The Stone ended its 13-year residency on Avenue C and Second Street in late February. John Zorn relocated his experimental performance space to the Glass Box Theatre at the New School.
It was time for a change, he has said.
Sasha Frere-Jones talked with Zorn about the Stone for a piece published at Artforum yesterday.
An excerpt:
You know, thirteen years, we had a lot of complaints from artists about the space, about this, about that.
You would think they wouldn't complain.
But there's a variety of things to complain about! You know, I mean, not the best equipment in the world, there was a long time when it was cold in the winter and hot in the summer. We didn't really have a good air conditioner.
Right.
The radiator's clanking, the woman upstairs walks around, sometimes she waters her plants, overwaters it and the water comes dripping down. Someone left their barbecue chicken in the basement for a week and the stupid guy who's volunteering didn't clear it out, and it stinks, or a rat got to it, or someone saw a rat in the basement. Now that we've closed it, of course, it's a very nostalgic place now, now they're not remembering all of that.
It’s people talking about the East Village. “Oh, you should've been here.”
That’s bullshit. You want to relive your days of beatnik glory? Sorry man, it's now, it's today, this is what's happening. Dig it or get the fuck out. I don't live in the past. I'm very happy with the present.