"Its funny how its the rock music that caused the rebellion, as opposed to being a symptom of it (In Gush, this was the "siman" v. "sibah" chaqirah). Also, I wonder what type of music we're talking about. I mean, nobody in that universe is playing Aerosmith or U2 at weddings, right?"I'll have some comments on the Deah V'dibbur article later, but to answer Avraham's question, yes, there is rock music being played at some of those affairs. I haven't heard any U2, but I have played with bands who did the riff from Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" at Chassidish affairs in Brooklyn. Other popular riffs taken from secular songs include the "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor, "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty, "Final Countdown" by Europe, as well as the licks from Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love", The Stone's "Jumping Jack Flash" , and Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" which are frequently inserted into Keitzad M'rakdin. I've been on jobs in Boro Park, Williamsburg, and Monroe where the bandleader called these songs.
One story I've heard on the bandstand is that of a chassid who approached a certain bandleader to request that "the intro should be 'Bakery Street' with lots of extortion." He meant that the band should introduce the Chosson and Kallah with the riff from Baker Street with the guitarist playing a heavily distorted sound on the guitar.
Also, I once heard a Chassidish fellow request: "mebbe you know de teme from de movi di Titanic?"
Update:Josh Yuter also links to the Deah V'dibbur article and comments:
"Their posek in Rock Music is Mr. Phillip Ayache, a R' Tendler-esque professor of Baroque music - who by the way must have had some secular education."I wonder what kind of "shimush" is required to become a posek in "Inyanei Rock v'Roll?"
This discussion reminds me of the kol koreh against secular music I once saw many years ago in Israel. It listed the genres of "treif" music to be avoided which included Rock, Jazz, Pop, and of course, the most pernicious style of the bunch, "Roll."
