טיפקס

I'm late to the Tipex/Teapacks story, and have, most upsettingly, missed the group's NYC show. Last winter the IDF soldiers on the Birthright trip I went on made us pale Diaspora Jews a mix CD of the best pop music of their land. I was unable to find out what all but a couple of the songs were or who they were by, which didn't stop me from memorizing the catchier among them in that way people do when they're not sure quite what they're hearing. But thanks to my fantastic Hebrew teacher, I now know that the best of the mix is a song by a band once called Tipex but due to copyright issues now known as Teapacks. I doubt the change mattered except in transliteration, but nevertheless. It turns out they are not known for the beyond-wonderful פרח השכונות (here in one of several You Tube karaoke incarnations) but instead for a too-hot-for-Eurovision song about nuclear Iran called "Push the Button."

Apparently it's frowned upon to enter cheesy European song contests as an Israeli band with a song about nuclear war. But the song is hilarious, and not only that, but has bits in English and then French prior to launching into the Hebrew-rap portion. Listening to the song is an odd experience, as I have to progressively pay more and more attention to the words I'm hearing, from understanding it all in my sleep to understanding it all awake to catching maybe every third word.

Also amazing, but unembeddable: The French-language coverage of the controversy surrounding the song.