10/30/2008

Happy Halloween!

eeeaaaaaoooooaaaaaeeeeeeeeeooooooooahhhoooooooooo it's Halloween tomorrow! Don't forget to wear your crucifix or garlic so Dracula don't get ya! And check yer apples before eating!!!This house on Carroll Street between Hoyt and Bond Streets never fails to decorate for EVERY holiday, LOVE THE UNDEAD GUY WITH THE KNIFE!!!!I call this one the "Patriotic Pumpkin". See he's got a patch on his knee! He's feeling the recession and is smiling cause Bush will be GONE next week!!!!!

As usual the streets of Carroll Gardens have many a great Halloween display, I must say though this year was not as wild as years past. Is it because the newer residents are more "tasteful" or what? I did not walk past one homemade graveyard with someone hanging from a tree this year..that's all happening in Greenpoint now. Thank God someone is keeping up the tradition! Happy Sam Hain y'all!

P.S- November 2rst is all Soul's Day or Sam Hain or Day of the Dead, the day the veil between the living and the dead is at it's thinnest so don't forget to communicate with loved ones who are no longer with you. I'm serious!

10/26/2008

Coney Island Halloween Horrors!

Steeplechase is still lit up in the off season at Coney Island. It is so beautiful, especially when everything else is closed up. It's the only sign of life although the pier across from it has an evening fishing scene. Who knew?Anyway it's five days till Halloween and you still have time to check out the Phantom of the Presidential Wax Museum as I did over the weekend. It is truely a non commercial,non-corporate, original, funny, off beat, dead on, unique Halloween thing to do. So go. As a personal aside, it felt a lot like an Ed Wood production which has added appeal for F.I.B.

I have to tell you one of the scariest parts was when we were shut in a small dark room with Nixon. It was also pretty scary just being in the bowels of the building of Coney Island USA, although there were plenty of rubber rats I am sure there were some real ones lurking around. Once again CUDOS to Coney Island USA for yet another unique presentation! If Coney were located in Manhattan there would be lines around the block for this!

10/24/2008

"Election 2008: The Square Foot Show" opens Saturday.

Once again on the politics angle, this time it's an art show that is opening tomorrow in Manhattan and I have a piece in it called
Blue Skies and Bail-outs". Lots of artists and lots of great work, we were all provided with a 12 x 12 inch canvas hence part of the title. If you are in the West Village area try and pop in and check it out~!

Here are the details:
ART & POLITICS
Election 2008: The Square Foot Show
Join us for the Opening Cocktail Reception
Thursday, October 25th | 3pm – 8pm
Works on view until Sunday, November 9th
192 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS (SIXTH AVENUE BTW SPRING & PRINCE)
SOHO, NEW YORK 10013
GALLERY HOURS: THURSDAY – SUNDAY 1PM - 6PM
squarefoot@artgotham.com | www.artgotham.com

Bad News this week in NYC

Would you want to live here? The Toll Brothers project.
Our arrogant Mayor has scored a coup and has followed through on his proclamation that he will continue to be Mayor even though his time is up.

Meanwhile back in Brooklyn, Commmunity Board 6 has been swayed to say yes (money talks) on the spot zoning for the huge condo complex on polluted water and land so that the Toll Brothers (see rant below) can screw up the eco system a bit more.


Click on those links to read full coverage of the Community Board meeting from the Pardon Me for Asking blog and scathing commentary regarding Bloomies dictatorship over at Who Walk in Brooklyn.

O.K I have to go to work now in the school that is in near the Toll Brothers site that has the children learning in trailers in an area that should be their playground. Gotta love the infrastructure they say we have! but we all know that they would never send their kids to THAT school! too many minority children!!!

10/21/2008

I would just LOVE to take a break from this but I can't.


I'm tired (grad school is a lot more work than I imagined!) and I haven't ranted about the Toll Brothers project on Bond Street in a while but after coming home from a highly charged F.R.O.G.G meeting, that's FRIENDS and RESIDENTS of the GOWANUS CANAL y'all (contact me to get involved and not a member of the Gowanus Conservancy or Dredgers) one of the issues discussed was hurricanes and flooding, the latter being a HUGE problem around the Gowanus, although the Toll Brothers feel they can fix all that,but I digress. The other day I crossed the canal and we hadn't had rain in days and the tide was abnormally high. Just imagine what will happen in a hurricane, we will be getting them more with global warming y'know!

I would also like to add my two cents or have a cathartic little rant about the Toll Brothers. O.K we are in a recession. A big part of it is home mortgages defaulting. The Toll Brothers have made their fortune building the huge excessive suburban McMansion Homes that are largely the ones defaulting. The Toll Brothers take no responsibility, interviews with Robert Toll usually run a "no remorse" attitude, like "it's not my fault these people signed the dotted line". ANYWAY so the government bailed them out. So isn't that our money now? To use more wisely? WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT A CORPORATION SUCH AS THIS TO BE TRUSTED WITH A FRAGILE ECO SYSTEM SUCH AS THE AREA THEY WANT TO PLUNK DOWN A BUNCH OF CONDOS WITH A PRECIOUS "ESPLANADE"? and of course a parking garage.

Why are people in opposition to this project vilified and mocked (hello Brooklyn Paper!!) because they have ENVIRONMENTAL concerns? Flooding, raw sewage, pathogens, brownfields etc. And these corporate self involved, dried out, consciousless Toll Brothers reps and their political aliases (hello Bill DiBlasio and Community Board 6!!) just will not take the actual people who live in the communities opinion as a concern. The scary thing is that we have a Mayor who thinks in this fashion as well, term limits schmerm limits is has attitude and to hell with what the democratic process is.

Our world is majorly screwed up right now. War and greed have the country hurting. Can't we all just take a break and just LIVE our lives? Isn't this recession enough of a sign?

signed
Found in Brooklyn
naively simple
and wants people to just stop it.
(war and greed)

OK I feel better now. Check out this link over at my compadre Pardon Me for Asking (who was also at this evenings meeting) to find out more about the photo above of what the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel will look like with a type TWO hurricane,it's just around the corner y'know.

10/19/2008

Coney Island does Halloween!

Leave it to Coney Island USA to recognize that politicians are scarier than any ghost!!! Here are the details:

Coney Island USA is proud to announce the 2008 edition of Creepshow at the Freakshow.
PHANTOM OF THE PRESIDENTIAL WAX MUSEUM is an interactive show (allow 45 minutes for the complete experience) that tours various rooms at the Coney Island Sideshows by the Seashore building generally not available to the public such as the creepy basement, back stairs, etc.

Audience members will take a "tour" of the "historic" wax museum and meet Presidential and First Lady ROBOTS along the way including Lincoln, Clinton, Hillary and Laura, Nixon and finally robots Obama and McCain. Audience will also get to partake in a Presidential Shooting Gallery and fire ping pong ball rifles at Kennedy, Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. The show concludes with the funeral for an"almost" dead president with Obama and McCain robots competing to give the better funeral speech.

Along the tour the audience will hear the "true" story of murder and fire that closed the famed Coney Island Presidential Wax Museum in 1971.

All in all this is a story of 1970's carny horror!

CREEPSHOW AT THE FREAKSHOW is Coney Island’s only Halloween extravaganza and one of the best haunted tours in all of New York City. Come see what the New York Press called "not only the best and wildest haunted house in town, but the smartest as well."


DAILY, October 17th - 31st
Mondays - Thursdays: 7-10 PM
Fridays: 7-11 PM
Saturdays: 4-11 PM
Sundays: 4-10 PM
$10 ADULTS
$5 KIDS
(Not Recommended for Small Children)
Halloween Friday, October 31st ONLY, 6-12 PM, All Tickets $15 includes midnight Horror Movie Party!
Continuous Admission
Allow 45 minutes for the complete experience.
Sideshows By The Seashore
3006 West 12th Street off Surf Ave.

10/13/2008

Weekend Gowanus Area Art Happenings

Yes, this one is mine.
O.K there is a ton of art related stuff going on in the Gowanus area this upcoming weekend of October 18th. The big thing is the A.G.A.S.T open studios tour, AGHAST by the way stands for "Annual Gowanus Artists Studio Tour". Click here for the info on all the addresses of the artist studios that you can visit from 1 to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday.

The Reanimation Library is having an opening Friday night. I stumbled into the library on the last year's AGAST weekend. There is also an opening called "Mend" going on concurrently at the Proteus Gowanus gallery.

It's all happening at 543 Union Street (corner of Nevins) from 6 to 9.

Click here for my blurb on the Reanimation Library.
Click here for the library's website.

There is an opening Saturday night called "Brooklyn 111" at the Brooklyn Artist Gym Gallery. Yours truly has some work hanging in that show. It is just up for a week as the next weekend the fund raiser called "Everybody Gets Art" will be held. Whoever purchases a ticket will have the opportunity to take home any art that is hanging. Go here for ticket information.

Anyway the Gowanus open studios are a great way to be nosy and see the insides of some really cool buildings as well find out what kind of art people are making. Last year it ran the gamut from cool installations (click here for a short film made in Melanie Fisher's studio!), painting, sculpture as well as some clothing, I remember going into a place called Feral Childe clothing on Douglass Street and wanting this oone awesome dress that I still regret not splurging on, it was like made out of some sort of indestructable material that I probrably would of ended up wearing everyday, but i digress.. go out and support some LIVING artists and check out the AGAST tour!

10/12/2008

Bloomberg in for another term? HELL NO!

Photo taken by Catherine Weaver somewhere on Court Street.

If you feel that Mayor Bloomberg has a lot of gall to be declaring that he should be Mayor again without a single soul voting on it, I want to alert you to some things you can do to let your voice be heard because we really shouldn't sleep through this one. Here are some things you can do as per an email from Tom Grey from Councilman Bill DeBlasio's office. Please note that there is a rally in JJ Byrne Park tomorrow at 2pm!

The fight to stop Mayor Bloomberg from overturning the will of the people has been gaining momentum. Make sure your voice is heard – the voters established term limits, and should not be cut out of the process. We need extensive public debate and discussion about this issue before considering such fundamental changes to the government of New York City.

Here are a few things you can do in the coming days to help protect democracy in our fair city:

1) Please visit this website

There is a petition to sign there to tell the Mayor and City Council to stop undermining the voter's decision. There are also ways there to involve your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.

2) Help Us "Rally for Democracy" in Park Slope on Monday: Join Bill, elected officials, and community leaders

Monday, October 13 at 2 p.m.
JJ Byrne Park, at 3rd Avenue & 5th Street, Brooklyn

3) Join us at Baruch College for a panel on term limits sponsored by
Citizen's Union.

Tuesday, October 14 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Baruch College
55 Lexington Avenue at 24th Street
The William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus, 14th Floor

4) Come to the public hearings on this issue at City Hall.

Thursday, October 16 at 1:00 p.m.
Council Chambers - City Hall

AND

Friday, October 17 at 10:00 a.m.
Committee Room - City Hall

Legislation Under Consideration:

--Preconsidered Int____ - By Council Members James and de Blasio –
This bill will put the issue of term limits before voters in a referendum this spring.

--Int 845 - By Council Member Felder- This is the Mayor's bill to change term limit laws without voter consent.

--Int 850 - By Council Members Weprin, de Blasio, Gioia and Liu – This bill requires that any further change to term limit laws must go before the voters

--Res 1640 - By Council Member Avella - This Bill calls upon Albany to change the home rule law to require that any changes to the term limit law go before voters.
--
Tom Gray
District Director
City Council Member Bill de Blasio
(718) 854-9791

10/08/2008

Layers of Old.

My apartment is in the midst of a top to bottom renovation, it hasn't been touched since the early 70's and was crumbling around me. The window frames were crooked and half of them wouldn't stay open with out being propped up. The 100 plus year old floors sloped, the railing in the hall would fall down if you actually used it but loved it anyway. For the first time in my entire life I will be living in a renovated apartment with new fixtures and whatnot. It will feel weird.
The old brick under the drywall is beautiful and a cemented in fireplace was also found. This apartment has "good bones" as they say, feels good in there even ripped up!

10/05/2008

The Atlantic Antic.A good time was had by all! (I think!)


Sheik Eddie Kojak performing at the Atlantic Antic.
Well as said F.I.B was at the Atlantic Antic and I present to you the fabulous Eddie Kojak and orchestra who has been wowing the crowds for years at the corner of Clinton and Atlantic. This was an unexpected closing number where Eddie, as someone behind me said, “was rapping” in English. A fabulous performer and I love how relaxed his band is. Out of towners hang on till the end, Eddy has an authentic Brooklyn accent (and attitude) despite the Middle Eastern flava of his words. ( Laughter and commentary provided by FIB and friend K.) Earlier on stage and I regret not filming this was the first male belly dancer I ever saw perform. Ends up he came all the way from Pennsylvania. K thought he was a “burning man type” and I thought he was a drag queen that snuck on stage! I thinkit was the black eyeshadow and jewelry. Also note that they have seemed to use the same trailer for years as Independence Bank closed years ago! On the flip side of course F.I.B spent a significant amount of time in front of Last Exit. Missed Susquehanna Tool & Die Co. unfortunately but did catch 2 sets of Les Sans Culottes. Even this elegant lady with the balloon was diggin’ the scene, she was banging her head a little to the sounds of L.S.C! LOVED HER! She looks kind of french all put together and such. Is she someone in L.S.C's Granny?
Also was severely admiring Les Sans Cullotes keyboard players ensemble for the afternoon although the whole band looked fab as always.
See!

Filmed until heads got in the way!

10/03/2008

Atlantic Antic SUNDAY!


It's that time of year again! The mother of all Brooklyn Street Fairs! I'm bummed that there is no rock and roll spectacular down at the end of Atlantic since Magnetic Fields closed down but alas the Last Exit bar is hosting Les Sans Cullotes and The Susquehanna Tool & Die Co. By the way both of these bands played at F.I.B's first anniversary party!

here is zee note from zee band:

Citizens! LES SANS CULOTTES, the famous disposers of the House of Bourbons (and the jeriboum of Sancerre), are happy to have a front row seat for the collapse of Capitalism and the televising of the revolution. 'Tremblez tyrans voici Les Sans Culottes,' as we are so fond of saying. Personally, it's not terrible to lose your pants.

In any event, we are striking out for the Faux Burg of Brooklyn and heading into the Belly of the Bistrot. Too long we have inhabited the divine sepulchre (i.e, the Jolie Mome cafe in the 20eme arrondissement).

We'll be outside/ dehors the Last Exit (Sortie Derniere) at the Atlantic Antic
this Sunday October 5th beginning at approx. 3:00 pm. The day will also
feature Susquehanna Industrial Tool and Die and go go dancers and DJ's.


The Last Exit Bar, 136 Atlantic Ave (b/t Clinton and Henry)
Sunday October 5th
2 sets: 3:00 or 3:30 and 5:00 pm

The Antic runs from Flatbush Avenue to Hicks Street, chock a block full of food and other musical acts along the way.

AND this just added as per an email through the NYC Garage Group:

This Sunday, October 5th, Dead Flowers' very-own MR. LEE will be spinning choice garage,
soul and freakbeat nuggets at Last Exit's Atlantic Antic after-party starting at 6PM.


Shimmy yer ass on over!!