Despite the legitimately worrying threat of bedbugs, I decided to take myself to the movies this evening after work. Being the father of two, I don't get to the movies that often (on our nights off, the wife and I usually would much rather go out to dinner that go watch a film), but with Peg & the kids still out on the `Island, my evenings have been pretty free. I'd been meaning to see this film for a while, but it had slipped my mind until a friend of mine on Facebook pointed out that it's closing from its held over stint at the Film Forum next Tuesday. In any case, Tamra Davis' "Jean-Michel Basquiat The Radiant Child" is excellent. Not only is it an exhaustive and poignant portrait of a brilliant artist, but for zealous Manhattan-o-philes like myself, it's yet another wonderful snapshot of New York's bygone gritty age. You can find out more by clicking right here. For my fellow New Yorkers, again, it's only playing through Tuesday at the Film Forum, so go check it out. The soundtrack is awesome as well.
Otherwise, here are some items that caught my eye in recent days. You may find them similarly interesting. Or perhaps not.
Speaking again of a bygone age of gritty New York, one of my new favorite blogs, City of Strangers, posted a nice little piece about memories of the NYC of the 1990s, pointing out once again that it wasn't all gumdrops & happy times.
Continuing on regarding New York, I was struck by this piece in Gothamist about Things that Annoy New Yorkers The Most, as I'm usually accused of having nothing to say about living here other than a litany of meticulously compiled complaints. Well, here was ample proof that I'm not the only one with a bitch or two. Funnily enough, when I re-posted this article on Facebook, friends of mine unsolicitedly started adding to the list themselves. Everyone's got a gripe.
Lastly on the Manhattan tip, Tim B. passed on this sad little nugget of news. Evidently Fat Beats, the long-standing and roundly revered hip-hop record store on 6th Avenue between 8th & 9th streets is closing up shop. Now, I can hear you what you're saying. "Alex, you barely even like hip-hop!" While there's a degree of truth to that (I consider myself vehemently selective about the hip-hop I choose to espouse), as I told Tim upon hearing the news, every time a New York City record store closes, a little part of me dies.
Elsewhere in the realm of music, my buddy Chris Harris published an item about a fledgling "deathcore" band on his entertaining metal blog, Gun Shy Assassin. It's not that I think In Death I Rise are probably any good (let's face it -- they invariably suck), it's that I think they're notable being that they're basically all tweens. When I was that age, I was playing with "Planet of the Apes" action figures, so I'll throw the goats for these kids any day of the week. Were you in a band and making headlines at age 10? I thought not.
In significantly less inspiring news, evidently there's now a band-sanctioned Sex Pistols fragrance. Once again, punk is dead and the `Pistols have officially turned into Kiss.
Speaking of punk, noted punk photographer, endearingly irritable agitpropagandizer and former next door neighbor of mine, Glen E. Friedman posted an interesting discovery on his blog this week, possibly exposing the oft-trumpeted ratings holdings of FOX News as a big fucking scam. Is there any truth to it? Who knows, but I certainly wouldn't put it past them. See what you think.
And speaking of dumb-ass Republicans, while I could happily pass on any number of tidbits about stupid shit Sarah Palin had to squawk about this week (there's certainly never a shortage), I figure there are more than enough outlets out there delivering that hilarity (Gawker keeps a nice tally). But I did spot one item today that pretty much knocked me right off the porch, so to speak. Evidently Nevada Republican Senate candidate & Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle once tried to get a high school football team's jerseys changed. What was the problem with them? Well, they were black, and Angle believed that black as a color is "spiritually evil, invoking the supernatural and especially the devil."
Stop me if I'm wrong, but don't most friggin' priests wear black 99% of the time?
Aye yai yai.
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