Adam Brodsky has embarked on a Guinness Record-breaking tour of America: performing in 50 states in 50 days, with a finale at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia Sept. 21.
By: Jillian Kalonick
In the middle of the night, in an empty Wal-Mart parking lot in the Midwest, sits an enormous conversion van, affectionately named the Pequod. On its side is a map of the United States, with the visited states stickered. Inside is a sleeping anti-folk singer known as the Dork, Adam Brodsky.
Originally from Warminster, Pa., Mr. Brodsky has embarked on a Guinness Record-breaking tour of America: performing in 50 states in 50 days, with a finale at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia Sept. 21. Kicking off the tour in Newark, Del., on Aug. 3, Mr. Brodsky planned to tool around the country in the Pequod, leaving it only to fly to Alaska and Hawaii. He has added a 51st date in Washington, D.C., Sept. 22.
Besides busying himself during August, a notoriously slow time for folk singers, Mr. Brodsky wanted to be back home in time for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
As the author of songs such as "Jesus Owes Me 50 Bucks" and "Jump on a Cross and Die," one shudders at the reception he might receive in the Bible Belt. The self-proclaimed "Jewish atheist" even sells T-shirts at shows proclaiming "Jews Kick Ass." But Mr. Brodsky says he finds little dissent, even in the deep South.
"I can count on one or two hands when I’ve gotten into trouble, and I’ve played thousands of shows," says Mr. Brodsky. "When I sing ‘Uncivil Rights’ (a response to the likes of Bush, Ashcroft and Cheney) in the red states, people clap and laugh. Even if you don’t agree with the politics, you get caught up in the moment or, the people who come to see live music are a hipper, lefter sort."
Mr. Brodsky has become a Philadelphia institution as the leader of a monthly anti-hoot at Fergie’s Pub, a presenter of "A Brief History of Folk Music" at 30th Street Station and a consistent sell-out at the Tin Angel and The Point in Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Mr. Brodsky’s albums Dork (
function popUp(URL,NAME) {
amznwin=window.open(URL,NAME,’location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10′);
amznwin.focus();}
document.open();
document.write("Buy from Amazon.com");document.close();
) and Folk Remedy (
function popUp(URL,NAME) {
amznwin=window.open(URL,NAME,’location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10′);
amznwin.focus();}
document.open();
document.write("Buy from Amazon.com");document.close();
) established him in the genre of anti-folk, an in-your-face return to gutsy folk in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, with a punk edge. His label, Permanent Records, started out as a simple mark on his first cassette and is now home to several Philadelphia-based artists. Mr. Brodsky’s newest album, Hookers, Hicks and Heebs, released in 2002, is a mix of Holocaust ballads, "Jewgrass" and Brodsky-style love songs, typified by titles like "Rejection" and "Betrayal."
"I really like ‘Folk Remedy,’ that was a really good record I was proud of," he says. "Then I was screwed, because now I gotta make a record that’s at least as good as ‘Folk Remedy,’ and yet different."
Priding himself on working for the fans, Mr. Brodsky sells his CDs for $12 and rewards frequent show attendants through a "Dork Card" system. Newcomers might walk away either offended or addicted, but it’s hard not to laugh.
"I work very hard to write really good songs and put on a really good show, and I sleep in my van, and so be it. I’m not displeased with that."
Adam Brodsky plays the Tin Angel, 20 S. 2nd St., Philadelphia, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m. Mary Prankster opens. Tickets cost $8. For information, call (215) 928-0770. On the Web: www.tinangel.com. Mr. Brodsky also will be a guest on Gene Shay’s Folk Show on 88.5 WXPN, Sept. 28, 8-11 p.m. Adam Brodsky on the Web:
"_blank">www.adambrodsky.com or www.fiftyinfifty.com