"The industry was changing. People weren’t really buying music anymore," he lamented, saying customers would enter the store, listen to music and then go home to purchase it on the computer. "But you can’t download Bamba," he joked, explaining his decision to start selling the peanut butter-flavored puffed corn snack along with the hundreds of other Israeli products that line Holyland's shelves.
The forecast looks grim, I’m told, although there’s a slight chance some agreement may be brokered yet. The trigger for these events, apparently, is that a very old and longterm lease arrangement has finally come to its end. pic.twitter.com/wMKfHyBSd4
— Alex Vadukul (@AlexVadukul) March 10, 2022
A bartender there sounded somewhat optimistic, telling Gothamist of the current situation, "it's between the owner and the landlord, but we're either relocating or staying here."Another bartender told this to Grub Street: "There's an 85 percent chance that we close. It's okay, though, because we're gonna relocate."
In these works, Tabboo!’s beloved stomping ground of New York City takes center stage, giving the viewer a chance to see the city through his eyes—a vantage imbued with possibility. The city has anchored Tabboo!’s practice across works on paper and on canvas. Rendered in quick, impressionistic gestures and a vivid palette, gray skies and iconic skyscrapers attest to its stoic beauty.
In describing his turn to the city as muse, Tabboo! has said, "I made art about what was around me, what I knew… I know my plants. I know all my tchotchkes, my puppet collection, and New York City…. So that’s my subject matter."
These sweeping cityscapes are reminiscent of the backdrops Tabboo! painted for his drag performances in the 1980s. Dramatic colorfields render the city in moments of transition, from day into night and back again. Gleaming windows are sprinkled with glitter, scattering the sun’s brilliance as it sets.
An indelible energy soaks these cityscapes, many of which depict the view from Tabboo!’s apartment windows. "I paint from my Alphabet City apartment, which I've lived in for forty years," Tabboo! explains. Here's my big fancy artist statement: I don’t have one! I just do what I do."
The irony is by no means lost on Mr. Tashjian that, while just seven years ago he was collecting disability food stamps, the art world has suddenly discovered him hidden in plain sight at age 63 ... a cadre of collectors has emerged eager to acquire one of his paintings. "I'm pushing the work harder than ever,' he said. "I'm living," he added, suddenly tearful, "for all the people who couldn't."By that he meant countless members of his generation lost to the AIDS epidemic. "Everything before digital, there's now a push to erase," he said. "And I am insistent on not being erased."
Here's more... with the National Weather Service predicting the snow to start in NYC "around lunctime" (I'm eating at 11:30 a.m.)...Description ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of up to two inches. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph.WHERE...Portions of northeast New Jersey, southern Connecticut and southeast New York.WHEN...From 9 AM this morning to 7 PM EST this evening.ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Temperatures will fall quickly late this morning into this afternoon resulting in a quick freezing of any standing water.
As is this wasn't fun enough, we also lose an hour of sleep tonight. #DaylightSavingTimeExpect the changeover from rain to snow to begin later this morning in parts of the Lower Hudson Valley, making its way into NYC around lunchtime.
— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) March 12, 2022
Strong winds and locally heavy snow may create dangerous travel conditions for a period early this afternoon. #NYwx #CTwx #NJwx pic.twitter.com/Sp05wEl2HJ
