Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Tuesday's parting shot
Remembering William John Lopez
According to his parents, he was a victim of cyberbullying, and he took his own life. He was 18.
This past Saturday, his parents, Ronald and Jeanette Lopez, his sister Jenna and his fiance Sarah Fulton (left in the photo) spoke during a memorial before a free concert in Tompkins Square Park.
As EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports, his family talked frankly and freely about bullying, cyberbullying, and the East Village community that always supported Sharpie.
Here's part of an online tribute to Lopez, who was born and raised on Staten Island:
He was extremely talented and played the guitar and bass. William continually developed his artistic abilities all throughout his life and was a tattoo artist with the family-owned business. William traveled to London which heightened his interest in the punk scene.
He found a life in the hardcore music scene and enjoyed a bit of celebrity status on the Lower East Side as the heart of the mosh pit. He befriended and was accepted by those with addiction issues and was known to have saved at least 3 lives with Narcan.
He was a leader and wise beyond his years in many aspects. He was a kind and giving soul and always caring for others.His family is hosting a celebration of his life on Oct. 17.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources. STOMP Out Bullying is a nonprofit resource for kids and teens.
A visit to Lovewild Design
Photos by Stacie Joy
This past December, East Village native and current resident Sierra Zamarripa realized a longtime dream — opening her own shop in the neighborhood. She did this with the arrival of Lovewild Design at 136 Avenue C between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. The sustainable gift shop relocated here from South Williamsburg, where it debuted in June 2017.
For starters, it's a legit family affair here with Sierra's daughter Cecilia and mother Thea Boyer helping run the business. (Sierra grew up as an entrepreneur, and her parents and grandmother were entrepreneurs, as she told us in this 2017 interview.)
Lovewild Design is open Tuesday-Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Follow the shop on Instagram for updates. And if you happen to be up in Woodstock, there's a new (as of April 2021) outpost there too.
Cinema Salons — 'a mini-festival of radical films' — coming to the Anthology
Per the Anthology's website:
Each Salon is a mini-symposium organized around a specific theme. Each Salon features three short films and three rounds of arena discussion. Each Salon invites you to come prepared with thoughts, manifestoes, and democratic screeds. Each Salon invites you to engage in ideas and exchange in communion.
Host and curator cherry brice jr. described it this way in an email to EVG:
These Salons are a mini-festival of radical films: a screening and discussion series with rowdy, audience-led debate, moderated by a panel from film, community organizing, and philosophy backgrounds.
The first screening on Wednesday night (at 8) is free:
The Civic Cinema. The enclosure of the commons was a political project long before it was a public health one. Whatever happened to the ancient agora? What became of the public sphere? Can the film theater — especially one closed to the general public — fill the role of a community consciousness-raising space? Featuring three experiments in cross-cultural discourse, the films in this program beg the question of just what the nature of dialogue is.
The subsequent screenings on Oct. 20 and Nov. 3 are each $7. Find more details here.
The Anthology Film Archives is at 32 Second Ave. at Second Street.
A for-rent sign at the renovated former home of Black & White on 10th Street
Following gut renovations and an exterior paint job, a for rent sign arrived on the storefront last week.
The retail listing doesn't yield many details, save for "not vented for cooking" and "all uses considered."
Black & White closed here in the fall of 2020 after 20 years of solid bar service. There was talk of a relocation this year, but that hasn't happened to date.
Monday, October 11, 2021
Monday's parting shot
Con Ed puts more energy into power washing its substation on Avenue A
This was the second time in less than two weeks in which Con Ed decided to scrub the building, maybe about 80 percent effective as the tags are still visible. (And they missed the POTATO that was sprayed on here over the weekend.)
After the last washing, the graffiti returned within 24 hours...
This isn't quite reminiscent of the brown paint wars that dominated local headlines from 2012-2014 at the Verizon building on 13th Street and Second Avenue. Tags would fill up the wall. Someone would cover them with brown paint. The tags would return. So did the brown paint. And so on. Eventually, Verizon just gave up.
Afternoon umbrella break
Thanks to Steven for the photo!
RIP Dee Pop
Photo from 2020 by Stacie Joy
Dee Pop, the longtime drummer for the seminal downtown band Bush Tetras, passed away on Oct. 9. According to an announcement by the band, he died in his sleep. He was 65.
Cynthia Sley and Pat Place, who started the acclaimed no-wave-post-punk band with Pop in 1979, released this statement:
Dee Pop was a quintessential New Yorker, growing up in Forest Hills, Queens and living in New York ever since. He was not only Bush Tetras drummer, but also our archivist, owning an original copy of every Bush Tetras release and t-shirt and also maintaining the band's masters.In addition to Bush Tetras, Dee Pop played with Richard Lloyd, Michael Karoli (Can), The Gun Club, Jayne County, and The Shams, William Parker, Eddie Gale, Roy Campbell, Freedomland, Hanuman Sextet, Radio I-Ching and 1000 Yard Stare. He will be sorely missed by his bandmates and the many people he touched throughout his life.
Bush Tetras had a box-set release party previously scheduled for Saturday night at Howl! Happening on First Street. The band decided to move forward with the event, stating in a Facebook post: "We think he would have wanted us to carry on ... with our Bush Tetra release event. The band meant everything to him."
The evening became a memorial and celebration of his life and attracted many fans and longtime friends.
There were plenty of tributes to Pop on social media. Among them:
Bob Bert, who has played drums with Pussy Galore, Sonic Youth and Lydia Lunch, among others, wrote this on Instagram: "Completely DEVASTATED over the passing of Dee Pop ... a good friend [and] an amazing drummer who was a big influence to me! Extremely sad day!"
From singer-songwriter Amy Rigby: "Very sad to learn of the sudden passing of brilliant drummer Dee Pop. What a genuinely sweet person, the best of NYC. My heart goes out to his family and friends & Cynthia and Pat/his band Bush Tetras."
And via writer Howard Phillips Rodman: "Saddened to hear that Dee Pop, drummer for the extraordinary Bush Tetras, died ... The BTs innovative, propulsive work represents the very best of post-punk/no wave, and Dee Pop's drumming was its driving force, its heartbeat."
Pop was born Dimitri Papadopoulos in 1956. As Pitchfork noted, he "grew up idolizing Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, and Keith Moon, but it was Tommy Ramone who would inspire him to start playing despite a lack of formal training."
Pop is survived by his son Charlie and daughter Nicole.
Souen reopens today after late-September kitchen fire
Good news for fans of Souen. The macrobiotic restaurant at 326 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue reopens today after a kitchen fire on Sept. 26 shut them down for these past two weeks.
Ownership was able to crowdfund more than $8,000 to help offset expenses.
Souen is open daily from 1-9:30 p.m. Find their website here.
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