Last November, I noted that the second-floor retail space was now available in the Theatre Condos on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place...
And, as the signage up there shows... we have a taker! (Hey, having four "for rent" signs must work!) Looks like this space will be home to "the best videogame store in New York" ...
Grab a few $1 slices at 2 Bros and make a night of it...
Cooper Union brass have apparently had enough of gleaming the coop... As Quartersnacks point out, the bank has been skatestopped with spiked metal bars running across the entire surface. "Drunk people will still climb on it, but skateboarders will not."
Well, balls.
And here is the review of the spot from QuarterSnacks:
Spot: Clearly a display of “progressive” architecture, this retarded appendage of the new Cooper Union building quickly turned into one of best skate spots in the area. The bank is an upwards triangle, fairly mellow, and made out of ridiculously smooth, polished concrete. It is narrow, and you will need to dip in and out of the corner when skating it, or simply pop a wallie over one of the many slanted pillars also extending from the building.
Bust — ♦♦♦♦♦ / Almost Immediate: Your time here typically will not last longer than five minutes, but forces greater than all of us have been known to intervene and grant sessions that last for up to a half hour. The spot is positioned right next to the front security desk, so odds are inevitably against you. Oh, and white people with liberal arts degrees will often stop by and ask you why you’re destroying such a magnificent work of art.
Marc H. Miller has told me about another major addition to the 98Bowery site.
ART/new york; A Video Magazine on Art (1981 - 1985)
Between 1981 and 1985, Miller and Paul Tschinkel collaborated on 17 ART/new york programs containing interviews with more then 50 artists. Miller wrote the narration and conducted the interviews. Tschinkel produced the series and worked the camera. The tapes were co-directed. (Tschinkel continues producing ART/new york programs.)
This is the story of the early years of a pioneering effort to provide video coverage of the New York art world. 98Bowery now includes segments from historic video programs with artist interviews and rare footage of exhibitions. Among the footage that you'll find:
-- Richard Serra & the Tilted Arc Controversy (1982-83) -- John Ahearn, "We Are Family", Public Sculpture Dedication, South Bronx (1982-83) -- Graffiti/ Post Graffiti – Opening at the Sidney Janis Gallery; Collaborative -- Painting Demonstration at the New York Society for Ethical Culture (1985) -- Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Fun Gallery (1983)
There are also audio excerpts from interviews with Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe, Brice Marden, Nam June Paik and Cindy Sherman.
[Photo of Haring via 98Bowery]
As you can imagine, there are stories behind every video here... I asked Miller to share an anecdote about one of the interviews...
"The posting of the Jean-Michel Basquiat tape is in part an attempt to reclaim my credibility. It is the original program that Paul Tschinkel and I made in 1982 and it captures a 21-year-old Basquiat just as he was coming into his own. It includes footage from his phenomenal Fun Gallery exhibition and about four minutes from a 40- minute interview. This may have been the happiest and most upbeat moment of his life.
"Unfortunately, after Basquiat died in 1988, my interview with him was released in its entirety without any editing. In retrospect, this was an incredibly naive and foolish thing to do. Buried within the interview were a few clumsy moments and exchanges in which I played the devil's advocate to elicit lively responses. Over the years, these are the moments that have received the most attention. It's something I've had to live with. I'm just happy after 20 years that I can get the original tape back out there."
Here's an excerpt of ART/new york program no. 30A: JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT: An Interview, uploaded to YouTube by Tschinkel.
By the way, the new Basquiat documentary by Tamra Davis, "The Radiant Child," opens tomorrow at the Film Forum.
A few weeks back, The Scoopinator reported that the new NYC Icy on the other side of Avenue A has taken half of Ray's business (according to Ray) ... so... Slum Goddess yesterday noted that Ray is now selling -- icees...
Thanks to Slum Goddess for letting me borrow the photos! And be sure to read the rest of her post, which features a headline that I hope someone in the mainstream media borrows: Just read my fucking shit.
Anyway, will NYC Icy now start serving hot dogs or egg creams?
Thanks to EV Grieve reader Dan N. for the photo here on St. Mark's Place near Second Avenue... As he noted, "This kind of makes having bedbugs look like one wacky experience that all New Yorkers should love."
Since March 10, workers have been repairing the facade on the building at Seventh Street and Avenue A... which meant a sidewalk shed for Yuca Bar and Ray's... Yesterday, workers removed the sidewalk shed on the Seventh Street side...
Speaking of Seventh Street and Avenue A... almost time for the annual viewing of "Die Hard With A Vengeance," the Best Worst Bruce Willis movie... as you may or may not know, this cheeseorama includes a scene filmed in Tompkins Square Park and on Avenue A...
