Q-and-A with 'East Fifth Bliss' author Douglas Light

"East Fifth Bliss," the first novel by former East Village resident Douglas Light, is being adapted into an independent film by Michael Knowles. The filming starts this month in the East Village. "Dexter"/"Six Feet Under" star Michael C. Hall plays the title character of this darkly comic tale. Per the description: "At age 35, Morris Bliss is clamped in the jaws of New York City inertia: he wants to travel but has no money; he needs a job but has no prospects; he still shares a walk-up apartment with his father. Enter Stefani, an 18-year-old girl in a catholic school uniform, and Morris’s once static life quickly unravels... 'East Fifth Bliss' follows Morris as he confronts the intricate and often confusing aspects of relationships, family and identity."

Douglas shared some thoughts on the East Village and the film with me via e-mail.


Did the idea for the character of Morris Bliss specifically come out of your experience of living in the East Village?

It did. The building I lived in from 1995 to 2004 was a shabby, walk-up tenement on Fifth Street off of First Avenue. About half of tenants there where people who’d entrenched themselves in their places for 25-plus years. They paid ridiculously cheap rent, a few hundred dollars a month. The other tenants were more transient. A year, maybe two tops. Their rent tapped over $2,000 a month, which the landlord would kick up every time someone new moved in.

While some of the 25-plus year tenants truly struggled to cover their rent and get by, the majority seemed to have simply locked themselves into their places, and lifestyles, out of apathy. Beyond exerting the minimal amount of effort to stay aloft, they had no goals, only vague long-term plans they never acted on.

Morris was launched with this type of person in mind.



You lived in the East Village for nearly 13 years. Why did you decide to move to a different part of NYC? Was there a defining moment -- a point that you know that you had to leave?

The things I once found endearing about the East Village started to irritate me. Nothing specific, no one incident or event. It’s probably true of everything. You just get to a point where you say, “All right, I’m ready for the next thing.” For me, Washington Heights was that next thing.

Do you ever miss the East Village?

Definitely. I have to say, though, I’d be hard pressed to find the EV I miss. A lot of the old haunts have closed, the people have moved on. But that’s what makes the EV, and NYC in general, so vibrant. It’s always evolving, reinventing itself — not always for the best, of course.

I really fight the urge to say, “Oh, I remember back when…” It makes a person sound old. Nostalgia isn’t so much a pining for the way the city once was, but a pining for the way we once were.

In the book, Morris drinks at the Homestead (called the Homeplate in the novel) on First Avenue, which, of course, is now closed. Will the film have a look more of, say, 1995 East Village rather than the present day?



I envision the film set in NYC circa 1995. I’ve spoken with the director, Michael Knowles, about it and his thinking is the same. I don’t see him loading the streets with ’93 Ford Tauruses or anything, but the overall look and feel will be more mid-nineties than 2010.

What would you like people to take away from the book/movie?

I hope people come away thinking, “Wow, this Douglas Light knows how to tell a great story.”

Previously on EV Grieve:
About the building that inspired the novel "East Fifth Bliss"

[Bowery image via 1996 from Alex at Flaming Pablum]

Plans for a fishmonger and seafood restaurant in the works for Avenue A

In recent years, 171 Avenue A near 11th Street has been home to a series of restaurants, none of which seemed all that remarkable... the space has been dormant the last few years...



However, 171 Avenue A appears on the April 19 CB3/SLA docket. A Keith Masco is listed on the docket for 171 Avenue A. I contacted the only Keith Masco who I could think of -- the one who is president of Radical Records. Same person, it turns out. So I asked him what his plans are.

"I am planning on opening a seafood market/restaurant/high-end cocktail bar in that space... We certainly need a place to buy fish around here."

Seafood market? As in a fishmonger?

"Yeah, yeah -- fishmonger. There will be a display case when you first walk in about 6 feet by 3 feet with approximately 20-25 different types of fresh seafood. Most of it will be kept in the basement and brought up as we run out of things in the case. This way we can do the volume of a bigger store with a fraction of dedicated space."

Meanwhile, Jill recently posted a comprehensive history of 171 Avenue A...

Baoguette continues to keep the Bamn! memories alive

Wow, it has been a little more than one year since Bamn!, the garish automat on St. Mark's Place closed... The location is now a Baoguette ... and we just want to salute Michael Hunynh's gang for keeping the Bamn! spirit alive by never covering up its old sign...




And quickly, yet another salute to the EV eateries who continue to honor those restaurants that came before them...

Such as Hea to Friend House on Third Avenue...



... and Wally's Pacific Catch to Marfa on East Second Street...

East Villagers form non-Yelp-like community on Facebook

There's a newish Facebook group called "I know a great little place in the East Village NYC."

Here's the description:

A group for all things great in the East Village, if you know of a great place to shop, eat or do anything in your spare time, share it with people from your neighborhood. The East Village was formerly known for its sense of community, so share what you love whether popular or obscure.

This is not a forum to slag off places though, only places you enjoy.

This is an attempt at a community that isn't Yelp. A community that is actually driven by sharing and experiencing the hidden gems in the East Village. This is for people to discuss all things East Village for each other.

There are a ton of awesome people running small businesses trying to survive in this expensive NYC environment. Through people exposing these great little gems, we're helping to keep cool places in and awful chains/franchises out.

Dinosaur Jr.? When a studio apartment is considered "gigantosaurus"

The following studio has been on Craigslist the past week...

Just look at this beautiful studio apartment! It has great sunlight, lots of space, and AMAZING Hardwood Floors and Walls. This place will make a great showcase for your art and style. In addition to that, the alcove kitchen contains a dishwasher, and there is a full-sized bathroom.

This very safe low-rise elevator building contains a video intercom system and there are laundry facilities internal to the building. Pets are acceptable in this building as well. Call me right away to see this apartment and others like it!

Which means this one isn't actually available! So, all we know is it's on East Fourth Street and costs $2,100 a month, a gigantosaurus rate if you ask us.

A model day on Avenue A

Following up on that previous post about models invading Key Food on Avenue A... apparently the model crew has been camped out here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street....



...Atlas Productions was working on a photo shoot for Sisley, a clothing line for skinny people and people who want to think they're skinny...



Anyway, quite an itinerary! Aside from posing on the street (where are the photos?!), the models took to Key Food, Odessa and 7B for the shoots...




...and, for some reason, catering was on hand. Probably for the crew.

Breaking: Models invade Key Food, hold melons

From an EV Grieve reader:

major fashion photo shoot right now in the produce aisle at key food on ave. a.
i counted 25 models, photographers, make-up artists, security, etc.
they just walked in and started shooting. looks like key food management had no idea.
saw model holding up 2 melons- is this for american apparel? sheesh!

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

When Sonny and Cher played the Waldorf-Astoria (The Bowery Boys)

Spiked egg creams at Julius' (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Television loft rehearsals circa 1974 (Stupefaction)

Nissan's publicity stunt outside Whole Foods (BoweryBoogie)

Fraunces Tavern will open in June (NewYorkology)

The "kissing post" of Ellis Island (Ephemeral New York)

13th Street condo battles (Curbed)

Le Da Nang not so good so far (Fork in the Road)

Recaptioning New Yorker cartoons with "Christ, what an asshole!" (BoingBoing)

And an EV Grieve reader sent along a sign of spring the other day from Fourth Street near the Bowery...




...looks like the work of De La Vega...

Trouble on the F stop on Houston/First Avenue this morning?

From a reader:

What was going on this am at 1st ave and Houston subway station? Tons of cops, ambulances etc. Cop cars were almost blocking Houston, and some people looked pretty shook up.

We haven't heard anything. Anyone?

Update:
Saw this on Twitter: Expected 20min delay to to work extends to 40min. Brought to you buy the IDIOTS fighting on the F train. Happy Hump Day

Where else?

Not sure if "Where else?" is even the Sears slogan anymore.... Anyway, saw several of these Sears price tags attached to various buildings around the neighborhood this morning... Who's responsible? Jokesters/artists/Sears employees. Dunno!

If anyone sees a good placement, like, on, say, the Christodora or an NYU dorm, please let me know!

A few questions for spring

Food and real estate edition

1) When will the escalator renovations at the Zeckendorf Towers be completed on Union Square? (Now entering the third year...)



2) When will the 123 Third Ave. sales center open?



3) What will happen to the southwest corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue?



4) Who will post the first bill on the sidewalk shed on Seventh Avenue and Avenue A?



5) When will Diablo Royale open at 167 Avenue A?



6) Will anything happen with the long empty building that housed the former Angelica's Herbs on First Avenue and Ninth Street?




7) Who will be the new owners of Superdive, and will they keep the same keg-service concept?



8) Who will be the first to introduce the 89-cent slice?



9) When will we see more of Veselka on the Bowery?



10) Will Duane Reade expand into the basement space of the former Dolphin Gym on Avenue B?



11) Will Cabin Down Below do something about its stairs?



12) When will Curbed get the sordid details of the first beserk A Building pool party of the 2010 season? (My guess: June 2)



13) When will the Village Green gym show itself?



14) Will the Cooper Square Hotel keep the noise down this season? ... Or! When will we get the first installment of Notes from the Backside at the Cooper Square Hotel this season? (My guess: April 27)



15) When will the Pita Pan Sports Grill at Second Avenue and Sixth Street open?

Gold Street turning yellow

40 Gold Street in the Financial District used to be home to Ryan's Sports Bar, a decent enough place to grab a drink without too many yahoos....However, the bar was demolished in early 2008 to make way for...




a 14-story, 56-unit apartment building... And finally, there's a little something to see...



As if you had a choice... this not-so-mellow yellow is hard to miss in its current state...




And it's brought to you by the aptly named Lamed Enterprises...



Meanwhile, the folks behind Ryan's have had a really difficult time. They lost this bar... and the other Ryan's the next block over on Cliff Street caught fire last month...

P.S.
One condo owner who lived near Ryan's didn't appreciate the place! From a post I did a few years back titled "Condo owner who likes the finer things didn't appreciate bar with dirty floors or kids" ...

11/11/2007 Posted by jakesloanesq
We are all working on building a better downtown. I bought a 1.5 million dollar condo around the block from this place. I stopped in one weekday during lunch (i was off.) The place had 3 patrons at the bar, all of which looked worse then the other. The decor is lacking, the floors dirty, and the food was just ok. This place may be decent for someone who does not like finer things or if you are under-age.

Last day for the Os Gêmeos mural on Bowery and Houston?

This street mural by Brazilian street artists and identical twins Os Gêmeos went up at the Bowery and Houston last summer... Today is apparently the last day for the mural ... (The Deitch Projects Web site confirms this.) L Magazine (via BoweryBoogie) reported that Shepard Fairey will be the next (and last?) artist to paint the billboard space at this intersection.

HSBC adds the C

Just a follow-up from yesterday's post, in which I hoped that workers at the new HSBC branch at Second Avenue and Ninth Street would forget to add the C...

Sign a petition to reinstate two Nevada Smith's bartenders

As a followup to today's post on Nevada Smith's.... loyal supporters of the two bartenders who were fired now have an online petition... You can access it here.

It reads:

This letter is a response on behalf of a group of loyal Nevada Smiths customers regarding the incident that happened last week, where your bar was closed and fined for being found guilty of serving alcohol to underage customers, and the subsequent events that transpired, seeing Kieron and Ken fired, and Kieron arrested and placed in jail.

We would like to express the shock and ill feeling we have over your behavior in dealing with the situation. Nevadas has built its reputation and strong customer base through the hard work of the likes of two individuals in question. These men are what Nevadas is all about and to take them out of the equation will leave a gaping hole in the establishment which will be impossible to fill.

You will find below the signatures from the people who want Kieron Slattery and Ken Foley to be reinstated as bartenders at Nevada Smiths. If they are not, we will stand together in taking our business elsewhere.

Yours truly,

Loyal Nevada Smiths customers

[Image via]

Did you leave a briefcase with $78,383 inside on the Lower East Side?

You can always count on Craigslist...

Suitcase with $78,383 inside (Lower East Side)

Date: 2010-03-28, 5:10AM EDT

I thought I would at least post this. If you can describe the other items inside I will return. If not I am taking to the Police and after no one claims it I think I can legally own this. It is real hard posting this. But I know it is the right thing to do.

So you write back with the descriptions.

Color of Briefcase:
How many combinations on the suitcase/ bill types:
Other items inside:

My girlfriend is shaking her head and staring at me as I post this....i think it is the right thing to do.

[Update: Yep, it's a fake post. The Voice has the story. It was a social experiment!]

New ad for Soho Grand and Tribeca Grand Hotels targets the white, skinny and fabulous demographic

So the Grand Hotels NYC, the company behind the Soho Grand and Tribeca Grand Hotels, are releasing a series of Web-only video ads.

Here is the first one.



Here's a little explanation on the ad by Greg Foley, creative director of Visionaire, consulting creative & design director of VMAN and V Magazine, via Randburg:

Drawing inspiration from Warhol’s celebrity silk screens, Foley filmed in stark black and white and added colour post production. The camera follows two characters through the New York Hotels’ beloved downtown Manhattan neighborhoods, featuring the local architecture and historic cobblestone streets. In just 60 seconds, Foley has succeeded in capturing the energies of these two distinct neighborhoods – which is no accident; it is clear, the locale is the real focus. “It’s a little love note to SoHo and TriBeCa neighborhoods. We set out to ‘rediscover’ them through the eyes of two visitors and a party of their friends”. These two visitors take the form of a stylish muse, dressed in Doo Ri and wrapped in a Burberry trench and a cool auteur clad in a slender Hugo Boss suit, wielding an antique Bolex camera. The protagonists find their way to each other to the rhythmic beat of “Nonsense in the Dark" by Filthy Dukes.

Well, given the 4,763 hotels that have opened (or are opening) in the LES and elsewhere down here, the Grand Hotels may need to let people know they're still kicking or something. About five years ago, a friend stayed at the Soho Grand while on business. I was surprised that so many people were wearing sweats in the bar

Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches leaving the East Village?

There's now a "store for rent" sign over Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches on Second Street just off Avenue A...




Usually this is a sign the business below is closing or moving. (Oh, and they are still open: These photos were taken before their business hours.)

I sent an e-mail to Nicky's to ask what was happening... a member of the Dang family responded: "I am not sure if my family will keep that location in the East Village but we will find out in the next month or two."

The family member confirmed that they are currently working on a new location in the Financial District....



And they also have a location in Boerum Hill.

At Nevada Smith's, trouble in soccer paradise after a popular bartender is fired

Last Wednesday, soccer mecca Nevada Smith's on Third Avenue was shuttered for a day due to alleged underage drinking... The bar reopened Thursday.



Meanwhile, a Nevada Smith's regular shared what has been happening there of late... Kieron Slattery, a longtime popular bartender at Nevada Smith's, was fired by Paddy, one of the two owners. As the regular said, Keiron was fired because he refused to pay the fine the bar incurred -- upwards of $2,500. According to one side of the story, Paddy was passing the fine on to the bartenders who were on duty when the summonses were issued. Making matters worse, Kieron was arrested for trespassing when he showed up for work the next day. (One person familiar with the situation said that he refused to come out from behind the bar when asked.)

Now, as a result of Kieron's departure, several longtime regulars are boycotting Nevada Smith's, choosing to watch games at venues such as Central Bar on Ninth Street instead. [Update: Bartender Ken Foley was also fired...]

There is also a Facebook page created for Slattery titled "Pay the Fine! Not Fine the Workers!"

There's an alternate take on all this in a post at the New York Gooners.

Bottom line right now: There's a lot of tension at Nevada Smith's as all this is getting worked out... in addition, those rumors persist that the bar will be moving to a larger location nearby ... and that the bar's current location, 74 Third Ave., will be razed...

Update: Sign a petition to reinstate the two bartenders here.

Two side-by-side townhouses on East Fourth Street await your renovation

There's a new listing for two townhouses at 326-328 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D... 12 bedrooms in the two homes... and both buildings are going for $4.6 million... According to the listing:

Extraordinary Opportunity. Two side by side townhouses that have 46 feet of street frontage and a 46 foot by 50 foot rear garden await your vision, dreams and renovation. Extensive original details throughout the townhouses. These properties will be delivered vacant, are currently over 7,000 square feet and come with an additional 10,000 square feet of air rights. Beautifully located across community gardens and on a charming block. This could also be a development site or for institutional use.

So, original details aside, someone will buy these to develop some high-end housing for that 10,000 square feet of air rights... and what about the current tenants...?