• Category Archives Rebels of NYC

  • Color Brigade

    Posted on March 20, 2008 by Brian Dubé

    Today is the first day of spring. I find our collection of individuals and their wears appropriately festive and uplifting. New York City’s populace comes in an extraordinary spectrum of colors, both skin and fabric. I came across this group in Union Square Park. When I arrived, the fellow in blue pants was being interviewed and filmed – it appeared to be an unplanned event. As I watched, the group grew in size – they became quite animated as a new member of the color brigade arrived (woman with the bag). It appeared that the level of self-adornment and outlandish dress was de rigeur; I would be curious to know if their social circle includes anyone dressed more conventionally.

    I have done a number of postings featuring various captures of local color: the outrageous Fashion Forward, People of Color, Narcissism Gone Wild, Snake Charmer, Superheroes, Circus Amok, and the more subdued Wood Nymph

    Of course, nothing tops the parades: Halloween Parade 06, Halloween Parade 07 Part 1, Halloween Parade 07 Part 2, Easter Parade 06, Easter Parade 07, The Dance Parade, and the Hispanic Day Parade

    Note: You have to love those shoes…

    SPRING TIP: This Sunday is the annual Easter Parade, which takes place on Fifth Avenue in the 50s. I have been there two years in a row. The parade is more of a gathering (no barricades or marching). I highly recommend it; it is one of the most underrated events in the city. The event goes way beyond Easter bonnets – there is even some full costuming…

    Posted on March 20, 2008 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in fashion, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Surly Santas

    Posted on December 10, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    While walking in the Village with a friend and arriving at the intersection of MacDougal and Bleecker Streets, we were unexpectedly besieged by a gang of Santas. I would say group, however, their demeanor and ensuing conversation with a panhandler gave them more of a rude, frat boys feel than the benevolent, generous spirit we associate with Santa. The conversation between one of the Santas and the panhandler went something like this:

    Panhandler: “Oh good – Santas, Christmas Spirit. Can you spare a quarter?”
    Santa: “Get it together brother.”
    Panhandler: “You get it together!”

    We assumed these guys were in costume and not individuals who actually work as Santas somewhere; that would be a little disheartening. I think one would expect the dialog to be more courteous even coming from someone who is not Santa. Was this Christmas spirit, New York Style, or was this Santa perhaps more progressive in his thinking? That he felt that giving in this type of circumstance was, in the parlance of the modern psychotherapeutic community, being an enabler? Like the old saying, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life.”

    In researching this saying, I came across some variations:
    Teach a man to fish and he learns to covet your boat.
    Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Give a man a fishing rod and he’ll break it in two for firewood – or exchange it for a fish.
    Give a man a fish, and he’ll wonder what you want from him.
    Build a man a fire, and he’s warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he’s warm for the rest of his life.
    Give a man a crab and it will pinch his fingers. Teach a man to crab and he’ll complain about being pinched.
    Give a man a boil and he’ll just get sore. Teach a man to boil and he’ll be able to make his own tea.
    Give a man a slide and he’ll want a microscope. Teach a man to slide and he’ll want a playground.
    Teach a man to fish, and you introduce another competitor into the overcrowded fishing
    industry. Give a man a fish, and you stimulate demand for your product.
    Give a man a fly and he’ll think you’re an idiot. Teach a man to fly and he’ll end by looking down on you.
    Give a man a fish and he’ll have dinner. Teach a man to fish and he’ll be late for dinner.
    Teach him to fish and he’ll sit in a boat drinking beer all day.

    Credit for these quotes and more humor can be found at the site Halfbakery.com

    Posted on December 10, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in fashion, Festivals Parades and Events, Holidays, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Fashion Forward

    Posted on November 9, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    I thought you might like an update on my close encounters with the other kind. Some of you may recall the posting I did, Out There, which got quite a response. I have since met the mystery man: André, who always seems to be outrageously dressed – that’s him on the left sporting a new outfit. I see him regularly in the neighborhood and we always say hi – he is most cordial. On my first meeting after the posting I did, I introduced myself, gave him my card, told him that he had been featured on this site, and that I had entitled it “Out There,” saying bluntly but in a complimentary tone, “You have to admit – you are rather out there.”

    Friends cringed when I told them about my remark, but he was pleased to have been featured, and his response was quite positive (as I expected): “I like to think of myself as Fashion Forward.” I love that. Most recently, I saw him in the most outrageous, fanciful outfit – glittering, futuristic style – but unfortunately, I did not capture it on camera.

    The other person on the right photo I found to be very smartly dressed. I met him in Tompkins Square Park. I have posted on a number of individuals who, let’s say, are rather unconventional and exhibitionistic, most notably Spike and Narcissism Gone Wild. Of course, some may consider these people rather tame in the world of body alteration: tattooing, piercing, branding, scarification, subdermal implants, and even cornea tattooing. Katzen the Tiger Lady, e.g. has full body tattoos resembling that of a tiger, with whiskers attached via piercings on her face (I have met her and have photos of the two of us). She was once married to The Enigma, a sideshow performer who has had extensive body modification, including horn implants and a full-body jigsaw-puzzle tattoo…

    More Posts of the Unusual: Spring Madness, Superheroes, Snake Charmer, Circus Amok

    Posted on November 9, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in fashion, People, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Village Halloween Parade 2007 # 2

    Posted on November 3, 2007 by Brian Dubé

     

    Make sure to click on the photo to enlarge!

    Posted on November 3, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in fashion, Festivals Parades and Events, Holidays, Rebels of NYC, Tourist Attractions. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Village Halloween Parade 2007

    Posted on November 2, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    I’ve chosen a small, somewhat representative collection of photos from the Village Halloween Parade (click on the photo to enlarge). The whole experience was overwhelming, with an estimated 2 million people attending! I will be putting up a gallery of over 200 photos from the parade in the next few days. Check back on this posting, and I will update with a link to the gallery. Many of the parade details, history, attendance, etc. were covered in detail in last year’s posting with a photo gallery. Click here for that posting and click here for the gallery of photos…

    Posted on November 2, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in fashion, Festivals Parades and Events, Holidays, Rebels of NYC, Tourist Attractions. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Village Parade 2007 Preview

    Posted on November 1, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    Last night, I attended the annual Village Halloween Parade. The weather was perfect and the turnout was phenomenal. The number of attendees (1 million) and congestion is unimaginable, and going in as a photographer with a press pass (as I did) or as a marcher is the only way I would consider it at this point. I have spectated from the barricades many years before – streets are blocked off and pedestrians are directed, restricted, and hoarded, with the spectators piled many persons deep. It’s hard to get decent viewing without getting there 1.5 hours in advance for a front row position against the barricades. In the next couple of days, I will post again on the parade, featuring photos and posting a collection of the best on a supplementary site as I did last year. But first, I have to sift through the 540 photos I took…

    Posted on November 1, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in fashion, Festivals Parades and Events, Holidays, Rebels of NYC, Tourist Attractions. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Summer of Drugs

    Posted on September 1, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This year is the 40th anniversary of the Be-In and Summer of Love, which was centered in San Francisco in 1967. Yesterday’s event, Be-In Central Park, was held from 2 – 7:30 PM at the Bandshell and sponsored by the Yippie Museum (click here for previous post). This is the second commemoration of the Be-In in NYC this year (click here for the previous event in Washington Square Park). Live bands were present. I arrived at 6:45 PM to the last band and a very small group – I hope the turnout was better at midday. I found the situation quite sad and depressing. Many of the participants appeared to be hippies, burnouts, drug addicts, marginalized, counter-cultural, or political activists. I don’t think this motley, unkempt group are very good role models for the future. When it comes to advocacy (one recalls Timothy Leary’s “turn on, tune in, and drop out”) I think it is reasonable to judge the message by its messenger(s), and in this case, regardless of how one defines success, I think the drug message has to be called into question.

    Although good things did spring from movements of the 1960s, drugs turned out to be an extremely destructive path, and those who continued to embrace them either paid for it with their lives or are seriously damaged and disadvantaged by their continued use. Drugs were a large component of the hippie movement and the original Be-In (some say it really was the summer of drugs). Underground chemist Owsley Stanley produced and provided massive amounts of his White Lightning LSD specially for the 1967 event. Many of the icons of this generation died from drug related causes, musicians and non-musicians – Jimi Hendrix, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, et al. I think David Crosby’s comment is quite apropos: “Our generation was right about civil rights; we were right about Vietnam; we were right about poverty. Unfortunately, we were wrong about drugs.”

    Posted on September 1, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Festivals Parades and Events, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Out There

    Posted on August 22, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    Oh yes, this person is way out there. An infrequent regular to Washington Square Park, I caught him styling through one morning. Those of us who spend some time in the neighborhood have caught him in a variety of wardrobes, always walking tall and proud – no shy demeanor or closet behavior here. I know nothing about him. This is the latest in a series of exhibitionistic regulars and other flagrant and unusual acts which I have documented in this park: Spike, Narcissism Gone Wild, Water Sprites, Wood Nymph, War and Peace, Spring Madness, The Dance Parade, The Krishna Fest, PDA, Dyke March, Singing Bowls, Spinning, Twelve Tribes, Penny Farthing, Homeless Art, Superheroes, Snake Charmer, and Circus Amok.

    There are many which I have not documented: the 9/11 Mysteries group who believes that 9/11 was a the result of a controlled demolition; Wednesday nights we have the Christians preaching and giving out free food; Mennonites singing and preaching to passersby (one of the most startling contrasts is to see wholesome religious folk in their classic attire in Manhattan); the ritual sacrifice of a chicken on 6/6/06. And we have a stable of regulars who are genuinely askew. We sometimes jokingly refer to the place as an asylum…

    For more of André, go here.

    Posted on August 22, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, People, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Piercing Al Fresco

    Posted on August 7, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This photo is a footnote to yesterday’s posting about the Police Riot Concert held in Washington Square Park. Click here for a photo collection. When I told people, young and old, that I had photographed piercings being done outdoors on the ground, everyone had the same reaction: “Outdoors, on the ground?” But I found it in keeping with the defiant spirit of the event. After all, I am not sure that prudence, propriety, and proper procedure apply to attendees of a punk rock concert. At first glance, I was not sure why these people were sitting on the ground looking looking at something, but closer examination revealed the object of interest to be a small zippered case opened to display body piercing jewelry and disposable rubber gloves (and, I imagine, the piercing tools themselves). Actually, it appeared that the piercer was operating as professionally as she could under the circumstances.

    Body piercing, of course, has a long history and large subculture. It’s a world unto itself, with many facets: the jewelry, the procedure and tools (sterilization, autoclaves, needles, cannula, scalpelling, dermal punching), healing and cleaning, allergic reactions, scarring, keloids, infections both bacterial and viral, where to pierce, etc. Click here for a good overview…

    Posted on August 7, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Festivals Parades and Events, Music and Concerts, Parks, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Police Riot Concert

    Posted on August 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This was an event that really caught me by surprise. No one I met was aware that it was to be held, apart from the many music fans. The annual Police Riot concert is typically held in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, but this year, the concert was rescheduled for Washington Square. The concert, which featured Leftöver Crack (a group that has been been banned from several NYC venues), commemorated the 19th anniversary of the police riots of August 6-7, 1988 in Tompkins Square Park.

    The park at that time had essentially been taken over by drug dealers, skinheads, and squatting homeless. The riot, which occurred on the day of a rally, protesting a recently enacted curfew, was seen as largely police-incited as a result of mishandling on their part. Many complaints of police brutality were made, along with public condemnations (such as in the New York Times) against the police department and the commissioner, Benjamin Ward.

    In addition to Leftöver Crack, the groups who performed were False Prophets, World Inferno Friendship Society, Planned Collapse, and Witch Hunt. There were guest speakers, such as Norman Siegel (former ACLU director). Event-appropriate books and magazines were being sold.
    The concert was essentially punk rock, however, more specifically, there were elements of ska, hardcore, crust punk, and metal. The music was LOUD, of course, and spontaneous moshing occurred with stage diving. This event was a superb photo opportunity – the Mohawks, hair colors, clothing, piercings, mosh pits, and stage diving made great subjects in a perfect clear day’s afternoon light.  Click here for a photo set of the concert…

    Posted on August 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Festivals Parades and Events, Music and Concerts, Parks, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Reverend Billy

    Posted on July 28, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This was yesterday’s First Amendment Fest at Union Square, fueled by a number of current issues such as pending legislation regarding restriction of photography and videography in New York (click here for article) and issues regarding Critical Mass bike rides. When I first ran into Reverend Billy, with his bleached blond bouffant hairdo, white suit, and fully robed choir, in a park several years ago, I assumed that I was witnessing another religious group proselytizing on a much larger scale. We see many groups in NYC – fundamentalist Christians, Mennonites, Jews for Jesus, etc. However, as the entertainment component became greater, I realized I was watching a performance, albeit a very convincing, revival-styled one. Reverend Billy (aka Bill Talen) and the Church of Stop Shopping is an activist group, working internationally and using guerrilla theater to get their anti-consumerist messages across, warning against the “Shopocalypse.” They have had numerous targets over the years: Nike, Disney, Starbucks, and Victoria’s Secret. Ironically, Reverend Billy was recently arrested for harassment for reciting the first amendment (click here for the AP article).

    Bill Talen was born in Minnesota in 1950 and brought up in a Dutch Calvinist tradition. After graduating from Franconia College, Talen moved to San Francisco, where he earned a reputation as an actor and performer. Moving to NYC in 1994, Talen became an artist in residence at St. Clement’s Church, where he developed his character as Reverend Billy in collaboration with Reverend Sidney Lanier. Talen cites Elaine Pagels, Lenny Bruce, and Andy Kaufman as major influences. The depth and breadth of his philosophy, organization, mission, past actions, etc. are too great to go into here – I would direct you to their website for perusal. He is the subject of a new documentary (produced by Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame) entitled What Would Jesus Buy? Reverend Billy can be frequently be seen at St. Mark’s Church and other NYC venues – try to catch him live…

    Posted on July 28, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Festivals Parades and Events, People, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Arch Rebels

    Posted on July 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    The Washington Square Arch is one of my favorite subjects, and I have tried not to overuse it. However, I already have done at least 7 postings where all or part of the arch appears in the photo. Apart from the obvious – that it is one of just a handful of monuments in the city – it has gone through a recent restoration and is beautifully illuminated at night. This is is also the neighborhood where I live, so I see it numerous times daily. I have always been obsessed with monuments; as a child, my obsession was the Washington Monument. There is a small doorway in the west pier of the arch. Behind it is an interior stairwell there which ascends to the top, where there is a vacant chamber, and from there a trapdoor to the rooftop.

    One of the most often told stories is that of a snowy night in 1916, when artists Marcel Duchamp and John Sloan, along with 4 others (Gertrude Drick, Forrest Mann, Betty Turner, and Charles Ellis of the Provincetown Playhouse) snuck up to the top of the arch with Chinese lanterns, food, drink, balloons, and cap pistols. There, in a night of revelry, they read a declaration proclaiming the “free and independent republic of Washington Square.” They fired the toy pistols, let the balloons loose, and spent the night eating and drinking while a crowd gathered below. I have not done a posting on the arch per se because someday, somehow, in honor of those rebels, I will get inside and to the top. And when I do, there will be a proper posting and history with plenty of photos – inside, outside, staircase, chambers, rooftop with views – and you will see them here…

    More on the Washington Square Arch: Jeopardy, Nested Embraces, Cello, Singing Bowls, Evening Arch, One Fifth Avenue, Music for 9 Basses and 1 Cello

    Posted on July 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Architecture, NYC's History, Parks, Rebels of NYC, Secret NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Narcissism Gone Wild

    Posted on May 29, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    If there appears to be a fashion or commercial shoot going on here, there is not, neither by me nor by anyone else. This woman definitely gets the day’s prize for color and style meets attitude. I’ve noticed when photographing human subjects that many of the most flamboyant are the least perturbed by photographers (click here). Whereas taking candid shots typically requires some finessing, with subjects like this, I have discovered that most will try to act unaware yet virtually pose when they know that they are being photographed.

    Upon reflection, this may seem like what one might expect – that anyone dressed and posturing like this has to be somewhat exhibitionistic and would enjoy being the object of attention and the subject of photography. However, with people, I have learned to make no assumptions. As I have said in Caravan of Dreams, some individuals get upset or even hostile and threatening, particularly the homeless. I would prefer getting permission from a subject, but this would generally ruin the composition of most street photography involving subjects – either losing the moment or encouraging a less natural posed shot. And then there is the issue that taking photographs in public is a right, with certain exceptions and caveats…

    Posted on May 29, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in fashion, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Marijuana March

    Posted on May 14, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This photo is from the New York City Worldwide Marijuana March, an annual event held on the first Saturday of May (click here for more photos). It is NYC’s celebration of a worldwide event called the Global Marijuana March or Million Marijuana March, now with 232 cities involved. Each city has its own spin, which involves marches, festivals, rallies, concerts, speakers, and information tables. The event, which has been going on for 40 years in NYC, is a celebration of marijuana culture with an aim to legalize cannabis for all uses – recreation, medicine, fuel, etc. Various groups are involved in the organization of the march, such as NORML, Cannabis Culture, and Cures-Not-Wars, one of the most interesting groups.

    Cures-Not-Wars is making efforts to legalize the use of ibogaine, a hallucinogen of African origin which is reputedly very effective in treating opiate addiction. Ibogaine is administered in many countries as an experimental drug. In other countries, such as the United States, it is a controlled substance, along with other psychedelics. Cures-Not-Wars is headed by Dana Beal, former Yippie, out of 9 Bleecker Street, the former home of the Yipster Times and now a museum.

    The figure at the center of the photo is, appropriately, David Peel, a musician and activist who is perhaps best known for his first album, Have a Marijuana, produced in 1968 with his group The Lower East Side. The parade has the feel of a sixties rally with a benign tone. The police appeared quite easy going and tolerant of the event. After all, how much of a serious danger can marijuana activists really be 🙂

    Posted on May 14, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Festivals Parades and Events, People, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Cappuccino & Tattoo

    Posted on May 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This is Fun City Cappuccino & Tattoo, a unique fusion of two extremely popular things, both with a long and international history. Tattooing is certainly not new or uniquely New York – it can be traced back thousands of years, and the term itself is Polynesian. Tattooing was banned in the city from 1961 (when an outbreak of hepatitis B was traced to a tattoo parlor) to March 27, 1997, when it was re-legalized. But, ironically, the American-style tattoo was born here in Chatham Square (Chinatown) at the turn of the century. Later, in the 1920s, with the advent of electronic tattooing, the practice moved to the ports of NYC (Coney Island and the Brooklyn Navy Yard), catering to sailors. The period when tattooing was banned here was the time it became the mainstay of hippies and bikers. Tattooing went underground in the city and was eclipsed by other cities, such as San Francisco. Since the re-legalization, NYC has been playing catch-up.

    One of the early practitioners was Jonathan Shaw (whose father was the bandleader Artie Shaw), original owner of Fun City Tattoo, the oldest tattoo parlor in the city dating back to 1976 (as a private studio) (read the history here at their website – click on the “Press” link). The photo is of the business’s public incarnation at 94 St. Marks Place, dating back to 1991. Michelle Myles is the new owner – she also runs Daredevil Tattoo on Ludlow Street.

    Tattoos have certainly shed much of their criminal, outlaw, or bad boy image – it is now popular in the burbs as well as in cities. Estimates are that 16% of the population has a tattoo. No person in the United States is reported to have contracted HIV via a commercially-applied tattooing process. Still not interested? Perhaps a beautiful temporary henna (Mehandi) tattoo. Or perhaps just a cappuccino…

    Posted on May 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Food and Restaurants, Rebels of NYC, Stores. Bookmark the permalink.


  •  

  • Want to receive my latest stories directly in your email inbox? Subscribe to my RSS feed here:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

  • For special offers, tours & free downloads, sign up below:

    We respect your email privacy

    Email Marketing by AWeber

  • Archives

  • dinamic_sidebar 4 none

©2026 New York Daily Photo Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS)  Raindrops Theme