ad hoc.

Wow! Someone else is also bothered that Bad Brains are doing promos on MTV. Okay, it’s not just me. None of the kids watching even gets the relevance or the awesomeness…but then again, no one FORCED Band Brains to do it. Yes, maybe they need the paycheck to be able to start making music again, but isn’t being on MTV against absolutely everything they stand for?

Thank god the writer’s strike is over! It looks like Battlestar will have a complete season. Seriously, thank god. I know I make fun of all those other fans of cancelled shows that send the producers all sorts of crap in the mail, but if this season did not get a proper run, you’d see me REALLY lose it. Oh, and the glorious third season (my favorite so far) is on dvd March 18.

My Little Pony is 25! There’s some sort of display going on in NYC. Hint hint for anyone that lives there to go and take pics for me. I read an article recently that claimed that the early ponies looked like ponies, and the more recent ones look like underage porn stars. You be the judge:

THEN:

NOW:

Against my better judgement I saw Enchanted. Oh hell, who am I fooling, I intiated the whole outting. I needed something totally mindless and entertaining. Although I swore off Disney movies forever, I figured a Disney movie that makes fun of Disney movies would be good. They really did have a go at themselves, and the beginning animated sequence included every cliche in Disney movies. I am not sure if the kiddies will get the sardonic respresentation, but oh well. However, in true Disney fascism, they are equal opportunity offenders, where they showed stereotypes of “supposed” Middle Eastern cab drivers, angry black women, horny gay men, and practically crucifed the chipmonk. The whole love story thing made me cynical too- how did they really end up together? Does she even use the bathroom? How do they explain their relationship to people? And I don’t think that was part of the irony. Also, I am over Patrick Dempsey at the heartthrob. I was kind of on the bandwagon when he made his comeback, but I’m over it. I think they should totally re-release Loverboy.

But James Marsden, be still my heart, totally played the dumb prince to perfection. Check out the tights! My obsession with him is growing. I also saw Hairspray this weekend and passed a couple of Gap ads with him in it as well. His bone structure can solve world peace.

New York magazine is sort of having this city deathmatch thing, comparing London to NY. Of course, it is all based on bougie stuff, with categories like “Who rocks harder?” “Who has a more stuck up lit scene?”  I’ve never lived there, but London seems like a 100 times better.

Let’s talk about how I want to shoot myself. Bloc Party are playing in New York at the same time I will be in Orlando. ORLANDO people. The city I hate the most. Sigh.

The church that formerly housed the Limelight will become…get this…a mini-mall.  What does Michael Alig think? This is the offical end of an era. I am kind of done with New York. Between this and the closing of CBGBs, shitty chick flicks being turned into broadway shows, and no more Tower Records, nyc is no longer nyc. Maybe crime and homelessness are lessened, but you can’t walk anywhere without seeing million dollar condos being built, and pottery barns opening on every corner.

CBGBs had its last show before it closed. It’s an American cultural tragedy. I understand the whole situation in that it couldn’tpay the rent or what have you. I am actually surprised some rich donor did not buy the place out.This is a place that can never be replaced. Music is no longer born in places; everything is digital. And with the state of music today, nothing is ever original so no movements can be born.

October 16, 2006

Fans of a Groundbreaking Club Mourn and Then Move On

Read the rest of this entry »

I have high hopes for this movie. Why? Alfonso Cuaron + Clive Owen (double schwing) + and apocolyptic storyline. Although the trailer is about five years too long.

An article about vintage clothes shopping in NY. The whole concept is ridiculous. If I bring my grandma’s sweaty tracksuit to Bergdorf’s they would laugh me out of the place. If I saw it at Beacon’s Closet, I’d pay $100 for it and get attitude from the hipsters working at the cashier.

A Vintage Trip Through Brooklyn Read the rest of this entry »

People who pay full price for Broadway tickets are total suckers or tourists, or both. Now the Times is finally catching on. I could have written this- I saw the entire 2003-2004 Broadway season for under $300. Read the rest of this entry »

It is times like these that I kick myself for leaving New York and simultaneously extremely jealous of all the hipsters that live there. Both The Raconteurs and the Rapture recently did free concerts for fashion week. Good times. There was a free show of paint drying in my apartment, and it is debatable about what was more exciting.

A new crisis has befallen NYC… the celebrity infestation.

Should art museums be free? The answer is yes. Having admission prices, even siggested donations, further polarizes it into making art museums some sort of “hoity-toity” interest reserved for the upper classes. Art museums are also a place that kids really benefit from visiting.

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Today’s the Siren Festival on Coney Island. And I’m not on Coney Island. Sigh.

I wanted to give a brief description of my adventures these past two weeks, to give shout outs where shout outs were due. Two Mondays ago I headed back to NYU for this conference. It was odd being back to the site of my grad school days, but I didn’t pay much mind because I had some other things on my schedule. Got to see my conference pal JT, who is fucking crazy. We ran around making fun of everyone and going to bougie stores like Fish’s Eddy. The conference was so-so, I don’t know if I learned anything. I go to these conferences looking for some new info to make my job better, but I guess I had high expectations. The highlight? Anthony Rapp was the keynote speaker.I don’t know what he had to do with my field of profiession, and neither did he I think. BUt he is so adorable I can’t take it. I think he is actually Mark in real life too. And he is maybe my height, if he’s lucky.

Also FINALLY got to see Paul again, after falling out of touch for two years. He is alive and well and working at BU, the lucky bastard. We had a 26th street reunion with Courtney, and it felt like the last two years never happened. Well, almost. I am grateful that they have the same view about keeping in touch that I do: sometimes there is not much to say to each other on a day to day basis, but there are never hard feelings when we see each other. I am in my own little world here, sometimes it is hard to keep someone up to date with the tiny details of everything I do.

I did have two celeb sightings. I was down in the theater district on the Sunday when the matinees end, and I saw Mark Ruffalo leaving the theater after his performance. Schwing! He looked kind of scruffy and incnspicuous, and in reality I would not have noticed him if he was a regular guy. Later on I am 99% sure I saw Johnny Knoxville in Greenwhich Village. Double schwing.

Being back in ny when I don’t live there is a blessing and a curse. I love the city and always will, but when one is there on a vacation or a short visit, it is overwhelming and I feel like I have to schedule something every minute I am there. WHen I lived there, I knew that I would get to things eventually. And I had the luxury of checking something out before class or running to the Bowery Ballroom after class to see a show. Ah, those were the days.

Other things I noticed about NY: now when beggars ask you for money, they are more savvy about it. Instead of just asking for the money, they will offer you a reason that they need the money. Reasons I heard: “I have to get to the free mental health clinic”, “I have to get to Hoboken to see my stefather on his birthday”, “I have to check my email at Starbucks” (no lie). It’s like some PR firm went around and coached people on how to better get money. I can appreciate people being more honest. I am generally consistent about this and usually do not give money, but I usually give away cigarettes if people ask. If one cigarette is going to give someone a few moments relaxation, then so be it. Of course, I become a chain smoker everytime I enter one of the five boroughs.

Also, an obvs thing about ny is that you can see a lot of people in a short period of time. This made some fashion trends way more noticeable. First off? Gaucho pants are out of control. They were gross enough the first time around, but now they have gone too far. Maybe worn with some cute espradrilles and a summery top, but ladies, they are not everday wear. Not with a t-shirt, not with tennis shoes, and certainly not with tube tops. Plus, they could not be more unflattering. I saw more camel toe than I needed to.

I also caught a performance of The Threepenny Opera at Studio 54. Classic example of a good cast, good production, and great performances. It followed the trend of taking something from the past, making it “modern” in Baz Luhrman style: making crazy costumes (they were designed by Issac Mizrahi), giving characters Mohawks, making characters bisexual, and setting it in a post-apocolyptic crime-ridden, S&M world. Alan Cumming basically played his role from Cabaret. Ana Gasteyer was ok. The best was Nellie McKay, who I previously thought was obnoxious (and very much like Joanna Newson). I’ll give her album another spin.

On another night I headed over to The Strand to see Chuck Palahniuk’s only New York appearance. Man, he sure does have a following, because it was so packed and crowded I had about 10 panic attacks while waiting for him to come on. But uh.my.gawd. I worship this man. He read a new short story and answered fan questions, many of them which were stupid. He did give updates of his novels in film production: Survivor’s screenplay is finished, but it is being made by the same people who made Constantine (boo). Choke is ready to start filming, with Susan Sarandon as the mother. Ryan Gosling pulled out as the lead, so they are still in casting. I have an idea of who would be great….I also gave my father a copy of Haunted for father’s day. I told him it was my favorite novel ever. I wonder if he thinks I am some kind of sick sociopath.

I came across this in my daily celeb crap rss feed. Peter, Jake and Maggie hanging out eating lunch at a place I actually recognize as that lunch place on Astor Place, I think. If you squint you can kind of get Maggie out of the picture. Or see me instead of her. More goodness here.

So this conference I am going to next week has sessions during the da, but options for a "night on the town". Here is one of the options:

Make a Connection in Chelsea
Make THE connection at the conference and make A connection in Chelsea! Join some native New Yorkers on a journey though New York City's gay district. We'll make a few pit stops at Chelsea landmarks including XL Lounge, Gym Bar, Barracuda and View Bar. If you're lucky maybe we'll spot some Queer Eye guys or other notable celebs who cruise the Avenue!

Mind you, this is a conference for Residence Life professionals. Now get that picture in your head.
I really don't have any words for this. I almost might consider going just to watch for the train-wreck affect. Or to get some good material for this blog.

Well, things here have been even-keeled this week. I finally felt better on Monday. It isn't until you've been sick and then feel better that you realize how amazing it is not to be sick anymore and somehow your life seems just that much more bearable. I have been absolutely unproductive at work, having realized how burnt out I am from the year. But it was fun. We all gathered at Dawn's house to watch Katie Couric's last day, and then I proceded to take a nap before returning to work. Then I shopped online for a whole day to buy things with the leftover cash in my budget. Lunchbreaks also streteched to two hours. Today I engaged the whole office in a dialogue about the anthropology of body acceptance, followed by a dance-off to Destiny's Child. Ah, I love the summer! Too bad I have a 10 page report due tomorrow at 5. What is this, school? 

Looking forward to being in NY, but not sure how I feel about reuniting with some folks from grad school. Sometimes catching up on what you are doing with your life can be stressful. I'd rather just talk about day to day stuff and live in the moment. Looking forward to DoJo and Thompkins Square Park.

I couldn't help but not post this. Apparently a gay rugby tournament is being held in New York City. Once again, realizing I live in the suburbs is like rubbing lemon juice in my paper cut. Friends in New York City, I expect you to perv out as much as you can. Here's some samples.

If only I was in nyc this summer. The freemusic there is to die for.

Awesome Free Shows Take Over NYC This Summer

Kati Llewellyn reports:
To balance out its super pricey rents and sales tax, New York City is offering a boatload of free concerts this summer. For the most part, the hit shows belong to one of three categories: Central Park SummerStage gigs, the Celebrate Brooklyn Performing Arts Festival in Prospect Park, and the River to River Festival at various locations in lower Manhattan.

Pitchfork has done the job of sifting through these organizations' event schedules, cherry-picking the best of what the Big Apple has to offer (does that even make sense?). Big names include Belle and Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, TV on the Radio, Voxtrot, Feist, Lady Sovereign, Prefuse 73, Hot Chip, the Hold Steady, Alex Chilton, Mates of State, and Super Furry Animals. And there's also a tuba parade.

The cream of the crop:

>>Central Park SummerStage:

06-17 Rhett Miller
06-25 Feist, Buck 65, Jason Collett
07-02 Seu Jorge, José González
07-16 Amadou & Mariam, Birdy Nam Nam
07-23 Konono No. 1
07-30 Lady Sovereign, Pete Rock, Jean Grae
08-13 Prefuse 73, DJ Spooky

>>Celebrate Brooklyn:

06-17 Laurie Anderson
06-30 TV on the Radio, Matt Pond PA, Voxtrot
07-13 Yo La Tengo, Samara Lubelski
07-15 Nortec Collective
07-27 Philip Glass and Kronos Quartet perform live score to Dracula
08-03 Bill Frisell
08-04 Los Amigos Invisibles

>>River to River Festival:

06-02 South Street Seaport - Super Furry Animals, Dead Meadow, Andy Votel
06-04 World Financial Center Plaza - Anthony Braxton's Composition #19 - Marching Piece for 100 Tubas
06-04 World Financial Center Plaza - Bang on a Can All-Stars, Matmos, Alarm Will Sound
06-13 World Financial Center Plaza - Eels, Smoosh
06-20 World Financial Center Plaza - Son Volt
07-04 Battery Park - Belle and Sebastian, Martha Wainwright
07-06 Castle Clinton - Mates of State
07-11 World Financial Center Plaza - Puffy AmiYumi
07-13 Castle Clinton - Okkervil River
07-20 South Street Seaport - Sugar Hill Gang
07-27 Castle Clinton - The Hold Steady
07-28 South Street Seaport - Richard Hawley, Nicolai Dunger
08-04 South Street Seaport - Hot Chip
08-11 South Street Seaport - Josh Ritter
08-18 South Street Seaport - The Box Tops featuring Alex Chilton, Tralala
08-25 South Street Seaport - Ted Leo/Pharmacists

Ok, thanks to Jenn, I just started following this whole David Blaine submerged in a spherical tank in Lincoln Center spectacle. Jeez, someone didn't get enough attention when they were younger. In other news, he's kind of hot in a grody kind of way.

Broadway’s New Math: Top Dollar Tickets Equal Bigger Sales

So people will pay $500 a ticket just for the pleasure of paying $500 a ticket? Gross. If I paid that much, I would be scared to blink during the performance. If you live in the city and have some patience, you can see most shows for $30 or less. My best deals: Avenue Q for $20 and Assasins for $18. Of course, you have to make the time to get to the box office at a very specific time.

So I'm bacl from a delightful weekend in nyc. Once again, I got to see an area of the city that I wouldn't have normally spent time in- Washington Heights and Fort Tryon Park. I think I would totally live there rather than Brooklyn. It is an interesting thing to walk uptown, passing through neighborhoods that some would deem "questionable" and then a block later it is full of rich Jews with condos overlooking the Hudson river. As much as I thought I had a "been there, done that" attitude, I still have dreams of living in Manhattan someday. We shall see.

The Brooklyn College mfa thesis exhibition was closed down due to "strong sexual content" and now there is a rally of supporters. Aside from the censorship issues and the whole question of what makes art, I find it hilarious because what did people expect? Modern art is all about exploring sexual themes. Pratt would have been closed every day if they knew what was going on.

So I am off to nyc tomorrow to see Hammers and to go vegan crazy. There are a lot of you in NY that I miss and would love to see but I have to be honest and let you know that it may not be this time around. For a couple of reasons: Hammers is leaving nyc soon so I won't see her again for a couple of months. Also, I am generally physically and mentally tired and probably need a low key weekend. I am not sure what kind of company I am right now. I will be back in NY for about 2 weeks in June, and probably several times after that, so I know I will see you all eventually. Please don't feel I am avoiding any of you, I know this is a busy time for everyone as well.  

Debunking the urban legend that "illegal immigrants" are sucking resources dry.

More info on the recent protests.