Rough Cuts: Haman
This is a rough cut of the new song "Haman" that will be on our brand new album "Peripheral People" coming soon!
 Ben came to me with the idea to create a song for Purim. A Latin jazz funk theme to encapsulate the holiday which is, for the young hip Jews on the move, apparently a big boozy Jewish Halloween! (I love Halloween!) If you have heard "Son of Lenny Bruce" you know my Jewisness, while strongly identified as a source of my blood and ancestry, is not necessarily in practice as a working, daily theology. The gist is: I know the book of Esther from theology class in college, but I had never celebrated Purim. I do own "For Your Consideration" which is about a movie originally called "Home for Purim," but "A Mighty Wind" is a far better film. Ben knew what he wanted and brought in most of the musical parts and the idea of a "Jesus Christ Superstar" (I love that Rock Opera!" about Esther and especially about Haman! Haman was this douchey visor to King Ahasuerus who basically didn't like this Jewish dude Mordecai because he wouldn't kiss his ass, so he decides to have him killed by genocide! That's right! I hate your ass, so I'm going to kill all of your people! No wonder Purim is a celebration of drinking and dancing and cursing Haman's name. What Haman doesn't know is that Queen Esther, who is this Monica Belluci level of OMGness, is secretly a Jew! She risks life and limb and basically turns Haman's plot on his own ass. In the end, Mordecai is living the good life and Haman is killed on the gallows he had built for Mordecai's neck. Done and done!  What was fascinating to me, as I reread the book of Esther to write the lyrics, was how much this really works as a post holocaust myth. First of all, God isn't a player in this play. Sure you can say he acts behind the scenes, but he is not the active character he usually is. No one talks to him and no acts are directly caused by him. This is certainly reflective of the "God is Dead" or "where was God?" vibe written about in the post holocaust world. Second, it is a tale of self preservation in the shadow of a horrible threat. The big final act (to paraphrase Marsellus Wallace) is all about the Jews going Hasidic on Hamn's ass (and his army). Think circumcised 300. I wrote it up, added a bridge to hold the emotion and we debuted it at the Purim celebration in March at the Vinyl Shul in Beacon Hill.... and it went a little something like this... Haman By Ben Margolis & Jared Lucas Nathanson There is a scheming evil....Haman An ego driven evil....Haman A violent fist presented....Haman Ahasuerus misdirected....Haman There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed Haman told his sovereign with a deviled tongue and whispered curse Their laws are different from ours, a proud king shouldn't have to tolerate He plead for our destruction knowing Mordecai would share our fate Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power I won’t bow down to evil....Haman An ego driven evil....Haman A violent fist presented....Haman Ahasuerus misdirected....Haman If I have found your favor, and my darling if it please the king Queen Esther asked her sovereign to bring about old Haman’s reckoning My life be my petition, and my people my request Haman seeks our destruction Let us arm against at your behest Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power I won’t bow down to evil....Haman An ego driven evil....Haman A violent fist presented....Haman Ahasuerus misdirected....Haman and Mordecai ascended honored with a life of dignity Haman was rewarded with the end he planned for you and me They’ll always be a Haman They’ll always be a darkness we must pass They’ll always be an Esther Bold and brave on that darkest path Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power to protect myself Give me the power The Gift A shared moment of tragedy is still a gift. We come together, cynics and optimists, members of opposing teams and loners. We have a moment to remember... to lift above personal context and see ourselves, joined to each other as we truly are, hurtling through space on a big mudball. All we have is each other. We will live in the shadow of this day forever, perhaps we can build some good there.. Perhaps we can start talking as a nation again instead of the partisan crumbling mess we now are. Maybe conservatives can look at their liberal friends and realize they want a better world too and liberals can look at conservatives and realize that they care about their neighbor as well. Maybe.. In order to have a dialogue, you have to except that no matter how different you and your neighbor are ideologically, THEY are not your enemy. THEY are not idiots. THEY have real and important reasons for believing what they do. Learn to cultivate a bit of respect for your neighbor even if your political views differ greatly and release some of the contempt. Otherwise, we will crumble.. that was the terrorist's plan all along. The towers were a symbol.. They meant to crush us all, as they say, like the fall of Rome. So let's cut the shit and start talking again. Working on the new site and new imaging..
Just an Idea I am working on for a new poster..
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