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# The Jewish case for gentile rock & roll
- URL: https://www.jewsrock.org/the-jewish-case-for-gentile-rock-roll/
- Published: 2005-09-23T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-20T22:08:39.000Z
- Author: JewsRock
- Tags: Blog

*by Spencer Ackerman*

On balance, you need to conclude that the  
late-19th century intellectual architects of Zionism were vindicated.  
It's true in some trivial sense that their contention that a Jewish  
homeland would mean a future of safety for all of us didn't exactly pan  
out. But come on: there was a holocaust in Europe, and it never could  
have happened if there was, say, a contemporaneous Israeli Air Force.  
End of argument. But Herzl, Ahad Ha'am, Hayyim Nahman Bialek and the  
rest did get one thing wrong: the Jews can never be completely  
self-reliant. No people can (though the Kurds seem to be the  
exception). This is certainly not to be held against the early  
Zionists, who can hardly be expected to have anticipated the age of  
globalization. But it brings me to another unfortunate blindspot of  
this website: we need to acknowledge the gentiles who have paved the  
way for Jewish rock. Much as Yad Vashem devotes space for the Avenue of  
the Righteous… actually, let's stop this analogy in its tracks. Celebrating  
the achievements of the righteous gentiles of rock & roll is too  
great a task for a mere blogger. So let's simply tip the kippah  
to the contemporary good-for-the-Jews rock groups. Which brings me to  
my girlfriend's former band, the Shemps. Did I mention they've [just released a CD](http://www.disgruntledmusic.com/prod%5Finfo.cgi?num=REZ007-2&ref=jewsrock.org), on which she plays guitar? And that you--Jew boy--should buy it? The  
Shemps' other guitarist, Squeaky, actually is himself a Tribesman.  
Their singer's previous bands, Milhouse and Indecision, have in their  
various iconographies flirted with Devil worship and a self-abnegating  
Catholicism, so one could expect to find Judiasm in the middle ground  
there. But perhaps their greatest contribution to the Jewish people  
comes from their bassist, Bill, whose Greedy Bastard fanzine  
was never hesitant to acknowledge Jewish punk rockers. Not that Bill  
stopped there: if you can find a copy of his awe-inspiring wedding  
video, you'll be taken on an unforgettably harrowing tour of the  
seedy underbelly of Jewish and Italian ritualism. The bottom line: if  
you like your garage rock raucous and you think live performances  
should serve to hurl invective not at the band but at the audience, the  
Shemps are your new favorite band. At  
this point I should say that I owe an apology to Sue's replacement in  
the Shemps. My behavior at your recent Greenpoint show with Lost Locker  
Combo reflected poorly on me. Your sexuality is not in question, and is  
not an appropriate subject for between-song commentary. I apologize  
unreservedly and without qualification. And as long as we're talking about current good-for-the-Jews rockers, I want to linger a moment on [Lost Locker Combo](http://www.myspace.com/lostlockercombo?ref=jewsrock.org).  
Did you check out their hot black-Irish glockenspiel player? Something  
tells me she has herself quite a soft spot for the Jewish people.  
What's more, my intuition suggests she also has quite an exquisite and  
subtle literary sensibility. The Jews are only uplifted by gentiles  
like her. See?  
Jewish rock can coexist with its gentile counterpart and provide a  
mutual benefit. It's in this manner we reconcile the enduring wisdom of  
Zionism with the post-national future.