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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Nov. 8, 2005
/ 6 Mar-Cheshvan, 5766
For dead artists, the best is yet to come
By
Mitch Albom
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A friend said I must buy this "new" CD.
"It's great!" he gushed. "Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane live at Carnegie Hall."'
They're both dead, I said.
"But this is their best stuff ever!"
I have given that sentence some thought. Perhaps we've been worrying over nothing. Being dead is not the career killer we thought it was.'
In fact, it may do wonders.
Look at Monk, the pianist who died in 1982. His new "live" CD is selling like crazy. Look at Coltrane, the saxophonist, who died 38 years ago. He recently had two of the top three jazz CDs in the country!
That's pretty good for dead.
Elvis Presley, who has been gone for decades, had a song remixed that shot to No. 1 in England. And it seems like the King releases a "new" CD every year. On occasion, even a "new" boxed set.
I read that Frank Sinatra, who died seven years ago, will "star" in a spectacular new musical in London, in the form of a larger-than-life video projection. An orchestra will accompany Ol' Blue Eyes, and a group of dancers will shimmy around his image.
Who you calling ol'?
The rapper Tupac Shakur has so much posthumous material, fans distinguish between his "before death albums" and "after death albums." Rap is so hip to the whole death market that The Notorious B.I.G. actually had a CD released called "Life After Death" just a few weeks after he was killed. The cynical call that "synergy."
But this post-funeral success is not limited to the Bob Marleys or Kurt Cobains or even the music industry in general. Every now and then, someone finds an undiscovered story by Ernest Hemingway (who died in 1961), and the literary world goes wild. A few years back, someone paid more than $2 million for the scroll of typing that became Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" even though Kerouac himself had been dead for 31 years.
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When an artist dies, his paintings can skyrocket in worth. It happened with Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Even mediocre comedians can be elevated to genius status once they've left the world. How else do you explain the endless fawning over Andy Kaufman?
Now, I have a theory about all these "new" releases, "newly" discovered manuscripts, "newly" found works and "newly unearthed" material. My theory is, more often than not, if they were any good, the artist would have released them himself.
Sometimes there are reasons people hide things in boxes. Not every tape, pad, scribble or canvas was meant for public consumption. Have you ever listened to some of those "homemade recordings" of famous artists? There was a reason they kept them at home.
But death has long been good business for legends. Ray Charles, once he died, got larger than life on the big screen, and his portrayal won Jamie Foxx an Oscar. Now Johnny Cash, who died two years ago, is an almost sure Oscar nomination for Joaquin Phoenix, who plays him in an upcoming movie, "Walk The Line." When they made a movie about Jackson Pollock, thousands of people were suddenly interested in his work, even though they didn't know who he was before. And "The Aviator" sent people scrambling to find Howard Hughes' films which went ignored for years.
What does it all mean? Well, perhaps you want to keep that unpublished novel or unfinished symphony someplace it can be found. After all, if Coltrane and Monk can release a "live" album, you never know. Your best years may be ahead of you, even when they're behind you.
On the other hand, if there's something that really embarrasses you, you might want to burn it.
You can't take it with you, but they sure can sell it without you.
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© 2005, THE DETROIT FREE PRESS
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