members were 15 years old. They have a large library
of songs, half of which Himmelman writes on stage,
while he's performing," Westman says.
In his hometown of Minneapolis, groups of teen-
agers call themselves Himmelheads. In Oak Park,
Mich., Ronnie Schreiber, in his 40s, just refers to him-
self as a fan.
"(Himmelman) is quite a gifted songwriter. I listen
to a lot of different kinds of music," Schreiber says.
Technical virtuosity is nice but, ultimately, the songs
need to speak to people, and in Himmelman's case, I
think they really do. The music is thematically Jew-
ish without being preachy. It stand on its own. It's
quality rock 'n' roll."
Schreiber and his wife, Batya, say they're among
the radio listeners who would like to witness Him-
melman shoot skyward. Himmelman also wants
things to take off in that direction, and he's working
at it, but not without some maverick challenges.
First, Himmelman doesn't work on Shabbat. That
means no more Friday night gigs in NYC — or any-
where else. No more Saturday matinees. Judaism is
a value on which he won't compromise. The passion
began in the mid 1980s in New York ...
While he and his band were packing in crowds, Him-
melman composed music on the side for live fashion
shows.
The experience backstage acquainted him with all
the glitz and nakedness of models as they dressed, un-
dressed and redressed for another trek down the neon-
lit runway.
Somehow, in the stew of Big Apple distractions, the
musician found his way to Torah classes with Simon
Jacobson, a Lubavitch rabbi who wrote an adaptation
of the book Toward A Meaningful Life, by the late
Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
"I started going over there (Rabbi Jacobson's) and
things made a lot more sense to me than they had in
the other worlds I'd looked into — the world of "Gilli-
gan's Island," baloney sandwiches and fashion mod-
els. Judaism made a lot more sense than pop culture
in general," Himmelman says.
From a pot-smoking teen-ager who did well acad-
emically but never liked school, Himmelman, the
young adult, gradually became more involved in Jew-
ish observance.
His friends and band members worried about how
this new twist would affect their musical success. Him-
melman admits that he, himself, endured moments
of isolation.
"Nobody wanted to hang out with me on Friday
nights," he says.
At home alone, he'd stick candles in pop bottles and
light them when the sun set. Shabbat dinner consist-
ed of sardines, pareve. He had no kosher dishes. Him-
melman's non-Jewish girlfriend decided against a
conversion, so the couple broke up.
"Dating? I really didn't do too much dating," he re-
ca 1 s.
Despite his change of lifestyles, Himmelman re-
mained on the rock 'n' roll circuit, garnering a cadre
of fans. In 11388, he met his wife, Maria, in Crown
Heights.
"The reason I wanted to get married was because
it made sense from a Jewish point of view," he says.
"It runs contrary to the typical rock 'n' roll guy men-
tality, which basically says you can have a lot of
women. You're an artist. Why tie yourself down? Why
do the normal thing?"
The Jewish view of marriage, Himmelman insists,
is hardly normal. And he likes it that way. .
"Marriage is mystical and filled with real sensual-
ity," he says. "It's not just surface sex. It's something
connected with generations in the past and in the
future. A purpose."
He and Maria married in 1989. Their honeymoon
was in Central Asia, where he performed for Iron Cur-
tain crowds hungering for an American jam. It was,
perhaps, his most diverse audience ever: children and
teens, as well as "grandmothers in Arabic headdress."
The Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) did a docu-
mentary on the trip.
Under Dylan's shadow of fame,
Himmelman has sought to emerge a
star in his own right.
Back home in the States, the Himmelman couple
has three young children and lives in Santa Monica,
Calif. Rock 'n' roll dad says a musical career and fa-
therhood — to say nothing of Jewish observance —
make him wish for more time at home.
But stints on the road have rewards, as well. Re-
cently, the whole family ventured to Israel for five
weeks. It was more for pleasure than work, Himmel-
man says.
Speaking over the phone Nov. 17 from Minneapo-
lis, he describes the scene at the First Avenue Bar, the
"greasy, grimy dungeon of a place" his band had played
the night before.
But neither the dive, nor its occupants, were with-
out personality.
After a brief "how to" by Himmelman, the crowd
of 1,000 rose to its feet and danced the hora. The night's
delirium progressed to something close to a mosh and
chair dance.
"People floating on a sea of humanity," Himmelman
says.
Unusual. But unusual is not so unusual for Him-
melman.
"I'm always weirdly juxtaposed," he says. "Things
that are neat, I never trust. If you're too easily pack-
aged, identifiable and definable, then something is
off." ❑
Performances
Who: Peter Himmelman
and Band
When 7 p.m. doors; 8 p.m.
concert; Thursday, Dec. 7
Where: Royal Oak Music
Theatre
Sponsored By: Jewish
Federation Of Metropoli-
tan Detroit
Cost: $12, plus a pledge to
the 1996 Allied Jewish
Campaign
Open To: 21 and older.
Cash bar.
Information: Call (810)
642-4260, Ext. 241.
Hirnmelman.
GARY GRAFF SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
H
e may be Bob Dylan's son-in-
law, but Peter Hinarnelman
treads his own musical path.
Sure he can do the acoustic
coffeehousebit,
' but he can also strap
on an electric guitar and wail with
the fury of the best modern rockers.
His 15-year catalog of recordings
shows depth, versatility and con-
siderable evolution. There are some
stumbles along the way, but some-
times that's the price to be paid for
taking chances. Here is a partial list-
ing of his albums:
Hail to the Modern Hero! (BTL,
1980; Regency, 1980): Himnaelman
started on a new wave tip with the
Minneapolis band Sussman
Lawrence. Elvis Costello and Joe
Jackson are more than just influ-
ences here; they're sonic models. But
those are hardly bad sources, and
Himmelman mines them well for
smart, witty — and occasionally sil-
ly -- lyrics and catchy melodicism.
Pop City (Orange, 1984): A sprawl-
ing 21-song double album that finds
Sussman Lawrence broadening its
Modern Hero sound with jazz, R&B
and heavier rock styles. Well Worth
searching out.
This Father's Day (Orange, 1986;
Island, 1986; Razor & Tie, 1995):
Himmelman becomes a solo artist
-- astonishingly with most of Suss-
man Lawrence sticking around to
back him up. Dedicated
father, This Father's Da
plaintive and folky than di'
he played in the band. H'
spection yields songs of realiz,
and craft; the reflective “ElOie
Session" announced the arrival
a major new songwriting talent.
Gematria (Island, 1987): Himmel-
man cranks it up again on his sec-
ond solo effort. Recorded in just three
days, it rocks harder and sounds
more like the work of a band than
a solo troubadour. But it's a flawed
outing, with lyrics that sound rushed
and a musical character that's not
quite as distinctive as its predeces-
sor.
Synesthesia (Island, 1989): This
one bridges the virtues of This Fa-
ther's Day and Gernatria. The lyrics
regain their power "Babylon" is a
particularly poignant piece of social
commentary --- while some of the
songs hearken back to the pop crafts-
manship of Sussman Lawrence.
"Surrender" and "Difficult to Toilet"
have become staples of his concert
repertoire.
From Strength to Strength (Epic,
1991): This one tends to divide Him-
melinan fans. Coinciding with the
start of AAA radio (that's The River
to you Detroiters), this was Him-
melinan's breakthrough release, gar-
nering his first major airplay since
Sim on,
Skin (Epic, 1994): Hinnnelnaan goes
a bit over the top on this concept al-
binn, the story of a confirmed hed°-
nisi whose soul leaves his for
f 1 a
kind ofreincarnation that lea ds to a
new spiritual enlightenment.
Heavy? You betcha — and Him
elman tosses in seemingly every
question and'
,
abo der
ut la-l.all
religlpz„
e
want the lecture,
crunchy rock of "Eleveo.
the Bath..." and "The
They're Calling Me,"
ful items such as 'The
Song With You"
Child." It's a long W:te0
7:,*
who in Sussman Lawrence
s-idiln
like an Elvis Costello ktI ock-off