Beautiful Claws

Camille Paglia gives her opinions on new books about The Menz

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If I could just look half as stylish as Cornel West I could die a happy man.

He has everything working in his favor. Respectable, well-proportioned sunglasses. Simple monochromatic color schemes. The Africa-emblazoned cufflinks scream "I know where it all begins!"

Why he doesn't have a House is so far beyond my comprehension...

Serve it to The Children, Cornel!

The Way We Used To Do...

Holy Sh*t...came across this insane flier. Can you fathom a New Year's Eve with the incomparable Leigh Bowery, German chanteuse Nina Hagen and techno dieties 808 State on one bill?...and at the notorious Limelight no less.

This is how we used to "Do" ....this is how New York was before everything got cliquish and gentrified. People of varying "scenes" used to party together.

Quote of The Day

From Oscar Wilde:

A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.

What Brand Are You?

In the new Interview Magazine, genius Tom Sachs says...

"...I think the best work of art of our time is Ashley Bickerton's Tormented Self-Portrait (Susie At Arles) with all the brands. In my own art I've used brand issues to help me understand my ambivalence about, say, wanting something from Chanel or thinking it's stupid to want something from Chanel. I'm not for or against it; I'm simultaneously both things."

I remember being enamoured with Bickerton's work when I saw it in an issue of Artforum back in '88. I think it speaks to what we have been reduced to in our consumerist society....we are what we buy. You can take this even further in the artworld and find that people define themselves by the artists they love/hate. It is all about purchasing an identity, or getting validation from your "tastes"

New Bartlett

Stopped by the new John Bartlett boutique. John was there interacting with the hoi polloi. Either good help is hard to find, or he truly believes only he can give the customer service his clientele demands.

There were some super-starched blue oxford shirts that I definitely could have served.

In The Future...

Bought tickets today for Justice . The show is still over a month away but I am super excited.

The hype is intense, but I know they are going to deliver the goods.

Is Being A Poser Necessarily "Bad"?

One of the things I like about my friend Scott is that he exemplifies the phrase "Fake It 'Til You Make It".

He has no problem basically pretending that he is business genius or CEO. He is not a "know-it-all", he simply knows what he wants to become.

In encountering such people previously in my adulthood, I usually just call them a "Poser" and roll my eyes. Now I am starting to think that they are onto something. Perhaps the pretending actually prepares you for the situation you desire to actually come to fruition.

Upside/Downside

This week I learned of a "restructuring" plan at work.

The good news is that we are slowing down our growth. Hopefully this will mean that we approach problems with a more refined sense of "sanity", instead of getting chewed up on our way to expansion.

The bad news is that with the slowing of the growth, there is a slowing of the opportunities for advancement. Everyone seems to feel "stuck" in their positions.

Obvious

Miss Ross...Central Park 1983...LEGENDARY!

Open Up

Shigeru Ban, the architect behind one of my dream houses the Curtain Wall House, is apparently constructing a residential building over on West 18th St.

The site's website offers no clues as to what it will look like...one can only imagine.

Kinetic Sculpture

Having not owned a car for almost a decade, having constant battles with automobiles on the streets of The New York, one would rightly assume that I am not a car afficiando. But this 1969 Mustang is so ridiculously gorgeous it boggles the mind.

In a perfect world a human could marry a machine...when humanity progresses that far, I will make this car my bride. Imagine the beautiful cyborg babies that would result out of that holy union.

Morning

After an abbreviated workout at the gym, stopped by Think Coffee and saw Antony working at his laptop.

On the way back to my "flat", saw some squirrels having sexshual relations....Aaahh! Fall in New York

Ovah!

The Children are going to be served at this affair. True Legend Danny Krivit pairs up with Master @ Work Louie Vega. I am sensing Monday morning is going to be painful after the necessary hours on the dancefloor of Pacha.

Ouch.

Target

When will I learn not to date clients? They know where you work, so there is no escaping their desired contact with you.

As y'all know...I needz my space.

1.4 (and a million) Miles Away

It is the sixth anniversary of 9/11 and I am wishing that I had something profound to say, but, unsurprisingly I don't.

Had a long conversation with my sister last night as I sat on my roof and watched as the "Towers of Light" beamed up into the heavens. Memories of that horrific day flooded into my head. The day seemed simultaneously like it happened yesterday AND like it happened a lifetime ago.

I feel torn in many directions...many emotions...many thoughts, none of them fully formed. And that is how I will leave them.

Street Theater And Nature Theater

After recovering from the Art Parade, headed uptown to Central Park to see the Public's rendition of "Midsummer Night's Dream".

Ben and Peter directed tickets in my direction, so there was no need to wait in line with the masses...completely effortless.

The production was absolutely amazing. The actors were spellbinding. The weather was perfect for under the stars.

The one downside of the experience was that it was so awesome I feel I may have to go to MORE theater. Unfortunately productions like this are not usually free.

Dun

Can people please immediately cease wearing wayfarers? They were only marginally cool a year ago when the fashion press was hyping them (after presumably seeing 11 hipsters wearing them at MisShapes)

...And I do not care if you have them in Banana Yellow or Neon Orange. They are over.

Pure Power Meets Joan

Husker Du on Joan Rivers...how much more awesome can you get.

Still Summer

Trekked up to the staid Upper East Side to listen to Nicky Siano give it to the Children at the Cooper Hewitt DJ series.

Nicky dug deep into the crates to serve everything from Chaka Khan to Kenny Bobien. Too many legendary tracks to mention.

Fierceness Defined

A clip with Nicky Siano, Jayne County, and Anita Bryant being publicly humiliated, what more could you possibly want.

Looking Good...

So this is supposedly the mug shot taken of notorious senator Larry Craig shortly after he was arrested in the Minneapolis airport.

Notice the impeccably tied necktie and the american flag pin. Is there a more dignified look to serve a stranger as you prepare to give him anonymous sex in bathroom stall? I think not.

Kudos Mr. Craig!

Read Your Clothes

The good folks at DSquared remind us that religion does have a place in fashion.

So you say you don't believe in Jesus? Just substitute the name of your favorite deity and or prophet and the statement still holds true.

Coming Distraction

While I can frequently be found hatin' on the Deitch Gallery. I have to give them props for producing the Art Parade. It is one of those "only in New York" that never fails to give a sense of the full spectrum of delightfully ridiculous people in this town.

Officiel!

It has been decided that if you are, indeed, a woman this is the shoe of the right now. 'Tis all 'bout color and shape at the moment and this Pierre Hardy originale has both in spades.

...And I don't want to hear any backtalk about how we are entering autumn and therefore we are returning to muted colors....Didn't you comprehend the first sentence of this post?..."It has been decided..." Just accept it, move on, and make the world a more beautiful place

Out (of it)

Hung out with Timmy last night.

We went to Pravda, Eastern Bloc and then broke up the communist europe theme with a visit to The Phoenix. It was Timmy's first visit there and he was surprised to see the bar was tended not by the de riguer hot bartender, but an elderly woman who looked like she was not unfamiliar with the inside of a methadone clinic...and people still question why I love this city.

Space Bubble

Is it wrong to not want to date someone because of their neighborhood? I definitely don't think so.

Don't get me wrong, I am not one of these people who say "I never go above 14th St." (although it is true.) I am speaking about seeing people who live too close to your own neighborhood. I need my space...that is part of deal, yo.

Shout Out: Chris Burden

During college, when I should have been in class, I could frequently be found in the library reading back issues of Artforum and Art In America magazines. One of the artists I discovered and fell in love with was Chris Burden.

Performance art was a hot topic at the time due to the whole NEA Four controversy. Yet, Burden's work decades earlier put his contemporaries to shame...he literally personified "Bleeding Edge" art. How many others would literally take a bullet in their arms and call it art? Honey, smearing chocolate on your naked body is nowhere near as gangsta as getting shot.

Viva La Glamour

Is there anything sexier than smoking a cigarette naked in the hallway of an apartment decorated with international magazine covers? The legendary After Dark magazine and I say "No"

Internet Diet

I am sure I have mentioned the hard copy magazine before, but the online blog of Linda Simpson's My Comrade is an absolutely essential part of the thinking pervert's internet diet.

The Craigslist ripoff layout is so genius that it literally hurts my skull. The content is so off-the-wall that it you will wish you were that clever...at least I do.

Addicted To Love

Other than the obvious drama that addiction conjures, one of the things I love most about the A&E show Intervention is that it is one of the few places on TV where families and friends tell others that they love them.

The unscripted nature of the documentary allows people in pain to express what is in their heart to someone who, through their addiction, is hurting them. So often the families involved show the power of forgiveness...they are willing to forgive past hurt for the greater good of getting the addict on the road to recovery.

F.A.C.

Hung out with Jasmin, Jeff and Boyle yesterday at Old Town Bar.

Everyone was in a particularly kvetching mood, which was good because it mirrored my own.

Sometimes it is nice to do nothing except drink Guinness and bitch about the world.

A Visual Depiction Of How I Am Feeling Today...

...in a word RADICAL.

Silver Streak Leads To Blue Streak

We were sitting around a small hexagonal table. Just me and a couple of my second grade friends. Talk turned to what we had done the previous holiday weekend...

Even though I was only seven years old at the time, my brothers had taken me to see the Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor movie Silver Streak. How they convinced my mom to allow me to see a "PG" movie still remains a mystery.

The movie's adult plot was way beyond my comprehension. What I did pick up on were the several "curse words" that probably emanated from Richard Pryor's character.

At this young age I was still hyper-hyper concerned with being a "good boy". I never got into trouble and was basically the apple of my teacher's eye.

But here I was sitting with my friends around a table...and I began to tell them of the movie I had seen. I doubt any of them had seen anything but a Disney movie, but here I was having seen an adult comedy.

Despite my better judgement, I knew that I had to relay the "curse words" I had been exposed to. After a brief plot synopsis, I gathered them in close and in a hushed tone I said "...and then, one guy said 'Ass'". I had never verbalized a naughty word before, and here I had just uttered it within earshot of my teacher.

My friends were justifiably impressed with the outrageousness of my verbage. They were so impressed that they began laughing and saying the word "Ass" out loud.

What should have been a liberating rebellious experience immediately turned into torture. Although I quieted them down...I was instantly racked with guilt and regret. I just knew that I had made a mistake...I knew that somehow someway my verbal transgression would come back to haunt me...one classmate might tell another who might tell our teacher or their parent.

I was burdened with guilt for days...never knowing when the hammer might drop and I would be called into the principal's office for a "talking-to".

As it turned out, nothing ever came of my "blue streak"....I thanked G-d profusesly for saving my sterling reputation at the time.

I think about this incident quite frequently...over the course of time I gave into the temptation to swear and now I have what is affectionately known as "potty-mouth". I still have an amazing ability to censor myself in those situations that demand it...but otherwise....I talk a great deal of shit...

Dog Day Afternoon

It is supposed to be 105 degrees tomorrow...I am really over this heat and humidity...If this continues I may lose control.

Week In Review

...Drinks with Ben...Date with new "boy"...Kitchen repairs...No "day off" from gym...Lugging home ten books from the Library...fresh Beats In Space podcast...etc.

Respect Yourself

Holy shiite...just watched the "Great Performances" documentary on Stax Records. Absolutely fantastic.

So much history on so much awesome music.

At various points in the film, practically every participant describes the color-blind atmosphere at the Stax Studios in Memphis. Black or white, it did not matter provided you had talent and soul.

The artists they had were blessed with both talent and soul...Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Staple Singers, Rufus Thomas and many many others.

There are some scenes with the Stax artists on tour in Europe in 1967. The performances on display are the very definition of "tearin' the roof off the sucka!". Smokin' hot.

Guiding Force

Just picked up Michael Musto's "La Dolce Musto". It is a well-edited collection of his columns from the past two decades. It is funny as hell.

Before I moved to New York, I relied on Musto to give me the dirt on the comings-and-goings of B-list celebrities and the Club Kids that are/were his milieu.

Although the Village Voice is free on the streets of Manhattan, I had to pay through the nose to get a subscription mailed to Lincoln Nebraska...but trust me, it was worth every cent. Musto's gloriously bitchy writing was a large part of my desire to head to New York. He deliciously documented slices of nightlife that I had not even come close to experiencing.

Creative Growth

After a workout at the gym I stopped by Gavin Brown's Enterprise to check out some art. I pretty much approve of everything Mr. Brown presents so I usually don't have to check the art listings to verify what is on view.

The Creative Growth exhibition was absolutely ridiculous. The artists definitely had their finger on what is au courant in the artworld right now. It was only after checking out the works that I learned the artists being presented were with the Creative Growth Art Center.

There were a couple of works that referenced obscure-ass Disco stars from the seventies. This shit was for real.

The Crush

We have been training a ton of new people at work this week. While I don't normally mind a few new fresh faces, there were a couple of days when you literally could not move without bumping into someone. After saying "Excuse me" for the thirty-first time I just gave up and noted that these interlopers were going to have to get used to being elbowed as long as they were in my space.

Other factors were causing me frustration, but the claustrophobia created by having so many people around threw me for a loop. I was reminded of the lack of privacy I endured as a youth. Ten humans living in a house that had, if one stretched their imagination, three bedrooms. My parents, needless to say, had a private bedroom. My sole sister was bestowed a seperate room due to her gender which left the seven sons to divide up one bedroom and whatever common space was left.

For many years my "bedroom" was a couch in a tiny nook off of our dining room.

As an adult I absolutely savor the privacy I have in my apartment. It is a dreamlike environment that I could not have imagined as a child.

Green Club

Friday night's party in the garden of Cooper-Hewitt was, in a word, refreshing.

It is so nice to listen to really soulful music surrounded by flowers, trees and green grass instead of a club. Tony Humphries was truly amazing. He brought tons of fresh songs...I did not recognize a single one of them until I was about ready to leave... when he served up Chic's gem "My Feet Keep Dancing". It was so perfect to bring a 30 year old jam that sounded as vital as the new stuff he had just played.

Two Guilty Pleasures

Although on the surface I appear to be a cosmopolitan sophisticate, that is not completely true. For instance I love Mo'nique. She is the type of sassy black woman who seems to have all but disappear from our pop cultural landscape (only to be replaced by cardboard fake-assed "divas")

Mo'nique is saucy and world-wise, but never bitter in her humor...

While on the topic of guilty pleasures I feel I owe it to the public to admit my heartfelt love for Nacho Cheese flavored Combos pretzels. Yes, I am fully aware that these were conceived and produced in a chemistry lab somewhere, but that does not mean that they are necessarily un-awesome does it? No it does not. If the level of carcinogens involved in their manufacture is what I believe it to be, then I shall book passage to chemo-ward and enjoy their deliciousness henceforth.

All The Help I Can Get

I have not been eating very well lately. It definitely shows in my skintone. My usually luminous face has become muddied. Vows have been made to eat more fruits and vegetables as well as drinking more fluids...we will see how it goes.

In the meanwhile I will be employing some facial corsets to get me to the other side.

Still recovering from Sunday nights party. Other than getting started later than advertised it was pretty much flawless.

On their own Joe, Francois, and Danny are phenomenal DJs...on the rare occaision that they play together it can only be described as magic. The drop tracks from all eras and styles creating a set that is greater than the sum of it's awesome parts.

I still get blown away by the positive vibe that erupts from crowd when they play a gem like Don Ray's "Got To Have Loving". It is probably a cliche to say anymore but the dancers do truly become a unified tribe...something that is increasingly rare in the clubs of New York.

Mercury is going out with a bang...currently cannot title posts through Blogger.

For at least a decade I have been saying that the problem with American society is that we are teaching our children that they are special. When I read and article like this I get pissed. When will people stop bitin' my ideas.

Gimme my monies Wall Street Journal.

Mental Grafitti

Lately we have been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin at work. Whenever the song "Houses of The Holy" comes on I am mentally transported back to a summer during my teenage years...

Somehow my friends Bryan and Jim convinced me that we should go to a Baptist church and hear a mid-week sermon on the evils of Rock-n-Roll. Although he claimed that our attendance would be for ironic purposes only, Bryan also had a lot of residual guilt from being brought up in the Assemblies of God church which lead him to suggest the idea.

Due to Bryan being older than Jim and me, having a driver's license and an old Chevy Vega at his disposal meant that his wishes were usually given priority.

We entered the un-airconditioned church and were met maybe fourteen other teenagers that had been cajoled into attending the event. I secretly questioned whether the A.C. had purposefully been turned off to mirror the Hellish fate that awaited us if we continued down the path of being Rock fans.

Many examples of the devils influence in pop music were presented in the lecture. A recording of Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust", was played backwards. If one really stretched their imagination, perhaps with the aid of a natural low-grade hallucinogen, they could hear the phrase "Smoke Marijuana" repeated over and over again.

Another example was the aforementioned "Houses of The Holy" which has the lyric...

Let the music be your master.
Will you heed the master's call
Oh... Satan and man.

Thankfully the songwriters did not force the minister to play the song backwards to get the "hidden" meaning. It is quite up front in it's Satan-icity.

It was never fully explained how hearing these words would make a teenager sell their soul to the Devil, but if you continued to listen to this music (outside of a Baptist church) then you would be on a path to damnation.

Twenty-some-odd years later I get the hugest kick over the fact that such an evil song is now acceptable in the modern workplace. Funny... unless it is part of Satan's master plan.

Water Kills Earth

By no stretch of the imagination do I consider myself an environmentalist, but after reading
this article I have to seriously question buying another bottle of water again...especially one from Fiji.

Wise Options

The other day Andrew sent me a text saying that his response to Mercury being retrograde is to either hide from the world or have a drink.

Since I am trying to minimize my alcohol intake, I guess I will have to choose the former option. Oh, wait that is the option I choose even when Mercury is not retrograde.

Human Giant, Heated Interview

...Human Giant sketches are hit or miss. Either they are super dumb or ridiculously brilliant like this one.

Stuck In The Head

For some reason I have been thinking a lot about the following phrase..."I Can't Imagine Ever Wanting To Be White." Those words entered my consciousness in 1994 when I read a review of that year's Whitney Biennial.

Daniel Martinez had created the pins pictured here for patrons of the show to wear upon entering.

Although I did not see that show I was definitely affected by the concept of this artwork. At the time it struck me more in a political context. In our mental shadows we assume that with all the privileges that white skin affords, that naturally people would want a slice of that privilege.

The great thing about this phrase is that you can apply it to any attribute...I can't imagine ever wanting to be (male, thin, straight, rich, female, black, young, gay, beautiful, smart, ad infinitum). For me it is a mental levelling tool. So often do I become a victim of my own perspectives. I get tunnel vision and have none-to-fleeting thoughts that if everyone simply had my view on things then what a glorious world this would be.

Mental Cocoon

Left work yesterday and immediately headed for the gym. Upon my arrival I realized that I forgot to pack my iPod. No worries...I guess I can work out in silence for a change.

As I hit the gym floor I was instantly reminded that when you don't have headphones in your ears an annoying thing happens. People talk to you.

Why did I get plagued with such a magnetic personality?

Undecided Sky Activity

Due to a scheduling realignment I have today off. All week long SuperDoppler 3000 has been predicting clear skies and sunny temps for today. Therefore I planned to go to the beach and get some much needed Vitamin D.

Unfortunately the prognostications were wrong. Instead of being sunny it has been the dreaded "partly cloudy". Not sunny enough to merit a trip to the ocean and not cloudy enough to merit spending the day in bed with a good book.

As a result my bipolarity and A.D.D. have had a field day. I have had little focus and have spent the day fluttering about like a (gorgeous) butterfly.

Where Brooklyn At?

Saturday I travelled to Brooklyn twice in one day. A new acheivement for me.

First I headed out to Ana and Michael's garden wedding. Despite a brief rain shower it was an absolutely awesome affair.

There was a great vibe amongst the guests. Everything was simple, beautiful and charming. Ana looked completely radiant and there was a joy in Michael's eyes that was palpable.

Got to hang a bit with Jemal which had not happened in years.

The food was amazing and the wine was flowing. Somehow I got the brilliant idea to do shots of aguardiente. The Colombians in attendance were telling me that the liquer would "cure what ails me" but, I would have a devastating hangover. Sounds like a great deal to me...

After a train ride back in to Manhattan, I showered then hopped a different train to get out to Jameson's BBQ. Had Notorious B.I.G's greatest hits on the iPod as I travelled to Williamsburg.

All the usual suspects were there, and again I was treated to undeniably delicious food...when are these people going to become my personal chefs.

Jameson revealled his latest artwork which we we call a "site-specific" piece involving the manipulation of bags of garbage from his next door neighbors. We are so on the same artistic wavelength it boggles the mind.

Fate

Of course my morning meeting was cancelled, so I wasted a perfectly good night sleeping instead of having fun at Cielo.

Damn fate...

Future Regret

I have chosen to be responsible and not go to this party tonight. It has been far too long since I have experienced the party music that Dimitri from Paris can deliver.

His new compilation of obscure disco classics is getting rave reviews...so you know he is going to turn it out.

Unfortunately I have an early morning meeting tomorrow that demands that I be at the top of my game.

Adulthood is vastly overrated.

Success

Went to this show last weekend. It was absolutely amazing.

The kids behind FAILE never cease to inspire. Whether their work is seen on the street, or in the temporary "gallery" they created for this show.

I think the thing I appreciate about their work is that they are never trying too hard to be cool. In doing so they are cooler than 97% of the cats working the streets today.

The references they use are not overworked. They have a universal quality, but are not overly familiar or played out.

Cheap-ass New Age-y Thought of The Day

When I was walking back to my apartment this afternoon I began thinking about fear. It seems to me that this thing we call "life" is the perpetual elimination of fear.

I was thinking about the things that struck fear in my heart as a kid, as a young adult, and say five years ago. Some of those fears are so alien to me that it is shocking...

But I also acknowlege that I am still plagued by fears or apprehensions that hopefully will resolve themselves in the future. I think that because we cannot fully comprehend the seemingly irrational fears that others have that is a stumbling block in human relations.

Unlimited Beauty

Spent some quality time on the dancefloor at Sullivan Room with the legendary Danny Krivit.

His set was so remarkable that I may have to officially designate him my second favorite DJ (behind only Frankie Knuckles).

Danny was playing some ridiculously "techy" african tribal rhythms. He seemed to play a lot of non-vocal tracks, which normally aren't my favorite, but the beats were so relentless that you could not avoid getting into them.

In the midst of these very organic sounds he would blow out an old disco gem. At one point I started thinking that if he played a Sound Factory classic then the party would get out of control....Then as if hearing my thought, the next song was Loni Clark's "Rushing"...needless to say the room exploded.

Danny's ability to mix different styles, eras, the familiar and the obscure, puts him head and shoulders above most DJs out there.

Under The Stars, Not Under The Table

Had a quick shower after work and then met Jeremy and Ben for cocktails on the patio at Bowery Bar.

It was wonderful just being outside in the 72 degree air.

Cuddling With Disaster

It is starting to rain again. I am going to get underneath my flannel sheets and snuggle up with this book. I will be asleep within 22 minutes

Simple pleasures.

Style Biter

Is there anything more awesome than somebody attempting to look like Karl Lagerfeld?

Since he went on that retarded fad diet a few years ago Karl has been a parody of glamour. How do you parody a parody? My mind is blown.

The Limits of Blogging

Sometimes I do not write because the events going on in my life/mind seem way too big.

Having my brother Clay in town last week was an absolutely mind-blowing experience. So many thoughts and realizations were running through my skull that it seems I could not pick out one to write about unless I gave the background on the 50,000 thoughts that lead up to that realization or experience.

I think I need to learn to just write something.... it may not be a perfect representation of the thoughts in my head, but (hopefully) it will be better than nothing.

The Stress of No Stress

I decided to take the weekend off from reality...

Began my time away from work with Andrew's party in Brooklyn. While I truly enjoyed being on his roof with the gorgeous view of Manhattan. There were a lot of ingredients in place to make it an affair to remember, but for some reason my head was not in it.

Saturday was hot so I just chilled indoors and nursed a (thankfully) mild hangover.

Sunday I vowed to get some stuff done, but due to the rain I got about half the errands accomplished.

Of course now that it is Sunday evening I am berating myself for not "doing" more, but I guess I am justifying my laziness and desire to be a recluse because last weekend was so event filled that I need a break from the holiday weekend.

Building The Perfect Beast

If you like looking at things that are awesome, you must pick up the new issue of Arena Homme+. Nick Knight and Simon Foxton have teamed up to photograph the work of John Galliano. The results are spectacular and a computer image cannot do them justice. You must have the hard copy to enjoy fully.

I am definitely inspired to wear headgear on the streets....and I already like to be naked in public, so expect me to start delivering these looks to the masses.

Beauty Just A Block Away

If I have failed to mention it a million times before...I love New York. It still blows my mind when events like this happen.

Danny Krivit, one of my all time favorite DJs (and super-nice guy) will be working his magique at Sullivan Room ...literally one block from my apartment.

If you had told me many moons ago that I would only have to walk a block to hear a hero of house music, I would not have believed it. Now it is reality.

This party will be packed, so please do not "front" on it.

Finally

Ladies and Gentlemen...Congratulations must be sent out to Kiki&Herb for their Tony nomination.

Finally a reason to watch that has-been television broadcast.

1965

Just started and, five minutes later, finished reading this book. I was suckered in by this cat being a professor at Harvard. After a mere 3 pages in I could tell that continued reading would be a waste of my valuble free time.

His ideas are perfectly cogent if this were 1965. It is sad to see people be so out of touch with the zeitgeist.

This guy is retarded...Do not read this book...It is dumb.

Happy Birthday Helvetica!

One of my favorite fonts is celebrating it's fiftieth birthday.

Congratulations on outlasting the critics that say you are boring. If we all work hard enough we can make serifs a thing of the past.

My Cultural Imperialism

Got out of work late in the day on Saturday, so I missed most of the Dance Parade. Caught up with the festivities at Washington Square Park.

I had a ridiculously horrible headache, so I was not really in the mood of a dance event. I am kind of glad that I was not in the mood as I felt like the event was not as F-U-N as it could have been (the rain from the heavens could have also been a factor).

In anticipating the parade I thought the organizers were trying to make a debaucherous event more palatable by featuring a wide variety of dance groups...cloggers, flagwavers, etc. My cynical hope was that these acts would have been a little "spice" that would accent the fact that the event was really to feature house/tech djs in an outdoor space.

Unfortunately the organizers were more sincere than I am as they really truly put the spotlight on these talented performers. Me...I just wanted a dj spinning vicious beats under a springtime sky.

There were a lot of "rave kids" there (and by kids I mean nostalgic 35 year olds) who looked like they just stepped out of auditions for Party Monster II. Although to me they were annoying...these wide-legged denizens definitely confused the tourists who normally populate Washington Square Park on the weekend.

Shout Out: Pushead

Back in the eighties Pushead was at the intersection of all that was evil and awesome.

The highly detailed graphics he created fit in perfectly with the "Fuck You" attitude of the skateboard companies, hardcore and metal bands that were lucky enough to enjoy his talents.

While many look back at the eighties and think neon colors and disposible pop music, there was also an air of dread in the ether. Nuclear war was a distinct threat and my archnemesis Ronald Reagan fostered the era of greed and me-first-ism.

Pushead's designs were technically precise and matched with an imagination that allowed the darker side of the human psyche to come forth.

Anniversary Party

Twelve years and one day after I first heard him spin and my life was literally changed, Frankie Knuckles is playing this Sunday at Cielo.

Faithful readers will understand the impact that Frankie Knuckles has had on my life.

I simply cannot wait for this party...I have been in such a weird "head-space" lately and am in desperate need of the hours and hours of truly positive music that only Frankie can deliver. I am so not worried about being tired on Monday morning as my memories will shine on long after the muscle strain fades.

International Jet Set

Lynn came into work today and was telling me of her recent trip to Milan. While it would have been super exciting for me, she relayed how boring and over hyped it was.

I love people who can walk the fine line between being cynical and being jaded.

Irreplacable Forever

Although she was only a stylist and a muse (two occupations that are sorely underappreciated) Isabella Blow had deep impact on anyone with an appreciation for over the top fashion.

It is hard to believe that she has passed at what I now think of as a young age.

They do not make them like this anymore...

The Simple Things

Got a postcard in the mail from my girl Jody. It just said she was thinking about me. I have felt so "out of it" lately that this simple sentiment totally transformed my day.

It is amazing what happens when you have awesome people in your life.

Thank you Universe.

Jealousy

Kevin came into work yesterday. He was telling me what an awesome boss Conan is. I was so jealous, as I am still contemplating smashing my boss's kneecaps for not giving me the promotion I deserved.

Shout Out: Kansai Yamamoto

We are constantly listening to Bowie at work. I think my appreciation for him is increasing daily...But you have to give love to the cats that he surrounded himself that helped manifest his "mystique"

Kansai Yamamoto was the jean-genius behind those Ziggy Stardust costumes that destroyed the general public back in the day. It is hard to imagine the Ziggy persona without those "over-the-top" designs.

Broken

I am still in "crushed spirit" mode due to not getting the promotion at work. The still raw wound is making me feel as though I have wasted a year of my life. My tendency is to try to see the positive amidst the tragedy, but this time it feels more difficult than in the past. It is especially frustrating as all the pieces were in place for this career advancement to happen. I am also bitter about how my boss informed me about his decision, but that is another post entirely.

Cain pointed out that this tendency to see " the bright side" is not always the appropriate response. As a result I have vowed to stop making lemonade when life gives me lemons...and perhaps just start hurling lemons.