Yoram, more wine please…
Filed under: A New Reality, Food, General, Israeliness, Life, Pop Culture, Religion
Karen Berg, and her husband Rabbi Philip Berg
On the day after the superstar’s second sold out show in Tel Aviv last week, I was offered a chance to interview Karen Berg, the Los Angeles-based co-founder of the Kabbalah Center, and the person most identified hooking Madonna up with the ancient Jewish mysticsm.
At first, the meeting was supposed to take place at the Kabbalah Center in downtown Tel Aviv, but the night before, one of Berg’s assistants called and asked if I would be willing to drive a little farther north to a private villa in a small, exclusive community north of Netanya, where Berg would be spending the afternoon. Sure, I answered, with visions of entering the home and finding Madonna reclining on a chaise lounge poolside, chatting with Justin Timberlake.
Well, it wasn’t quite that heady. But the house was magnificent, there was a beautiful pool, and there were people lounging around outside. It turns out the home belonged to a young couple who were students at the Tel Aviv center, and had invited a few people to lunch, with Berg as the guest of honor.
As I was sitting in the gigantic living room interviewing Berg, a hired chef in a white apron and chef’s hat was stoking the grill and flipping thick steaks and skewered chicken (all kosher of course). Guests began arriving including Madonna’s longtime Kabbalah teacher Eitan Yardeni, Berg’s son Michael, and a young couple who greeted Berg – and then she whispered to me ‘That’s Gwyneth Paltrow’s sister.’
As I was getting ready to leave and the guests were sitting down for lunch, the husband host came up to me and said, ‘won’t you join us?’
It would have been rude to refuse, so for an hour, I ate, drank, and talked about Israeli politics, the differences between raising children in Israel and the US, Madonna’s after-party the night before (attended by Natalie Portman, Sasha Baron Cohen and Bar Refaeli), and, it turned out, very little Kabbalah. One of the Kabbalah Center people whispered in my ear that the rule was that everything said was off the record, and I nodded affirmatively, because I was too busy eating to think about taking notes or remembering anything for later,
I could have stayed for hours, but I remembered I had a job, profusely thanked my hosts, and started the long drive back to Jerusalem. Thanks Madonna, I owe you one.
An independent gathering in Tel Aviv
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, General, Israeliness, Music, Pop Culture
From left: Indie icon Sharon Cantor, Dinosaur Jr. manager Brian Schwartz, Faith No More bassist Billy Gould, Monotonix vocalist Ami Shalev and moderator Quami.
Last week, while Madonna was preparing to perform the first of two sold out shows in Tel Aviv, just a few meters across the street at the Israel Trade Fair Center seminar rooms, a few hundred quirky-looking individuals were gathering to discuss the ins and outs of the music business, specifically that antithesis of mass pop culture – indie rock.
Patterned after the heralded SXSW (South by Southwest) conference that takes place annually in Austin, the two-day Heineken Music Conference, billed Israel’s first international music conference, brought together local musicians, fans and music industry professionals with international band managers, record company executives, agents and musicians to tackle issues such as new trends in music, how new media is affecting the industry and how to develop and nurture an artist.
By day, the indie crowd heard from the likes of top tier industry pros like Jerry Blair, who has guided the careers of Mariah Carey and Destiny’s Child, and today manages Mika, Ray Jefford, the manager of Israeli jazz master Avishai Cohen, Billy Gould, bassist for Faith No More, and MGMT manager Mark Kates. By night, they rocked to sounds by Faith No More, MGMT, Dinosaur Jr. and LCD Sound System.
The local Israeli community was well represented too, with Quami, the host of the popular Galgalatz radio program “Hakatzeh” (The Edge), journalist Sharon Kantor, Ami Shalev, vocalist for Israeli indie band Monotonix, musician and critic Sharon Moldavi, and Ronni Braun, CEO of Helicon Records.
Cantor, who has appeared on both sides of the stage as a singer for The Girls, TV host, and journalist, recounted the ‘Galgalatz dilemma,’ referring to the popular youth-oriented radio station.
“Some artists write and record a song solely thinking about whether this will be commercial enough to get on Galgalatz,” she said, bemoaning the dearth of a real ‘indie’ scene here.
“I just got a press release from Earsay Records [Israel's top indie label] announcing a marketing deal with Castro – one of the most conventional, established chains in the country. What’s alternative about that?” she said.
Ray Jefford, who has enjoyed a long management relationship with Israeli jazz bassist Avishai Cohen, said that there were a lot of quality musicians in Israel, but they often lack the drive to go all the way in pursuit of success.
“Usually, they’re not willing to go out and put themselves on the line, and to take big risks to achieve their long term goals,” he said, referring to the grind of constantly playing shows and traveling, sometimes without making any money.
“You have to get used to sleeping in vans, or if you’re lucky, on couches,” said Cantor. “You can’t believe some of the conditions you have to put up with.”
Ami Shalev, the hippie-looking vocalist for Israeli indie band Monotonix, remained quiet through much of the session he was participating in. But when the topic came around to giving advice to young artists who are deliberating about whether to go abroad even though they have no following, he suddenly became animated and said, “Go!”
“If you say that now’s not the right time, then you’ll never get there. Even if you have no money, start working a day job and save up enough for a plane ticket. You’ll be able to work out a deal with a band there to share equipment. If you think you’re good enough, then people will start coming to hear you,” he said.
Much of the fun at the conference was mingling in the corridors between sessions, with artists handing demos to managers, agents making contacts, and everyone looking around to see who was there – just like LA and New York.
Another Madonna controversy in Israel
Filed under: A New Reality, Art, General, Israeliness, Religion
We just can’t seem to get enough of Madonna here – even when we’re not referring to the singer. The latest ‘Madonna’ controversy broke on Thursday when a Tel Aviv art exhibit depicting various female Palestinian suicide bombers as the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus caused an uproar.
The exhibit at Beit Sokolov, which houses the Israeli Journalists Association, was quickly taken down following an outcry from the families of those killed or wounded in the attacks, as well as by organizations that represent terror victims.
According to media reports, the exhibit, which featured the work of local artists Galina Bleich and Liliah Check, consisted of a series of paintings of the women – some with halos around their heads – rendered to look like Renaissance-era portraits of Catholic saints.
The artists defended their work on Thursday, with Bleich telling Ynet that she didn’t understand how the exhibit was misconstrued as glorifying suicide bombers.
“I don’t understand how this turned into an insult to bereaved families. We came actually to emphasize the exact opposite. The baby in Madonna’s hands is in danger. This really needs to disturb people. It isn’t just an Israeli problem, but a global one. Therefore, we chose Madonna, who is a symbol of Christianity.
“This issue came up for me after I personally experienced a trauma when I was next to a terror attack on French Hill in Jerusalem. Ever since, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It isn’t at all a political issue, but a personal issue. We are trying to ask how a woman, who is meant to love and give birth, became a source of hatred and murder. I don’t at all go into politics. But because we are such a political country, everyone is trying to figure out if we are left-wing or not,” explained Bleich.
“I hope it will all be okay this evening. If it impacts people so much, this means that the message is getting across. We wanted to think together with the audience about what is happening, and, apparently, now they are reflecting on it. Modern art can speak in a free language without a framework. Modern art is actually a language that shakes up the subjects that are painful to us. It’s not only flowers in a vase. Art asks questions and doesn’t provide answers,” said Bleich.
However, not everybody agreed with that assessment. The Jerusalem Post reported that Dalit Levy, whose 17-year-old stepdaughter Rachel was killed in a suicide bombing as she shopped at the Supersol supermarket in Jerusalem’s Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood on March 29, 2002, along with the store’s security guard, Haim Smadar, 55, arrived outside Sokolov House on Thursday afternoon with an Israeli flag draped over her shoulders, and placed plastic sheeting on the sidewalk.
“You want art?” she asked a group of reporters who had gathered around her. “Here’s art!” she said, before spilling a can of red paint next to a photograph of her stepdaughter and two memorial candles. “This is the blood of our children!”
Almagor, The Association for Terror Victims in Israel, also issued a stern response to the exhibit, and threatened to take legal action if the portraits were not taken down.
“Nahum Sokolov [for whom Sokolov House is named] is rolling in his grave today,” Almagor’s chairman, Meir Indor, told The Post.
There was no word on what the real Madonna, sightseeing in Jordn yesterday, had to say about her namesake’s controversy.
Tears and fears as Madonna ends her Sticky and Sweet tour
Madonna and Livni out on the raz in Tel Aviv.
As David’s already pointed out in his post below, Israel loves Madonna ‘cos she really likes us. And with so many out there who don’t, you tend to get loyal about those who do.
My brother in law was more concerned about swine flu, however. He looked at the 50,000 people thronging the concert grounds, packed in like sardines and said: “This place is a breeding ground for diseases. Don’t let anyone sneeze on you.”
I had other worries on my mind. “Jeez,” I thought, after watching an ant-sized Madonna dance energetically across the stage, singing at the same time. “I’ve really got to get fitter.” This is the kind of thing my husband says after he’s spent a week doing his miloween (annual army service), and has watched fit 18-year-olds run around his base.
Madonna, however, is older than me, and I was painfully aware that during the two hours that Madonna leapt about the stage on high heels, I got backache just from standing.
Another question that kept popping in to my mind as Madonna appeared in one tiny outfit after another, was what on earth she and Tzippi Livni talked about during their tete a tete the other day.
It’s hard to forget Livni during the election campaign turning up on stage in a leather jacket and dancing stiffly to some rock music in an effort to attract youth voters.
So what did these completely different women discuss? The ancient mysteries of Kabala, the looming crisis with Iran, where Madonna buys her thigh-high boots? Ah, to be a fly on the wall during that dinner.
So the show ended. Tears were dried. And 50,000 people headed for the exits at the same time. At Gate 12 we got caught in a massive but good-natured logjam of people. Not a person could move, and suddenly over the loudspeakers came an announcement. “The show has ended, could you please leave the arena.”
Next up Leonard Cohen.
For more on Madonna in Israel, clickhere.
Madonna’s love fest in Tel Aviv
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Life, Music, Pop Culture
Madonna could have come onstage Tuesday night at Hayarkon Park and lipsynched to playbacks (some say she did), tripped on her own two feet and yawned her way through her two-hour set. And still, as soon as she grabbed an Israeli flag and paraded around the stage with it draped around her neck, the audience of 50,000 fans would have gone wild.
Thankfully, for those that paid around $100 for a ticket, Madonna was in fine form, despite some complaints from audience members about the song selection which focused more on latter day material which isn’t as compelling as her career highlights.
But more significant than the show were Madonna’s words and actions – which displayed a great affinity for Israel, where she’s closing her Sweet & Sticky world tour with two shows, the second of which takes place on Wednesday night.
“It’s been 16 years since I played in Israel. I’m sorry about that, I shouldn’t have stayed away so long,” she told the crowd during a break between songs, alluding to her last show here in 1993 in the same venue. “It won’t happen again.”
“Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been super energized,” she continued. Israel is the energy capital of the world. If we can live together in harmony in this place, we can live in peace all over the world.”
The crowd reacted by chanting her adopted Hebrew name “Esther, Esther…”
Then, during the electrifying finale, “Give It 2 Me,” Madonna jumped off the stage to the no-man’s land before the audience, and stuck her mike into fans’ faces (an interesting aside – the ear-fastened microphones that Madonna helped popularized and in Israel are actually called “Madonnas” were nowhere to be seen).
That was when she grabbed an Israeli flag out of the crowd and brought it back on stage. Kabbala based or not, I can’t think of any other major celebrity who has created such a connection with the country, and quite clearly loves being here.
On Tuesday night, Madonna embraced Israel, and Israel gave a big hug back.
Getting ready for visits from Madonna and Leonard
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, General, Music, Pop Culture
September is going to be a five star month in Israel for appearances by visiting pop performers. Within a few week period, we’ll be treated to shows by Madonna, Leonard Cohen, Faith No More, Julio Iglesias, MGMT, and Dinosaur Jr. This follows a couple of great shows last week by Calexico, The Kaiser Chiefs and even an entertaining jaunt by Lady Gaga.
Clearly, Israel is on the map for touring artists, and music lovers here are ready to welcome them with open arms, despite the hefty prices. Entrance to stadium shows like Madonna and Cohen generally begin at NIS 450 and soar all the way to the thousands for VIP seating. However, that hasn’t dissuaded local audiences from buying tickets. Cohen’s September 24 show at Ramat Gan Stadium sold 47,000 tickets in only 16 hours, and Madonna added a second date on September 2 to her 45,000-plus sold out September 1 show at Hayarkon Park. Even veteran Iglesias added a second show on September 9 at Tel Aviv’s Nokia Center after his September 8 show sold out.
I decided to talk to some of the promotors and managers involved in the flurry of activity to find out if anything changed to suddenly make Israel a desireable place to perform after years of fallowness.
According to Leonard Cohen’s manager Robert Kory, there’s a word of mouth circuit in the industry based on artists’ touring experiences, that can influence another artist’s willingness to perform in Israel.
“There’s definitely communication among managers and artists’ agents. When an artist plays somewhere and has a successful show and enthusiastic audience, other people hear about it,” Kory said.
To read more about the local promotors and their attempts to bring artists like The Killers, Green Day and Coldplay to Israel, see the full story here.
Madonna to bring her friend Justin to Tel Aviv
Those crazy Zionists Justin and Madonna
Yediot Aharonot reported that Justin Timberlake will be joining Madonna on her visit here – as a fellow Kabalah enthuiast. The story reported that Timberlake has been studying Kabalah at the London Center along with the queen of pop for some time, and he was eager to make his first trip to Israel.
As far as performing, the story sourced a member of the show’s production team saying that there might be some surprises onstage. There have been rumors about Timberlake joining Madonna onstage at the Sticky and Sweet tour debut on July 4th in London, but it hasn’t been confirmed. The two previously collaborated on the song “4 Minutes” from Madonna’s Hard Candy album.
If the rumors are true, it might prove a security threat to certain Israelis. The local paparazzi might not be able to cope with the burden of having two photogenic superstars here at the same time.
In addition, the British paper The Sun is reporting that Madonna is going to utilize her visit to Israel as a sightseeing vacation for her family, especially her newly adopted daughter Mercy. Currently, she’s spending time with her new addition in London.
“Madonna wants to give Mercy enough time to settle in to her new home. By September, she feels she will be ready to take the trip without danger of upheaval. The Wailing Wall (in Jerusalem) is a very sacred place for anyone with links to the Jewish faith, and she wants all the children to see it.”
Maybe it’s time to declare Madonna an official ambassador of Israel.
Israelis go on tour
Filed under: Business, General, Music, Pop Culture, Travel
Springsteen's just a short flight away for Israelis.
But when bona fide heavyweights like Springsteen, U2, The Killers, Coldplay and Pearl Jam are only a couple thousand miles away in Europe, it’s a little hard to get excited about our dubious offerings.
But thanks to a couple of Israeli entrepreneurial endeavors, getting to those superstars isn’t any more difficult than finding parking near Ramat Gan stadium. On.Tour, a Tel-Aviv based online rock & roll travel agency – and similar companies like Kavei Hofsha – provide Israeli music fans with package tours to the top festivals and shows in Europe – including airfare, hotel, transportation and, of course, the coveted tickets to the shows, even those that are listed as sold-out.
And it’s suprisingly affordable – not much more than the vacation without the concert tickets would be. A quick glance at the On.Tours homepage finds a generous offering of summer festivals, including this year’s Rock Werchter, featuring Coldplay, Metallica and The Killers; Denmark’s Roskild with Coldplay, Oasis and Slipknot; Germany’s Rock Im Park (RIP) featuring The Killers, The Kooks and Placebo; Istanbul’s questionably titled Rock & Coke, featuring Linkin Park, Nine Inch Nails and the Kaiser Chiefs; and some of the most popular attractions – the heavy metal festivals like Wacken 2009, The Ozora Festival and Hellfest. The average price for a package, including three or four nights’ accommodations, runs between NIS 4,000 and NIS 5,000.
“Pretty quickly, we learned that Israelis weren’t interested only in music festivals, but in concerts as well. There’s not a lot of top names coming here, and through us, you can go see just about any of the top names touring Europe,” Ido Mart, the company’s marketing director told me last week.
Indeed, the site offers packages for artists ranging from U2 and Springsteen to Britney Spears and Take That, all for prices similar to the festival tariff. According to Mart, On.Tours not only removes the hassle of arranging your own flights and accommodations, it also eases the stress of the biggest task of all – getting tickets to sold out shows.
Lianna Yedida, 25, who has traveled on three On.Tours packages, including two festivals in Europe and is signed up to see Radiohead this summer in Berlin, can’t praise the service too much.
“Everything was great, and of course, it’s easier than doing it yourself. They worry about everything,” she said, adding that the attention to detail was the biggest feature. According to Mart, those details include providing free transportation from the airport to the hotel and back again, and other amenities, like tips on after-show parties and access to them.
So, if you’re going to take a vacation outside of Israel anyway, why not make it a musical one?
Spending the High Holidays with Madonna
Filed under: General, Holidays, Life, Music, Pop Culture, Religion
Madonna in her 'Sweet and Sticky' tour - on the way to Tel Aviv?
Of course neither her web site nor the touring industry site Pollstar mention anything beyond the August 29th final performance in Bulgaria. But considering that Madonna’s spent the holiday periods in both 2004 and 2007 in Israel with other students of Kabalah, it sort of makes sense.
According to the report, Madonna had attempted to perform here many times in recent years, but no promotor could cough up her hefty fee. And even this time, promoters Shuki Weiss and German producer Marek Lieberberg are still looking for commercial sponsors, like telecommunication giant Orange, to help defray the costs,
It’s a far cry from the relative ease it took to bring Madonna to Tel Aviv in October 1993 for The Girlie Tour. Of course, then it was a huge undertaking, with giant screens, and an elaborate Broadway-style stage show – I don’t think Hayarkon Park saw quite another extravaganza like it until Paul McCartney arrived last year. Not being a Madonna fan, I can say it was one of the most impressive shows I’ve ever seen, and left me with a new found and lasting respect for her talents.
So, whether she chooses to head of to Safed for some meditation, or hang out by the Tel Aviv shore, I’m one of those who are hoping the rumors are true, and that Madonna’s on her way back.
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