Whoever said it (It's variously attributed to Socrates, Heraclitus, Solon of Athens, Pythagoras, as well as several others.), you sir, clearly DO "Know thyself"...or at least know your ability to fill out a tight pair of speedos despite bone-chilling (ha!) conditions.
For that, I salute you!
Okay, so there is an event Sunday at Public Assembly called the Brokedown Throwdown and, well, I'll be out of town so I really haven't done much research. What I do know is that there will be something called the Mustache Ride and that it looks super fun (or at least sounds super fun). Based on the concept art above all I can possibly do is endorse this Mustache Ride and hope that you can take a ride on this moustache or something similar.
The schedule's FILLED! Events OUT THE WAZOO (And in. And out. This IS Pride after all?!)! Tourists and trannies and thongs, oh my! Tellingly(?) Rod and I are both out of pocket this weekend. And yet, we're VERY proud, so...not sure what that fact tells.
Back to the calendar, there's so much to do you need to study up. Browse the FYF Calendar and make a list of your priorities. There's something - quite literally? - for everyone.
Speaking of something for everyone... Old-timers? Remember the track that kicks off this post? I would be willing to swear I had it as a cassingle. And I wore that shit OUT! U2's original? Major. Clivilles + Cole's techno remix? I LIVED!! Did you?
[For the purists and lovers, here's the full version. The track posted above is from the "Gladiator" movie soundtrack and is both shorter and has better sound quality than any full version I could find on YouTube.
U2's original track here (remember when they were young!? My GOD!).]
Birthdays, birthdays, BIRTHdays are what's happening, people! That's all this weekend seems to be scheduled with! I sound like I'm grousing, but - truth be told - happy birthday all you geminis! Especially my sister Tai Chi and other FYF loves: Solomon Greene, Eldin Johnston, Brian Toynes, Jason Anthony, Bill Pfeiffer and every other Gemini having their birthday party THE SAME FUCKING DAY (Saturday, in case you were wondering.)! Big love, duos! Being with you always feels like a threesome! And yes, each of those links are to an event page for their respective parties.
Tai's party will be in Central Park's Sheep Meadow like last year and promises to be a relaxing, fun-filled time (primarily because I'm in charge. See?). Meanwhile down at the docks, sorry...piers, Jason Anthony is - true to his twinned sign - pulling double-duty by hosting a good-hearted flash mob/love-in prior to his birthday lounge-on-the-grass that afternoon. Bring a song, a white t-shirt and a heart filled with love, 'k?
Tonight, as another Gemini enters his 30s (Happy Birthday Greg Lockard!), Viva Ruiz and Gavin Russom perform together as The Crystal Ark at Sugarhill Disco in Brooklyn for what promises to be a MAJOR night of music and performance. Also, Alberto Cortes makes music with his body.
There's also Clubber Down Disco (It's Honey's birthday, too!), a SPANK boatride and Mister Saturday Night tomorrow night and Folsom Street East Sunday, (just naming a few) so there's plenty to do regardless of how many Gemini's you know. Check the FYF Calendar for all your options and enjoy what'll hopefully be a sunny, warm weekend.
Again, Happy Birthday all you gems!
Just in time for Pride comes the Ungrateful Faggot meme. Just what is that? FYF Friend "Meme Queen" wrote us:
Ungrateful Faggot is a type of homo who partakes in homo culture, and reaps the benefits of such a culture to a certain extent, but also tries incredibly hard to be beyond it. So no rainbows, no parades. But still the freedom to have sex with who they wish, to be openly and smugly gay, and to provide a running commentary as a gay man or queer person. Such commentary often being negative views of the gay community while simultaneously coming from a freedom that wouldn’t exist without that same gay community. Ball all that up and add some hip youthful style and you’ve got Ungrateful Faggot.
The sentiment didn't just erupt from nowhere. An article in Toronto's "The Grid" generated a huge reaction last week both in that city and elsewhere. The author claimed for himself the label "Post-Mo", or a post-modern homo, including quotes from several of similar mindsets (and a clonishly similar style). The reactions were largely negative, pointing out pretensions and other fallacies in the author's assertions. One photo was grabbed from the article and voila, a meme was born.
Some favorites:
I feel like a bit of an ass right now.
See, not too long ago I wrote this post about a stabbing in Carroll Gardens (which is my home neighborhood) involving a famous pizza chef and a member of a long-time resident-of-the-neighborhood family, in which I wrote that my overactive imagination wondered if the store in front of which the stabbing occurred (Joe's Superette) was a front for some other business or something as I never saw anyone go in and it didn't seem like anything went on inside. The shop looked cluttered, dirty and illogically organized from the outside (confession: I never went in. Not once! But see picture above to form your own opinions.); i.e. - it had bad "curb appeal" and whatever other trendy terms one might bandy about to ridicule a store that hasn't been made over by an interior designer, a set designer and a stylist so as to recreate that "old world" feel it already exudes authentically.
Truth is, the owner (Leo Coladonato) may just have chosen to run his business that way, or rather, he had - for years - and wasn't changing anything 'cuz apparently his food was banging and he didn't have to change anything to attract business (Learning moment: some people CAN BE SATISFIED WITH THE SIZE OF THEIR BUSINESS. Sounds like insanity, doesn't it? No plans for growth!? Certifiable.).
Anyway. Back to why I feel like an ass. Last Monday, Joe's Superette closed after gracing Smith Street at the same location for more than 50 years and Pardon Me For Asking (the Carroll Gardens neighborhood blog) gave a history of the store, its owner and the COMPLETE LACK OF UNSAVORINESS OR POTENTIAL FOR IT BEING A COVER FOR ANOTHER, ILLICIT BUSINESS...and then Leo died.
Nothing to do with me, I know, but I do feel like a bit of a douche for having spoken ill of the (now) deceased. Doesn't help me much to learn that Leo - and Joe's itself - was so well-loved and ABOVE REPROACH.
The video above is from the 2010 competition, but maybe you can create something for this year's event at the Gowanus Studio Space? Prizes include Cooper-Hewitt membership and cash. Let us know if you enter!
The Schermerhorn will feature apartments that rent for $635 per month to artists already living in Brooklyn, specifically in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Clinton Hill, Downtown, DUMBO, Fort Greene, or Vinegar Hill. (This is odd, yes? Sorry Ms. Carroll Gardens!) Other units will be used as housing for the homeless with HIV/AIDS or mental issues. So it's a bit of a mixed bag. A conclusion drawn elsewhere probably hits it on the head: Including spaces for artists creates a "necessary front to appease the neighbors".
So the "news" cycle has been really churning through stories in the past week or so. One of the first major stories of the week (before a wedding and a funeral.) was the massive outbreak of tornadoes that hit my homestate of Alabama and which were ultimately responsible for some 337 deaths across seven states before the originating storm blew itself out.
Boingboing put together a post of ways, and links to ways, to help the victims (as well as the million or so Southerners who may still have houses, but have no power), many of whom lost every material thing they owned. To that point, Legislative Barbie blog has posted a list of items needed in the immediate, particularly.
Even more immediately: tonight, Seersucker (in my Brooklyn 'hood) is turning its weekly "Fried Chicken Tuesday" into a fundraiser for tornado victims by donating 20% of all proceeds to the Red Cross to be earmarked for recovery efforts down South. If you haven't experienced either Seersucker or Southern cuisine, I encourage you to try it out tonight.
On the other end of the "helpful" (at this point) spectrum...in a blatantly synergistic - as only someone who is "winning" can - move, Charlie Sheen has linked his "Tornado of Awesome" "comedy" tour with the victims of these actual natural disasters by touring some of the devastated areas of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and promising to host a fundraiser for those impacted by the (real) tornadoes.
Finally in this post of all things tornado-related, for those of you who haven't experienced a tornado, National Geographic goes into informative detail on how the outbreak of tornadoes formed and the particulars of this storm that made it so lethal, while the LA Times has one of those slider photo graphics that shows a part of Tuscaloosa from the air before and after the tornado to give you a better sense of the destruction a tornado of this magnitude can wreak.
Now back to the new "News" (which will hopefully not involve any natural disasters for some time!?).
Image via
Escandalo by Miguel Villalobos
It's finally warm and the weekend forecast promises sun, so there's bound to be some spring fever situations experienced by one and all. Aside from that? There's a shitload of stuff we here at FYF are pimping/doing/loving.
First, tonight My Spring Fling Turned Into My Summer Dream opens at splatterpool artspace in Greenpoint. Curated by J. Morrison, the show presents paired (but not necessarily coupled) pieces from many artists we consider FYF Friends (and hope they do, too!) including Geoff Chadsey, Erik Hanson, Richard Haines, Paul Mpagi Sepaya, Brian Kenny and Slava Mogutin. The show is meant to play "off the dualities of the seasons (Sexy Spring to Summer Fuck)" to which we say, I'll have both!
Later is Clubber Down Disco at the Chelsea Hotel of course...and then tomorrow I am the fortunate last-minute addition to WE HAVE COME TO TAKE YOUR JOBS, a special Saturday Sessions at PS1 curated by the one and only Viva Ruiz and featuring the premier of her telenovela, IMMIGRANTULA, as well as a live performance of their newest single by her and Desi Santiago's art house music project, Escandalo (this is the bit of which I'll be a part). You won't necessarily know it's me, but I'll be beating some sticks, for real yo. Admission is free with museum admission, but space is limited so PS1 is recommending getting there early for a wristband to get in for the performance. You should 'cuz I'm planning to be devastating.
Later that night, I'm guest-hosting the latest edition of XANADUDE at the Public Assembly Loft in Williamsburg. Always a good vibe and a great mix of people, plus good tunes with DJ Will Automagic and a force of nature from England, Dan Beaumont guesting along side residents Sean B. and Deputy. Come! It'll be MAGIC, no doubt!
Then Sunday, Mark Furlong is feted on the occasion of his going away (he's moving to Germany) at a soiree/tea dance in the basement at The Monster. You know how Mark lives for his DJs and a slew of them are pumping through to keep your feet moving all night, including MICHAEL T, CHAUNCEY D, JUSTIN CARTER, MANDY GRAVES, JOOLS PALMER, RYAN SMITH, GUSTAVO MOTTA and RICH KING. A little later, that whole MAY DAY thing that we've been pimping all week via posts and the banner ad right over here --> (it's at the top) happens with BIMBO JONES and Freemasons at Amnesia NYC (which, for the LIFE of me, I can't place as the former Ruby Falls!? Or rather, I can't place a Ruby Falls? Guess I skipped that segment of Chelsea night life history.).
So...LOTS. Hope to see you at some point! Regardless, enjoy your weekend!
I really enjoy living in Carroll Gardens. It's kind of the right balance of a variety of things I enjoy about living in the City. It's trendy (Smith Street/Court Street/Henry Street serve as testing ground or launching pads for restaurateurs and restaurant concepts of all kinds), but not TOO. It's quiet, but not TOO. It's fairly straight, white and family-centric, but not TOO.
That's not to say it doesn't have its share of "excitement". A former almost completely Italian enclave (though there's still a large presence of Italians) with a history of reputed mob ties (there are still "social clubs" dotted around the 'hood.), Friday saw the stabbing attack of Mark Iacono, owner of Lucali's on Henry Street where he makes some of the world's most-renowned pizza (according to GQ and Zagat's). According to major news sources (The Post, Daily News), Mr. Iacono was stabbed by a lifelong friend with whom he had an argument Friday afternoon outside Joe's Superette Deli, two doors down from where I do my laundry (and did so, Saturday).
To someone who has seen arguably too many "mob" movies and has (perhaps) too active an imagination, Joe's has all the markings of a "front" business - it's decor seems like an afterthought and no one ever seems to go in - but apparently it sells some of the best proscuitto rice balls in the city (Who knew?!). It's such a fixture in the neighborhood, its sign is missing the "p" in Superette and a restaurant opened sometime last year further down Smith with the name Sue's Perette...an "homage" to Joe's sign, I'm nearly certain.
The man who attacked Mr. Iacono helped out at Bagels by the Park, which also happens to be where I got a breakfast sandwich Saturday, after not having been in there for months and months. At the time I visited, I didn't know about the stabbing and I recall thinking the staff and owner were unusually dour and whisper-y. In the context of the stabbing the night before, their unusual demeanors make a lot of sense.
As so often happens, commenters (well, at least Guest #6, above) on the news item on Eater throw out every possible rumor of Mr. Iacono's misdeeds or "difference" from "good, law-abiding citizens" in what I assume is a subconscious attempt to rationalize his being stabbed in an effort to retain their own sense of safety. According to this one reader, apparently Mr. Iacono is not only a philanderer - bedding his entire female staff despite his marriage - but also BIsexual! As if to say, "Well no WONder!" Or perhaps he subscribes to the Mary Mary school of thought that lumps homosexuals and murderers together.
Yesterday, what little is known about the reasons for the attack (the two involved aren't divulging.) were further muddied by reports that the Brooklyn DA's office announced it will charge both Mr. Iacono and his attacker with attempted murder, two counts of assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
So. How was your weekend?
Photo of crime scene via or Pardon Me For Asking.
Are you a theater queen? Be honest. Those above? No, those are JewQueens (more on that below).
But theater queens? Hark! Tomorrow night, Friday the 26th of March, Tomorrow Morning - a new musical presented in limited engagement by York Theatre - hosts a "Boys Night" performance for any of us who are.
Tomorrow Morning tells the story of: "Four ordinary people, two life-changing events." and, "Two couples are separated in time, yet bound together..." (both from the press materials for the show) so I'm guessing there's a nifty, "I see dead people!" surprise moment at the end. Don't know much else. What else it does say is one couple is about to marry, the other, divorce. Sounds a bit straight, but I ain't mad at the two male leads, so...Boys' Night it is? (Tomorrow Morning wiki here. Tomorrow Morning is in previews at St. Peter's Church under the Citigroup Building. March 30th is opening night and the show will close April 23rd.)
If you go will you let us know the surprise? Please?
Also, JewQueen - a cheap-n-cheerful retelling of Queen Esther's story and the origins of Purim by women and men in prom dresses - sounds salacious and looks FUN! At Under St. Marks Theater Thursdays to Saturdays at 8pm through April 2nd.(Via)
Not a musical or Broadway theater production in any way, Pendu Disco is kind of can't-get-much-more NOW in the nightclubbing/dance music category.
FYF friend Mike Dawson alerted us to a Florida legislator whose strategy to prevent situations like the gang rape of an 11-year-old in Texas is to impose a state-wide dress code for girls.
"Gay"-bashers who stomped and beat a guy to death in the Bronx last week ("gay" because he, unlike Barie Shortell who was gay-bashed in Williamsburg last month, was not gay.) were all reportedly "in the wrong place at the wrong time" or otherwise innocent of any wrongdoing according to their families.
Conflation is the confusion of one thing for another...like taking flirtation to mean giving permission, seeing "fuck me pumps" as an invitation to actually "fuck me", or believing the way a person is to you is the way he is all the time.
There's a lot of conflation going on in these instances of brutal attacks by groups of kids on strangers: the conflation of the ability to inflict pain and suffering with power, manliness and sexual prowess; the conflation of "faggot" or "homo" with femininity and, in turn, the conflation of femininity with weakness; the conflation of "inappropriate" attire and liability for your own attack.
Bottom line? Regardless of what anyone was wearing, saying, doing, being, fronting, reading, selling, playing...brutalizing anyone is wrong. There is no rationalization for physically harming another...despite the implications of war.
So - conflate all you want - but the fact of the matter remains: rape, beating and murder are never "deserved".
Rohin Guha is showing solidarity with the bloggers on strike against Huffington Post. We tried to explain that FYF had not made a $350 million deal with AOL and he replied, "Norma Rae! Norma Rae!" We then offered some drink tickets at Kamp, and he excitedly twittered, tumbl'd, foursquared, facebooked, myspaced, friendstered, and livejournalled that he'd be back next week. (Actually, Mr. Guha has had an awful week, so your host this week is the pop-culture illiterate, Rod.)
Continue reading "Civilization Progress Report: Arianna Huffington, this is all your fault." »
Stephen Antonson seems to do so out of compulsion, as evidenced in the refurbishment, furnishing and design of his home.
A whimsy in WHITE, certainly, but kudos to the family for creating situations...turning things on their ear a bit.
(More of Mac's helpful life advice here.)
Yet another genius selection from Sexpigeon:
"Real Brooklyn, the Brooklyn hatched from a deviled egg, birthed out of a mink’s sinus, paprika-toned and yowly. And which is as unbelievable to witness as any other mythological thing. A griffin, a sleigh pulled by cats, a world-destroying flood, a real Brooklynite."
Y'all. It...has...been...a week. As we crash-landed back to New York City on Tuesday after a blissful getaway to a quaint New England town that involved marathon rounds of She-Hulking our way through Marvel vs. Capcom 3, we were greeted with news of epic unrest in Libya and natural disaster in New Zealand (and breathed a deep sigh of relief when we learned our brother, temporarily residing in a remote Kiwi 'burb, wasn't affected at all by the quake.) And frankly this, piled on top of everything else in the world was enough to make us want to crawl under a rock and listen to Adele's sweet singing until the madness ends. But if that were the case, we'd never leave the house. So instead, go into the weekend looking positively golden, with proper posture, and the knowledge that lovelier things are still happening around the world.
• Gordon Bunshaft is not a porn entrepreneur, but an architect. One of his works, "The Snow Queen" is currently on display at the Lever House on Park Avenue and you'd be a fool to miss it! [NYT Magazine]
• 30 Rock's Jenna Maroney made the internet yesterday. [Gawker TV]
• Google has again proven itself to be a tech giant of the times: Presenting Recipe View. [Google Recipe View]
Continue reading "Civilization Progress Report: Everybody grows up, even Zelda and Link" »
I have found a new love and it goes by Van Horn Sandwich Shop. I tried out the new sandwich shop (essentially. though it's a restaurant with a bar) on Court between Baltic and Warren during an early dinner on Sunday. Truth be told it was my only meal of the day and this may - in part - explain the rapturous experience I enjoyed inside, but...no: I am confident the food was the major cause of my satisfaction.
Van Horn is an eponymous venture from Jacob Van Horn with business partner/chef Rick Hauchman, both of whom are either from, or were at one-time living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Van Horn Sandwiches tap into that Southern heritage but go so far beyond, in terms of taste, I was blown away. Certainly, I've only eaten there once and this was on a day when I hadn't had any other real meal, so...take it for what it's worth. BUT, it was SO DAMN GOOD! I had the pulled pork sandwich and everything was pitch perfect. The pork was perfectly smoked, the sliced pickles and coleslaw topping it were delicious and perfectly contrasted/complemented the pork, and even the side of collard greens was amazingly flavored - without the crutch of bacon or ham in them!
If you've grown up with something, it's hard to communicate what that thing is to others who haven't had the same experience. Put another way, because we humans can't have two simultaneous and differing experiences (at least not yet), certain things are exceedingly difficult to explain to another person. The flavor of traditionally Southern foods is one of these, in my opinion. Some would describe Southern cooking as "rich" in flavor, while others would say rich in fat. Both could certainly be true (and often are), but this sandwich from Van Horn managed to find a middle ground where the flavor was "deep", but not too heavy. The food and ingredients were fresh and each element of the sandwich/meal was carefully cooked to imbue it with its own full flavor. For me, this was a meal I've had and enjoyed hundreds of times back home, but taken to a whole new level in a way I'd expect (but seldom encounter) in a world food capital like New York City.
I have a theory that the flavors may be too much for many. I think that Southerners like their food - like their sentiments - overstated and not particularly sophisticated (i.e. - subtle) and wonder if this will help or hinder Van Horn ("Ooo! Something new!" vs. "Jesus Christ that was sooo vinegar-y!"). The interesting thing is that - if I'm right and people feel it's too over-the-top - by my yardstick, Van Horn is subdued. Their sweet tea, for example, was lightyears away from "sweet" down South.
Check this homeboy out and drop a line back to let me know how you found it. Please? I'll be going back to try the Fried Chicken Sandwich soon, so lemme know if you wanna join, too.
Here's a rundown of recent reviews of Van Horn compiled by Eater, and the second pic in this Time Out New York photo series for The Feed's review of Van Horn shows the pork sandwich I enjoyed.
Photo via
