Archive for March, 2005
Upper West Side Story
Posted by: | CommentsAnyone interested in charting the less than meteoric rise of this author may be interested to know that I have an article in this week’s New York Press (link is here). I wasn’t too happy with the way the intro was changed but my alternative wasn’t much better. Anyway, who am I to complain? At least they were gracious enough to accept my idea. Here’s the lede:
Kirk Davidson estimates that police confiscated between 2000 and 3000 of his books. For 20 years, Davidson has traded in front of the Chase Manhattan Bank on the corner of 73rd St. and Broadway. To some Upper West Siders, he is a regular, friendly face and a source of rare, unusual and inexpensive books. To others, he’s a menace: His book stall takes up too much space, he leaves his books beneath a tarpaulin overnight and he intimidates residents who oppose him.
I found this story buried in the Police Blotter of an Upper West Side weekly newspaper. Mr Davidson wouldn’t let me interview him and there was no chance of a photograph, but he was willing to shout at length about how he had been wronged by the police and the local community. To be honest, he had a point — many street vendors in the city probably get away with far worse than him. But Mr Davidson is the kind of character who doesn’t know when to keep quiet and when to stop pushing his luck. Which is probably why he landed in so much trouble and ended up having his books taken away.
Nevertheless, if you ever find yourself around 73rd Street and Broadway, I recommend you check out his and the other booksellers’ stalls. There are some great books and magazines up there for half what you would pay for them in a second-hand bookstore. And it won’t take long for Mr Davidson to rebuild his collection.
Just ignore me…
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The glitz, the glamor…the total boredom. Admittedly, I arrived at yesterday’s St Patrick’s Day parade about three hours too late. The festivities began at about 11am and when I arrived at the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 3.15pm there was a big gap in the sidewalk where hours earlier about 1,000 fireman (or so I was told by a museum security guard) had booed Mayor Bloomberg as he marched past.
The parade itself was nothing much. Although I have since wondered exactly what I expected from a parade, apart from marching band after marching band traipsing up the street playing everything from this rendition of God Bless America to a painful version of Waltzing Matilda, which I failed to capture (I was too busy trying to shut out the noise). Some of the bands and uniforms were impressive but there was also an awful lot that reminded an Englishman in New York of a cross between Dad’s Army and Grange Hill (there were quite a few school bands too).
But I’m probably missing the point. The parade wasn’t so much about having fun or entertaining people like me, it was a celebration of the Irish roots of thousands of New Yorkers. So just ignore me…
St Patrick’s Day
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Yep, it’s St Patrick’s day in New York. According to friends, it’s one of the few days they have either been subjected to anti-Semitic abuse or threatened with violence, so I can’t say I am overly-excited about the prospect of today’s parade and tonight’s festivities. However, it seems too good an opportunity to miss, so I’m putting my busy writing schedule on hold for this afternoon and heading for the front steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the parade passes in front), where I hope to catch a glimpse of some protesting, green beret clad firemen. (Which reminds me, hats off to the sub at the NY Post who came up with the headline St. Pat Cap Slap Burns Bravest.)
Landmines, Parachutes, and Comedians
Posted by: | CommentsAnguswit has an interesting post (with video) about US networks refusing to air an anti-landmine advertisement. If you watch the video, you may understand why. In a country where there was a huge debate over whether Saving Private Ryan was indecent, I’m sure there would be plenty of opposition to such a powerful video being broadcast to the masses (warning: this one isn’t for everybody).
Meanwhile, I have Macboy to thank for this video of a parachute jump gone wrong…
And the ever-talented Blognor Regis makes an interesting point about US and British Jewish entertainers who change their names in this post.
McKay
Posted by: | CommentsHow would you like to listen to a world class singer road test her new album to a small audience in a New York bar for $12? Stephanie McKay has toured with Kelis, dueted with Alanis Morissette on Tricky’s 2001 album Blowback, and her debut album McKay was produced by Portishead’s Geoff Barrow. The album was recorded in Bristol and only released in Europe, which means that here she is practically unknown. All the better for you if you live in New York (or are visiting) and want to catch her on March 21 or March 28 at the Makor Center, 35 West 67th Street, like we did last night.
McKay is using the month-long residency at the Makor to try out songs for her new album which will be released shortly. Her music, a blend of soul, trip-hop and reggae, was fantastic. But what made the night so special was being able to sit just a few feet away, in a room with no more than 60 people, and really feel like a part of the performance. Here’s a teaser video (recorded on my camera, so apologies for the quality) if you haven’t already been convinced.
