Pete Davidson talks Staten Island and Mental Illness on WTF

If you watch Saturday Night Live (and I don't, really), then you know who Pete Davidson is. He's the young -- very young -- cast member dubbed the show's Resident Young Guy. 

He's 23, talented, works on SNL, and dates Larry David's daughter. Needless to say, most people are probably insanely jealous of him.

However ... his dad died on 9/11 and he has Borderline Personality Disorder. Worst of all, according to him, is that he's also from Staten Island. (Okay, okay, I kid ... sort of.)

Anyway, you really need to listen to this interview with Pete Davidson on Marc Maron's WTF podcast. Pete talks a lot about Staten Island and coming to grips with his dad's untimely death. It's amazing, heart rendering interview of tragedy, resilience, and triumph. 

Greenwich Village in the 1960s

We'll Take the Village

Newsflash: the city is changing ... Okay, that's not really news but sometimes it's interesting to see -- literally -- how it's changed.

That's why I love this Village Voice slideshow of Greenwich Village over the years. It's spans from the 1950s to today, and shows the fascinating people and places of that most mythic of neighborhoods of lower Manhattan. You'll see the famous and the not-so-famous and, most of all, you'll look at history as it happened.

Talking about the Village Voice, as it ceases print publication, the iconic red newspaper box that you could find on the street, and pick up an issue for free from, will soon be gone. This slideshow of the red box around town will make you sigh. 

Interview: Katharine Heller of the "Tell the Bartender" Podcast

The bartender is a popular character in American culture, the sympathetic souls who serves both booze and sympathy to their customers. Whenever you need a shoulder to cry on -- and a strong drink or two -- a good bartender will give them to you.

So what's it like to be a real bartender? To find out, Mr NYC asked Katharine Heller, of the Tell the Bartender podcast and a former NYC bartender to tell us all about booze, bartending, and listening to people's stories:

Tell us a little bit about your bartending experience and how it inspired you to create the podcast

When I was a bartender my favorite part of the job was meeting new people. Everyone has an incredible life story, and many people don't realize how fascinating their lives can be. To me, at least.

What are some of your wildest stories or moments from your bartending days?

I think one of my favorites was when a fight broke out, and one of our beloved regular customers punched a guy in the head, knocking him out, and he looked at us like, "I'm so sorry" and ran. We cut the music, turned the lights on full and my co-worker leaned down to tend to the man who was bleeding. He woke up, took one look at my co-worker bending over him, and grabbed her breast. Everyone was like, "OH OK HE PROBABLY DESERVED IT." He was fine, but we barred him. The regular was welcome back with open arms.

Do you have a favorite episode or moment from your podcast?

I love "I Didn't Know I was Nugent" because I never thought I'd find myself agreeing with anything Ted Nugent said. The ep is an interview with a man who found out, at age 40, that the father who put him up for adoption was Ted Nugent. It's wild.

What's the most powerful life lesson you've learning from a guest on your podcast?

Compassion. I talk to some trauma survivors who use the podcast to tell their story, and signal boost other people's needs. On Episode 87: Service Dogs > Brogressives, Julie, a sexual assault survivor, uses the last minutes of her interview to read a letter from another survivor. Some people like to make fun of those who have PTSD from trauma as "snowflakes". For me, I see them as the strongest, kindest people. To be vulnerable in telling a story like that is to have compassion, and I'm in awe of many of my guests.

How has living and working in NYC inspired your life and work?

I was born and raised here, but I am always excited about how much great art is being created here.

What is your favorite of the following drinks (either to drink or serve)?

Cocktail: Gin and tonic
Beer: Stella
Wine: Pinot Noir

Spirit: Vodka
Other: Sure

Tell us about the future of your podcast and would you ever go back to bartending? 

I'm a podcast producer and actor but I'd do it for a charity event.

Extra bonus questions: how does someone get a bartending job in NYC and get onto your podcast?

I don't care so much about bartenders so long as someone has a good story.

Thanks Katharine!

The Night Mayor

If you're a fanatical Game of Thrones fan, like moi, you know all about the Night King, the frighteningly leader of the White Walkers and their Army of the Dead who aim to destroy the Wall (spoiler: they did) and conquer Westeros. 

Now NYC will have a Night Mayor -- but calm your hearts, he or she isn't looking to destroy everything and kill everyone in his (or her) path and turn New Yorkers into glowing blue-eyed zombies. 

No, this Night Mayor will simply be the Commissioner for the newly formed Commission on Nightlife that will act as a liaison between city government and the massive nightlife industry in this town. There are complex issues that relate to city rules and regulations of the nightlife industry so this new commission is an attempt to consolidate and streamline them. Pretty boring. 

But still -- having a Night Mayor is cool. Apparently lots of people want this job. 

So enjoy the nightlife (and boogie!):

And also enjoy Game of Thrones:

Never Built New York @ Queens Museum

I don't plug a lot of museum exhibits on this here blog. There's so many great ones going on at any one time in NYC that it would be an exercise in futility.

That said, here's one that any and all NYC Geeks should see: Never Built New York at the Queens Museum though February 18, 2018. 

It's an exhibit of designs, plans, prints, layouts, models, schematics, etc. for building projects in NYC that were proposed, seriously considered, but never happened. This exhibit, in effect, shows an "alternative NYC" (NOT like Trump's "alternative facts"), a city that might have been, that almost was, but didn't happen. 

Remember Jets stadium in Manhattan proposed back in 2005? What about Governor's Island becoming an airport? An expressway going through Soho? Those are just some of the proposed building projects that never happened -- and would have made NYC very different place?

We look at the physical structure NYC today and (if we think about it all) think, "I guess this is the way it was meant to be." But no. The city we live in is the result of choices, of projects built, of dreams realized, but of many more abandoned. 

NYC is not destined to look or be built one way or another -- it's present and future is a result of the choice we make. 

"Leaving New York" - A Shameless Plug

A few months back I published my first e-book, a novel called Leaving New York. It's a rip-roaring yarn about two lost souls from NYC who take a wild road trip across America. 

It's fast, it's funny, it's philosophical, and it's a hell of a good read. Don't take my word for it: read some of the excerpts that I posted on this here blog.

Leaving New York is the kind of fun novel that the publishing powers-that-be don't seem be publishing anymore -- so I did it for them. When it comes to this book, imagine that JD Salinger, Jack Kerouac, Quentin Tarantino, MTV and Facebook got together and had a baby and it would basically read something like Leaving New York.

Best of all? It's all yours for only $0.99! If you have an Amazon Kindle, you can buy and download it for this ridiculously low price and get hours of entertainment. It's the deal of the year!

You can find a link to the novel on Amazon here or you can click on the cover icon on the right-hand side of this blog. 

Read Leaving New York and have a great time! 

"Fatal Attraction"@30

It's hard to believe but thirty years ago today, the ultimate male nightmare flick opened in theaters: Fatal Attraction. The story of a married New York lawyer who has a fling gone real bad with a beautiful but deranged book editor became the cultural sensation of 1987 -- and one of the best thrillers ever made. It's also a NYC story -- a place where ambition, greed, and lust reign.

I remember when this movie came out, it played at the now long-gone Paramount Theater on 59th Street and Columbus Avenue. I went to school nearby and, walking to the bus stop on my way home, would pass by the now iconic poster/billboard for this movie. The movie ran at this theater for about six months -- back when hit movies had much longer runs in theaters than they do now. 

Fatal Attraction still holds up -- and should make any man think twice about cheating. 

Interview: Ross Barkan of the Village Voice and the Guardian

Politics in NYC is a complex world. Few report about it so well as Ross Barkan, columnist for the Village Voice and Guardian. Ross is that rare thing in political reporting these days -- a thoughtful, impartial, and honest voice. As NYC gears up for its own elections this fall, Ross was kind enough to give Mr NYC readers his insights about the state of New York politics and the future of this city. You can follow Ross Barkan on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RossBarkan.

Crime and affordability have been the Big Issues in previous NYC elections but this year doesn't seem to have one defining issue. What do you think will be the main issues in this fall's campaign?

Crime is so low right now, but I imagine Nicole Malliotakis, the Republican nominee, and Bo Dietl, the Trump-like independent, will try to make it an issue. To me, that's silly. There are actual problems facing this city. Housing is extremely unaffordable, which has fed our homelessness crisis. Our subway infrastructure is coming apart. Unfortunately, the city has so little say when it comes to transit--the MTA is state-run and effectively controlled by Governor Cuomo--but the mayoral candidates certainly have a right to debate fixes. I hope they do. Housing and transit should be at the forefront of the race. Will they actually be? We'll find out. I hope we stop talking about statues. 

During his first term, Mayor De Blasio was not overwhelming popular and yet he won big in the primary and is favored to win a second term. Does this show the power of "holding your base" in politics or because, despite what the polls show, New Yorkers think he's actually done a good job?

It's an interesting question. De Blasio's 2013 primary win was more dominating than people understand, and helps explain some of his arrogance. In a crowded field of big-time contenders--Christine Quinn initially dominated media coverage, followed by Anthony Weiner--de Blasio was able to hit 40 percent and avoid a runoff, something no one thought was possible before that race began. He won almost every assembly district in the city. He won every borough. He built a coalition of liberal whites, Latinos, and blacks that isn't seen often in city politics. As mayor, he has never had a sky-high approval rating (Bloomberg and Giuliani went north of 70%) or a disastrously low one (Bloomberg sat in the 30's at one point). He's not a major personality, he has an awful relationship with the media, and he doesn't inspire visceral devotion or loyalty. But he has a core following, particularly in nonwhite outer borough neighborhoods. He is the first mayor in two decades to explicitly make it his mission to care about people who are poor and disenfranchised. Does he do enough to help them? It's fair to say he can do much more, but he's tried. Is he too beholden to real estate developers? Sure. Did some of the corruption investigations, even if they didn't lead to indictments, say something about an administration that prioritizes big donor access? Yes. De Blasio also has serious accomplishments as mayor--the universal pre-K program in particular--which voters can respect. He's been blessed with a good economy and a low-crime environment. He's definitely someone who benefits from the way our politics are set up, where Democratic primaries are everything, because his core base of support is so far unshakable. I'm not convinced, however, he couldn't win an election overwhelmingly if turnout increased or we held (as we should) nonpartisan elections open to all voters.

What effect, if any, will the Trump presidency have on this election? Does a President Trump hurt the Republican candidate by motivating Democratic voters or does he actually help her by motivating Republican voters?

Donald Trump is not good for Republicans in New York City. There are a lot of Republicans with intriguing ideas who deserve to be heard, like J.C. Polanco, the Republican candidate for public advocate. But Trump is extremely unpopular in the city and is toxic for the Republican Party here. Malliotakis has a challenge--on one hand, she's worried about losing core Republican support by disavowing Trump because he does have many fans in her home borough, Staten Island. On the other hand, her chances of even coming close to winning are zero if she's successfully branded as a "Trump Republican." (In her defense, she backed Marco Rubio pretty strongly in the primary.) Malliotakis' cause is rather hopeless, truth be told. Joe Lhota got 24% against de Blasio in 2013. Malliotakis can improve on that margin. How much, though, is unclear. This is another argument for nonpartisan elections or a "jungle" primary, where candidates of all parties run together and the top 2 face off in November. Malliotakis, a real conservative on many issues, represents viewpoints that aren't held by a lot of people in the city. 

Assuming all the incumbents are re-elected, who will be the leading candidates for mayor in 2021?

2021 is so far away, and I've learned many times over not to make firm predictions about politics. But you do have a field, at least, that is already coalescing. Comptroller Scott Stringer, who hungers for the office like few others, will run. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has said he'll run. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will probably run. Public Advocate Letitia James may run. You could see the next speaker of the City Council take a shot at it, or even outgoing Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, if she's so inclined. There will probably be other Democrats. Maybe Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. Maybe someone we can't even imagine.

Finally, what do you think most of the media and public are missing or don't fully understand about this year's NYC election?

In terms of issues, I wish there was more focus on public housing. Were NYCHA a standalone city, it would be among the largest in America. In terms of the election, what is the public and media missing or doesn't understand? Maybe that 2017 is a return to normalcy for city politics. You had 20 years of Republican mayors, which meant competitive general elections and primaries where Democrats fought among themselves for the opportunity to take down the Republicans. NYC is a Democratic town and we'll probably look back at that 20 year period as an anomaly. You also had crises that drove Democratic incumbents from office (Abe Beame, David Dinkins.) We're in a period of relative stability. De Blasio, the incumbent, is on firm footing. I don't think it means a decline in civic life if you don't get a feisty 2017 primary and general election. Ed Koch glided through two Democratic primaries and the Republican Party was so dead n 1981 it gave him its ballot line. No one remembers Robert Wagner's first re-election. There's a reason for that. 

Thanks Ross!

We'll Always Have Alison Steele

Even though I wrote it almost ten years ago, one of my most popular blog posts remains the one about Allison Steele, the legendary radio DJ who ruled NYC overnights for decades. She died more than 20 years ago but, amazingly, people who listened to her back in the day still remember that gentle, beautiful voice. In tribute to that post, I've decided to give Mr NYC readers yet another listen to the wondrous sound and soul of Allison Steele.