"New York" by Ric Burns: 1609 to 2026

Much to my chagrin I've never blogged about the massive New York documentary series by Ric Burns. It's probably because it first came out in 1999, eight years before this blog started, and it was and is a rather weighty thing to describe.

In short, it started out in 1999, as an seven episode PBS series about the first almost-400 years of NYC history. Then, in 2003, a new episode came out about the city right after 9/11. Now, twenty-plus years later, there are two new episodes about NYC in the first quarter of the 21st century -- dealing with the Great Recession, COVID, Trump etc. 

You can watch the original episodes here and then the new episodes on PBS (at least for a little while). While it's a very longgggggg series, it is the definitive (and continuing) telling of the NYC story.

(I remember watching this documentary the fall after I returned from college. It felt like a nice homecoming!)

Alison Steele Returns to WNEW, October 18, 1982

Something was in the air in NYC in the fall of 1982 -- literally. The voices of Howard Stern and Alison Steele took flight in the ears of the city's radio listeners, and things were never quite the same afterwards.

Howard was very young at the time and had just started at the now defunct WNBC radio in NYC. It was a legendarily bad run for him but, in 1985, he was fired and went over to 92.3 K-Rock where he would soar into legend.

Alison Steele was a different but nonetheless interesting case. She had started out in rock radio in the late 1960s at WNEW and then, in the late 70s, left. For a while she did voiceover and commercial work, and even DJ'd for an airline (I think it was TWA). But in the fall of 1982 she returned to WNEW -- the Nightbird flew again for the grateful listeners of NYC. She would remain at WNEW until 1989 where she would then move over to overnights at K-ROCK -- and would go off the air just before Howard came on. She would stay at K-ROCK until her untimely death in 1995.

But all of that was to come. Here is Alison's first show back at WNEW in October, 1982, exactly 44-years ago today:

And hey, if you want to, here's a lil' bit of Howard's first day at WNBC -- and in NYC radio! -- in September 1982, before Howard and Alison's fates intertwined:

No Kings in NYC

Today we protest, tomorrow we vote.

Remember, this is why America is great: you can tell your leaders they suck and then replace them. Outcomes are not promised, nothing is guarenteed -- it goes back and forth, the hampster wheel keeps turning -- but we have the power to try to make things better -- if we so choose to do, individually and together.

"True Detective" in Jamaica Bay Finds Its Leading Men

Last year I blogged about how the 5th season of the HBO anthology series True Detective is to be set in Jamaica Bay in Southern Queens.

Nothing else was (or is) known about this season except that its two main leads have been cast: Nicholas Cage and Antonion Banderas will star and will be, one assumes, heading to shoot in the swamps of NYC next year.

Cool. They're great, legendary actors. Can't wait to see it! And I'll keep updating about this season when more info comes out.  

Review: "Dan & Phil: Hard Launch" at the Kings Theater

Okay, so this isn't a regular review, it's more of an anecdote: I took my kid to the "Dan & Phil: Hard Launch" show in Brooklyn because she's a huge fan of their show. It was a wild audio-visual comic experience, and just about everyone there was an emo-kid in their parents (save my kid and me and some other family members who went).

Anyhoo, the show went on at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn (lot of posts about Brooklyn lately). It was my first time there and it's a really gorgeous, huge, and cavernous theater. It used to be a movie palace and was beautifully restored as a live theater. I strongly urge you to go see a show there -- I didn't really care about "Dan & Phil" (although they were entertaining and my kid was happy) but man, oh, man, that theater is awesome.

The Travels of Mr NYC

What's the Matter with Kelly?

Social media is a tool, meaning it can be used for good and ill. When someone celebrates a milestone, or someone passes away, it can be beautiful to see the outpouring of support and condolensces from people and strangers far away.

But more often than not social media is used to bully people. 

Such is the case with Kelly Clarkson the singer/talk show host who visited an art store in Brooklyn, asked about buying an item on the wall that wasn't for sale, and then bullied the store on social media saying she was treated like a hooker. Now the store is getting threats and harrassed online -- ugly stuff.

Being a celebrity bestows many benefits -- perhaps the biggest one of all is that the public and the media pays attention to the stuff you say or post online, no matter how inane. In short, being a celebrity gives you power, and how you use it is important. 

We appear to be living in a period of wontonness, where people with power and wealth are using it to abuse. And Ms. Clarkson, one would think, would be better than that. But apparently not. She's no ... idol. 

A Gaslamp Burns in Brooklyn

ICE in NYC

It was only a matter of time before the goons from ICE caused havoc in NYC -- and they have, in Marble Hill.

I understand that people want to deport "illegals" but not this way. ICE is out of control. They're shooting and killing people all over America and it's an outrage. Previous administrations deported way more people without all this violence. It has to stop!

Mark Ronson Talks Being a DJ in NYC