- The "Easy Like Sunday Morning" crew: three or four guys who stand at the bottom of the stairs at the 77th and Lex 6 stop in the morning; keyboard, small percussion, and a limited catalog (I don't mind 'em too much)
- Narissa Susanna Battle (or something like that): gospel singer in the Grand Central tunnel from the 6 to the Times Square Shuttle; decent voice
- Ebony Hillbillies: usually where you catch the shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square; I have given them a buck or two; two guys who play some rousing bluegrass
- "Depressed Cowboy": also, usually where you catch the shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square; slow, minimal, Country-flavored music; never really pay attention to his lyrics, but his sign is supposed to be humorously self-depricating
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Sounds from the Underground
I have been meaning to make a list of the performers that I run across on my daily underground commutes. Some of the music is impressive and makes me pause, while some doesn't hold my attention at all. But I do respect those who just sing or play, without nary an upturned hand, letting their music speak for themselves. My travels are usually limited to the 6 and Times Square Shuttle in the morning and the C in the evening (but I haven't heard much music in the C). I do catch some music walking to the Times Square NRW if I am heading to SoHo . . .
And to top it off, we saw Mr. White.
I just wanted to share some thoughts from a few weeks ago when my parents paid us their first visit, flying from Pittsburgh to New York on Thursday night. With the way the trip started, it could only have ended on a more positive note -- they left on the afternoon of the British terrorism arrests. And actually that itself was a direct obstacle for them. But as the weather turned "wet and heavy" here in New York (two thunderstorms througout the day), their flight was delayed. And delayed. And then they were caught circling LaGuardia, and were forced to land in Allentown to refuel. And then they waited again. I think the security delays simply compounded the effects of the weather. But finally they arrived to our place on the Upper East Side a bit after 11:00. We had some tasty pizza and salad waiting for them (from Al Forno) and they were just happy to be here.
Friday, they had the day to themselves and decided to walk to the Neue Gallery to see the Klimts. They also took in some of Central Park and a bit of The Met. Later in the afternoon, they met me here at my office, took a little tour, and we headed south to meet Laura and our friends in SoHo. After getting some drinks at the comfortable Puck Fair, we headed to Greenwich to eat a simple but tasty Italian dinner. We followed dinner up with some great gelato just a block down from the restaurant at Cafe Dante . . . (nice Italian atmosphere, authentic gelato and coffee and pastries)
Our long Saturday started out by getting a great bruch at Eli's Vinegar Factory on the Upper East Side. From there, we walked to Central Park, entering between The Met and the Reservoir. We simply wandered through, hitting some of the "spots" as we headed south -- The Ramble, Belvedere Castle and The Delacorte Theater, Sheep's Meadow -- winding around so that we exited on 76th. (I really wanted to show them the wonderfully odd and entertaining Central Park Dance "Disco" Skaters but they really hadn't started up yet . . . ) Before heading home, we made a stop at Sant Ambroeus to get some of their gelato.
We didin't have too much time to rest at home until we got going again, heading to Midtown to head to Top of the Rock. I hadn't mentioned this yet, but the weather could not have been better. I guess it was squeezed out of its system Thursday night because Friday through Sunday, it was absolutely gorgeous. I am not sure we could have picked a better afternoon to head to the top of Rockefeller Center and soak up the views. Mom and Dad certainly enjoyed looking down into the Park to follow our footsteps from just a few hours earlier . . . (The Rock's time-stamp ticketing system and circulation is quite efficient and makes for a plesant experience. It wasn't too crowded, and you could grab "rail" space for any view that you wanted.)
We hurried down the 70 stories (it is a quick elevator, I will admit) to street level and rushed over to BLT Steak for a wonderful dinner. What I haven't mentioned yet is that we had tickets for The Lion King Saturday night. My mother wanted to see a Broadway performance, and with Jersey Boys sold out, that was next on her list. I have always wanted to see the costumes and visuals in person, so I thought it was a good choice. (Certainly a contrast from The Faith Healer that Laura and I had seen just a few days earlier.) Rather than eat after the 150-minute performace, we agreed to fit in dinner before hand. And that actually worked out quite well.
BLT Steak was not too busy just yet, and we were able to sit down immediately. Dinner was quite nice -- the service was great, very tasty salad, yummy popovers, and a good steak (not great, though). And while we needed to head to the theater and had to skip dessert, we were offered these wonderful bite-sized gobs of warm chocolate-chip cookie goodness.
Overall, I enjoyed The Lion King. Our seats were on the left-hand side, in an arm that extended from the balcony. They were great seats as we were right in front of
one of the percussionists (another was on the other side, mirroring us); it was quite entertaining to watch him play and really enjoy himself. From the seats, we had a good view of the stage and we were actually able to catch some of the back-stage goings-on. As expected, the visuals were quite amazing -- so creative and inventive. The marionettes, costumes, props, set design. All of it. And the acting was good, for the most part. The younger Simba was full of energy, and the older version of his female interest was quite good with a great voice; the older Simba, though, could have been a bit better. All of the supporting actors were quite good, though. What was a bit of a turn-off was the brask commercialism of the show -- I know, it's Disney. But during intermission, in the hall-way, after the show, there was a number of people hawking photos and books and stuffed animals. A bit much, really. Oh, well . . .
[Going from the minimalist The Faith Healer to the grand, long-running The Lion King made me really thing about Broadway in a different manner. I started to think about the creative control on the long-running shows like The Lion King and Phantom -- when do the original directors stop being involved? Who takes over? Does someone watch every show that is performed? I am guessing that the actors are constantly getting critiqued? How do shows like The Producers and Spamalot, which have a direct relationship to their initial (star) actors, change or adapt when those actors decide to leave?]
Mom and Dad were really getting into being in New York and didn't want to head home after the musical, so we decided we should try to get dessert somewhere. I thought of Esca (being that we couldn't get into Batali's Lupa the night before), and headed that direction from the theater (passing my office, actually). We got to Esca, and they provided us with a table right in the middle of the room. It was not long before Laura -- who was facing behind me -- started staring at the adjacent table. "That's an actor! Who is that? I can't remember his name . . . " Mom turned and looked over her shoulder, and she got just as excited. I took a quick glance, and realized Harvey Keitel was sitting right behind us. Knowing his acting demeanor, I tried to settle my mom and Laura down a bit; I certainly didn't want to cause a scene with Mr. White. ; ) He was eating with a woman, a man, and another man that I recognized but couldn't put a name to his face (I later realized it was Keith Carradine, whom I saw on a billboard for a new Broadway show). Kind of cool. Glad my parents got a "sighting" during their visit. Dessert itself was quite nice and a great way to cap off our night. (I actually ended up eating dinner there a few days later with a co-workers and a client; the dinner was very, very good.)
Sunday was just as busy as Saturday. It took on a bit more of a tourist hue. We woke up early, got ready for the day, and headed to the West Side for church at St. Paul the Apostle. My mom had heard good things about this church from a parishioner back in Pittsburgh, so it was nice to try it out. We caught a brief brunch at the spacious Whole Foods in Columbus Circle, and made our way south down the Island. The plan for Sunday was to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and see the World Trade Center site on our way home. We made it down to the Island's tip, admiring the wonderful weather (once again) and found where the boats for the Statue left Manhattan; we also found the line -- the long line. Really long, as it wrapped through the park, around Castle Clinton, past all of the vendors. It actually moved quicker than I thought it was going to, but it simply was the beginning of what ended up being a day of lines and waiting. Sure, the Stature was nice to see, and Ellis Island offers wonderful glimpses into our country's (and New York's) past, especially through the vast collection of photos. But I think I was the "safest" I have been in a long, long time going on this tour a few Sunday's ago. The metal detectors, the bomb-material "puffer" machines (kind of like when you get your eyes checked and they puff air into your eye -- just all over your body), the x-ray machines, bag checks. More security than at an airport, to be honest. The whole trip took over six hours, I think.
As we made our way north, back to the Upper East Side, we stopped at the World Trade Center site. Mom and Dad wanted to see it, and I had actually not seen it (except from a taxi). I am not sure if this is the time to talk about my feelings on that day and the past five years, so I will try to restrain from writing right now. Let's just say that I am glad I got to see it with Laura and my parents as we close in on the five-year anniversary.
We hopped on the subway at City Hall (a neat little section of New York that I hadn't really seen before) and made our way up, heading to dinner. We had done Italian, and Steak, so I wanted to finish up with my favorite burgers (thus far) at J.G. Melon's. It was a perfect cap to a great evening. We even had some tasty dessert there (I usually stop at the burgers and cottage fries). Needless to say, by the time we got back to the Apartment, all of our legs and feet were exhausted and we just spent a few hours winding down.
All in all, a great few days with my parents. It was great to be able to show them around New York, through the eyes of a new arrival. As my mom said, I certainly like to play "tour guide," whether it's Pittsburgh, Rome, or New York. Mom actually got to the point that Monday morning, she was saying things like "I could live here." I was floored! So, hopefully they will be coming back sooner rather than later. (I already have some new restaurants and neighborhoods picked out.) I think it was just good for them to see us, actually living and making it work, with smiles on our faces, with enthusiasm for this amazing city. It was good.
Friday, they had the day to themselves and decided to walk to the Neue Gallery to see the Klimts. They also took in some of Central Park and a bit of The Met. Later in the afternoon, they met me here at my office, took a little tour, and we headed south to meet Laura and our friends in SoHo. After getting some drinks at the comfortable Puck Fair, we headed to Greenwich to eat a simple but tasty Italian dinner. We followed dinner up with some great gelato just a block down from the restaurant at Cafe Dante . . . (nice Italian atmosphere, authentic gelato and coffee and pastries)
Our long Saturday started out by getting a great bruch at Eli's Vinegar Factory on the Upper East Side. From there, we walked to Central Park, entering between The Met and the Reservoir. We simply wandered through, hitting some of the "spots" as we headed south -- The Ramble, Belvedere Castle and The Delacorte Theater, Sheep's Meadow -- winding around so that we exited on 76th. (I really wanted to show them the wonderfully odd and entertaining Central Park Dance "Disco" Skaters but they really hadn't started up yet . . . ) Before heading home, we made a stop at Sant Ambroeus to get some of their gelato.
We didin't have too much time to rest at home until we got going again, heading to Midtown to head to Top of the Rock. I hadn't mentioned this yet, but the weather could not have been better. I guess it was squeezed out of its system Thursday night because Friday through Sunday, it was absolutely gorgeous. I am not sure we could have picked a better afternoon to head to the top of Rockefeller Center and soak up the views. Mom and Dad certainly enjoyed looking down into the Park to follow our footsteps from just a few hours earlier . . . (The Rock's time-stamp ticketing system and circulation is quite efficient and makes for a plesant experience. It wasn't too crowded, and you could grab "rail" space for any view that you wanted.)
We hurried down the 70 stories (it is a quick elevator, I will admit) to street level and rushed over to BLT Steak for a wonderful dinner. What I haven't mentioned yet is that we had tickets for The Lion King Saturday night. My mother wanted to see a Broadway performance, and with Jersey Boys sold out, that was next on her list. I have always wanted to see the costumes and visuals in person, so I thought it was a good choice. (Certainly a contrast from The Faith Healer that Laura and I had seen just a few days earlier.) Rather than eat after the 150-minute performace, we agreed to fit in dinner before hand. And that actually worked out quite well.
BLT Steak was not too busy just yet, and we were able to sit down immediately. Dinner was quite nice -- the service was great, very tasty salad, yummy popovers, and a good steak (not great, though). And while we needed to head to the theater and had to skip dessert, we were offered these wonderful bite-sized gobs of warm chocolate-chip cookie goodness.
Overall, I enjoyed The Lion King. Our seats were on the left-hand side, in an arm that extended from the balcony. They were great seats as we were right in front of
one of the percussionists (another was on the other side, mirroring us); it was quite entertaining to watch him play and really enjoy himself. From the seats, we had a good view of the stage and we were actually able to catch some of the back-stage goings-on. As expected, the visuals were quite amazing -- so creative and inventive. The marionettes, costumes, props, set design. All of it. And the acting was good, for the most part. The younger Simba was full of energy, and the older version of his female interest was quite good with a great voice; the older Simba, though, could have been a bit better. All of the supporting actors were quite good, though. What was a bit of a turn-off was the brask commercialism of the show -- I know, it's Disney. But during intermission, in the hall-way, after the show, there was a number of people hawking photos and books and stuffed animals. A bit much, really. Oh, well . . .
[Going from the minimalist The Faith Healer to the grand, long-running The Lion King made me really thing about Broadway in a different manner. I started to think about the creative control on the long-running shows like The Lion King and Phantom -- when do the original directors stop being involved? Who takes over? Does someone watch every show that is performed? I am guessing that the actors are constantly getting critiqued? How do shows like The Producers and Spamalot, which have a direct relationship to their initial (star) actors, change or adapt when those actors decide to leave?]
Mom and Dad were really getting into being in New York and didn't want to head home after the musical, so we decided we should try to get dessert somewhere. I thought of Esca (being that we couldn't get into Batali's Lupa the night before), and headed that direction from the theater (passing my office, actually). We got to Esca, and they provided us with a table right in the middle of the room. It was not long before Laura -- who was facing behind me -- started staring at the adjacent table. "That's an actor! Who is that? I can't remember his name . . . " Mom turned and looked over her shoulder, and she got just as excited. I took a quick glance, and realized Harvey Keitel was sitting right behind us. Knowing his acting demeanor, I tried to settle my mom and Laura down a bit; I certainly didn't want to cause a scene with Mr. White. ; ) He was eating with a woman, a man, and another man that I recognized but couldn't put a name to his face (I later realized it was Keith Carradine, whom I saw on a billboard for a new Broadway show). Kind of cool. Glad my parents got a "sighting" during their visit. Dessert itself was quite nice and a great way to cap off our night. (I actually ended up eating dinner there a few days later with a co-workers and a client; the dinner was very, very good.)
Sunday was just as busy as Saturday. It took on a bit more of a tourist hue. We woke up early, got ready for the day, and headed to the West Side for church at St. Paul the Apostle. My mom had heard good things about this church from a parishioner back in Pittsburgh, so it was nice to try it out. We caught a brief brunch at the spacious Whole Foods in Columbus Circle, and made our way south down the Island. The plan for Sunday was to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and see the World Trade Center site on our way home. We made it down to the Island's tip, admiring the wonderful weather (once again) and found where the boats for the Statue left Manhattan; we also found the line -- the long line. Really long, as it wrapped through the park, around Castle Clinton, past all of the vendors. It actually moved quicker than I thought it was going to, but it simply was the beginning of what ended up being a day of lines and waiting. Sure, the Stature was nice to see, and Ellis Island offers wonderful glimpses into our country's (and New York's) past, especially through the vast collection of photos. But I think I was the "safest" I have been in a long, long time going on this tour a few Sunday's ago. The metal detectors, the bomb-material "puffer" machines (kind of like when you get your eyes checked and they puff air into your eye -- just all over your body), the x-ray machines, bag checks. More security than at an airport, to be honest. The whole trip took over six hours, I think.
As we made our way north, back to the Upper East Side, we stopped at the World Trade Center site. Mom and Dad wanted to see it, and I had actually not seen it (except from a taxi). I am not sure if this is the time to talk about my feelings on that day and the past five years, so I will try to restrain from writing right now. Let's just say that I am glad I got to see it with Laura and my parents as we close in on the five-year anniversary.
We hopped on the subway at City Hall (a neat little section of New York that I hadn't really seen before) and made our way up, heading to dinner. We had done Italian, and Steak, so I wanted to finish up with my favorite burgers (thus far) at J.G. Melon's. It was a perfect cap to a great evening. We even had some tasty dessert there (I usually stop at the burgers and cottage fries). Needless to say, by the time we got back to the Apartment, all of our legs and feet were exhausted and we just spent a few hours winding down.
All in all, a great few days with my parents. It was great to be able to show them around New York, through the eyes of a new arrival. As my mom said, I certainly like to play "tour guide," whether it's Pittsburgh, Rome, or New York. Mom actually got to the point that Monday morning, she was saying things like "I could live here." I was floored! So, hopefully they will be coming back sooner rather than later. (I already have some new restaurants and neighborhoods picked out.) I think it was just good for them to see us, actually living and making it work, with smiles on our faces, with enthusiasm for this amazing city. It was good.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
In My Ears This Morning
"Last year we lost a friend in the war against mediocrity."
- Mark Dignam
Morning Edition, WNYC 93.9
Umphrey's McGee, Great American (06.02.06)
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Meeting of the Spirits (Inner Mounting Flame)
Bruce Hornsby, Spider Fingers (04.12.96)
Radiohead, The Bends (The Bends)
M. Ward, Four Hours In Washington (Transistor Radio)
Mark Dignam, Ground (. . . And One for All)
The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC 93.9
- Mark Dignam
Morning Edition, WNYC 93.9
Umphrey's McGee, Great American (06.02.06)
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Meeting of the Spirits (Inner Mounting Flame)
Bruce Hornsby, Spider Fingers (04.12.96)
Radiohead, The Bends (The Bends)
M. Ward, Four Hours In Washington (Transistor Radio)
Mark Dignam, Ground (. . . And One for All)
The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC 93.9
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Our First Broadway Play
Last evening, Laura and I met near my office, walked a few blocks, and attended our first Broadway play. And it was as good of an experience as we could have hoped, to be honest. I think even before we arrived in the City, we had read that Ralph Fiennes was going to appear on Broadway in Brian Friel's play Faith Healer. As soon as I heard this, I knew that it was a performance that we could not miss. I respect Ralph and his body of work; Laura's feelings for him are a bit stronger than "respect." (She still claims she saw him walking along the Tiber River in Rome that first day we arrived for school, back in September of 1995. This very well could be true, as they were filming The English Patient in Italy at the time -- we even saw some preliminary work being done in Pienza when we were there. But she was alone when she claims she saw him. I give her the benefit of the doubt . . . ) The fact that Cherry Jones and Senator Palpatine -- I mean, Ian McDiarmid -- were also in it was just icing on the cake. (Ian actually won the Tony for Featured Actor in a Play for his wonderful roll.)
As described in Playbill.com, "Faith Healer centers on Frank Hardy, a supposed traveling faith healer, his long-suffering spouse and loyal manager." The play itself is comprised of four monologues: one by Frank (Ralph); one by Grace, Frank's lover (Cherry); a monologue by Teddy, Frank's manager (Ian); and a final monoglogue by the healer. The set is sparse, with just a few props set against a black background. The monologues/sets change as a curtain is drawn across the front of a stage depicting a solitary stree in a stark landscape.
I am a bit wary about giving a complete review of the play, as I am afraid I would never finish. It is quite moving, and definitely Irish, as it deals with intense personal relationships, internal struggles, the question of faith and chance, finding one's place in the world, God, the relationship to the land . . . Another overarching theme, to me, was the idea of perception and how an experience can be perceived completely differently by those involved.
It was quite powerful and moving. As we were walking out to the sidewalk after the play, Laura mentioned that it had felt as though we had seen something special -- these three amazing actors on stage. And I have to agree with her.
As described in Playbill.com, "Faith Healer centers on Frank Hardy, a supposed traveling faith healer, his long-suffering spouse and loyal manager." The play itself is comprised of four monologues: one by Frank (Ralph); one by Grace, Frank's lover (Cherry); a monologue by Teddy, Frank's manager (Ian); and a final monoglogue by the healer. The set is sparse, with just a few props set against a black background. The monologues/sets change as a curtain is drawn across the front of a stage depicting a solitary stree in a stark landscape.
I am a bit wary about giving a complete review of the play, as I am afraid I would never finish. It is quite moving, and definitely Irish, as it deals with intense personal relationships, internal struggles, the question of faith and chance, finding one's place in the world, God, the relationship to the land . . . Another overarching theme, to me, was the idea of perception and how an experience can be perceived completely differently by those involved.
It was quite powerful and moving. As we were walking out to the sidewalk after the play, Laura mentioned that it had felt as though we had seen something special -- these three amazing actors on stage. And I have to agree with her.
Monday, August 7, 2006
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
I just thought I would pass on some Pittsburgh news. This bit of info came from a newsletter that I received from Dreaming Ant, the coffee shop cum indie video store in the Bloomfield neighborhood.
(Link to the original post)
Thu, 3 August 2006
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Prepoduction of writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber's (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) adaptation of Michael Chabon's first novel The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is apparently underway. And it appears that shooting will begin sometime this month in Pittsburgh. "Michael Chabon's debut novel is set in Pittsburgh in the mid-1980s and chronicles the joy, sexual awakening, and heartache of growing up for the story's central character, Art Bechstein." (Rebecca Murray) Another Chabon novel - Wonder Boys - was also made into a film and shot in Pittsburgh.
Peter Sarsgaard has been cast as Cleveland and Sienna Miller will be playing the role of Jane. "As for Max Minghella (originally cast as Art Bechstein), unfortunately we've lost him. His school schedule at Columbia has caused him to have to drop out of the film." (Rawson Marshall Thurber)
Donna Belajac Casting is accepting submissions for speaking parts. Experienced actors not represented by agents may send their picture and resume to:
Donna Belajac Casting
109 Market Street, 2nd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE.
We are especially interested in submissions for the character "Lurch" a 7-foot-tall African American thug. No lines, so while acting experience is not necessary, it would be a plus. The character beats up one of the lead characters. Will be hired under a SAG contract as a day player.
(Link to the original post)
Thursday, August 3, 2006
"I scared Stephen King"
Wednesday night Laura and I had one of those "New York" nights. At least that is how it felt to me. A few weeks ago, I saw in this blurb in Time Out about a charity event entitled "Harry, Carrie, and Garp." For two nights, at Radio City Music Hall, three amazing authors would share the stage: Harry referred to J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter; Carrie referred to Stephen King; and Garp, of course, John Irving. This was an event that I could not miss and quickly purchased two tickets (first mezzanine, a few rows back; our first trip to Radio City).
John Irving is far and away my favorite author. I first read Son of the Circus ten years ago (in Sicily, actually; thanks, Mb) and was pretty much hooked. I love his characters, slightly-bent relationships, unique storylines, and his mix of humor, sex, and humanity. We were lucky enough to have seen him speak in Pittsburgh last year before Until I Find You was released and we were just so impressed by his presence and candor. So I was excited to see him again. I have also been a fan of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter since, let's see, New Year's Eve 1999. I had heard about this Harry Potter character earlier that year and saw a bit of hype around the first book, so I asked for the softcover for Christmas. I took it down with me to Phish's Big Cypress festival, and slowly got pulled into the story. So much so that on the drive out of the indian reservation the morning of January 1st, 2000, I was reading while driving. (I knew I was hooked when I got to Sarasota, where I was going to unwind for a few days with Laura and her family, and rushed out to the closest book store to pick up the second Harry Potter book -- I think I finished it in one day.) J.K.'s stories tap directly into my long-time love of fantasy and I am still drawn to the idea of hidden alleys, exciting boarding schools, and a sense of mystery and surprise (when it seems like everything is getting figured out and there are no more surprises). And while I am not a huge fan of King's work, I do respect him. So, needless to say, I was excited.
Laura and I got to Radio City with some time to spare, so we spent some moments taking in the lobby. Quite am impressive space. I loved how thorough the Art Deco stylings of the building and its furnishings is -- even down to the simply-done posts that are part of the middle handrails on the stairs . . . And that proscenium, lit and glowing in that atmospheric orange-red light.
Around 7:40, the lights went down to the shrieks of what sounded like thousands of young girls. It was almost overwhelming, to be honest -- I started to prepare myself for when J.K. Rowling actually came out . . . Under the din of the crowd, Whoopi Goldberg was introduced. Yah, Whoopi. She started the evening with a brief introduction and some humor, trying to combine the three authors and their worlds. It worked pretty well. She was the first of the surprise guests for the evening; the second surprise was Stephen King's introducer, Tim Robbins. He was received by some great applause (I was starting to see a trend: New Yorkers are quite receptive at things like last night; people even clapped after Woody Allen's Scoop when the movie was over last week.) Robbins talked about his relation to King through Shawshank Redemption (based on King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption); he was relaxed and light-hearted, and introduced King quite well, imo. During a brief video montage, a small set was moved into place on the left-hand side of the stage. As soon as the video was over, King walked out from the back of the stage in a veil of fog, and this little set was lit up, complete with a chair, small wind mill, and other farm-like props. King seemed relaxed and was quite affable, and let the crowd know that he was going to read The Revenge of Lard Ass Hogan from the novella The Body that appeared in his collection Different Seasons. He mentioned that some of us might have been familiar with the story from the movie Stand By Me (that was based on The Body), although he wanted to make it clear that the Stand By Me rendition was the PG version - we would be getting the R version. The reading was very entertaining, complete with King adding different voices for various characters. I think it was a good choice by King as the reading elicited quite a few laughs, especially as the "chundering" really got into full swing.
The next presenter was Stanley Tucci. It was cool to see him up there, but his introduction of John Irving was not as personal as Tim Robbins' was of King. But I didn't mind all that much; anyone could have introduced Irving and I would have been happy. His video montage included scenes from Garp and Cider House Rules as well as a brief interview with Stephen King (fitting). Irving's stage set was wheeled out to the right side of the stage, and his included a fake fireplace and a big comfy chair. Kind of looked like something from the set of Masterpiece Theater. Irving walked out in white linen pants and a orange/pink shirt, looking tan and healthy. (When I saw him in Pittsburgh, he was dealing with some broken and strained fingers.) After a slight bow, he sat down and began reading from his neatly arranged stack of papers. The reading started by explaining the background of a scene from his book A Prayer for Owen Meany. The scene in question dealt with the title character and his role in a childhood production of the Holy Nativity -- specifically, his role as the angel suspended about the manger to announce the arrival of the Christ Child. Irving seemlessly transitioned from the background information to the actual scene in the book, and we were soon treated to Irving's wonderful interpretation of Owen Meany's squeaky voice. I am not sure if he was catering to the younger crowd, but it certainly worked and I enjoyed the light-heartedness. The scene even included a little puking to go with King's story. All throughout the reading, I kept thinking to myself that all of the young readers who were enjoying Irving's reading are going to be in for a bit of a surprise, lol, if they really delve into his work. There is a certain scene with a car and biting from The World According to Garp that comes to mind. Or a relationship between a brother and sister in Hotel New Hampshire. But hey, more power to them!
When Irving finished, and Kathy Bates was introduced, the crowd just erupted. Kathy's introduction was pretty much drowned out by the screaming and applause. I had never really experienced something like that before, to be honest. Sure, I have been in some loud crowds before for concerts, but none of them had this percentage of young girls. This appearance was Rowling's first in the US in over six years, so I guess it was a pretty good deal. She came out and sat on her stage set-up, placed in the middle between the two others; it included these two folding screens, two large candleabras, and a rather large carved chair. As the crowd died down and allowed her to speak, she said something about feeling how Herman's Hermits must have felt coming on after The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. She then directed the crowd to see her slinky bejeweled shoes that included a snake; none of the men had shoes as nice as hers, she said. (Someon had yelled something about Snape from the crowd, so she also mentioned how we must like snakes.) Before her reading began, she said that she was going to answer questions afterwards so she picked a reading that was rather short. She chose a section from her last book, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, where there was a flashback to when the villian (Tom Riddle) was asked to attend the School for Wizards, Hogwarts, by the headmaster (Albus Dumbledore). It was an interesting choice as Riddle turned out to be a pretty nasty character and it led one to doubt why Dumbledore's reasoning; not the most uplifting of choices.
When she finished, she said she was going to be taking four pre-approved questions. One of the questions posed to her was from a nine-year old boy that was quite adorable. He stood in front of the mic, head down, reading directly from his card, clearly nervous. The jist of the question was Was Dumbledore really dead? This clearly effected Rowling -- he was so cute, she didn't really want to come out and tell him the truth. So she kind of skirted the issue, trying to let him down easily. As other questions were asked, it became evident that Rowling was a bit emotional over all. She is in the middle of writing her last Harry Potter book and I think it is hard on her. She probably does not want it to end, sticking to her seven books. And there are all these questions about what is going to happen to Harry and other characters, and while she wants to make her fans happy, she just can't come out and answer them. It was interesting to see her conflicted like that. She even shared with the crowd that just that day, in the shower, she thought she might have come up with a new title for the book. And it only got worse with the fourth question, posed to her by Salman Rushdie on behalf of his son -- Laura and I couldn't believe it! There was Rushide, standing down there like any other fan, asking Rowling a question. It was great. Here is a transcription as posted to HarryPottersPage.com:
After these four questions, news personality Soledad O’Brien took the stage along with King and Irving to answer eight more questions (chosen from over 1,000 that were submitted). I really enjoyed hearing Irving answer his questions so honestly and openly, and was happy to hear about his writing process once again. When he spke in Pittsburgh, he started the evening by saying that he likes to write the last sentence of each chapter first, along with writing the last sentence of the book. That way, he works backwards through the story, making sure he covers everything. So he read us the last sentence of the first chapter of Until I Find You, and then proceded to read the full chapter. He went into a similar description Wednesday night, mentioning that he is in the middle of his 12th novel (yay!); he described his process by saying that he wrote the last sentence in January of last year. It was not until August that he finished the first chapter. He clearly puts so much thought into his stories and characters, interweaving his own personal experiences (although, he did mention that it takes him quite some time to get those personal ideas on the page; Until I Find You, the most biographic of all his works, took over 50 years to get some issues out . . . ). Through his questions, Stephen King strengthened the fact that he is just a normal guy who, rather than paying someone to listen to his thoughts and fears for fifty minutes each week, laying on a couch, is paid to put those ideas on paper. At one point, he responded to a question about what scares him by saying how frightening Rowling's Death Eaters were; at this, Rowling exclaimed "I scared Stephen King!"
Well, as you can tell, we really enjoyed ourselves. I am sorry I wrote so much. I guess it was just one of those nights that is so vivid that you can't cut the description short. So thanks for reading . . .
John Irving is far and away my favorite author. I first read Son of the Circus ten years ago (in Sicily, actually; thanks, Mb) and was pretty much hooked. I love his characters, slightly-bent relationships, unique storylines, and his mix of humor, sex, and humanity. We were lucky enough to have seen him speak in Pittsburgh last year before Until I Find You was released and we were just so impressed by his presence and candor. So I was excited to see him again. I have also been a fan of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter since, let's see, New Year's Eve 1999. I had heard about this Harry Potter character earlier that year and saw a bit of hype around the first book, so I asked for the softcover for Christmas. I took it down with me to Phish's Big Cypress festival, and slowly got pulled into the story. So much so that on the drive out of the indian reservation the morning of January 1st, 2000, I was reading while driving. (I knew I was hooked when I got to Sarasota, where I was going to unwind for a few days with Laura and her family, and rushed out to the closest book store to pick up the second Harry Potter book -- I think I finished it in one day.) J.K.'s stories tap directly into my long-time love of fantasy and I am still drawn to the idea of hidden alleys, exciting boarding schools, and a sense of mystery and surprise (when it seems like everything is getting figured out and there are no more surprises). And while I am not a huge fan of King's work, I do respect him. So, needless to say, I was excited.
Laura and I got to Radio City with some time to spare, so we spent some moments taking in the lobby. Quite am impressive space. I loved how thorough the Art Deco stylings of the building and its furnishings is -- even down to the simply-done posts that are part of the middle handrails on the stairs . . . And that proscenium, lit and glowing in that atmospheric orange-red light.
Around 7:40, the lights went down to the shrieks of what sounded like thousands of young girls. It was almost overwhelming, to be honest -- I started to prepare myself for when J.K. Rowling actually came out . . . Under the din of the crowd, Whoopi Goldberg was introduced. Yah, Whoopi. She started the evening with a brief introduction and some humor, trying to combine the three authors and their worlds. It worked pretty well. She was the first of the surprise guests for the evening; the second surprise was Stephen King's introducer, Tim Robbins. He was received by some great applause (I was starting to see a trend: New Yorkers are quite receptive at things like last night; people even clapped after Woody Allen's Scoop when the movie was over last week.) Robbins talked about his relation to King through Shawshank Redemption (based on King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption); he was relaxed and light-hearted, and introduced King quite well, imo. During a brief video montage, a small set was moved into place on the left-hand side of the stage. As soon as the video was over, King walked out from the back of the stage in a veil of fog, and this little set was lit up, complete with a chair, small wind mill, and other farm-like props. King seemed relaxed and was quite affable, and let the crowd know that he was going to read The Revenge of Lard Ass Hogan from the novella The Body that appeared in his collection Different Seasons. He mentioned that some of us might have been familiar with the story from the movie Stand By Me (that was based on The Body), although he wanted to make it clear that the Stand By Me rendition was the PG version - we would be getting the R version. The reading was very entertaining, complete with King adding different voices for various characters. I think it was a good choice by King as the reading elicited quite a few laughs, especially as the "chundering" really got into full swing.
The next presenter was Stanley Tucci. It was cool to see him up there, but his introduction of John Irving was not as personal as Tim Robbins' was of King. But I didn't mind all that much; anyone could have introduced Irving and I would have been happy. His video montage included scenes from Garp and Cider House Rules as well as a brief interview with Stephen King (fitting). Irving's stage set was wheeled out to the right side of the stage, and his included a fake fireplace and a big comfy chair. Kind of looked like something from the set of Masterpiece Theater. Irving walked out in white linen pants and a orange/pink shirt, looking tan and healthy. (When I saw him in Pittsburgh, he was dealing with some broken and strained fingers.) After a slight bow, he sat down and began reading from his neatly arranged stack of papers. The reading started by explaining the background of a scene from his book A Prayer for Owen Meany. The scene in question dealt with the title character and his role in a childhood production of the Holy Nativity -- specifically, his role as the angel suspended about the manger to announce the arrival of the Christ Child. Irving seemlessly transitioned from the background information to the actual scene in the book, and we were soon treated to Irving's wonderful interpretation of Owen Meany's squeaky voice. I am not sure if he was catering to the younger crowd, but it certainly worked and I enjoyed the light-heartedness. The scene even included a little puking to go with King's story. All throughout the reading, I kept thinking to myself that all of the young readers who were enjoying Irving's reading are going to be in for a bit of a surprise, lol, if they really delve into his work. There is a certain scene with a car and biting from The World According to Garp that comes to mind. Or a relationship between a brother and sister in Hotel New Hampshire. But hey, more power to them!
When Irving finished, and Kathy Bates was introduced, the crowd just erupted. Kathy's introduction was pretty much drowned out by the screaming and applause. I had never really experienced something like that before, to be honest. Sure, I have been in some loud crowds before for concerts, but none of them had this percentage of young girls. This appearance was Rowling's first in the US in over six years, so I guess it was a pretty good deal. She came out and sat on her stage set-up, placed in the middle between the two others; it included these two folding screens, two large candleabras, and a rather large carved chair. As the crowd died down and allowed her to speak, she said something about feeling how Herman's Hermits must have felt coming on after The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. She then directed the crowd to see her slinky bejeweled shoes that included a snake; none of the men had shoes as nice as hers, she said. (Someon had yelled something about Snape from the crowd, so she also mentioned how we must like snakes.) Before her reading began, she said that she was going to answer questions afterwards so she picked a reading that was rather short. She chose a section from her last book, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, where there was a flashback to when the villian (Tom Riddle) was asked to attend the School for Wizards, Hogwarts, by the headmaster (Albus Dumbledore). It was an interesting choice as Riddle turned out to be a pretty nasty character and it led one to doubt why Dumbledore's reasoning; not the most uplifting of choices.
When she finished, she said she was going to be taking four pre-approved questions. One of the questions posed to her was from a nine-year old boy that was quite adorable. He stood in front of the mic, head down, reading directly from his card, clearly nervous. The jist of the question was Was Dumbledore really dead? This clearly effected Rowling -- he was so cute, she didn't really want to come out and tell him the truth. So she kind of skirted the issue, trying to let him down easily. As other questions were asked, it became evident that Rowling was a bit emotional over all. She is in the middle of writing her last Harry Potter book and I think it is hard on her. She probably does not want it to end, sticking to her seven books. And there are all these questions about what is going to happen to Harry and other characters, and while she wants to make her fans happy, she just can't come out and answer them. It was interesting to see her conflicted like that. She even shared with the crowd that just that day, in the shower, she thought she might have come up with a new title for the book. And it only got worse with the fourth question, posed to her by Salman Rushdie on behalf of his son -- Laura and I couldn't believe it! There was Rushide, standing down there like any other fan, asking Rowling a question. It was great. Here is a transcription as posted to HarryPottersPage.com:
Q: Although you have shown us throughout the series that Snape is an unlikable person, we have always truly believed that he is essentially one of the good guys. Dumbledore has vouched for him repeatedly. Our theory is that Dumbledore and Snape were working together and that Dumbledore can’t really be dead. That it is a ruse. Is Snape Good or Bad? (paraphrased)
JK: (After much uncomfortable body language and hemming and hawing) …(unable to hear much of her first statements)….but let me say this finally…Dumbledore is definitely dead. (Outcries from the audience, although those sitting next to me were silent….I believe from the shock of her admitting this once and for all! JK then continued on in a consoling voice) I am aware of a website that states "dumbledoreisnotdead." I think that all of you need to move through the 5 stages of grief and this is my way of helping you to get past Denial. I don’t know what’s next, it may be Anger. In that case, perhaps I should leave. (paraphrased)
After these four questions, news personality Soledad O’Brien took the stage along with King and Irving to answer eight more questions (chosen from over 1,000 that were submitted). I really enjoyed hearing Irving answer his questions so honestly and openly, and was happy to hear about his writing process once again. When he spke in Pittsburgh, he started the evening by saying that he likes to write the last sentence of each chapter first, along with writing the last sentence of the book. That way, he works backwards through the story, making sure he covers everything. So he read us the last sentence of the first chapter of Until I Find You, and then proceded to read the full chapter. He went into a similar description Wednesday night, mentioning that he is in the middle of his 12th novel (yay!); he described his process by saying that he wrote the last sentence in January of last year. It was not until August that he finished the first chapter. He clearly puts so much thought into his stories and characters, interweaving his own personal experiences (although, he did mention that it takes him quite some time to get those personal ideas on the page; Until I Find You, the most biographic of all his works, took over 50 years to get some issues out . . . ). Through his questions, Stephen King strengthened the fact that he is just a normal guy who, rather than paying someone to listen to his thoughts and fears for fifty minutes each week, laying on a couch, is paid to put those ideas on paper. At one point, he responded to a question about what scares him by saying how frightening Rowling's Death Eaters were; at this, Rowling exclaimed "I scared Stephen King!"
Well, as you can tell, we really enjoyed ourselves. I am sorry I wrote so much. I guess it was just one of those nights that is so vivid that you can't cut the description short. So thanks for reading . . .
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Emme's Trip to the Big City
I realized I said I was going to write about my sister's strip to visit us here in New York, so I thought I would post some the photos she took with her new nifty camera.
Vosges Chocolate in SoHo on Spring
Fire escape near CBGB's
Me, Turbostylie
The girls enjoyed their sangria
I love these statues in the 14th Street Blue Line station
Klimt's Adele Bloch-Bauer I is worth the trip
(link to an article in Slate)
The beauty of the Park
The pace of the City
Vosges Chocolate in SoHo on Spring
Fire escape near CBGB's
Me, Turbostylie
The girls enjoyed their sangria
I love these statues in the 14th Street Blue Line station
Klimt's Adele Bloch-Bauer I is worth the trip
(link to an article in Slate)
The beauty of the Park
The pace of the City
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