NYPD Protecting Delmonico's on Wall Street

Let them eat steak!

Wake for ABC No Rio

I a am week late on letting you know that, if you are unaware, non profit art spot, ABC No Rio is preparing for the demise of it's existing structure. I attended the wake for the building last week where I witnessed the cast canvas shroud of this lower east side tenement being ceremonially removed and dropped into a waiting casket. The wake ensued in the gallery space after a procession around the neighborhood.

Check out an exhibit or a performance now before you say "I should of.." and the before the building is gone or even better! DONATE some money towards their new GREEN building designed by architect Paul Castrucci. There are different ways to donate, you can even get yourself some hand screened holiday cards or a one of a limited edition pinhole camera print of the building by photographer, Michael Bayard.

ABC NO Rio is the epitome of DIY so pay homage!!!

Eight Years Later

I don't often choose to go back to this day. The feeling of helplessness and overwhelming grief that went on for months sometimes feels like a lifetime ago yet when I think back I can remember everything. This post is in trIbute to never forgetting the pain and loss NYC felt that day.

9/11/2007

I didn't think I'd mention 9/11 but here I am doing it. I was out the other night and seeing the beams of light shooting through the sky from the 9/11 memorial completely surprised me. I had forgotten about 9/11.

As everyone who was in NYC on that day and the months that followed it is almost unfathomable to think that time has dulled the memories of that day. Everyone has a story about where they were. Me? I was on my way to my job in Queens. I didn't listen to the radio that morning and actually left the house after the first plane hit. I had a car at the time and was headed toward the BQE. I did notice lots of people looking in the air and I had to keep pulling over to let fire trucks go by. When I think that most of those guys didn't make the return trip home I still get choked up.

My husband at the time was working at 4 World Trade Center. He was in the area early that morning and was ironically killing time at Record Explosion on Broadway. He heard the first plane hit and everyone around him assumed that the World Trade Center got bombed again. Rather than walk away from the scene, he walked toward it. You have to remember if you were there you had no clue as to what was going on. He looked up and watched what transpired from in front of Century 21 on Church St. He saw the people jumping, he heard the building groan and then he said it felt like a giant oven opening and everything went black and then white and he started to run. I didn't know if he was OK until almost 1:00 PM. He actually got home before me, by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, from there he saw the towers fall, he said everybody was dead silent.

I only made it to Greenpoint that morning and I saw the building with the gaping hole and the smoke pouring out but I didn't see it come down. I was listening to 1010 WINS and heard the hysterical announcement that the first tower had collapsed. The streets of Brooklyn were chaotic, everyone trying to get home. I remember pulling over and I actually vomited, thinking about all the people in the building. I was frantically trying to call my husband but could not get through. I remember crossing 3rd Avenue and seeing the streams of people who had walked from Manhattan, the office women carrying their high heeled shoes. It was like a science fiction movie.

Everyone in my building got together to listen to the news in shock. No television. Our transmitter was on top of the World Trade Center. We were relieved to learn that any firemen and people we knew who worked there were alive. My husband’s 2-way radio that he used for work was alive with coworkers checking to see if he was all right. It took a long time for him to tell anyone what he experienced. He said he didn't want to talk about it "out of respect for the dead".

The next night I remember seeing the first candle burning in the area in front of the Gowanus Yacht Club and then the first "Missing" poster at the same spot. In a very short time there were hundreds of candles and hundreds of fliers.

I've heard people say that 9/11 memorials should be put to rest, that they are a symbol of the war we are now in. Not for me, those beams of light are a very simple and elegant way of remembering the people who didn't make it home that day.

REVS

I don't know how I feel about REVS painting over a beautiful old fading ad on a building in Chelsea. I guess I do. I guess it makes me feel slightly pissed off! The only thing that is keeping me from completely dismissing REVS as a visual eyesore is the fact that the building to the right looks like a Holiday Inn in Peoria!

Today in Chinatown.....

Dragons hanging out in the Year of the Ox!
And a good time was had all!

NYHC A-7 Reunion Show: The Return of a bunch of former Reagan Youths

LOUD FAST RULES! So F.I.B is switching gears now from the theater to an amazing punk rock show (for some!) taking place at the soon to be closed down as of January 2009 Knitting Factory in money makin’ Manhattan. I ‘ve mentioned before that F.I.B was a “hardcore kid” in the 80’s before discovering her love for 60’s garage rock but I’ll mention it again. New York City in the early to mid 80’s had a thriving largely undocumented punk rock music scene largely run by mostly teenagers. Most were from the Lower East Side and Queens. This is the scene that Beastie Boys spawned out of… Anyways…there was a club on Avenue A and 7th Street in the East Village called the A-7 club that was the epicenter of the scene, it closed in 1983, I actually never went there but I did go to it’s second incarnation in an abandoned building at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Houston Street which probably closed in 1983 as well! It actually collapsed a few years ago. Anyway this music came out of the Reagan era and this show is billed as “A tribute to the A-7 Club”.

From the shows MySpace page:CONFIRMED BANDS INCLUDE:*76% Uncertain (paying tribute to CIA &; Reflex from Pain)*The Abused*Adam 12*Antidote (w/Nunzio on guitar &; Drew Stone on vox)*Borscht*Butch Lust &; Hypocrites*Armed Citizens**Disgrace (feat. Butch Lust, Steve Wishnia from False Prophets &; Dave Manzullo from UV)*Fed Up!*False Prophets*Fatal Rage*Payload! (feat. John Sox from the FU's doing FU’s &; Straw Dogs)*Ism*Jerry's Kids*Major Conflict*Modern Clix*Nihilistics*Rapid Deployment*Reagan Youth*Sexual Suicide (feat. Ex-Anti-Christ Newsboys/Trenchcoat Army)*SUX (feat. Jack and Paul from AOD)*The Oppressed NYC [1980 Queens punks; 1st and last ever gig!]*Ultra Violence*Urban Waste (feat. Johnny Waste, John Dancey &; Kenny Ahrens)*US Chaos*Blackout Shoppers*Violent Society*Government Warning*Waste Management*Reason to Fight*Cardiac Arrest*Virus NYC (feat James Kontra)*Lost Generation*Psycho (from Boston)* MORE TO COME! STAY TUNED...

Check out some of these excellent photos by photographer Drew Carolin to get an idea of just how young the scene was. Navigate your way to “matinee”, he took a lot of photos of “the kids” back in the day. FIB is in none of these photos but many friends are!

Show is Saturday December 6th, doors open at 6:30, 3 floors of bands
Knitting Factory is located at 74 Leonard Street, NYC.

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!

Also found in my closet but I took this one!

Dating myself here as I tend to do but this was also recently unearthed in my closet. Johnny Lydon aka Rotten glaring at me at Danceteria when I went to see Brian Brain (Martin Atkins) in my early underage nightclubbing days. Martin Atkins was the drummer for Johnny's band P.I.L which had broken up by this time. This was probrably taken in 1983. Yeah F.I.B's no spring chicken (but how come I still feel like one?) Did you know that P.I.L played at the club The Brookyn Zoo (in Sheepshead Bay!) with JAMES BROWN?!! YES it's true! Music was so mixed up back then -such good times. I probably took this with a disc camera, anybody remember those?! He did ask me if "i had a fag?" later but I just giggled. Ah youth!

As Promised (to a few)

The stylish ladies feet! (see post below!) It doesn't really look like it but this was taken on an extremely crowded NYC street at the height of lunch hour. Mysterious! My Mom used to wear "Capezios" like this in the 1950's. BRAVO LADY!!!

True Style

I don't know about you but when I see people walking around in this heat (over 90 degrees with a humidity factor that can kill!) with TIGHT skinny jeans and TIGHT T- shirts (really not an attractive look,no matter how skinny you are) I start feeling their discomfort. But then I have to remind myself that when I was a young girl, I used to stomp around NYC in black tights and combat boots in a 100 degree weather (and don't forget the heavy eye makeup!). Anyway digressing as usual, I was struck by this lady's style last week on 8th Avenue in Manhattan.

This photo was taken with a real film camera and developed in a darkroom by moi!

Rockin' Boats & Waterfalls.

Last night I saw those crazy waterfalls everyone is talking about. And guess what? They look like waterfalls! I took a fab boat ride around the East River last night with The Fleshtones and the Anabolics and the people who love them. My camera, once again, konked out. This is a snippet shot with my cel phone of some Greenpoint Pride from NYC native sons The Fleshtones, it will give you an idea of the vibe on the boat. I felt priviliged to be there, bravo to former Magnetic Field owner Lee for putting this gig together! The Fleshtones opened up appropriately with "Sea Cruise" by Frankie Ford but in this very brief video are performing that smash Brooklyn hit "Greenpoint U.S.A"!
You GO Peter Zaremba!!!

Here are those crazy waterfalls. Soundtrack by the Hollies. I found the night sort of surreal. Between the motion of the boat, the scenery and the music, it was like an acid trip (or maybe my beer was dosed!).

Apologies for the erratic film style but that boat was rockin' in more ways then one, so much that my escort K could not board the boat!!! She deserted me at the dock! But I was OK, falling on people makes starting up a conversation just SO much easier!

P.S.- F.I.B. has bust out of Brooklyn and has gone NATIONAL! It is today's Google's Blog of Note!!!! (and I don't even have google ads, go figure!)

Positive News

Isn't it hopeful that....

Our local Community Board Manager, Craig Hammerman (CB6) eloquently spoke up for the Gowanus Community at the Toll Brothers Scoping Hearing? (PMFA)

Our new Governor David Paterson has already addressed the issue of Emminent Domain? And he is AGAINST IT! (The NY Sun)

The Toll Brothers continue to have financal problems. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Made me feel a little less fatalistic this morning anyway...

6 Years Later.

I didn't think I'd mention 9/11 but here I am doing it. I was out the other night and seeing the beams of light shooting through the sky from the 9/11 memorial completely surprised me. I had forgotten about 9/11.

As everyone who was in NYC on that day and the months that followed it is almost unfathomable to think that time has dulled the memories of that day. Everyone has a story about where they were. Me? I was on my way to my job in Queens. I didn't listen to the radio that morning and actually left the house after the first plane hit. I had a car at the time and was headed toward the BQE. I did notice lots of people looking in the air and I had to keep pulling over to let fire trucks go by. When I think that most of those guys didn't make the return trip home I still get choked up.

My husband at the time was working at 4 World Trade Center. He was in the area early that morning and was ironically killing time at Record Explosion on Broadway. He heard the first plane hit and everyone around him assumed that the World Trade Center got bombed again. Rather than walk away from the scene, he walked toward it. You have to remember if you were there you had no clue as to what was going on. He looked up and watched what transpired from in front of Century 21 on Church St. He saw the people jumping, he heard the building groan and then he said it felt like a giant oven opening and everything went black and then white and he started to run. I didn't know if he was OK until almost 1:00 PM. He actually got home before me, by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, from there he saw the towers fall, he said everybody was dead silent.

I only made it to Greenpoint that morning and I saw the building with the gaping hole and the smoke pouring out but I didn't see it come down. I was listening to 1010 WINS and heard the hysterical announcement that the first tower had collapsed. The streets of Brooklyn were chaotic, everyone trying to get home. I remember pulling over and I actually vomited, thinking about all the people in the building. I was frantically trying to call my husband but could not get through. I remember crossing 3rd Avenue and seeing the streams of people who had walked from Manhattan, the office women carrying their high heeled shoes. It was like a science fiction movie.

Everyone in my building got together to listen to the news in shock. No television. Our transmitter was on top of the World Trade Center. We were relieved to learn that any firemen and people we knew who worked there were alive. My husband’s 2-way radio that he used for work was alive with coworkers checking to see if he was all right. It took a long time for him to tell anyone what he experienced. He said he didn't want to talk about it "out of respect for the dead".

The next night I remember seeing the first candle burning in the area in front of the Gowanus Yacht Club and then the first "Missing" poster at the same spot. In a very short time there were hundreds of candles and hundreds of fliers.

I've heard people say that 9/11 memorials should be put to rest, that they are a symbol of the war we are now in. Not for me, those beams of light are a very simple and elegant way of remembering the people who didn't make it home that day.

Art Parade *Soho* Saturday @ 4pm

This one isn't in Brooklyn but I SWEAR to you I am honoring Brooklyn AND my birthday by going to Coney Island tonight and on Sunday!!!

Well, I know "The Art Parade" sounds bloody pretentious but actually it isn't at all. Just fun and creative. Plus I wanted to show off a picture from last year! It's a short, fairly uncrowded parade that runs down West Broadway from Houston to Grand at around 4pm. Last year featured these chicks on bikes, an anti-Walmart group and a fab futuristic "Fischerspooner Float".

The Art Parade 2007 is sponsered by Deitsch Projects, Creative TIme and Paper Magazine.

"New York Calling" is Required Reading!

Hey! You know that guy from that nutty blog Who Walk in Brooklyn who has a tendency to write about other areas of the boroughs that no one else touches like Midwood, Flatbush and my personal favorite "Rockapulco"?

Well, his name is Brian Berger and along with Marshall Berman he has put together homage to the NYC of the 1970’s and 1980’s called “New York Calling: From Blackout to Bloomberg”.

If you want to know or want to relive memories of NYC during this rougher and grittier time you will dig this book. It has been my top read of the summer. Contributors included in this fine tome are: Luc Sante, Jim Knipfel, Kevin Walsh, Armond White, Richard Meltzer just to name a few. Brian Berger also contributes and guess what his story is called? “ Who Walk in Brooklyn” of course! Hot topics are politics, music, crime, gentrification, the aids crisis, civil rights, it’s ALL here and written in the first person.

Personally it unearthed a lot of memories of people, places and things long forgotten which really shouldn’t have. Shame on me.

In bookstores everywhere.