This is Why Twitter is Amazing

Only in this medium could this kind of conversation happen with such incredible people.

Here's how I connected to Julie Silver -- acclaimed Jewish singer/songwriter("Chazak Chazak" and "I Am All Around" to name a few)/awesome person -- and Jason Robert Brown, Tony Award winning writer of such musicals as Parade, The Last Five Years, and 13 (which the San Diego J-Company recently put on).

I was listening to my iTunes on shuffle today, and the song "Shiksa Goddess" came on. This is a song from The Last Five Years that describes how the guy main character would fall madly in love with anyone who isn't Jewish (I'm putting commentary on that issue to the side for the sake of this story). Two of the stanzas go as follows (emphasis added):

If you had a tattoo, that wouldn't matter

If you had a shaved head, that'd be cool

If you came from Spain or Japan or the back of a van

Just as long as you're not from Hebrew school

I say, now I'm getting somewhere

I'm finally breaking through

I say, hey, hey, Shiska Goddess

I've been waiting for someone like you

I've been waiting through Danica Schwartz

And Erica Weiss

And the Handleman twins

I've been waiting through Heather Greenman

Annie Minkus, Karen Pinkus, and Lisa Katz

And Stacy Rose and Ellen Kaplan and Julie Silver and Janie Stein

I've had Shabbas dinners on Friday nights

With every Shapiro in Washington Heights

I had always assumed that this reference to Julie Silver was some sort of "in" joke. Of course, when mentioning Jewish women, Jason Robert Brown would mention some famous Jew that everyone who's in the community would recognize! "In" joke, good times.

Stage set.

After listening to the song, I reached out to Julie (since we played a Shabbat Unplugged service in March and have since been going back and forth on Twitter) and asked about the line. I will let the tweets speak for themselves. They are presented in chronological order.

Me: @JulieAnnSilver So I'm listening to "Shiksa Goddess" from Last 5 Years...do you know Jason Robert Brown or is ur name drop just coincidence?

Julie (in a message): Huh?

Me (continuing the message): Have you heard the song "Shiksa Godess" from musical The Last 5 Years? The character lists all these Jewish women he's dated & he says u! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C99-mHTMSzI

Julie: Well now I certainly have made it big time. Thanks for sending.

Jason Robert Brown: It's actually "Silber", but close enough! RT @jeremygimbel: @JulieAnnSilver Listening to "Shiksa Goddess"- Is ur name drop just coincidence?

Julie: @MrJasonRBrown @jeremygimbel I'm at 35,000 feet and just heard the news. I'm crushed. . . But I did not get a shout out from him! The only consolation is that I married a shiksa goddess. HA!

And that is why Twitter is so wonderful. My friends got wedding registry advice from Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio and winner Michael Voltaggio (BTW, Mazal Tov Seth & Stacy!). And I got a lyric correction from Jason Robert Brown. What other medium could connect people who otherwise would probably never connect on such a personal level and from anywhere in the world? Unreal.

...But I still love technology, always and forever... -Napoleon Dynamite