wonderful piece about Phish and Judaism in yesterday's Huffington Post. We couldn't agree more!

Well worth your time.

Let this serve as a reminder to make sure you get in your ticket requests for the 1st leg of Summer Tour!




While you're at it, you can yank on your tunic and dangle your stash.

Jews can be organ donors

Just when you thought it wasn't a Jewish thing to donate your organs, think again.

Freiheit is the Birthright of Our People

Freiheit. Freedom in Dutch, German and other Germanic languages.

And there ain't much of it these days in Europe, according to the testimony of Geert Wilders of The Netherlands.

The Shoah is way behind us, folks.

The Shah (and similar militant Islamists of today) is not.

This is important stuff for peace-loving, world-unity and freedom loving Whole Phamily-niks.