Editing Silver Jews (section)

==History==
===Early years===
Berman was living in [[Hoboken, New Jersey]] with two [[University of Virginia]] friends, [[Stephen Malkmus]] and [[Bob Nastanovich]], and recording discordant tapes in their living room.<ref name="Larkin90"/> Around this time, he worked as a security guard at New York's [[Whitney Museum of American Art]], which influenced their music. Berman said, "We were working at the Whitney with all this conceptual art, and we were learning about it [...] And so I thought, "Well let's just make this record that looks like a record, and has song titles and everything, but the songs would be the ones we make at home that sound terrible."<ref name="auto">{{cite web|last=DeLuca|first=Leo|date=October 19, 2018|title=Silver Jews' 'American Water' Turns 20|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2018961/silver-jews-american-water-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary/|access-date=August 8, 2019|website=[[Stereogum]]}}</ref> Although the band is often called a Pavement side project, its formation actually preceded Pavement's.

"Walnut Falcons" was tossed around as a potential band name before "Silver Jews" was chosen.<ref name="auto"/> Berman, who was [[Jews|Jewish]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Barshad|first=Amos|date=June 17, 2008|title=The Silver Jews' David Berman Is Currently Accepting Intern Applications|url=https://www.vulture.com/2008/06/the_silver_jews_david_berman_o.html|access-date=February 21, 2022|website=[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]]}}</ref> joked that the name came from a billboard he saw reading "Silver Jewelry"<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zVzxausyPo |title=Silver Jew (2007) - Documentary about the Silver Jews |date=2015-03-11 |last=ci1025 |access-date=2024-06-08 |via=YouTube}}</ref> and later revealed that the name was actually intended to be a pseudonym for a conceptual art piece but instead evolved into the actual band.<ref>{{cite web|last=raford|date=June 19, 2008|title=Silver Jews Thursday – David Berman on LOMLOC, Writing, and the Ugliness of Failure – Part I|url=https://raford.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/silver-jews-thursday-exclusive-interview-wdavid-part-i/|access-date=November 19, 2013|website=Blog de Ford}}</ref> Others claim that the name pays homage to [[Silver Apples]], [[the Beatles]]' early name "the Silver Beatles", and a slang term for Jews with blonde hair.<ref name="am">{{cite web|last=Phares|first=Heather|title=Silver Jews Biography, Songs, & Albums|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/silver-jews-mn0000755496/biography|access-date=November 19, 2013|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> In an interview with Vish Khanna in June 2019, Berman said, "Silver Jews was a very burdensome band name. It confused people: I never made it clear what I meant by it. It wasn't until the end until I realized what a proper definition of Silver Jew would be outside of the context of my music, which would be a Jew that was Jewish down [[Matrilineality in Judaism|through patrilineal descent]], which would be a Jew [[Who is a Jew?|that's not a Jew]], really. It's the outsiders to the outsiders."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vishkhanna.com/2019/06/12/ep-481-david-berman/|title=Ep. #481: David Berman – Kreative Kontrol|website=Vishkhanna.com|date=June 12, 2019|access-date=December 20, 2019}}</ref>

===Touring===
[[File:The Silver Jews (2006).jpg|thumb|left|200px|Silver Jews performing at [[Webster Hall]] in 2006]]
Berman had pointedly avoided playing live throughout much of the band's existence but Silver Jews surprised fans by announcing their first-ever tour following the release of ''[[Tanglewood Numbers]]'' in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-08-08 |title=Silver Jews |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/6110-silver-jews/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=Pitchfork |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=BrooklynVegan |date=2005-12-16 |title=Silver Jews Tour Dates |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/silver-jews-tou/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=BrooklynVegan |language=en-US}}</ref> They toured North America, Europe, and Israel in 2006. A documentary, titled ''[[Silver Jew]]'', was filmed during the band's time in Israel.

===Break up===
On January 22, 2009, Berman announced via the official [[Drag City (record label)|Drag City]] [[internet forum|messageboard]] that he planned to retire from music and that the Silver Jews would play their final show on ''[[Bluegrass Underground]]'' at [[Cumberland Caverns]] in [[McMinnville, Tennessee]] at 3 pm on January 31, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=It's Hard to Find a Friend: The Silver Jews Are So Underground!|url=http://bluegrassunderground.com/2008/12/its-hard-to-find-a-friend-the-silver-jews-are-so-underground/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513023312/https://bluegrassunderground.com/2008/12/its-hard-to-find-a-friend-the-silver-jews-are-so-underground/|archive-date=May 13, 2009|access-date=February 21, 2022|website=[[Bluegrass Underground]]}}</ref><ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web|last=Phillips|first=Amy|date=January 23, 2009|title=Silver Jews' David Berman Calls It Quits|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/34455-silver-jews-david-berman-calls-it-quits/|access-date=February 21, 2022|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> The caverns are located 333 feet underground, and only 300 general admission tickets were made available. Berman stated that he would play his 15 favorite Silver Jews songs. He also wrote that his intentions are to move to "[[screenwriting]] or [[Muckraker|muckraking]]".<ref name="pitchfork" /> He closed the entry by saying, "I always said we would stop before we got bad. If I continue to record I might accidentally write the answer song to '[[Shiny Happy People]]'."<ref>{{cite web|title=Silver Jews End-Lead Singer Bids his Well-Wishers Adieu|url=http://dragcity.com/dcforums/viewtopic.php?p=2298&sid=1a999b4209f426a801b14fc1ff8eccd0#2298|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506105434/https://dragcity.com/dcforums/viewtopic.php?p=2298&sid=1a999b4209f426a801b14fc1ff8eccd0#2298|archive-date=May 6, 2009|access-date=February 21, 2022|publisher=[[Drag City (record label)|Drag City]]}}</ref>

Berman originally planned for the concert to be recorded and aired sometime in February 2009 on Nashville's famed [[WSM (AM)|WSM AM]] radio station;<ref name="pitchfork" /> however, the day before the show, Berman posted on the Drag City message board to say that he had "negotiated out of the WSM part out of the deal."<ref>{{cite web|title=final show|url=http://dragcity.com/dcforums/viewtopic.php?t=654&sid=1e50689a0f7bc1569706a99105037e56|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129145313/https://dragcity.com/dcforums/viewtopic.php?t=654&sid=1e50689a0f7bc1569706a99105037e56|archive-date=January 29, 2009|access-date=February 21, 2022|publisher=[[Drag City (record label)|Drag City]]}}</ref> The concert was documented by several [[16 mm film]] cameras, and Berman hinted at a possible DVD release of the show at some point in the future.

The last song that the Silver Jews performed live was "Smith and Jones Forever".

===Post-breakup events===
On June 19, 2012, ''Early Times'' was released by Drag City. ''Early Times'' is a compilation of EPs and singles that were released before the debut LP ''Starlite Walker''.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Silver Jews: Early Times |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16743-early-times/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2015, Bob Nastanovich posted a photo to his Facebook page featuring the band rehearsing. He said that the band is working on two new songs, "The Veranda Over The Toy Shoppe", and "Wacky Package Eyes". David Berman later said the photo was a prank.<ref>{{cite web|last=Trapunski|first=Richard|date=January 13, 2015|title=Silver Jews probably aren't reuniting after all|url=http://www.chartattack.com/news/2015/01/13/silver-jews-maybe-reuniting/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214143247/https://www.chartattack.com/news/2015/01/13/silver-jews-maybe-reuniting/|archive-date=February 14, 2015|access-date=January 13, 2022|url-status=usurped|website=[[Chart Attack]]}}</ref> Berman instead returned with new project [[Purple Mountains]] in July 2019, but died the following month.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Silver Jews' David Berman Dies At 52 |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/08/07/749245911/silver-jews-david-berman-dies-at-52 |website=NPR}}</ref>