Friday, April 22, 2022
Friday's parting shots
'Eye' contact
Surfbort released a new video today for "Open Your Eyes," from the band's Keep on Truckin' release ... and recruited skate legend Tony Hawk to take part... see what goes down. Or up.
City honors Saifee Hardware manager Francisco Puebla for role in nabbing alleged subway shooter
As Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during the ceremony at the Police Department HQ: "Each of these individuals exemplifies the determination and courage that makes us all proud to be New Yorkers. Their actions remind us every day, in every corner of our city, we are surrounded by heroes."
The five will split a $50,000 reward. (This piece from the Times has more on this ceremony.)
As previously reported, Frank James reportedly shot 10 people on a subway train in Sunset Park on April 12. In total, 29 people were wounded in the aftermath on the train and platform. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said James was charged with one count of violating a law prohibiting terrorist and other violent attacks against mass transit systems. James could face up to life in prison if convicted.
Police arrested James on April 13 on the NE corner of First Avenue and St. Mark's Place... aided by the actions of Puebla and the other tipsters, Mohamad Cheikh, Zack Tahhan and Jack Griffin. (The fifth tipster asked to remain anonymous.)
You can read our previous posts for more background.
• Suspect in Sunset Park subway shooting arrested in the East Village (April 13)
• Videos: Witnesses describe spotting alleged subway shooter Frank James before his arrest in the East Village (April 13)
• 5 people are splitting the $50,000 Crime Stoppers reward for Frank James tip (April 16)
Image via @saifeehardware
The cowboy way at Key Food
In the 25-second clip dated from March 24 at 7:26 a.m., a man wearing a cowboy hat and a hoodie reading "Players only love you when they're playing" is seen grabbing a man trying to leave Key Food on Avenue A and Fourth Street without (presumably) paying for several 6-packs of White Claw.
The cowboy grabs the would-be thief and slams him against the exit wall... the man drops the White Claw in the process... and the cowboy chases him away ... and the cowboy impressively never loses his hat in the process...
Key sources tell us that the man regularly (and allegedly) shoplifts White Claw and other items and is well-known to employees. (Earlier this year EVG contributor Stacie Joy witnessed a man walk out of the store with the hard seltzer ... and employees didn't attempt to stop him. It's not clear if the person in the video is the same person Stacie saw.)
There was speculation about the identity of the White Claw Vigilante. Web sleuths are curious about who uploaded the video to Reddit — and why. To send a message to any future Key Food shoplifters? A Reddit user named "scottonaharley" is listed as the uploader.
A Key source said the video surveillance system is in a manager's office, which is locked downstairs; few people have access to this space.
We're told the man in the hat is Scott Schubert, who has a management role within the Key Food family. He happened to be at the supermarket on this day. Schubert saw the White Claw thief shoving longtime employee Utpola as he headed for the exit.
Stacie reached out to Schubert as well as Ben Mandel at Key Food parent company MAN-Dell Food Stores, Inc. for comment.
A chance to see the 1956 film classic 'On the Bowery' on a big screen
Here's what Criterion has to say about the 65-minute film:
Lionel Rogosin's landmark of American neorealism chronicles three days in the drinking life of Ray Salyer, a part-time railroad worker adrift on New York's skid row, the Bowery. When the film first opened in 1956, it exploded onto the screen, burning away years of Hollywood artifice, jump-starting America’s postwar independent-film scene ...
Developed in close collaboration with the men Rogosin met while spending months hanging out in neighborhood bars, "On the Bowery" is both an indispensable document of a bygone Manhattan and a vivid and devastating portrait of addiction.The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1957.
Check out the trailer here...
Metrograph is at 7 Ludlow St. just north of Canal. Find the movie times here.
And this screening is part of a larger Rogosin retrospective at the theater.
Big Ash brings the vintage gems to Delancey
Big Ash debuted on Delancey Street late last week ... here's more about the shop via NYC Vintage Map:
Carefully curated vintage gems by the owner Ash Williams, from '70s crochet tops to early 2000s sexy slip dresses. Very cool!
Big Ash is open daily from noon to 7 p.m. at 47 Delancey St. between Forsythe and Eldridge. Find updates on what's in stock (and who's in the store) @bigashnyc.
Wyatt will pay you to move your car on 9th Street
Photos by Steven
There are posted film notices for tomorrow on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue for something titled "Zoo."
Later, on the south side of the street, someone (Wyatt? Wyatt's assistant?) placed flyers on several cars...
... offering the owners 60 bucks if they move their cars by 5 a.m. tomorrow...
How about it?
Thursday, April 21, 2022
A new wrinkle for art installations on Astor Place
Photos by Steven
To celebrate 20 years since first being FDA approved, BOTOX® Cosmetic is unveiling its first-ever interactive Art Installation in New York City. Guests will be immersed in a highly visual, interactive experience tying into the brand's larger mission of creating an open dialogue. Attendees will be eligible for a special BOTOX® Cosmetic offer powered by Allē®, Allergan Aesthetics' loyalty platform.
Details as follows: WHEN: Friday, April 22–Saturday, April 23 (9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET)
On Saturday, a Spring Awakening and Car Free Avenue B
Here's more via the EVG inbox:
Join LUNGS NYC for the 9th Annual Spring Awakening. The parade kicks off from El Sol Brillante Community Garden (12th Street between A and B) at noon and continues to Avenue B Open Streets, where we'll celebrate until 5 p.m. with pop-up gardens, pony rides, presentations and more.
• Bio Bus Lab: Scientists help participants investigate the environment through a different lens, and develop scientific reasoning skills in a mobile biology lab set-up• Black Cowboys of Brooklyn: Children are invited to enjoy activities and pony rides from 1:30 – 4:30 pm. The Black Cowboys of Brooklyn are committed to sharing Black Cowboy culture and heritage with children in urban environments.• Citizens' Climate Lobby: Learn about respectfully engaging elected officials, community leaders and the public on the best solutions for climate change. Children are invited to make climate change postcards.• FABnyc/East Village Community Coalition: Participate in arts and culture workshop led by a team of artists and organizers working to preserve, strengthen, and grow the cultural vibrancy of the Lower East Side.• Materials for the Arts: Materials for the Arts will have a booth set up where everyone can make their own art pieces out of an inspiring selection of found objects and re-used materials including hundreds of leftover shiny CDs. People can make puppets, wands, and whatever else their imagination decides upon at this art-making station that celebrates sustainable strategies.
A visit to Spooksvilla + Friends on 9th Street
Text and photos by Stacie Joy
I’m hoping Shahrzad Ghadjar, artist/owner of female stoner-art-inspired shop Spooksvilla + Friends at 309 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue will allow me behind the shop curtain to see her studio.
I’m fascinated with seeing where artists and craftspeople create, and after taking some photos of the store’s merchandise, I get the opportunity to do just that. We sit down to talk about demonic inspiration, her history in the neighborhood and the role advocacy plays in her work.
Where did the idea for the Spooksvilla brand come from? Where do you draw inspiration for your work, and what influences you?
Initially, it wasn’t a brand; it was a way for me to make art under a different name. When I started working at this shop in my neighborhood in Los Angeles, I would go through all this inventory from these different small creative companies and see how — mostly female! — artists were making it work for themselves.
On top of that, the owner was making her own products, and she taught me a lot about how to run your own business. I started to see that there was a way for me to make money off of my illustrations if I put them on usable items. I liked that I could have complete control over what I was doing and get paid on my own terms.
I started off with a couple pocket mirrors, three prints, some greeting cards and jewelry. I set up a table at this club night at a spot called Club Los Globos in Silverlake and all my friends came to support me, which was great. From there, I would sell at the Hollywood and Silverlake farmers markets every week and that’s where I met a ton of people that told me about other markets to try. By then, I had already put out Dinosaurs Smoking Weed, which people were loving, and I started to hand-draw stickers for lighters.
The first like, 500 lighters I sold were all original drawings. I would spend an outrageous amount of time on them, and they would sell in the first 30 minutes of a market. I’d be like, Great — what do I sell now? I feel like the lighters have become my calling card and I really like that.
Inspiration is a hard one. I’m all over the place with influences. Surrealism has always been my jam. I love a good cartoon. Definitely astrology and tarot — I’m a huge Alejandro Jodorowsky person, which is why we have his book on tarot in the shop.
I also love erotica, photographic or literary, which is why I have Anais Nin, Eric Stanton, Tom Bianchi and Araki books hanging around here. I pretty much only buy books for the shop by people I was influenced by. Love a Harmony Korine movie. Big fan of Nan Goldin. Obsessed with Francesca Woodman.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve really leaned into my Iranian-ness. I spent a lot of summers in Iran hanging with my family and they made sure I saw the culture. Palaces covered in mirror work, ceramics, hand-knit carpets, gardens, vibes. My aunts bought me art books that I would casually dive into when I got home and those have always influenced me a lot.
There’s this one book filled with old mystical Iranian iconography that I incorporate into my drawings. It’s just pages of symbols.
There is a lot of imagery in Iranian poetry. My dad just repeats different lines from old poems to me over and over until it sticks and then sometimes I draw a picture, so I don’t forget it. The demon babes I draw are all supposed to be jinni, and I’m trying to learn more about those guys.
The mirror piece I have in the shop is an homage to Monir Farmanfarmaian, an incredible Iranian artist who made huge mirror mosaics. She worked in this traditional art form called Āina-kāri — mirror work — and made it her own, so I’m also trying to do something similar where I take the idea of Āina-kāri and throw some of my demon babes into the mix. Figuring out a way to combine the Western and Eastern vibes within me.
You hung out on the block the shop is on as a teen. What did you think of the block at the time? Did you ever imagine you’d be running a business here one day?
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on Ninth Street and St. Mark’s Place. Honestly, mainly St. Mark’s and just sitting at the cube back when it was a little island in the middle of the cars. I loved it! The East Village was always the place to be when I was growing up. I spent my high school years hanging at Mud Coffee with friends and “studying.” Smoked a lot of cigarettes and drank beers on the stoop across the street from the shop. Nobody was carding so we could go to the bar. It was great!
I became friends with some of the different personalities on St. Mark’s. All of their shops have moved from the block now. As a kid, my parents would take me to Khyber Pass because they had good kabob and were close to our apartment. I spent a lot of time with Boris [Zuborev] at East Village Shoe Repair listening to his stories and just watching him do business. I bought all my shoes from him.
Whenever I’d come by, he’d pull out a pair of shoes from a giant trash bag that fit perfectly. He still does that when I go see him in Bushwick.
The dream was always to live in the East Village but not necessarily run a business. I never thought I’d own a business. It wasn’t even on my radar. I thought I was going to make artsy movies that would play at museums, and most people would walk past but there would be maybe four people who thought it was really cool.
What kind of creative work were you doing before launching Spooksvilla? Were you living in Los Angeles? What drew you back to NYC?
I spent about ten years in LA. I went out there for college and it was ROUGH. It was definitely a culture shift. Once I found my crew, everything got so much better! We were all trying to do things in film so we would all work on each other’s projects and were open to new ideas and really supportive.
The best thing I did during those years was VJ at a couple clubs around LA. Possibly the most creatively fulfilled I’ve ever felt. Some friends and I would shoot visuals specific to the event and then would live mix them on a projector to the club music. It was SO. FUN. We definitely set up the vibe for the nights. I remember people going crazy to the music and visual combo.
But unfortunately, it didn’t pay the bills so I was also doing freelance video editing work and casually working in postproduction on a reality TV show. That was mind-numbing. Even the people I worked with were like, “I have a feeling even if we offer you a job on the next show, you’re gonna say no,” and they were right.
I was doing these pop-up markets every week and finally I got in with Artists & Fleas when they opened in the Arts District. Once I did that a couple times, I was offered a spot selling at Artists & Fleas in Williamsburg and I took it!
Has reaction to your work and shop changed since marijuana decriminalization? If so, how?
The only real difference I’ve noticed since decriminalization is that older people are less standoffish when they see Dinosaurs Smoking Weed. There were a couple markets in LA I had parents dragging their kids/teenagers away from my booth because they just saw the word “weed.” Lots of scowls back then.
I guess people are more likely to see the lighters and Dinosaurs Smoking Weed as goofy, which it always was. But now it’s socially acceptable to smoke weed so these conservative types can loosen up a bit.
It kind of blows my mind that just a couple years ago it was such an ordeal to smoke weed in the city and now it’s just OK. We’ve gone from going into random people’s cars to buy weed to just walking into a smoke shop. It’s kind of wild.
Advocacy regarding human rights issues seems to play a big part in your life. How has that affected your art?
Oh man, I should be doing way more than I am. I would like to get more involved in the community. Right now all I really do is show up to protests when I can and donate to bail relief and WNYC!
You know who I think about a lot when I’m drawing these demon babes? Medusa. I’ve drawn different versions of Medusa my whole life. She is just the most epic character to me. I mean she’s this crazy monster with snake hair that turns men into stone. But why did that happen to her? Because she was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple and Athena got pissed! Come on! How is that fair?
Now she’s walking around traumatized, with snake hair and whenever she looks at people they turn to stone. History has this babe written off as a monster, but none of it was her fault. And I guess I look at all these jinni and demons wondering what their perspective is on the situations they’re in. Are they really evil or did something happen to them and then they were just over it?
Another chick I have in my mind a lot is this character Gordafarid from the Shahnameh, an Iranian epic poem that all Iranians know about. She went out in men’s armor and almost defeated this beloved male character in the book, Sohrab, but mainly she distracted his army for so long that her kingdom was able to escape before Sohrab and his army could take over. I love that. She’s such a bad bitch.
Ultimately, I just love strong women, whether they’re demons or heroes.
There are elements of some of that in my work. I basically only draw women and they all strike me as super strong, fierce ladies. They do what they want when they want, and they don’t care what anyone has to say about it. I think I’ve dreamed up this universe of all-female demons that I fuck with.
My whole thing with demons or jinni is that they’re mischievous goofs. So my demon babes are super powerful creatures that can be perceived as scary or evil but are also just having their idea of a good time. It’s kind of like humans, right? You can’t be all bad or all good. There’s some balance in there.
What’s next for you and the shop? Any future plans?
I’m working on my second mirror mural, so I’m super stoked! I’d like to do four by the end of the year. Also, sitting around doing a lot of drawings for the shop so that the Spooksvilla brand stays strong!
For now, I’m just trying to keep the shop stocked with fun stuff that the people want. Maybe I’ll open up in Brooklyn or even LA, but for now, the East Village is all I really care about!
You can keep an eye on what’s happening at Spooksvilla on Instagram.
Openings: Oh K-Dog & Egg Toast on St. Mark's Place
The quick-serve establishment sells Korean-style snacks such as stuffed hot dogs and, you guessed it, egg toast.
In addition, as we noted in February, this outpost includes a K-pop shop, selling music, books, calendars, stickers, etc., for a variety of South Korean bands.
The Texas-based chain also has locations on Ludlow Street and Seventh Avenue South, with several more planned for the city.
This address has hosted its share of quick-serve businesses through the years, most recently Joe's Steam Rice Roll.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Wednesday's parting shot
Photo by Stacie Joy
A sign of spring ... Claudi from Pinc Louds playing a few songs in Tompkins Square Park today... this link has info about upcoming show dates.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: 2 arrested in latest East Village encampment sweep
Photo by @Jeremoss
For the third time in a week, various city agencies joined forces on a sweep of an unhoused encampment in the East Village.
According to published reports, two people were arrested — an activist and a resident — during the crackdown on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C this morning around 8.
A handful of people have been living under the sidewalk bridge of the vacant former P.S. 64.
Witnesses said that more than 30 members of the NYPD were involved, including from the Strategic Response Group, for two people in the encampments.
This was the same location as an action on April 6 that resulted in a 7-hour standoff between a group of activists and unhoused residents and reps from several city agencies.i just watched 33 cops arrest 2 unhoused people in order to sweep an encampment of 5, the entire nyc housing policy is eviction at gunpoint pic.twitter.com/D7xhSlYcwh
— tracy jeanne rosenthal (@two__evils) April 20, 2022
The residents here in a zone dubbed "Anarchy Row" relocated to Avenue B and then 10th Street along Tompkins Square Park. Twice in the past week, the city attempted to move the residents into shelters — including during the citywide manhunt for alleged subway shooter Frank James, who turned out to be wandering around a few blocks away.
Per Gothamist:
The East Village sweep was part of Mayor Eric Adams' ongoing efforts to clear the city of homeless encampments, which he has repeatedly argued is necessary for the dignity of homeless people. The sweeps, while not a new phenomenon under Adams, have drawn a drumbeat of criticism from homeless advocates, the City Council's Progressive caucus, the New York Times editorial board, and a coalition of faith leaders.
On April 9, more than a dozen community groups and mutual-aid networks rallied in Tompkins Square Park to speak out against the Mayor's aggressive sweeps of unhoused encampments across the city.
Unhoused residents have said that the shelter system is not safe. Read our interviews with some of the Ninth Street residents here.
Updated:
'Low Fidelity' features the iconic photos from Bobby Grossman's downtown milieu
Some background via the Howl! website:
Grossman arrived in New York in 1976 after receiving a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he studied alongside friends Chris Frantz and David Byrne of Talking Heads.
His first job was assisting Richard Bernstein, the artist responsible for the covers of Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. At Bernstein’s studio in the legendary Chelsea Hotel, Grossman found himself at ground zero in the early days of punk and the downtown scene.
Taking photographs of friends and newfound acquaintances — including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry, the Ramones, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and the milieu around Andy Warhol's Factory — Grossman became a regular fixture at CBGB, the Mudd Club and other downtown haunts.And a little trivia: His first photo credit was the cover shot for Talking Heads' 1977 single "Psycho Killer."
You can check out "Low Fidelity" through May 29 at Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive, 250 Bowery at Stanton. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free admission.
You can also read about the "Low Fidelity" book project here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
That 99-cent slice of pizza will now cost you $1.50
Abdul Muhammad, owner of 99 Cent Fresh Pizza, the eight-location chain in Manhattan, told The Guardian last December that the continued rise in costs may force him to raise his slice prices for the first time since opening in 2001.
"I have to think about it because my customers, many of them unemployed and struggling to make rent, can't afford to pay more," he said.
As Bloomberg reported earlier this month:
The "pizza principle," a mainstay of New York economics for more than four decades, states that a slice of cheese pizza will always be the same price as a subway ride.
The rule has largely held true since first conjectured in the New York Times in 1980, with any increase in pizza prices tending to predict a matching hike in public-transit fares.
Not anymore. Prices for plain slices are soaring above $3 throughout the city along with commodity and labor costs. With the Metropolitan Transportation Authority freezing fares at $2.75, the gap between the price of riding downtown and satisfying late-night hunger pangs is growing quickly.
Openings: Viva Cucina on 2nd Avenue
The Italian restaurant, with vegan and vegetarian options, is an offshoot of Cafe Viva Gourmet Pizza on the Upper West Side. Justin and Lenny Iracani are running the EV outpost.
This is also a return to the East Village for the family, who ran Viva Herbal Pizzeria at 179 Second Ave. until it closed in early 2014.
So you can find some pizza here (with gluten-free and whole wheat crust available) as well as a variety of pasta dishes, risotto and grilled fish.
Viva Cucina's website is still under construction. You can find them on Instagram here.
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 4:30-11 p.m.
The restaurant takes over the space from Nai Tapas Bar, which moved to a new space across Second Avenue earlier this year.
H/T @vegan.nyx!
Don't be blue! The window displays will return to Blue Door Video on 1st Avenue
Photos by Stacie Joy
You may have noticed that the cult-classic window displays are empty at Blue Door Video on First Avenue at Fifth Street.
Not to worry, though, reports EVG Blue Door Video correspondent Stacie Joy.
There was a leak upstairs, so Blue Door management had to remove all the odds and ends on display, but they will be replacing the window display with new "lingerie and merchandise and signs" in a few days ... the colored lights will also return...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Checking in on the incoming Chicken & the Egg on 2nd Avenue
As we first noted last October, a group of hospitality veterans were appearing before Community Board 3's SLA committee to discuss their speakeasy, Sincerely, Ophelia, and restaurant, Chicken & the Egg, for the space.
During the day, Chicken & the Egg will sell a variety of fried chicken sandwiches, fries and salads... with the bar opening for evening service.
You can check out @chickenandtheeggnyc on Instagram for ongoing updates. (The restaurant's Insta account has this description: "Best Chicken Sandwich Shack in the East Village.")
The previous tenant at 221 Second Ave., the 11-year-old Bay-Area sports bar Finnerty's, never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020.
Thanks to Steven for the photo!
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Tuesday's parting shot
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