Flaming Pablum

The Stupid Flaming Pablum Trivia Quiz

Alright, I'm about to step out of town again for a couple of days, but I thought I'd leave you all with a little something to chew on. Following up on a similar post of just a couple of days back, I have a little challenge for those of you out there who are as preoccupied with the same sort of inane, trivial bullshit that I am. I've been spotting this t-shirt for sale on Union Square for the past couple of years and thought I'd finally take a picture of it. Who among you is slavishly geeky enough to name the album from whence the image below was shamelessly pilfered? Here's a lame hint: It's from 1979. The winner (to be chosen at random) will win both my undying admiration and maybe a Flaming Pablum t-shirt. Or not. Ready? Steady? GO!

Armagideon Time

I gotta stop leaving town. You go away for a couple a days, and ::poof::, shit starts vanishing left and right. The latest victim is the other East Village Clash mural. No, not the one on the East 7th between Avenues A & B (on the wall of Jesse Malin's Niagara bar), but rather the one that formerly graced the walls to the east of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe on East 3rd Street between Avenues B & C. I found this out this afternoon via EV Grieve. Sure, it was slowly eroding, but it was still very cool. The pic above was snapped by the Mrs. last May. Who knew it was soon to disappear?

No Foolin'

ReDickielous

Yes, it's another installment of the ongoing t-shirt chronicles. I spotted this item yesterday in the window of a new-ish children's clothing store on the edge of Soho. To the layperson, it might seem like a pretty innocuous t-shirt boasting the legend, "The Cookies." Lamentable music geeks and aging punk rock aficionados like myself, however, will undoubtedly recognize the font and design as lifted from the logo of long-running Los Angeleno wisenheimer punk band, The Dickies. Unlike some other similar appropriations (like Uniqlo's hijacking of the Black Flag bars), this particular pilferage doesn't really bother me so much. I'm not outraged on behalf of the band or the scene from which they sprung. I'm simply bemused by the fact that the shape of the logo remains unchanged. In a ....er.... nutshell, if you slap this t-shirt on your child, you should probably be aware that it's essentially a depiction of a flaccid penis and its accompanying scrotum (look again, why don't you?) If you're cool with that, good on'ya!

It also made me laugh that this t-shirt costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $100.

Meanwhile, here are the Dickies back in their heyday...

Gone Again

Remember that post of a couple weeks back wherein I reported that the Dean & Deluca on the southeast corner of East 11th & University Place had closed up shop -- only to re-open shortly afterwards as if nothing had happened? Well, it's gone again, and this time it looks like it's gone for good.

I was never a regular. I liked the big room on the corner (which was supposedly haunted), but it simply never occurred to me to spend any time -- much less money --  there. I was always much more of a fan of the News Bar just up the road a couple of blocks. That said, I always enjoyed the people-watching while walking by this place. Not quite sure why they've closed up shop, being that it seemed like they were doing a swift business, but who knows? Below is how it looked this morning. Empty.

So Long, Joe Jr.

Just arriving back into Manhattan after a week out in the sun on Long Island, I was shocked to read on my trusty comrade EV Grieve's weblog that Joe Jr's diner on the corner of 12th & 6th Avenue had closed its doors for good. I'm always a little stunned when neighborhood institutions vanish, but this one really took the wind out of my sails.

Despite its reputation for limited space and some long waits on the weekends, Joe Jrs held a very dear place in my family's heart. I still vividly remember stopping in there several late nights when Peggy was in St. Vincent's hospital (just down the street) pregnant with Oliver. We'd had to check her in several weeks early after she'd gone into premature labor (we called this episode "the hiccup") and it was a hugely stressful time. The comparatively homey and hearty fare from Joe Jr's was a welcome alternative to the repulsive hospital food. A few short years afterwards, Joe Jrs was always gracious and accommodating when we brought in our two little rambunctious children. I'm deeply saddened that it has gone away.

Happy 4th

Being that Iggy is, to my mind, the greatest living American, who better to ring in this Independence Day? Back to regular posting soon. Cheers.

Iggy Pop |MTV Music