How I Learned to Start Worrying and Love the Song (2)

So I attended the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rider’s concert celebration in Prospect Park.  And I saw Lou Reed lethargically sing “A Change is Gonna Come”.  And I am now, at least politically, a fan of Toshi Reagon, and can recommend anyone with the opportunity to see Helga Davis perform to do just that. ...

Tree of Life (2011)

The two most common responses to Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life are these: 1. That was a piece of cinematic genius and anyone who disagrees has no taste 2. That was so long and boring nobody but a pretentious fool could enjoy it They have the mark of great debate points: insulting the opposition and ...

Art or Craft (or Crap)?

“He who works with his hands is a laborer.

He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.

He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”

Today will be better

I had a ridiculous amount of trouble writing today’s post this morning. I drafted something over the course of an hour or two, disliked it, and trashed it. Then I slept for many, many more hours, before being awoken by the ring of my cell phone. I wasn’t feeling too well when I answered that ...

Soy loca con mi tigre loca loca loca

In New York City, The Strange Boys, White Fence, and The Babies are playing at 92Y Tribeca (200 Hudson St, between Desbrosses and Vestry Sts, Tribeca). The Strange Boys, about to release their third full-length album with Rough Trade Records, is a six-piece band known for 60s-style garage rock. $8, $10 at the door. For ...

Wild Grass / Les herbes folles (2009)

Wild Grass, or as it’s known in France, Les herbes folles, certainly kept me on my toes. You want to know why? Because the movie is completely immune to genre classification. The beauty of the film is that although it’s absurd and dadaist to an almost irritating degree, it retains elements of hope and becomes ...

Documenting Social Justice

I’m a documentary junkie. All those boring history vignettes you were made to suffer through in school? I loved them without shame. Give me an expose on where my food comes from, on a political revolution, on the inner dysfunctions of a band, and I’ll watch it. But, what makes a documentary? Is it an ...

Better better better

I recall once sitting in the dark in AP Art History, watching as slides clicked in and out of place, until my teacher came upon an image of a toilet. “It’s Marcel Duchamp,” she said with a chuckle. Last week, I walked a client through the art gallery, showing him various paintings, and extolling their ...

How I Learned To Start Worrying And Love The Song (1)

One of the most idyllic pleasures of a summer spent in New York is the plethora of free outdoor concerts.  Tonight I’ll be heading out to the Prospect Park Bandshell, where Celebrate Brooklyn hosts a season of diverse events that span the arts.  This evening, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the freedom riders, ...

Interview with a Craft Blogger

I’ve found that creative people are rarely creative in just one area.  You may meet a painter who isn’t as good at the other arts, but how many painters just don’t care about them?  To talk about the overlap between creative endeavors I spoke to Becca Pollock, a 19-year-old college student who is interested in ...

The Artist Interview

Interviews. The word makes me cringe when it comes to job hunting. I’m terrible at them, my nerves usually getting the better of me. But interviews with writers, artists, and musicians? Those I love. Those I crave. I go through interview binges, seeking out every available interview about a particular person. OK that’s not exactly ...

I want it all

Quick disclaimer: as evidenced by the flyer above, Side B Magazine is hosting a writing contest. We’re working with The Drum Literary Magazine to pick the strongest fiction submissions to both magazines during the month of June. The chosen submission will be printed in the next issue of Side B, as well as published by ...