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NYC 777 YouTube Meetup

Posted on July 8, 2007 by Brian Dubé

Yesterday was 7/7/07, and there were numerous events scheduled to tie into what many saw as a propitious numerological date. At the very least, 777 certainly is a catchy tag. This gathering was the NYC 777 YouTube Meetup in Washington Square Park (click here for more photos). Here was another huge event which I had no knowledge of until I walked into it (I live neighboring the park), yet it apparently had been planned for months. According to the YouTube meetup website (now closed), the entire event actually spanned 5 days, with various parties and meetups in clubs and bars. As of today, I have found no mainstream press coverage – the only media I saw there was filming by MTV. The meetup had a cultish feel, not dissimilar to a Trekkie or SciFi convention. There was a lot of interviewing going on, with filming, photography, and interviewing. But there also was a lot of connecting of YouTube celebs, many meeting in the flesh for the first time, with names like happyslip, davidjr, abbegirl, thehill88, foureyedmonsters, ghostwise, brookers, kimeepower, lionsgrrr, etc.

One of the main attractions was to be a performance by EepyBird, the brainchild of Fritz Grobe (professional juggler and performance artist) and Stephen Voltz (a lawyer). These two have a number of videos on YouTube and their own website, featuring their displays of Mentos and Diet Coke geysers, with an estimated twenty millions views webwide (one of their most viewed is the original Experiment 137, with one hundred jets going off in less than three minutes). Two-liter Diet Coke bottles are fitted with nozzles containing Mentos. When combined, a chemical reaction takes place, with geysers reaching heights of over 20 feet. Unfortunately, EepyBird’s permit only specified assembly and not their geyser display, so they were shut down. They appear to be parlaying their online success with an appearance on Letterman, Coca Cola’s use of Experiment 214 for three months on their website, talks with the Discovery Channel and History Channel about a science show, and a recent Emmy nomination…

Posted on July 8, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Festivals Parades and Events, People. Bookmark the permalink.
Two for One

Posted on July 4, 2007 by Brian Dubé

Today is not only Independence Day but also the 200th birthday of Giuseppe Garibaldi – he was born in Nice (Nizza) on July 4, 1807. The statue shown in the photo sits in Washington Square Park. Last night, there was a celebratory concert, and today there is singing of Italian songs during the day.

Garibaldi was a military leader who is credited with unifying Italy. He was exiled from Italy a number of times; from 1850 to 1853, he lived in Staten Island, New York. The sculptor of the bronze statue, Giovanni Turini, was a volunteer member of Garibaldi’s Fourth Regiment. It was donated by the Italian-American community in 1888, six years after Garibaldi’s death. Click here for a photo I took of the plaque by the statue; it gives a brief bio of Garibaldi and information regarding the statue itself.

Tonight, of course, we have the annual fireworks sponsored by Macy’s at 9:20 PM. There are many viewing areas – the prime area is the FDR Drive, which is closed to vehicles from 14th to 42nd Street. Of course, there are many other viewing areas – Roosevelt Island, Long Island City (Queens), Liberty Park, NJ, South Street Seaport, Brooklyn, and the Circle Line. And I understand that tickets are available for viewing from the Empire State Building for 150 people at $175 each…

Posted on July 4, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Holidays, NYC's History, Parks, People. Bookmark the permalink.
Whoopi Too

Posted on June 30, 2007 by Brian Dubé

Yes, that’s Whoopi Goldberg (two photos bottom left) getting her highly coveted iPhone a few minutes after the release of the new, heavily promoted device at the Apple Store in SoHo at 6 PM, Friday, June 29th. People had camped out in line around the block outside the store as early as Tuesday. Some had paid others as much as $150 to wait in line for them. This scenario was played out in Apple stores around the country. Two guys had set up a ping-pong table to pass the time (upper right photo). There was cheering when UPS made their delivery in the morning. All manner of press was there, with reporters doing interviews. The whole scene was sheer lunacy, since iPhones were readily available just hours later with no lines whatsoever. Apple employees assured me that there was adequate inventory; an estimated 2,000 phones were delivered to this location alone. Also, the phones were simultaneously released at AT&T stores, where, I understand, the lines there were negligible.

Apple’s ability to inspire a cult following and religious zeal among their customers (as documented by Guy Kawasaki in The Macintosh Way) and their ability to create buzz and hype for a product is remarkable. An iPhone search on Google brings 96 million hits. The actual product has received very favorable reviews. David Pogue, in an article from the New York Times, The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype, refers to the product as “amazing.” He also reports that over 11,000 articles have been written on the iPhone in just the six months. I’ll find out how good this product really is this weekend with some hands-on time – a friend purchased one last night when we visited the Apple Store at 10:30 PM…

Posted on June 30, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in People, Stores. Bookmark the permalink.
Bloomberg

Posted on June 29, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This is the residence of Michael Bloomberg, mayor of NYC. Elected in 2001 and for a second term in 2005, Bloomberg opted to live in his Manhattan residence rather than Gracie Mansion (the official Mayoral residence since 1942, when Robert Moses paved the way for Fiorello LaGuardia to become Gracie Mansion’s first resident). The 5-story, 7,500-square-foot townhouse at 17 East 79th St. was built in 1889 and purchased by Bloomberg in 1986 for $3.5 million – ($17 million today). Don’t be deceived by the understated elegance of this building – these small townhouses and limestone mansions between Fifth and Madison on the Upper East Side are among the most coveted properties in NYC in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the world. This is super prime real estate.

Bloomberg has been a unique office holder, not coming from the world of politics. With a B.S. in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins and a Harvard MBA, he certainly had the intellectual acumen and academic achievement for his forays into the business world using his background in technology, after his stint at Salomon Brothers. A self-made billionaire from a humble background, Bloomberg is in various Forbes’ lists as one of the world’s richest men, with homes around the world. His Bermuda home has billionaire Ross Perot and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as neighbors. He has a 20-acre farm in North Salem, NY, a Victorian townhouse in London, and a condominium in Vail, Colorado. He is a private pilot with a fleet of aircraft at his disposal. Yet, ever to be practical and demonstrate that at some level he is still one of us plain folk, he continues to take the subway every morning to City Hall (albeit with bodyguards) and list his address and phone number in the white pages (yes, I checked)…

Posted on June 29, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Homes and 'Hoods, People. Bookmark the permalink.
PDA

Posted on June 9, 2007 by Brian Dubé

Many years ago, I became acquainted with the acronym PDA – no, not Personal Digital Assistant, but Public Display of Affection. According to the 17th revised edition of Emily Post’s Etiquette (which is up to date with sections on cell phone behavior, Internet behavior, drugs, etc.), “In public, holding hands and exchanging pecks on the cheek with your significant other can be charming, but prolonged and passionate embraces and soul kisses are always inappropriate.” Although views of this behavior vary considerably across various cultures (in France we have “démonstration publique d’affection”), generally it is frowned upon. In some countries, it is outlawed.

Although some are OK with this behaviour, most of my reading on the subject saw words and phrases such as yuck, ick, disgusting, tacky, not cool, and the ever popular suggestion “get a room.” This couple in the photo was going at it for a minimum of 2 hours, barely coming up for air (Click here for a previous post of a different romantic encounter). I had reservations of posting this photo and opted for a deliberately processed photo to minimize recognizability of our two lovebirds. I hope you like the result…

Posted on June 9, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Curiosities of NYC, People. Bookmark the permalink.
Book Country

Posted on June 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé

New York is book country. This is not only an accurate metaphor but also the name of a major street fair which was held annually for several years along Fifth Avenue. New York City is widely perceived as the center of publishing in the United States, home to numerous major publishers of books, newspapers, magazines, and electronic media, with all the service providers – editors, literary agents, graphics, advertising, etc. We also have a huge number of bookstores, with many renowned independents such as the Strand, Gotham Book Mart, Shakespeare & Company, St. Mark’s Bookshop, Three Lives & Company, Labyrinth Books, and Bluestockings (the book superstore chains have had a serious impact, and the number of independents is fast declining. Time will tell whether this trend threatens the American literary future as many predict). Book signings and readings are also a big part of the NYC literary landscape, although signing tours of major authors mean that these events are not so unique to New York itself.

33 Last night at the Barnes and Noble superstore at 17th Street on Union Square, John Updike was doing a reading from a new book (Terrorist) with signed copies available. The event was well attended. Updike is a renowned novelist, poet, literary critic, and essayist who has won numerous literary awards: PEN/Faulkner Award, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award (twice), and the Pulitzer Prize (twice). His writing credits are many (read about him here)…

Posted on June 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Curiosities of NYC, People, Stores. Bookmark the permalink.
Artiste Extraordinaire

Posted on May 21, 2007 by Brian Dubé

First, I must confess that the subject of this post, Philippe Petit, is a long-time acquaintance, so this may not be totally objective. For those who do not know him, Philippe’s accomplishments are many: tight-rope walker, unicyclist, magician, juggler, pantomime artist, pickpocket, and the earliest modern-day street juggler in Paris in 1968. But he is best known for his walk between the World Trade Center towers on August 7, 1974. This walk, done without permission, was planned over a period of six years; he made over 200 visits, posing variously as architect, construction worker, and tourist. Many have asked how well he “made” it across, but he didn’t just make it – he did eight crossings over a period of 45 minutes. He has been working the streets of NYC since the 1970s, particularly Sheridan Square and Washington Square Park, where, for years, he was a regular on Sunday afternoons.

Philippe’s ability to gather and hold a crowd is legendary, as is his tenaciousness – he has been arrested for street performing over 500 times. His show, which is completely silent and frequently punctuated with gags and bits involving the audience, features ball juggling, hat manipulation, unicycling, and club juggling on a slack rope, supported between a tree and lamppost. He creates his performance space by outlining a chalk circle – no one is allowed to step inside. The occasional violator is dealt with cleverly and handily. His show completed, Philippe packs his tools ritualistically and rides off on his unicycle. Only to return for meeting, greeting and the obligatory book signing. Philippe has authored six books. To Reach the Clouds is a wonderful work, telling the story of his twin towers walk. I also recommend episode eight of the Ric Burns documentary, New York – The Center of the World (Part 8), where Philippe is interviewed and “is the spiritual heart of the film,” according to Burns.

Philippe has done a number of commemorative street performances since 9/11 in Washington Square. This performance was to call awareness to the proposed (and controversial) renovation of the park. When asked why he does what he does: “When I see three oranges, I juggle; when I see two towers, I walk.”

Posted on May 21, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in People, Street Performing. Bookmark the permalink.
Tale of Two Colors

Posted on May 15, 2007 by Brian Dubé

Yesterday evening, a friend pointed out a young woman (Anna) who was remarkably immersed in shades of blue/turquoise/aqua – aqua shirt, turquoise sweatshirt, blue sneakers, light blue/aqua beverage container, and blue-green on her cigarette pack. Her friend also had her own blue-green accents and beverage. While deciding whether or not this was a blog-worthy event (I am a big fan of turquoise & aqua, so objectivity was a problem), to our amazement, along came a yellow-themed woman (Rachael) – golden blond hair, yellow shirt, and yellow accented sneakers which also had blue accents matching Anna’s (not to mention a hot pink phone and matching trim on her sneaker tongues).

This color event was too unique to pass up – I asked if they would mind posing together, and they obliged. Anna and Rachael are both NYU students. Hoping to get the shade descriptions right, I spent a little time this morning reviewing the differences between turquoise, aqua, aquamarine, teal, peacock, cyan, cerulean, and azure…

Posted on May 15, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in fashion, People. 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.
Hoopmobile

Posted on April 24, 2007 by Brian Dubé

Welcome to one of Hoop’s many Hoopmobiles and the world of art cars. Hoop refers to this incarnation as Techno Trash – an assemblage which he says represents ”all the transitions we’ve gone through over the years, from a needle on a record to a laser beam on a record.” Steven Hooper, or Hoop (the self-proclaimed King of Art) as he prefers to be called, started doing art cars in the East Village about 20 years ago, when he did hundreds of club performances and parties. His work has been featured in over 40 museums and gallery shows (Fusion Arts, Chelsea Art Museum, MOMA, etc.), television, and the news media. Click here for his story and photos of his vehicles. His motivation is to bring art to the average person on the street, whom he feels can’t name one living artist: “Warhol and Dali were the last of the household name artists.”

Currently living in Clifton, New Jersey, where he grew up and now cares for his mother, Hoop makes frequent trips to SoHo (one of his old stomping grounds – he once had studios in Union Square and on Prince Street), where he parks and lets passersby ogle his street art.

The art car movement goes back some time and has seen many incarnations: hippie themed VW buses (such as Furthur), Janis Joplin’s psychedelic Porsche, Lennon’s paisley Rolls Royce, and the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile. There is even a BMW series done by well-known artists such as Warhol and Lichtenstein. The Burning Man festival has had a strong representation. Harrod Blank has made several art cars, written books, and made documentary films on the subject. There are now numerous art car fests nationwide (see here). It’s a virtual industry…

Posted on April 24, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Art and Sculpture, People, War Against Wheels. Bookmark the permalink.
Spring Madness

Posted on April 8, 2007 by Brian Dubé

As I have pointed out in previous posts, this city certainly tolerates and embraces eccentric behavior. This guy in the photo was definitely garnering a lot of attention – onlookers looked puzzled trying to understand a grown man with pink bunny ears in the dog run in Washington Square Park, especially when his playful game went on a little too long. And it was not clear that the dog in the photo (or any other) was his – we became more concerned when he started to leave the enclosure with the ears still on and no dog in tow.

The weather has been extremely cold for this time of year, so spring fever this is not. Plus, I have already done a Spring Fever posting when we had a nice run of warm days in mid-March. In naming this post Spring Madness, it occurred to me that apart from the man in bunny ears, the only madness I have encountered lately is the frustration that people are having with the weather and how long it is taking for springtime to arrive. We have had 31-degree nights and mid-40s by day with a chance of snow flurries today! Happy Easter…

Posted on April 8, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Animals, Extreme NYC, Holidays, People. Bookmark the permalink.
The Copper Cowboy

Posted on April 7, 2007 by Brian Dubé

The copper cowboy is one of the many living statue performers who can be seen around NYC. Actually, living statues are now a worldwide phenomenon, with annual competitions in Arnhem (Netherlands), Laguna Beach, CA, and Portugal. I have generally seen this as an exercise in stamina and masochism (with all that body paint and hot summer days) but not particularly creative or interesting – most performers get attention primarily from the novelty factor to the uninitiated. However, after looking at various sites online, there are some ambitious attempts.

Like many of the living statues, the copper cowboy concept has been done by more than one individual – online searches for “copper cowboy” leads most often to Jon Mitchell of Hawaii. I imagine the concept was inspired by the copper/cowboy connection of the old West. There was a lot of memorabilia created using copper – cowboy hats, boots, etc. Most of the living statue performers remain motionless for hours at a time, with a container placed in front for donations. Some become animated from time to time, with mime routines. The copper cowboy in the photo made occasional sounds using a concealed mouth whistle accompanied by various short body movements…

Posted on April 7, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Parks, People, Street Performing. Bookmark the permalink.
Spike

Posted on March 26, 2007 by Brian Dubé

Here we have the classic NYC character. The city well tolerates this type of emboldened eccentricity, perhaps even encourages it. Frequently seen parading in full regalia, this baroque individual is an amalgam of goth/punk symbols and icons. He’s got it well covered – iron crosses, medieval cross earrings (Noctis?), British flags, piercings with studs, a Clash patch, and the requisite black leather jacket and boots (I learned a lot about these accoutrement this morning by visiting this British site, Gothic Style). And don’t miss that standout hair spire – his signature pièce de résistance.

His militaristic persona was enhanced by his standing at attention for lengths of time. I have seen him a number of times before, and this weekend, I saw him two days in a row. On this second occasion, a number of photographer friends and I were gathered in the park; our increasingly bolder and more obvious photo taking of the subject was not met by resistance. We agreed that perhaps he was a bit of an exhibitionist, n’est-ce pas?

Posted on March 26, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, People, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
FDNY

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Brian Dubé

People have always been fascinated with fires, firemen, firetrucks, and firefighting. So a large number of trucks and firemen in the city always attracts a large crowd of onlookers. And, owing to its pedestrian environment, residents of the city come into much closer proximity to firefighters on a regular basis. As you can see from the photo, citizens are intermingled with the firefighters themselves, who go about their business quite unfettered. This call did not appear too serious – in a really serious situation, the area would be cordoned off, of course. However, in spite of the close familiarity, being in close proximity to a group of firemen with their regalia – heavy bunker gear, boots, helmets, axes, pike poles, radios, etc. – is still quite intimidating.

The Fire Department of New York is the largest in the country and has been in operation since 1648. For a history, click here for the official FDNY website. Many of their firehouses are quite spectacular (see here and here). Their motto, New York’s Bravest, has always applied; September 11 has just brought their efforts more in focus…

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in People. Bookmark the permalink.
Soot of Armor

Posted on March 3, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This is an archival photo taken on November 26, 2006 on East Third Street opposite the Hell’s Angels clubhouse, where I made several recent visits with the intention of a doing a post. I have been fascinated for years with the Hell’s Angels in NYC and their apparent ability to operate with virtual impunity regarding the law – members have been reported to perpetrate random acts of violence and engage in various criminal activities (click here for New York Times article), yet charges have frequently been dropped due to improper searches, lack of witnesses, etc. And they rule that city block. I had been warned of the potential danger of being caught shooting their building – they have six surveillance cameras. On a previous visit, I asked a block resident for his advice on taking a photo, and he said, “I wouldn’t do it. Don’t be a hero.”

On my last visit with a friend, I approached a club member going into the building and asked permission to take photos (technically I didn’t need it). He let me know that they owned the building and the sidewalk and that he didn’t want to be on my blog (with a few expletives thrown in). I decided that is was not worth the risk to have a camera wrapped around my head by a Hell’s Angel, so I slunk back across the street where my friend was waiting and took the above photo. It’s interesting that all this occurred just before the recent major incident at the clubhouse – making all the news media (click here for Gothamist’s coverage). So, instead of the Hell’s Angels clubhouse, we have a miniature suit of armor with red horns in a window gate AC cage with skulls hanging from it. I have no idea if there is some hidden meaning here or visual pun. Any ideas?

Posted on March 3, 2007 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Art and Sculpture, People, Secret NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

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