Monthly Archives: December 2007

Whatever Gets You Through The Night

Well so far it has been a pretty good Saturday. Just finished editing a load of pictures that I had taken while roaming the art galleries of Chelsea. I was so tired after seeing Sly and the Family Stone last night, and it wasn’t being wiped out from the hi energy funk of Sly, because there was no energy at all. I guess we were all standing on the verge of getting it on, to quote George Clinton and Funkadelic. I neglected to mention when Sly said into the mike, “I’m an old man and I gotta pee.” Awesome!

I think Pete Townshend said it best about a great rock and roll concert, you forget for a few moments who and where you are, and I know that’s happened to me only a few times. Offhand I can think of a couple, once with REM at McSwells and twice with Me’ Shell Ndegeocello, and of course Paul McCartney, but that was more than likely Beatlemania. Sorry, Ringo but it didn’t happen when I saw you at Bryant Park a few years ago. It didn’t happen last night, no fault of Chaz, who was great company, or rather I was his company and hopefully I lived up to whatever expectations he might have had. Ready to shake some booty, we wound up deprived and left funkless.

Just standing for a few hours wiped me out and definitely had no problem sleeping last night. I was awoken by the sound of jackhammers working two doors down again, I doubt they’ll be working on Sunday, at least I hope. Today I obviously got up, had coffee and didn’t shave again then went out and interacted with the world via commerce. Saw Linda at the supermarket who reminded Annemarie of our grandmother, not that I would remember, she is always a pleasure to deal with. Just wanted to mention that. She says hi and that she’s doing fine. Then I settled down for a nice breakfast, read the papers then I got started on the laundry. I watched a Robert Greenwald documentary about Halliburton called Iraq For Sale. Quite good and terribly infuriating. We’ve been fleeced and we are all wearing the blue dress.

Tomorrow was promising to be be cold and wet so today would be the day to go out and do something. I decided to go to Chelsea and see the Banksy exhibition. He’s an artist (he’d probably deny that) from the UK, who is selling some of his stuff here. As I was getting ready to go I get a phone call from Pedro inviting me up to Otisville to watch the boxing match tonight. I love it when he calls. He usually says ‘Whats up Negress?’ but lately it’s been ‘Ayo bitch’ I say ‘What’s going on fuckhead?’ That’s generally how our conversations start and finish though today I just called him an idiot and hung up. I headed out the door and headed to the bus stop.

There I got a call from Julio who was sitting in a car watching me, but wouldn’t say where he was. Mr. Funny and Unnerving he was. Got me laughing while trying to figure out where he was. I hung up once I got on the bus, neglecting to call Julio an idiot and settled into the seat with the most leg room in the back so my legs would be properly accommodated. Yes I had it like that this afternoon. Walked down to 27th street and got in line to see the Banksy show. It was a small place so they were only letting people in four at a time once four others had left. I saw what I needed to see and took a few pictures, setting me off to go camera crazy and wind up visiting a few other galleries in the area eventually taking 143 pictures.

I was headed back home a little while after that, tired again from all that walking around, yet I was happy I got out and about and saw some new exciting things. I got to do that more often, perhaps one Saturday a month, just head into the city and check out galleries. I used to do that a lot. It’s great to see what other people are doing from around the world, get some ideas, some inspiration. It’s like volunteer work for the soul, though I guess that would depend on the art.

Here are some pics. I’ll be posting others in the Photos Page listed on the right…..

What I woke up to…
What I woke up to

Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market
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Me!
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Outside of Banskys
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POLITE LINE – DO NOT BE CROSS
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GREED
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others in the Photos Page listed on the right…..

If You Want Me To Stay

Very easy day. Quite low key so far. Last night Bill came home, at the end of his rope. The whole situation about his parents is wearing him down. I listened as he poured his heart out about his relationships with his mother and his father, trying to reconcile how they were when he was growing up and how they are now. I encouraged him to let it all out. I even cooked him dinner, and suggested that he get out of his work clothes, take a shower and wash the days frustrations away. We watched a so so Ugly Betty, a bit forced it seemed but Bill enjoyed it and enabled him to laugh, especially after my Bob Fosse tribute which was strange for even myself, considering that I’ve never attempted that move before.

Bill went to sleep soon after Ugly Betty, I watched the Office, which was a repeat and Scrubs which this season seems to feature the janitor more than ever before. With Bill asleep I was able to watch My Name is Earl which was ok and 30 Rock which once again proved to be the funniest show on Thursday night. I wound up falling asleep around 12:45, happy that I wouldn’t have to wake up early in the morning. I was briefly awoken by Bill kissing me good bye for the day and going off to do battle with life. I drifted back off to sleep only to wake up around 8:00 and the sound of jackhammers, hammering away at a building two doors down. I padded around the apartment, making coffee, showering before heading out to buy groceries and what not.

Nothing planned really for today, the only thing was to see Sly and the Family Stone and meet up with Chaz at 7:00 in the queue outside the club. Finally finished off The War, it’s now off my Netflix queue. Watched Superbad which wasn’t as funny as I had hoped, and I was certainly in the mood for ‘funny’. Pedro recommended it the other day when I spoke to him on the phone after sending me a photo of him with his arm busted up after fighting yet another convict. The movie really doesn’t hit it’s stride until McLovin shows up. Now I’m just hanging out, killing time until I head out into what looks like snow to meet up with Chaz in the city.

Just got back from that. Always good to see Chaz, who was looking good. We walked into BB King’s, I hadn’t been there since 2001. They’ve gotten rid of a lot of tables so it was mainly standing room only. Chaz and I hung back by the bar, had a few pints a piece, Sly Stone came out and doodled on his keyboard then signaled for the rest of the band who joined. Two singers, backing up Sly with Cynthia and Jerry on horns. Good band, Sly was there physically, but thats about it. He’d sing a few lines then shuffle off to the side of the stage watching the proceedings. He may have sang half of five or six songs before he exited the club through the audience.

He was about 5 feet away from me, but I couldn’t operate the camera fast enough. Cameras were forbidden for the show, and so was smoking but someone had a skunk in the crowd if you know what I mean, and no, it wasn’t me. So that’s that, seeing Sly and the Family Stone for an hour or so. Over before you knew it. Someone grabbed a mike and said ‘Get that crack addict out here to sing more songs’ but Sly was now physically gone by that point. If Chaz reads this, perhaps he can include the song list in the comments section….Chaz?

Here are some pics….

Blurry Sly (which is how he probably sees things anyway)
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Holding up the wall
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Sly focused
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Jerry, Cynthia and the tromboner
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He went that away
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