From the creator and performer of
‍otto frank

"not anticipating
any particular questions
or any particular answers
fort mason mason is where america began
and where it ends
ramaytush ohlone
angel island and alcatraz
shipping off to war
and it’s next stop chinatown
let’s revisit anne frank’s diary
the second most popular non-fiction book
right behind the bible
the book of daniel
starring shadrach meshach and abednego
your playlist includes
sly and the family stone
the cut is called loose booty
chanting the names of those three hebrew youths
thrown in the fire
but
according to bob marley’s podcast
they never got burned
put the clara ward singers in the mix
and brook benton
cause it’s a rainy night in babylon
the abyssinians and the viceroys too
sonny rollins and the modern jazz quartet
versus
the golden gate quartet
and
don’t forget the larks
the wanderers
and definitely not pops
aka louis armstrong
and now you’re ready
for the beastie boys
straight out of brooklyn
doing it
quoting the great east bay poet
sylvester stewart
and since we’re talking father daughter
let’s do some marc anthony thompson
and then some zsela
cause that’s the next generation
and then go old school:
miss billie holiday strange fruit
since we’re talking immolation
now watch your step
you’ve reached your final destination"
- Roger Guenveur Smith
‍

Otto Frank was the second son of Michael Frank and Alice Betty Stern. The family lived in Germany and were liberal Jews. They valued Jewish traditions and holidays but did not observe all religious laws. Father Michael Frank was the proud owner of a business bank in Frankfurt am Main. After high school, Otto briefly studied art history in Heidelberg. He then went on to do traineeships at various banks and at Macy's (New York). Otto returned to Germany after his father's sudden death in 1909. He spent some time at a company that produced horseshoes. The First World War initially seemed to pass Otto by, but he enlisted in 1915. He was part of a ‘Lichtmesstrupp', a unit that analysed where enemy artillery fire came from.When the war ended, Otto had been promoted to lieutenant and was decorated. After his return, he joined the family bank.