Back in 1986, Stephan Remmler of the cult German new wave band Trio released his iconic ‘Schlager’ “Alles hat ein Ende (nur die Wurst hat zwei)” (everything has an end, but the sausage has two), which basically boils down to saying that everything must come to an end. The phrase and song, now staples of German pop culture, have since taken on a life of their own, which brings us to a certain Joe Fleisch aka Jossi Reich, frontman and controversial crooner of the notorious Jewish Monkeys as well as the Jewrhythmics.

A few years back, said Jewrhythmics (a thoroughly promising musical outfit) aspired to establish a new brand of Yiddish pop music in Germany, along the lines of “Yiddish is dead? Long live Yiddish!”. Maxim Biller, a close friend of Jossi Reich and prolific German writer of Jewish-Russian heritage, documented this (ad)venture in a highly entertaining piece for ZEIT Online. But let’s stay on topic. Talking about how every end is also a new beginning, the Jewrhythmics one day decided to breathe new life into a dusty classic and turn Remmler’s somewhat unconventional anti-love song into a Yiddish-tongued, synth-infused, 80s-style pop anthem.

And so the story of the proverbial “Wurst” continues. This is actually where it begins, as the question remains: Who is Joe Fleisch? Jossi Reich originally picked this pseudonym because it had both a “concentration camp survivor” as well as a “Neue Deutsche Welle” (80s German new wave) ring to it; a working title befitting an artist seeking to translate Yiddish tradition into contemporary German pop culture: “I’m a millionaire, a history professor and a part-time pornographer. I am rich, horny, decadent, hedonistic and preposterous. I enjoy hosting excessive orgies with my pianist, my playmate, my director and his assistant in my pompous bathroom”, he sings.

But the intriguing artistic persona that is Joe Fleisch extends way beyond the Jewrhythmics. The self-proclaimed “neo-Yiddish singer” has his own website, a host of solid collaborations to his name and a knack for all things satirical, cynical and in some ways flamboyant. If you dig further, you will find he released a debut EP back in 2011 entitled “Oi Amerike” (Joe Fleisch presents: Yiddish and Non-Yiddish songs from the past, revisited by ElektroYid and the JewishMonkeys), followed by “The Yiddish” (2014), an equally brilliant debut longplayer produced by Balkan Beat Box’s Ori Kaplan, featuring the Yiddish-tinged remake of Stephan Remmler’s other cult new wave hit “Da, Da, Da”, alias “Dai, Dai, Dai”.

And the ties run even deeper: Joe Fleisch prominently featured in Petite Meller’s dreamy electro pop rendition of Swiss ‘Neue Deutsche Welle’ outfit Grauzone’s cult song “Eisbär” (polar bear), alias “Icebear” or “Waysser Behr” in Yiddish. On a side note, Petite Meller is the wife of the renowned Asaf T. Mann, who has directed many of her videos, but incidentally was also the director of the Jewish Monkeys’ “Black But Sweet” clip.

What’s more, the Tel Aviv-based Fleisch recently joined forces with acclaimed Israeli composer/producer Uri Toledano and the highly sought after commercial director Guy Bolandi on a contemporary, electro oriental, club-ready ‘sausage makeover’ with equally mesmerizing visuals to his “Wursht”, a Yiddish ode to Remmler.

As you can see for yourselves, our world keeps on turning, while there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. This could quite likely go on forever. So for now, let’s just conclude along the lines of “Joe Fleisch is dead? Long live Joe Fleisch!”.