Howard Kremer & The Endless Summah
With summer, the most important three months of the year for a young person, upon us, I am struck with a perplexing fear; once I’m a grown-up, will I still be able to have summer? Will the sun and the sand and the short pants still be as magical when I am no longer considered a minor in the court of law? It’s an existential crisis as disconcerting as anything Kierkegaard dissected. Luckily, there is someone out there who is providing an answer to that question. That man’s name is Howard Kremer. Kremer, a comedian and musician, has devoted his life to the celebration of the best season of the year: summer, which with Kremer’s heavy Jersey accent comes off as the much better “Summah.”
Though Kremer has been Summah’s loudest advocate for all of his years, he has only recently devoted his professional time to it. After months in the recording studio, he has created a record devoted to Summah. “Have a Summah,” as it is titled, is something of an artistic departure for Kremer, who also performs as comedy rapper Dragon Boy Suede. What makes Dragon Boy Suede work is how he avoids the two biggest pratfalls of comedy music: mean-spiritedness and actually being funny. Though “Have a Summah” is less rap oriented than his previous work, it has the same amount of fun, positive reinforcement and brash enthusiasm that Kremer brings as Dragon Boy Suede.
In the end, isn’t that what Summah should be about? Fun, positive reinforcement and enthusiasm are relevant to all ages and should be in abundance all Summah, every Summah. Some (namely Howard’s co-host on the Who Charted? Podcast, Kulap Vilaysack) have likened Kremer’s love of Summah to a religion. Honestly, that isn’t too far off. Howard allegedly has a small “shrine” to Summah in his recording studio (with sand, flip flops, and sun block), he has established a defined set of rules (“you gotta start each Summah with a new [bathing] suit, get a new Summah gum, and preserve comfort levels,”) and Kremer spreads his gospel harder than Billy Graham. So, maybe Kremer is a Summah evangelist, and if that’s the case, “Have a Summah” is his holy book. While I know this is a pretty big leap, here’s the bottom line: “Have a Summah” is a postcard from July’s best lazy days and thanks to Kremer, we don’t have to just wish we were there, but we can experience it—every time someone pops “Have a Summah” into the stereo.
