Tag Archives: Observe & Report

The Letter

Well just got back from some busking yet again. This time I was closer to Pier A. I expected to see Tariq out there with his drum or even the hippie that was out there yesterday but to my surprise there was no one near.

Perhaps the engine of the Mister Softee truck nearby kept them away. I set up shop once again, playing 2000 Miles by the Pretenders, Half A World Away by REM and the Letter by the Box Tops which I taught myself last night, as well as my standards of Love Shack, She’s A Woman, Please Please Me and Hercules.

It all went unnoticed. It was a bit cooler out today but I situated myself in the sun. From about 2:30 to 4:00 I played until the sun went behind the building and my arm started tightening up.

I ran into Roger and Dina on my way home and had an enjoyable chat with them for a few minutes on the street corner. It’s been a pretty god day so far. Bill is driving a bus named Laverne from Woodcliff Lake NJ to Allentown PA.

Some metal band is playing and someone from Bill’s church rented the bus. He just phoned, he’s having a good time. I reminded him to flash the devil horns.

Right now CSPAN is on, watching the House of Representatives going on and on about the Health Care Reform bill. The party of No steps up to the microphone and keeps mentioning the ‘flawed’ bill. What do they offer in it’s stead? Any suggestions except for starting all over again? No, not at all.

Last night I watched Observe & Report starring Seth Rogen. It was OK. A little bit more violent than I expected. No need to watch it twice that’s for sure. Also tried watching Bruno but that was just asinine. Could not get past the first half. It was just stupid.

Borat was funny but this was just dumb. After Observe & Report I took the DVD out and turned the cable back on and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married was on. I never saw it before, and I’ve never seen a Tyler Perry movie before either. I had a feeling something else had to be on so I scrolled through the TV listings.

I saw The Man Who Fell to Earth was on and decided to catch that. I’ve seen that a few times, a couple of times in the theater and I even own the DVD. Still a good movie, I’m pretty sure that’s when David Bowie started to lose his mind and had to flee Los Angeles for Berlin.

Too much of the snow white for the Thin White Duke. Each time I see the movie I end up getting something from it that I had never noticed before. And yes, they showed Candy Clark getting the piss scared out of her, by Thomas Jerome Newton.

The movie is like a work of art that you do not get tired of watching again and again.

After that I watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I had also seen that a few times in the movie theaters, specifically the Oritani Theater in Hackensack. Went with my brother Brian a few times to the midnight show. It’s a fun movie, not the greatest.

Bill walked in halfway through and I needed to explain to him that the best way, perhaps the only way to see it is at a midnight movie with a hundred crazy people singing and talking back to the screen as well as throwing rice for the wedding scenes, toilet paper when Professor Scott appears among other things.

But I watched the whole thing until the end when I went to bed. That’s about it, it’s been a low key day, much cooler than yesterday.

Callouses are coming along nicely on my fingers again. And I just got an email from Lois who wants to busk with me on her violin. She’s more than welcome to join me whenever she would like.

No news on the status of Street Corner Mourner Tim’s progress, but I guess no news is good news.

Me via web cam.

Me via web cam.

This song has been on my playlist a lot lately…

Flip Flop and Fly

Oh so tired, but it’s a good tired. Only have an hour or so to rest before Bill and I head over to Newport in Jersey City for Risotto’s Christmas Party. We were invited a month or so ago and now the time has come. It should be a nice time.

Hadn’t seen Risotto in years and never met his partner. It’s also within walking distance. It starts at 7:00 but we can’t stay too late since Bill has to drive tomorrow morning. We’re both looking forward to attending the party, it promises to be a good time.

Another cannabis free dream last night, involving a trip to New England. Could have been Vermont, or New Hampshire. It involved Bill, my mother, Julio, my brother Brian and my sister in law Elaine. One part of the dream involved me walking up a river, knee deep to catch up with the others.

In some bushes on the shore, there might have been my former roommate Jimmy Lee whom I asked if he had figured out a song for me. I tried to get the people in the dream to move from the bed and breakfast we seemed to be meeting at to a local cigar establishment.

Then I woke up with Don’t Rain on My Parade in my head. It was endlessly repeating. Almost maddening.

What got me out of bed was the fact that I had a plan to visit the Man Ray exhibition in Manhattan at the Jewish Museum. If you recall, I was going to go last week, but it was too cold and rainy. Today it was mainly cold. I showered, made coffee and headed out to get the paper and some bagels.

Came home, had a hearty breakfast as Bill sat and watched Lawn Hors d’œuvre . No time for Bill to watch the Closer which is his Saturday morning routine. He was off to see his mom and run around Manhattan.

About an hour later I too was headed into the city, taking the Path train to 14th Street and walking over to Union Square to catch an uptown train. On the way to the Path I stopped by the Guitar Bar and wished Jim a belated birthday and also said hello to his daughter (and mine) Lily who was working at the store for the afternoon.

Throughout Hoboken there were Santas everywhere, all participating in a Santa clad pub crawl. Walking down the stairs at the Path station there were a few Santas dressed up obviously off to participate in drunken shenanigans.

The train was crowded as was the 4 train uptown from Union Square. What was an express train, turned local once it went to Grand Central. I rode up to 96th street and thought the Jewish Museum was at 96th Street but it was at 92nd Street.

Went into the museum, was searched, as was my bag which I had to check. I walked into the galleries and took off my coat and held it over my folded arms. A few minutes later a security guard came up to me and told me I had to either check the coat or wear it.

No carrying coats at this museum. I blame Tony Shafrazi. He was the former art adviser to the Shah of Iran and his Peacock Throne, that all around Iranian ghoul who spray painted Picasso’s Guernica. Or maybe it was because it was the Jewish Museum. It was a minor hassle nonetheless.

Great pieces of art, with me having a laugh at a few pieces, like Rrose Sélavy created by Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp after they both fled Ridgefield NJ to Paris. Rrose Sélavy is a ‘person’ portrayed by Duchamp and photographed by Man Ray and it’s a play on Eros, C’est La Vie.

Hilarious I thought and chuckled. The other patrons merely sniffed. So much fun to be found, especially in the letter to Tristan Tzara where Man Ray writes “dada cannot live in New York. All New York is dada, and will not tolerate a rival.” Still rings true almost 100 years later.

After than, a cigar and a stroll down Fifth Avenue, taking pictures at whatever I deemed art and whatever screamed loudly enough for me to take it’s photograph. I’ll more than likely go back again to the exhibition, I just won’t wear such a heavy coat.

I walked from 92nd Street and Fifth Avenue to 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue. That’s about it.

Here’s some pictures.

man ray kiki

man ray le cadeau 1921

Tristan Tzara photographed by Man Ray

Tristan Tzara photographed by Man Ray

My self portrait inspired by Man Ray

My self portrait inspired by Man Ray

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 002

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 003

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 004

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 005

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 006

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 007

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 008

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 009