More in ‘Jody Rosen’

Dylan’s Christmas Album Out

It’s good old Americana, says Jody Rosen
By Allison Hoffman | 4:00 PM Oct 15, 2009

Guess what, kids? Christmas is here early—and, it’s a Jew that brung it. Or, rather, an erstwhile Jew: Bob Dylan, whose new holiday compilation CD Christmas in the Heart was released earlier this week. It’s a pretty schlocky selection—everything from “Here Comes Santa Claus” to “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” (Yes, it’s sometimes hard to ...

Guy From the North Country

Bob Dylan makes a Christmas album
By Hadara Graubart | 1:56 PM Aug 7, 2009

Upon hearing the news that Bob Dylan is recording a Christmas album, our first questions were “why?”, and “hasn’t he already done that?” Of course the answer to the latter is no, but we forgive ourselves for wondering, as there is a long history of Jews making Christmas music, which Tablet contributing editor Jody Rosen ...

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Minstrel Show

Parodies that make us cringe today used to make people roar. A music critic discovers Abie Cohen, the Jewish version of Aunt Jemima.
By Sara Ivry | 11:04 PM Nov 13, 2006

Irving Berlin, the man responsible for “God Bless America,” was also the brains behind “Cohen Owes Me 97 Dollar,” a 1916 number which sent up the stereotype of the tight-fisted Jew. It was one in a slew of Tin Pan Alley minstrel songs that made fun, often affectionately, of greenhorns and their slightly savvier predecessors. ...