He desperately wanted to be a jazz artist, moving to New York City. But bass guitarist Yosef Gutman Levitt (originally from South Africa) found that success doesn't come easily. To support himself, Yosef had to work in restaurants. He did other odd jobs as well - all the while, performing in local venues. Still, real success eluded him. He took a break to reflect on his approach to music, then landed a job as a producer on the Oprah Winfrey show. He also became very good at software programming, creating his own tech company. It was in 2009 that Yosef left the US to live with his family in Israel. In 2014, the giant website company "GoDaddy" purchased his tech firm. It wasn't until just a few years ago, in 2018, that Yosef went back to his first love of music. This time, he worked on a unique approach - combining hasidic melodies with jazz, latin, classical and Middle Eastern influences. And bang - success! Yosef Gutman Levitt, through ingenuity and determination, rose to prominence in the music world. In this interview with host Stefan Zaichkowski, Yosef admits that for years, he was a "lousy musician" but adds, that today, that has become an advantage because he can more easily spot weaknesses. Hear Yosef's music at 54:40.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
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CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.