Real Music & Real Estate . . .

Yiddishe Cup’s bandleader, Bert Stratton, is Klezmer Guy.
 

He knows about the band biz and – check this out – the real estate biz, too.
 

You may not care about the real estate biz. Hey, you may not care about the band biz. (See you.)
 

This is a blog with a gamy twist. It features tenants with snakes and skunks, and musicians with smoked fish in their pockets.
 

Stratton has written op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post.


 
 

FOR NY TIMES READERS ONLY!

by Bert Stratton

You aren’t going to read this entire blog.  I know that.  You have other things to do. Like working out . . .

Benching the Sunday NY Times

Mr. Mentsh benches the Sunday NY Times

Here’s a good idea.  Check out this “best of” list:

1. The three best blog posts are . . .

SEARCHING FOR GALICIA, about the Alter Heym (Old Country); has a photo of my mother;

FECES HAPPENS, about a building manager cleaning up excrement;

and YID LIDS, about a yarmulke collection.

This  site — Klezmer Guy — is primarily an amusing word pile, accompanied by Ralph Solonitz‘s illustrations, original Klezmer Guy videos and Yiddishe Cup music.   And no recipes.

2. The best video is about a beat-boxing drummer (guy in yellow shirt with tie):

3. The best Yiddishe Cup recording is Meshugeneh Mambo — a klezmer comedy album. mambo-final You can buy and/or listen to it at CDBaby, Amazon, or iTunes. (Yiddishe Cup’s Web site is www.yiddishecup.com. We play all over the country. We also do a duo act.)
Here’s our best song:

Meshugeneh Mambo (Crazy Mambo) by Yiddishe Cup

4. The blog’s illustrator, to repeat, is Ralph Solonitz. His best work is Yiddishe Cup’s logo at the very top of this page.

herring-boat5. Please sign the mailing list at the lower left of the screen. You’ll get a fresh post delivered to your door every Wednesday morning by herring boat. You will receive one — just one — email a week. (We don’t sell your email address to others.) Or you can “like” us on Facedeath and get a weekly blog post there.

Once again, welcome. Please read the posts below and come back here on Wednesday mornings. Nobody — and that includes the New York Times — covers the klezmer/
landlord scene like we do.

Lox on,

Bert Stratton

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7 comments

1 Seth { 05.08.11 at 1:20 pm }

Imagine my surprise, sitting with the real (non-digital) NY Times on my table… after reading how the Times got the first word out about bin Laden, and Maureen telling us it’s ok to be content with his death…down on the lower right page, a familiar name with a sweet vignette. But Heinen’s? For tongue? Must be poetic license for Jack’s [Deli]…since they have the best creamed herring in town.

2 Bert { 05.08.11 at 2:55 pm }

To Seth:

You’re on to something. Heinen’s didn’t have the tongue. I had to go over to Jack’s Deli, across the street. Got four slices for my mother.

3 Elyse Cogan { 05.08.11 at 3:52 pm }

I just read the NYTimes after working out. Serious. I immediately googled Klezmer Guy. I didn’t even finish reading this post. You are one great writer. I will now follow you on Facedeath and read your blog religiously. In the cultural sense only.
Lox on to you too!
Elyse

4 diddle { 05.08.11 at 4:30 pm }

facedeath!? omg

5 marilyn carroll { 05.08.11 at 8:13 pm }

I read your op-ed in the NY Times about food and your mom. It was very touching!

6 Jennifer { 05.09.11 at 5:21 pm }

I loved your Heinen’s story in the NYT. I never had to ask for Jewish tongue, but my great aunt used to insist that I ask for “1/4 pound of the tip of the tongue. Tell him the tip -make sure it is the tip!” It makes me squirm just to think about it!

7 Dale Heinen { 05.10.11 at 1:43 pm }

I really enjoyed your article in the Times, as a Heinen and as a daughter! Great to hear about your pilgrimages of remembrance (I have them, too, especially in the Lander store). Thank you. I live in London but sent it to my Cleveland family, too.

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