| Three
Bad Jewish Brothers
Although the September 1998 issue
of Spin magazine made a valiant attempt to cover as many
of the Beastie Boys side-projects as they could, they left
out what is perhaps the most humorous reincarnation of the
group…Three Bad Jewish Brothers. With names like Funky
Ismael and Grand Master Jew, Horovitz,
Yauch, and Diamond
took turns on the microphone and lampooned Run
DMC with the help of their friends Josh Cheuse and Kio
Turner. Kio played the role of Grand Master Jew and would
spit lyrics like the following: “Grand Master Jew is
the one in charge…he rocks the torah that’s truly
large.”
A typical live performance would include satirical renditions
like “Lox Box” and “Three Bad Jewish Brothers
Looking Out for One Another.” For those who have attempted
to explain the success of Licensed
to Ill as nothing more than satire of the heavy
metal lifestyle, it will come as no surprise that Three
Bad Jewish Brothers material was yet another product of
the same time and space.
A large part of the Three Bad Jewish Brothers appeal was
the fact that they had a really fresh look. They all wore
dark suits and sported yamakas, which were tilted to the
side and forward a little. Sean
“the Captain” Carasov still remembers how
the group got their start. “Every month this promoter,
Howie, used to do a cabaret night there (Danceteria in New
York) where local scene’sters would get together and
put together a skit or do something nutty for a night of
hilarity. They would replace the back hats and Lees that
Run DMC were known for with Hasid hats, hair, and long black
coats and then would perform Run DMC hits such as ‘It's
Like That.’”
When a group of Hasidic Jews made an appearance in Tougher
Than Leather, many fans immediately suspected that movie’s
credits were incorrect and in fact it was the Beastie Boys
making yet another cameo appearance in the movie. The official
press kit for New Line Cinema production of Tougher Than
Leather lists the actors for those roles as Vanya Edwards,
Scott Gomez, Hugh Gilmore, Arthur Forte, and Frank Santopadre
respectively. For those of you with a copy of the movie,
you can formulate your own opinion as to whether it was
the Beastie Boys or not.
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