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Very Awkward, Part 2

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Brian Dubé

Going Fetal (see Part 1 here)

Everyone assumed that this was a magnanimous marriage proposal. However, what I learned by talking to one of their friends is that these were two NYU students who had been in a relationship and broken up. The boy wanted to rejoin with the girl and decided to surprise her with an extraordinary public proposal to reunite.

Things did not go well. The girl made no eye contact at all with her courter for much of the time and spoke to him very little. She never did accept the rose he held and offered her. He had a microphone which he offered, but she essentially refused to speak. She smiled some and cried some. But mostly she stood stoically or cowered silently. It was an embarrassment for all and, to me, an inappropriate attempt to strong-arm a woman via the pressure of public display and make rejection much more difficult. But she stood her ground. If she does not want him, then good for her. I don’t see this kind of persuasion as an effective tactic for the success of a long-term relationship.

A large portion of my accompanying video for today’s story was shot by Hellen Osgood. When initially viewing it, I was disappointed that the running commentary by her husband Harvey was audible through most of the footage. However, on reviewing it and listening to what he had to say, I found his insightful thinking to be the best part of the event and much more interesting than watching the courted stonewalling her courter. His commentary was unintentionally very funny, offering much needed comic relief to a rather tragic affair. Below are some of Harvey’s pithy remarks. Please be reminded that at the time he made them, we all thought this was a marriage proposal.

What’s she going to do, have a nervous breakdown? Brilliant, brilliant. [sarcastically]

How do you say “no” in Japanese? This is nuts. You don’t go through this. You say, “Give me five minutes.” You gotta cut it short. How long can she stand there?

She can call a lifeline, can’t ya? Can’t you ask for help?
He doesn’t understand, this is her life, her destiny, right? And they’re playing music.

Nice. She’s doing the right thing… she’s going in the fetal position. That’s what I would do under the circumstances, definitely. Go fetal on him. See what he can do about that. He he he he.

Oh nice, if she throws up, do you think he will get the hint? What if she just absolutely throws up, right there? That’s considered to be a very passive-aggressive action when someone proposes marriage to you and you throw up.

Is this strictly being done for her benefit and nobody else, like a Bob Dylan concert?

This is heavy-duty stuff.

Don’t shoot the piano player. He’s just an innocent bystander.

Sadly, this embarrassing affair could have easily been avoided by heeding the age-old admonition which was simply stated and sung by the Beatles in 1964: (money) Can’t Buy Me Love. But it sure can buy the Very Awkward 🙁

More on romance and couples: Big, Big Mistake (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3), Happy Valentine’s Day, Foolish World of the Fiscally Frivolous, The Perfect Gift, Get a Room, Be My Valentine, PDA, War…and Peace

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, Festivals Parades and Events, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
Just Like Them

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Brian Dubé

On Sunday, I was with friends hooping in Washington Square Park. The park was jammed, as is always the case when Mother Nature bestows on New York City the gift of unseasonably warm weather. At times, we felt besieged by parents with strollers and double strollers. It felt like we had entered a new era where children come only in pairs. I have never had children, however, I am not a childless adult who is militantly anti-children with a shopping list of negatives to bolster my case against them. I wrote about this at length in The Last Taboo.

At one point, two girls rushed up to us, proclaiming that they too could hoop. In seconds, Angeleena (5 years old) and Victoria (8) Cordero began to hoop furiously as the hoops became objects caught in the winds of two small tornadoes.

I was charmed beyond comprehension by these two little girls, so much so that I approached them and their mother and told them that if they would like to come to my showroom, I would custom make them two hoops for free in exchange for taking photos and videos. Their mother readily agreed as the girls squealed in delight. The question remained whether they would actually show up and take me up on my offer. They did.

Yesterday, shortly before 6PM, the two girls and their mother arrived, and my showroom was lit by the charms of Angel and Victoria. They immediately went into gear hooping as I scrambled with my staff to fire up our video cameras and begin recording:

As small as they were, they were capable of hooping any size and weight hoop that we had in our showroom. We narrowed down a size and weight most appropriate for them and then let them choose colors. A short time later, my production team completed their new hoops. So well behaved and appreciative, as they jumped for joy receiving their gifts, they simultaneously thanked me profusely while giving me the most genuine thanks and hugs a child is capable of.

I could no longer resist the charms and kissed Victoria on the head. They made my day. I told them that I never had children, however, if I were to, then I would want children Just Like Them.

More on kids: Kids, Heart Warming, Little Burnt Out

Want to learn more about what I do for a living? Check out Shop Class, Smile By Fire, Not Of Them, Please Rub Off On Me, Just Like Steve Mills, On the Road, Supercute!, Viktoria’s Secret, Signature, Spinning, and Juggle This, as well as my websites for my juggling equipment and hoops.

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Brian Dubé

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Happy Birthday

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Brian Dubé

There are microcosms of New York City that outsiders and even residents will likely never see. Most of these are cultural, revolving around ethnic enclaves. It is even possible to find cock-fighting within the five boroughs.

Perhaps more than any other place in the United States, New York City’s tremendous diversity and tolerance allows for strong ethnic tradition expressed through food, dress, activities, music, festivals, and religious practice. Jackson Heights, Queens, is considered to be the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in the world. Not only can vastly different groups coexist, but those with very distinctive dress and traditions can also easily thrive here unfettered and without fear of ostracism. Hasidic Jews, Islamic women, Indian women in saris – the list is endless in a city where, on any given day, it would be easy to think that one had happened upon an annual multicultural parade.

One of the biggest elements in any cultural milieu is, of course, food, and there is no more accessible window into the life of an ethnic group than restaurants catering to that group. Recently, I visited the New Corner restaurant in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, with a friend, born and raised in Bay Ridge. This was a nostalgia event for her and a curiosity for me to eat in a place that felt like the exclusive territory of Italian Americans from Brooklyn. There was a very local crowd of patrons.

The restaurant has huge dining rooms, very conducive to large groups. The night I ate there, we were virtually besieged with one birthday celebration after another. The Colandrea New Corner Restaurant was celebrating its 75th year. Appropriately, the perfect place for a Happy Birthday 🙂

Related Posts: Brighton Beach, Vlissingen, Other Worlds, Sahadi’s

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Food and Restaurants, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
That’s Giove

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Brian Dubé

I love a challenge, particularly when told that something can’t be done or there are no good restaurants in Staten Island. Admittedly, Staten Island feels more like the suburban New Jersey than a borough of New York City, primarily because it does not lend itself to walking. It’s the borough that many residents and former residents love to hate.

There are, however, many good things to be found there, and I have featured a number of places of interest from the borough over the years writing for this website: Todt Hill, Richmond Town, St. Luke’s Cemetery, South Beach, and one of the most remarkable places in the five boroughs – the Tibetan Museum.

So, when a friend who is a Staten Island resident recently insisted that we must journey to Brooklyn or Manhattan for good food, I rose to the occasion on a search mission for good food in the borough.

I had heard from another resident about Denino’s. This was my first “discovery” and was hugely successful in impressing said friend that there is more gastronomically in Staten Island than meets the eye. More recently, however, I was not in the mood to traverse across half the island for a second visit to Denino’s, and I relished the challenge to find another pizzeria of merit.

An online search quickly returned a brand new and well-reviewed establishment only a few blocks away. We were quite hungry, it was late, and some persuasion was necessary to convince my friend that it was worth the culinary risk when we had already found fabulous pizza at Denino’s. I played the ultimate trump card: my authority based on my previous discovery. I said, TRUST ME. After all, this is the man that found you Denino’s. I won the hand, and off we were to New Dorp Lane, where I was pleasantly surprised with a brand new, immaculate sit-down pizzeria with a beautiful open kitchen and wood burning oven.

It was a Kodak moment – within minutes of arriving, one of the pizza makers was spinning dough in the air. Immediately fascinated by his manipulations, I introduced myself and learned that Giorgio Giove was a thirteen-time CHAMPION pizza acrobat (three-time world champion) who was featured on the Food Network in a Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I also learned that Pizzeria Giove was a family-owned business, and I had the privilege of meeting all three brothers my first visit: Franco, Marco, and Giorgio.

For the longest time, the popular mantra of pizza lovers is THIN CRUST, and you will find one of the thinnest, crunchiest crusts I have had. This is artisanal pizza. The Giove brothers hail from Italy, where pizza making is a family tradition – Giorgio’s father and grandfather were both pizza makers.

After just a handful of visits, we are already being treated like family. Great food and service. When the slice hits your eye like a good pizza pie, that’s Giove 🙂

Want more on pizza? Check out my take on the Best Pizza in New York.

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Food and Restaurants, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
Pow-Wow

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Brian Dubé

Where would you go to see an authentic Pow-Wow? Surprisingly, such a thing can be seen right in downtown Manhattan at the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers in concert. The event took place at the Theater for the New City at 155 First Avenue in the East Village. This Pow-Wow, an annual event for the last 36 years, is a celebration of music, dance, and storytelling, with proceeds to benefit a scholarship fund for American Indian students. From their website:

Thunderbird American Indian Dancers are the oldest resident Native American dance company in New York. The troupe was founded in 1963 by a group of ten Native American men and women, all New Yorkers, who were descended from Mohawk, Hopi, Winnebago and San Blas tribes. Some were in school at the time; all were “first generation,” meaning that their parents had been born on reservations. They founded the troupe to keep alive the traditions, songs and dances they had learned from their parents, and added to their repertoire from other Native Americans living in New York and some who were passing through. Within three or four years, they were traveling throughout the continental U.S., expanding and sharing their repertoire and gleaning new dances on the reservations.

The juxtaposition of old traditional activities set against a contemporary urban environment is often jarring yet a wonderful opportunity to be catapulted to another time and place. For those with the time, money, and inclination, respite from the city’s stresses can be had by vacationing. However, full immersion in something like an American Indian Pow-Wow can also provide a small holiday for the mind, while at the same time giving a window into another culture.

This event was recommended to me by a friend, Evan (see here and here), who has participated in this for years. I went with few expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The second half of the show was very dynamic, with continuous dance and musical accompaniment. One piece, the Round Dance, encouraged audience participation. My favorite piece was the Hoop Dance, which I found close to heart (my business makes hoops). It was fascinating to see an example of the adage that there is nothing new under the sun and that hooping (ala the hula hoop) has ancient precursors, relatively unknown, practiced right here in the United States by the American Indian. See my video of highlights of the show below.

Dig deep, read between the lines, and you will find another way to enjoy what New York City has to offer at an authentic Pow-Wow 🙂

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Music and Concerts, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
Joe’s Dairy, The Movie, Part 2

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Brian Dubé

(see Part 1 here)

Vincent and Anthony Campanelli were extremely cordial throughout my initial encounter. I asked if I might be able to film the mozzarella-making process. They only requested that I return on a day less busy, so on Wednesday, February 1, at 11 AM, I came armed with cameras.

A moment in the kitchen quickly explained why they do not entertain drive-by shootings. The cooking area is miniscule, with barely enough workspace for two people and the cooking equipment. I was most impressed by their cook, who toils 10 hours per day making only a handful of movements. I told him that he should be sainted for his ability to do this daily for over 5 years.

Everything is done by hand – very old-school. When I saw the cook drain water by hand, one small pot at a time, I asked why they might not install a small pump. I was told that nothing was going to be modernized in any way. If you’re looking for stability in a world of change, visit Joe’s Dairy.

Enjoy the Movie 🙂

Related Posts: At the Door, For Whom the Knell Tolled, Donato, Nativity, Raffetto’s, Secret Society, Vesuvio

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Food and Restaurants, Stores, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
Joe’s Dairy, The Movie, Part 1

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Brian Dubé

On September 16, 2008, I wrote a story about Joe’s Dairy, located at 156 Sullivan Street. In this Italian area of the South Village/SoHo, we have Pino’s Prime Meats as well as St. Anthony’s Church (see here and here), both on Sullivan Street facing Joe’s Dairy. Just across Houston Street, there is Raffetto’s, Delmonico’s, and Tiro a Segno. Trattoria Spaghetto lies just a few short blocks away. These are the final vestiges of the Italian neighborhood – places such as Vesuvio and Zito’s Bakery, neighborhood icons, are now closed.

However, the full experience of Joe’s Dairy – meeting Vincent and Anthony Campanelli, grandpa staking out the front retail area, and the making of mozzarella cheese in that tiny backroom – is something which only video or film can capture.

I made two additional visits. During the first, on December 15, 2011, I chatted with Vincent and his father. I captured the conversation on video as Vincent shared his views on retailing, the changes in the world, the value of family, and many pearls of wisdom. He is very intolerant of mass merchandising, chain stores – anything not done the old-fashioned way. Joe’s Dairy is an example of the Slow Food movement.

Today, I will feature my initial conversation with Vincent and grandpa in the front room. I was invited back to see and film the actual making of mozzarella cheese in the tiny back room kitchen. With Part 2 on Monday…

Related Post: One Short Block

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Brian Dubé

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At the Door

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Brian Dubé

Being a butcher has little allure, and today, like most jobs that involve physical labor, there is no appeal for the young, restless, and upwardly mobile. At one time, butcher shops dotted the city, but now, a shop like Pino’s Prime Meat is rare and noteworthy, the subject of articles that bemoan their loss and extol the pluses of getting one’s meats from a skilled, multi-generational specialist, like Pino Cinquemani of Pino’s Meat Market.

Supermarkets, case-ready meats, the increasing costs of retailing in New York City, and the glamourlessness of the job have all conspired to make the old-fashioned butcher shop a rare commodity. To visit a place like Pino’s is truly an opportunity to step in the past and experience old New York. The shop, located in an Italian area of the South Village, has been in existence since 1904, taken over by Pino in 1990. From an article in Food and Wine Magazine:

Pino has been carving up sheep, pigs and cattle since he was a teenager in the Sicilian town of Castrofilippo, and you might say that meat is in his blood. When I asked him about his family, this was his answer: “My grandfather was a butcher. My father was a butcher. My brothers are butchers. My brother-in-law. My sister-in-law. My nephew and my other nephew—butchers. My son is a butcher.”

I had passed by this shop for decades, but, not being a meat eater, I had neither stepped in the door nor met the owner. I recently made a visit, photographing and filming my encounter and recording our conversation. Pino was quite cordial and accommodating. We discussed Italy, my travels there and love of small Italian hill villages, and his home in Sicily:

I am no judge of meat quality, cuts, or the skill of butchers, but everything I have read about Pino indicates that he is the ne plus ultra in his business. This is old school, where the skill of the trained artisan triumphs over the mass merchants. Here at Pino’s, genuine, authentic European tradition lives on in a small shop in SoHo, encroached by a wave of high-end merchants that have essentially engulfed the entire area, if not the entire borough of Manhattan.

I have a number of close friends and acquaintances who are vegetarian, as I was for 30 years (I now eat fish). Decisions whether to eat meat or not are highly contentious, and I have stopped debating such subjects long ago. Here, at Pino’s, to understand and appreciate the man and his family tradition, it is perhaps best to leave dietary preferences At the Door 🙂

Related Posts: Pork and Power, Mystery Meat, Shrine to Beef, Fisherman’s Widow

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Food and Restaurants, Stores, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
A Remarkable Couple, Part 2

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Brian Dubé

Bitter Greens (see Part 1 here)

One of our party had fallen a little ill and had been moved into the bedroom. So, when it came time to read my tribute, the entire party moved into the bedroom. The warmth and intimacy had a huge impact on the party goers; we were now sharing the couple’s inner sanctum – their own bedroom – and to use Hellen’s words, the event became a love fest.

I was decidedly preaching to the choir. Regardless of Harvey’s eccentricities or habits, this unusual man was surrounded by friends – people who understood him, accepted him, and loved him for who he was. Hellen, of course, was a no-brainer, as she could easily win the Miss Congeniality award. So here is what I wrote and read aloud to our group of friends on the 4th wedding anniversary of Hellen and Harvey on 11/11/11:

BITTER GREENS

This party is not only a celebration of Hellen and Harvey’s 4-year anniversary. It is also a celebration of friendships and the value they are in our lives. What is a life if not shared?

When I first met Hellen after knowing Harvey for some time, I was perplexed how a woman so kind and gentle could tolerate what appeared to me to be the wild man of Borneo. In a very short time, I nicknamed her Saint Helen, which appeared to flatter her and please her greatly. Harvey even adopted the phrase and did on occasion use it among friends.

I explained to her my reason for the title – that any woman that could tolerate Harvey was certainly a saint. In fact, her ability to be with him clearly qualified as a step towards canonization. In the years I have known Hellen, I have never heard her curse, raise her voice, or see her angry. Remarkable and a model for those who aspire to sainthood.

Hellen is one of the most giving people I have met. Many times in the last 4 years, I have called their home distraught. She always asked if I wanted to come over and always added, “We’re here for you.” Hellen is loved by all who meet her.

Harvey, on the other hand, is an acquired taste. Years ago, I had an employee who was a recluse and very difficult, yet we shared many views and interests. We often engaged in deep conversations, sometimes leading to debates. On one instance, I used the phrase “acquired taste.” She was militant in her opinion that such a thing did not exist, telling me that acquired taste to her was synonymous with shoving something down one’s throat. She averred that she knew all her likes and dislikes from an early age. I found that absurd and extremely narrow. We argued, and I cited bitter greens as an example of what is an acquired taste for most people. I argued that something can be truly disliked and, in time, come to be appreciated and even loved. That tastes can EVOLVE AND CHANGE. Some of the best things in life come to be appreciated over time. She was not persuaded, and I finally let it drop.

But I hold steadfast to my belief and my life experience has given me ample evidence. Proof sits here beside me: Harvey Osgood. It is no secret that Harvey is not well liked by some, even shunned. Particularly by individuals who are like those who purport to dislike bitter greens but have not tasted them. But here is what I have learned.

Along with Hellen, Harvey is one of the greatest supporters and champions of friends and friends’ interests and work that I have ever met. Harvey is very generous in spirit – anyone who would loan Avi Colon $1000 is either certifiably insane or the most generous person alive. And Harvey is brilliant. Beyond his academic achievements in the sciences and engineering, he has the most extraordinary facility to see, understand, interpret, and articulate the nuances of human psychology and interpersonal relationships that I have ever known. He invariably offers unique and provocative insights. I have often told him that he should have become a psychiatrist.

When I was first a vegetarian, I virtually lived on salads. I became bored with a diet of ordinary greens, so I experimented with every ingredient I could find, even bitter greens like chicory, radicchio, and endive. I grew to love them. To those bored with the ordinary and mediocre, I suggest they acquaint themselves with Harvey Osgood and sample a more exotic diet. Soon, you will learn to love him as I have, much as one learns to love bitter greens.

I have admired Hellen and Harvey’s mantra regarding transparency and openness. Only they would be comfortable with the brutally honest words I have written. I would never write or read such a thing to anyone else on an anniversary, much less title this Bitter Greens. However, I know they understand such words come from a place of deeply rooted love and understanding.

But I preach to the choir – the close friends of Harvey and Hellen gathered here all know that what I speak of is true. Congratulations, Hellen and Harvey, on your 4th anniversary. Know that you are an extraordinary example to us all of what a couple joined together can be. You have shown us that an atheist and a Christian can love and lie peaceably together with mutual respect.

Related Posts: Related Posts: Ice Cream Sandwiches, Myra’s Isle, War Against Disservice (Part 1 and Part 2), When Brian Met Sally

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Brian Dubé

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Watch Out For Moose, Part 1

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Brian Dubé

The Joys of Oil

Recently, I paid a visit to introduce a friend to the wonderful fries at Pommes Frites in the East Village, which I wrote about on August 7, 2006. On this recent trip, I made a brief video of the process:

While there, I was reminded of my visit to Kokadjo in Maine. On April 7, 2010, I told of the waste of food in New York City restaurants and my experience of how food leftovers were handled at Kokadjo. However, there was a much bigger story about fried food that I left out and that tomorrow will be told in Part 2.

Warning: Part 2 will not be the most appetizing story ever told. For those with a delicate stomach, perhaps it is best to avoid, like fried food itself. For those who don’t mind a rather indelicate tale of bodily functions, see you tomorrow 🙂

Related Posts: Ice Cream Sandwiches, Hot Dogs and Fries, Nathan’s

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Food and Restaurants, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
Lover’s Lane

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Brian Dubé

East New York, Brooklyn, is one of the worst neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City. It is unlikely that you have ever visited or will ever visit. You won’t find it in your not-for-tourists or secret New York guides. But, perhaps you are like me and don’t trust what people tell you without corroboration. This is what garnered me respect with Mark Birnbaum (see here and here), when I asked him if he would be kind enough to show me documentation for his claims.

So when I tell you that you will not be visiting East New York, I would not be offended if you check cool guides and websites to New York City. If you locate much at all, you may find yourself looking at things like this quote from Forgotten-NY, a website which prides itself on the obscure and lesser-known:

But there are some parts of the city where I’ve trafficked very little. For example, this was my third time ever in Brownsville and its neighbor East New York on bike or foot.

If you peruse the AIA guide to New York City, you’re only going to find about two pages. A church is listed, as well as a number of housing projects, a hospital, a health care center, and a mental hygiene center. Other sites include East Brooklyn Industrial Park and the remnants of the elevated train.

I toured the area recently with an old friend who, unbeknownst to me, grew up in East New York. He is Jewish, and East New York was the first home of his working-class family. Click the photo for a video tour of our excursion. My friend circulated, pointing his former residences. It was a trip down memory lane.

The wildest looking thoroughfare was Van Sinderen Avenue, which flanked the old elevated train line. My friend told me that this deserted, desolate, weed-ridden road was a lover’s lane in his youth (see top photo).

East New York is not a great place to visit, and you probably wouldn’t want to live there. However, having grown up there, like being from the South Bronx, is about the best street cred a New Yorker or former New Yorker is going to get. And for them, there are good memories – old haunts like a weed-ridden Lover’s Lane 🙂

Related Post: Juxtaposition

Previous adventures with my friend Greg: None of Us Go, Signs Were All Around Us, You Always Find Something, Up in Smoke, Randazzo’s, Wild Ride, Hunt’s Point, Arthur Avenue, Greasy Spoon

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Homes and 'Hoods, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
Extreme Snoozing, Part 2

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Brian Dubé

(see Part 1 here)

Meet Evan, Last of the Beat Generation. He has been writing since he was a child and recently was the featured guest at a poetry reading at Barnes and Noble Books in the Village, which is where I took this photo. You can see Evan reading his work in my video.

From an early age, Evan’s peers applauded his writing talents. By age 15, Evan was taking a serious interest in poetry, writing and reading voraciously at the New York Public Library at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue.

Evan was born in Manhattan in 1949. His father was a well-known vaudevillian. His family wintered in the Lower East Side and summered in Coney Island – in bungalows and at the Crystal Hotel, of which he has very strong memories. It was this early experience that still draws him to the beaches of Brooklyn, which he finds to be such special places. He moved to Brighton Beach in 1979 and has lived there since. Evan not only loves walks on the boardwalk but is also a winter ocean swimmer and was involved with the now-defunct Iceberg Athletic Club.

Evan and his peers read their work at the recent event at Barnes and Noble. Being the featured guest, Evan read three times. Poetry is not the biggest draw, and although the reading was well-attended, it appeared that most of the audience were writers and knew each other. In the case of poetry, preaching to the choir comes highly recommended, lest we induce Extreme Snoozing 🙂

Related Posts: Street Poet, Bohemian Flavor of the Day, Bowery Poetry Club

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in People, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
Less of an Ass

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Brian Dubé

In New York City, kind words stand out, as do gentle souls, genteel manners, and thoughtfulness. Some people exude one or more such qualities, and for a New Yorker, these people are show stoppers. Often this is a cultural trait, whether owing to another region of the United States or perhaps another country. This was what made meeting someone like Su Jung from Korea, featured in my story Friends (see Part 1 and Part 2), or Jamie Adkins in Kind Words, totally disarming. The impact was large enough to inspire an entire story based largely around each of their extraordinary characters.

On New Year’s Eve, I attended a large party given by close friends who have been involved in a number of other parties, including the one featured in Myra’s Isle. As time passed and I ruminated on the midnight hour, I played with the idea of preparing a toast for our collective New Year’s Eve group. It occurred to me that it might be fun to ask people what their New Year’s resolutions might be, write them down, and read them aloud at midnight, perhaps even singling one out as my favorite. I squared away my idea with our party host and was given immediate approval.

I made the rounds, chatting and collecting resolutions from those who had made them. My list grew, and I looked at how to best present them and perhaps choose a “winner.” Until I spoke to Mark Mahoney. His resolution was essentially four words, and after hearing them, I was so taken that I crumpled my list and decided that I would only present Mark’s resolution. They were not the words I expected from a New Yorker, and I knew that they would be met with tremendous approval, which they were.

Mark Mahoney is one of those gentle souls, quiet and unassuming, always with a smile. He is a good guitarist; I video recorded his version of the classic blues song Key to the Highway. I love his casual, easy style. Mark’s father is also a musician, a pianist who can be found Sunday evenings at the Limerick House on West 23rd Street.

A few minutes before midnight, I called together our revelers in preparation for a toast. Behind me on a large TV was Times Square with the teaming masses ready for the iconic ball drop. I began with a brief story about renowned science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, whom I had seen interviewed on television many years ago. He was asked what he would like his epitaph to read. I recall my mind racing to guess what a man of his stature as a writer might answer. I was quite stunned by his answer: that he would like to be remembered as a “really nice guy.”

When I asked Mark Mahoney for his New Year’s resolution, I was reminded of the Asimov interview and how Mark’s response was essentially a variant on Asimov’s, just a little more self-deprecating. I was a very happy messenger as I heard everyone heartily applaud Mark’s resolution for 2012: to be a little “Less of an Ass” 🙂

Related Posts: Jungle Lovers, Devil Ups the Ante, New Year’s Day

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Music and Concerts, People, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
Hopping

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Brian Dubé

As a young boy growing up outside New York City, swamps and forests were the environs of choice for exploration. My best friend, Jaime, whom I know is reading these words, can attest to that, and our daily adventures brought us great joy and finds. There was nothing like a swamp for all manner of critters. Sometimes, following the lead of frogs who traversed ponds and swamps on lily pads, we would also travel across these waters, hopping onto tufted outgrowths. As might be expected, landing on such small targets and balancing for the next hop was often unsuccessful, and the drying of soaked sneakers and socks became the order of the late afternoon.

In New York City, one can span dry land by bar hopping. This recreation is pursued by many, and evidence of such is best seen around 4 AM, closing time for bars, as the streets of the city are flooded with inebriated late-night revelers desperate for a taxi. In the colder months, groups of shivering, scantily clad girls can be seen competing for taxis which, at that hour, are in severe undersupply. The neighborhood with the highest concentration of bars in New York City is the East Village – not a big surprise. So if you are looking to bar hop, that’s the place to go.

In the world of cyberspace, hypertext linking has become the new vehicle for those inclined to move. But, be it bars, swamps, or cyberspace, in time, one does weary of hopping or linking, and coming to rest and exploring and enjoying what is at hand becomes appealing.

If you tire of bar hopping and are looking for the latest or coolest place (such as Death), then you may want to make the journey to Woodhaven, Queens, where you will find the antithesis of the East Village scene. Here, in a residential neighborhood at the corner of 78th Street and 88th Avenue, is Neir’s Tavern, what some say is the oldest bar in New York City. This is very much a local place, established in 1829 as the Blue Pump Room.

The places exudes the charm and authenticity that many seek in a city where such places are rapidly disappearing. I ventured there one night to see the Lori Behrman band. The bar was where the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas was filmed. There is live music four nights per week with no cover charge. They also claim the coldest tap beer in town, with a centuries-old beer system using packed ice to cool the beer coils to a temperature just above freezing. And fear not the pangs of wanderlust – there’s free WiFi for those who can’t resist Hopping 🙂

Related Posts: No Red Faces, The Ear Inn, Gotta Get Out, Shrine to Kitsch, Claims and Hooks

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Bars Clubs and Fetes, Music and Concerts, Videos. Bookmark the permalink.
My Ride With André

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Brian Dubé

I loved My Dinner With André. This award winning film is a two-hour conversation between two individuals in a restaurant in New York City. On the basis of the premise, it might appear that such a film would be boring, but quite the contrary. I found it very engaging and at times, even riveting.
Good conversation is often overlooked as an activity or reason to get together, even by those who greatly enjoy it and engage in the most impassioned interactions imaginable.

When I was in college, invariably someone would interrupt a very animated discussion with “So what are we doing?” meaning, of course, What are we doing tonight? Where are we going?, etc. He or she would get little response as the rest of us would be completely immersed in conversation. The question would come up again and again, sometimes others joining in the mix, round-robin style. There was a nagging quality to the desperate plea, the asker irritated that no one was listening to the question, everyone was wasting time, and no decision as to the night’s plan was being made. Yet no one appeared to see the irony of the situation. Our impassioned conversation(s) were likely more interesting than anything we would find outside.
One evening, having had enough of this chronic scenario, I made a statement, something like “Hey, don’t you guys get it? THIS is what we are doing.” Everyone acknowledged the merit of my assertion, but to no avail. It was a welcome bit of comic relief, but regardless of how engaging and fulfilling our conversation might be, we still needed something “to do.”

Recently, I returned by car from Woodside, Queens, to Manhattan. I decided, as I had in Wild Ride, to video record while driving the streets of New York City. On this trip, however, I was not alone but rather accompanied by several friends. Lively conversation ensued, and I recounted a number of stories from my life experience in New York City as we whipped down Atlantic Avenue. All can be seen and heard in the video below. My entourage appeared to enjoy the ride and the lively banter. It was like a sequel, My Ride With André 🙂

Posts referenced in the video: I’ll Kill You, Sittin’ On Top of the World

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in New York at Night, Videos, War Against Wheels. Bookmark the permalink.

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