STEREOtype - Yoni Wolf (Why?)
With all the holidays, I’ve had little to no time to go chasing after musical Jews, but the wait is over: here’s a new STEREOtype Q&A with Why? vocalist and brain-genius Yoni Wolf. Yoni’s band, part of California’s Anticon Collective, spins lovely and forlorn indie folk that occasionally skirts the line between rock and hip hop. Why?’s new record Eskimo Snow dropped last week, and you can grab that masterpiece here. Wikipedia is telling me Yoni was born to a pair of ‘Messianic Jews’ (whatever that means) in Cincinnati, and that he discovered his first 4-track in his father’s synagogue. Let’s see how far that discovery has taken Yoni across the Jew-spectrum. Onwards:
How many times a week do you speak to your Mother?
I have been living with her for the past two weeks…so, I would say everyday.
Your nose. Friend or foe?
Non-partisan.
Are you good with money?
Yes.
You have a cold. You can either treat your illness with over-the-counter cold medication or stick to a diet of chicken/vegan-chicken soup, sleep and a strong dose of complaining. Which do you choose?
The herbal route. Echinacea, C, Yohimbe…We were health food Jews.
On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most guilty, how would you say you feel on average? Now, say that you’re eating a cheeseburger/playing a show on a Friday night. How guilty are you then?
I don’t feel guilty. I work 7 days a week if I want, or rest 7. I do as I please, and I most definitely don’t eat cheeseburgers.
Did you go to summer camp? If so, please share a mortifying/awesome summer camp tale.
I went to an overnight camp when I was about 10. I have a mild case of OCD, which was a lot worse when I was a kid. I didn’t want to use the latrines because they were gross! So there was only one obvious alternative: hold it for a week and a half. I wasn’t so good at capture the flag on day 8, but I didn’t catch bacterial death.
And last but not least - favorite Jewish song? And if you’d like, a cover of said tune!
I like “Check Your Head” by the Beastie Boys …I also like “Take This Longing” by Leonard Cohen.