Gary Lucas took the time to complete a degree in English at Yale before deciding on a career in music which took him from Leonard Bernstein to avant-garde rocker Captain Beefheart and 1990â??s singing star Jeff Buckley. Since then Lucas â?? an outstanding guitar player and in some ways a â??musicianâ??s musicianâ? â?? began to explore his Jewish roots in his music, in such albums as â??Busy Being Bornâ?Â.
Richard Wagner, the great anti-Semite composer, claimed Jewish music was a mongrelized music, full of influences from other sources. But that is exactly what Gary Lucas likes about Jewish music. In this interview he tells us of his love for mixing it up, on his influences and on what he believes is the essence of Jewishness â?? a sense of humour.
