Here's an interview Allison did with "an exciting new band."
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Remembering Alison Steele, "The Night Bird"
“The flutter of wings, the shadow across the moon, the sounds of the night, as the Nightbird spreads her wings and soars, above the earth, into another level of comprehension, where we exist only to feel. Come, fly with me, Alison Steele, the Nightbird, at WNEW-FM, until dawn.”
With those angelic words, Alison would begin her overnight broadcasts. She would then play some of the greatest rock n'roll ever: the Stones, Dylan, Led Zeplin, The Who, The Doors - you name it. Her silky voice, seductive in its maturity and wisdom, reassured you that there was someone kind out there, making you feel safe during the small hours. She was the grand dame of the New York night, her gentility soothing and smoothing the edges of a rough city. Her gracious audio presence would nurse her listeners through the darkness, into the first blushes of day.
In her later years, Alison migrated to 92.3 K-ROCK, going off the air at 6 AM, right before the raucous Howard Stern would rouse the city. I first encountered Allison's voice in the early 1990s when I was in high school. I would wake up around 5:50 or 5:55 AM in order to listen to Howard and Allison would usually be closing out her show. As a song by Yes or The Police would end, Alison's lovely voice would come on, wishing listeners like me a good morning. Then she would leave us with a parting thought, a little piece of wisdom, usually conveyed in a quotation from one of the great poets like Edgar Allan Poe or William Wordsworth. And then the Nightbird would fly away, leaving us to our usually tumultuous days.
What a great, sweet memory.
Sadly, Alison is no longer with us. All the greats leave before their time. She passed away on September 27, 1995 from cancer. I remember that I had just started college and this news was one of the first things I learned on this then new Internet contraption. It's so hard to believe that she's been gone more than twelve years because it feels just like yesterday that I was waking up to her voice. Like Jean Shepard, she was a genuine radio artist. And in this era of radio consolidation and voice-tracking, it's doubtful we'll ever see her likes again.
But at least we had her when, a small burst of light in a dark place. Let's remember and thank Alison Steele for the comfort she brought this city. In this bitter world, even a decade on, let's remember someone pretty sweet.
Tribute pages:
The First Lady of Rock & Roll
A Page for Alison Steele
Alison's Wikipedia Entry
Robert Chambers: New York's Favorite Criminal
Egads, it's deja vu all over again: the "Preppy Killer" Robert Chambers is back in the news. This time he's accused to running a drug ring out of the Upper East Side flat he shared with his lady friend. If you're a tabloid junkie, then you've heard of Senor Chambers: in August 1986 this handsome psychopath strangled an eighteen-year old Manhattan prep school girl to death in Central Park (right behind the Met). He claimed "rough sex" made him do it but the jury didn't buy it. He copped to a manslaughter beef and spent fifteen years in jail. (This story was the OJ/Monica/Natalee Holloway story of its day, replete with teenagers, sex, drugs, murder, and very stylish clothes. Thankfully MSNBC and Fox New didn't exist then so we were spared the 24/7 coverage.) Chambers got out in 2003, vowed to go straight, and obviously failed miserably. Looks like he's headed back to the pokie for life.
What to say? This story makes for great TV. After all, with a war going on, the environment headed to catastrophe and nearly 50 million people without health care, isn't it nice to take a roll in the tabloid muck once in a while?
Mr NYC's opinion: this is all very sad. Chambers is clearly a hardcore drug addict and simply cannot change. He's one of those people genetically incapable of not breaking the law. The fact that he's made it to age forty-one is probably an achievement for him. And doubtless when he does leave this earth, we'll hear all about it.
'Preppy Killer' Pleads Not Guilty in Drug Case
What to say? This story makes for great TV. After all, with a war going on, the environment headed to catastrophe and nearly 50 million people without health care, isn't it nice to take a roll in the tabloid muck once in a while?
Mr NYC's opinion: this is all very sad. Chambers is clearly a hardcore drug addict and simply cannot change. He's one of those people genetically incapable of not breaking the law. The fact that he's made it to age forty-one is probably an achievement for him. And doubtless when he does leave this earth, we'll hear all about it.
'Preppy Killer' Pleads Not Guilty in Drug Case
Interview: Stephanie Sellars of "Lust Life"
We continue to steam things up here at Mr NYC. "Lust Life" blogger and former New York Press sex columnist Stephanie Sellars gives us her take on sex, writing, and New York City.
Tell us about yourself and how you started writing your column in the New York Press?
I am a modern Renaissance woman with vintage sensibilities. Everything I do--writing, performing, film making--draws from the past, specifically in terms of style, but has a modern edge. In my column I wrote about kinky sex from a place of lyrical sophistication. When I first started writing for New York Press, I used a pseudonym--'The Libertine'--a word that originated in 1563, meaning 'freethinker.' The term became popular in 18th century Europe when it was used to describe freethinkers (usually men) who lived for pleasure unrestrained by conventions or taboos. It also refers to refined eroticism. A few years ago I wrote an essay called "Confessions of a Libertine" and gave it to my friend Jon Leaf who was the arts editor of New York Press. He liked it and passed my essay onto Harry Siegel who was then editor-in-chief; they invited me into the office for an interview and the rest is history. I wrote as 'The Libertine' for about five months then I did a cover story under a new editor (Adario Strange), and used my real name as the byline. The following week 'Lust Life' was launched.
Is being a sex writer in New York as glamorous as Sarah Jessica Parker made it look?
Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw as the alter-ego of columnist Candace Bushnell is so far from who I am and what I'm doing with the sex column/blog genre. Am I glamorous? Yes. But is being a sex writer glamorous? Not at all. I don't spend my time lunching in trendy restaurants with girl friends or sipping cosmos at pretentious clubs in Chelsea or the Meatpacking District. I write about the alternative sex scene--polyamory, queer sex, S&M, swinging, orgies etc. so my social life is centered around underground loft spaces, yoga studios, and the LGBT Center. Of course some erotic events are very glamorous and take place in gorgeous upscale clubs, but I'm not slinking around in Jimmy Choo shoes 6 nights a week, hobnobbing with fashionistas in swanky Manhattan lounges of perpetual boredom. Besides no sex columnist can afford a life like that on a sex column alone. New York Press paid me $100 per 800-900 word column. Of course I get nothing for the blog.
Although it's a fun topic, how do you prevent your columns and now, your blog, from being repetitive?
Easy. My sex life is the epitome of variety.
How do people (okay, guys) react when you tell them you're a sex columnist?
The most common reaction I've gotten is something like, 'Oh, you're just like Carrie Bradshaw!' It's irritating because I am so not Carrie, and I have no desire to be like her. But once I explain a little about what I write, they are even more intrigued. People also tend to assume I'm an advice-giver like Dan Savage.
Do you get lots of creepy fan mail or messages?
Sometimes. I used to get handwritten letters sent to the old New York Press office. My editor at the time didn't even want me to read them because they were so gross. Once I got an email from a guy asking for advice on what to do about the female roommate he was stalking. I gave him some genuine advice, then he asked me if I would take him to a play party because he would not be able to explore the scene otherwise. I was so offended that I cut off our exchange. A lot of men assume I'm up for anything or I'll be their tour guide into the underground sex scene just because I write about it. I have to get to know someone first before I invite him/her to an erotic event.
Would you call New York a 'sex positive' city? Do you think New Yorkers have more sex than the rest of the country?
Definitely! New York is not only full of sexy people, it caters to people whose sexual expression is outside the norm. With several erotic events a week--from sex parties to Tantric workshops to gay pride--it's hard not to find your niche in a sex-positive community. Although I can't confirm that New Yorkers have more sex than the rest of the country, I'm fairly certain that we are generally more open about sex and therefore more into exploring alternative sex and relationships.
Besides your blog, what are some of your other projects?
I'm working on a book based on 'Lust Life'. It is the story behind the column--my sensual journey from small-town prude to big-city libertine. I also have a feature film project in development. I made two short films--the first was on Independent Film Channel for three years and the second is currently playing at film festivals. I also perform often as a singer and in readings like The Potable Dorothy Parker: A Literary Cocktail, a series that I co-created and curate.
Anything else you'd like to tell us? Any advice for our readers about love and sex in NYC?
Whatever your sexual preference, be honest with others and true to yourself. Don't be monogamous because that's what everyone else seems to be doing. And don't cheat! Monogamy is great if it is consciously chosen. If it is not what you really want, it is better to own your desire to be with more than one lover and enjoy.
Read Stephanie's blog at http://sslustlife.blogspot.com
Tell us about yourself and how you started writing your column in the New York Press?
I am a modern Renaissance woman with vintage sensibilities. Everything I do--writing, performing, film making--draws from the past, specifically in terms of style, but has a modern edge. In my column I wrote about kinky sex from a place of lyrical sophistication. When I first started writing for New York Press, I used a pseudonym--'The Libertine'--a word that originated in 1563, meaning 'freethinker.' The term became popular in 18th century Europe when it was used to describe freethinkers (usually men) who lived for pleasure unrestrained by conventions or taboos. It also refers to refined eroticism. A few years ago I wrote an essay called "Confessions of a Libertine" and gave it to my friend Jon Leaf who was the arts editor of New York Press. He liked it and passed my essay onto Harry Siegel who was then editor-in-chief; they invited me into the office for an interview and the rest is history. I wrote as 'The Libertine' for about five months then I did a cover story under a new editor (Adario Strange), and used my real name as the byline. The following week 'Lust Life' was launched.
Is being a sex writer in New York as glamorous as Sarah Jessica Parker made it look?
Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw as the alter-ego of columnist Candace Bushnell is so far from who I am and what I'm doing with the sex column/blog genre. Am I glamorous? Yes. But is being a sex writer glamorous? Not at all. I don't spend my time lunching in trendy restaurants with girl friends or sipping cosmos at pretentious clubs in Chelsea or the Meatpacking District. I write about the alternative sex scene--polyamory, queer sex, S&M, swinging, orgies etc. so my social life is centered around underground loft spaces, yoga studios, and the LGBT Center. Of course some erotic events are very glamorous and take place in gorgeous upscale clubs, but I'm not slinking around in Jimmy Choo shoes 6 nights a week, hobnobbing with fashionistas in swanky Manhattan lounges of perpetual boredom. Besides no sex columnist can afford a life like that on a sex column alone. New York Press paid me $100 per 800-900 word column. Of course I get nothing for the blog.
Although it's a fun topic, how do you prevent your columns and now, your blog, from being repetitive?
Easy. My sex life is the epitome of variety.
How do people (okay, guys) react when you tell them you're a sex columnist?
The most common reaction I've gotten is something like, 'Oh, you're just like Carrie Bradshaw!' It's irritating because I am so not Carrie, and I have no desire to be like her. But once I explain a little about what I write, they are even more intrigued. People also tend to assume I'm an advice-giver like Dan Savage.
Do you get lots of creepy fan mail or messages?
Sometimes. I used to get handwritten letters sent to the old New York Press office. My editor at the time didn't even want me to read them because they were so gross. Once I got an email from a guy asking for advice on what to do about the female roommate he was stalking. I gave him some genuine advice, then he asked me if I would take him to a play party because he would not be able to explore the scene otherwise. I was so offended that I cut off our exchange. A lot of men assume I'm up for anything or I'll be their tour guide into the underground sex scene just because I write about it. I have to get to know someone first before I invite him/her to an erotic event.
Would you call New York a 'sex positive' city? Do you think New Yorkers have more sex than the rest of the country?
Definitely! New York is not only full of sexy people, it caters to people whose sexual expression is outside the norm. With several erotic events a week--from sex parties to Tantric workshops to gay pride--it's hard not to find your niche in a sex-positive community. Although I can't confirm that New Yorkers have more sex than the rest of the country, I'm fairly certain that we are generally more open about sex and therefore more into exploring alternative sex and relationships.
Besides your blog, what are some of your other projects?
I'm working on a book based on 'Lust Life'. It is the story behind the column--my sensual journey from small-town prude to big-city libertine. I also have a feature film project in development. I made two short films--the first was on Independent Film Channel for three years and the second is currently playing at film festivals. I also perform often as a singer and in readings like The Potable Dorothy Parker: A Literary Cocktail, a series that I co-created and curate.
Anything else you'd like to tell us? Any advice for our readers about love and sex in NYC?
Whatever your sexual preference, be honest with others and true to yourself. Don't be monogamous because that's what everyone else seems to be doing. And don't cheat! Monogamy is great if it is consciously chosen. If it is not what you really want, it is better to own your desire to be with more than one lover and enjoy.
Read Stephanie's blog at http://sslustlife.blogspot.com
Saturday, October 20, 2007
So Long Joe ...
"To everything there is a season ..."
The biggest news in town is that Yankees manager Joe Torre has walked away from team. George and that gang offered Joe a reduced salary, one-year contract and Joe, perceiving it "an insult", turned it down and quit.
This wasn't a surprise. The Yankees glory days of the 1990s are long past and the last few years haven't been stellar. Twelve years is a long time to manage a baseball team and, even though this is a rather sad way for it to end, Joe Torre's managing career with the Yankees will go down in baseball history. All those World Series and division wins, making the playoffs every year he ran the team - truly historic achievements. Joe was so successful that he raised the bar for himself impossibly high. How could anyone, even Joe himself, live up to such a standard? He didn't of course, and that's why it's over now.
But Joe will be fine, and so will the Yankees, and so will New York City. Life is not predictable and nothing is preordained. Life is not a play being acted out according to a script. But the vicissitudes of life have a way of forcing our entrances and exits. And Joe, after shining on this stage, has taken his last bow.
On behalf of all New Yorkers, Mr NYC thanks Joe Torre for his service to the Yankees and our city's spirit. During my college years in the late 1990s, living far away from Yankee land, the team's multiple World Series victory gave me insurmountable pride. And of course, it made me an insufferably arrogant bore. But my joy in the Yankees success was very real and helped, in a very small way, to make those years all the more memorable. And Joe did it. Thanks again.
"... a time for purpose under the sun."
Torre Could Manage Steinbrenner and Yankees
The biggest news in town is that Yankees manager Joe Torre has walked away from team. George and that gang offered Joe a reduced salary, one-year contract and Joe, perceiving it "an insult", turned it down and quit.
This wasn't a surprise. The Yankees glory days of the 1990s are long past and the last few years haven't been stellar. Twelve years is a long time to manage a baseball team and, even though this is a rather sad way for it to end, Joe Torre's managing career with the Yankees will go down in baseball history. All those World Series and division wins, making the playoffs every year he ran the team - truly historic achievements. Joe was so successful that he raised the bar for himself impossibly high. How could anyone, even Joe himself, live up to such a standard? He didn't of course, and that's why it's over now.
But Joe will be fine, and so will the Yankees, and so will New York City. Life is not predictable and nothing is preordained. Life is not a play being acted out according to a script. But the vicissitudes of life have a way of forcing our entrances and exits. And Joe, after shining on this stage, has taken his last bow.
On behalf of all New Yorkers, Mr NYC thanks Joe Torre for his service to the Yankees and our city's spirit. During my college years in the late 1990s, living far away from Yankee land, the team's multiple World Series victory gave me insurmountable pride. And of course, it made me an insufferably arrogant bore. But my joy in the Yankees success was very real and helped, in a very small way, to make those years all the more memorable. And Joe did it. Thanks again.
"... a time for purpose under the sun."
Torre Could Manage Steinbrenner and Yankees
Saturday, October 13, 2007
A Million Trees!
Mayor Mike Bloomberg and urban environmental pioneer Bette Midler (who I hear has also worked in show business) are encouraging New Yorkers to help plant a million trees around NYC. This is a great idea. Trees help the environment (literally cleaning the air), look beautiful, and boost property values (wouldn't you rather live on a street with trees?). Let a million trees bloom!
Mr NYC plans on getting fully involved (once school is over). If you want to get involved, go here: MillionTreesNYC
Mr NYC plans on getting fully involved (once school is over). If you want to get involved, go here: MillionTreesNYC
"On Stage" and "Theater Talk"
Ya gotta love this town. This being the theater capital of the world and all, you'd think there might be a TV show about the theater biz. Well, actually there are two! Two-half hour shows covering on and off Broadway and they're both actually pretty good.
NY1 has "On Stage", hosted by the lovely Roma Torre. It's on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as well as Mondays from 12:30 a.m to 1:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Here's the website: On Stage
NY1 has "On Stage", hosted by the lovely Roma Torre. It's on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as well as Mondays from 12:30 a.m to 1:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Here's the website: On Stage
Channel 13 has "Theater Talk", hosted by NY Post critic Michael Riedel and producer Susan Haskins. It's on Friday night/Saturday mornings at 12:30 AM. Here's the website: Theater Talk
Fall is finally here ...
... and not a moment too soon. Mother Nature has finally vanquished this most miserable of Indian summers. May it rest in peace.
In Mr NYC's humble opinion, there's no better time of year in NYC. As fall descends, the heat and swelter of summer give way to cool breezes, the leaves begin to turn, the farmer's markets sell hot apple cider, it gets darker earlier, and we begin to look excitedly towards the holidays (the holidays always being more fun to anticipate than to actually live through). Fall is a reflective time, a penultimate moment, as we begin to think about the end of the year, what've done and what we still hope to do.
May New Yorkers from Rockaway to Riverdale enjoy this fall, truncated though it may be. Soon the blusters of winter will be upon, and this fall will be a fond sigh in our memories.
In Mr NYC's humble opinion, there's no better time of year in NYC. As fall descends, the heat and swelter of summer give way to cool breezes, the leaves begin to turn, the farmer's markets sell hot apple cider, it gets darker earlier, and we begin to look excitedly towards the holidays (the holidays always being more fun to anticipate than to actually live through). Fall is a reflective time, a penultimate moment, as we begin to think about the end of the year, what've done and what we still hope to do.
May New Yorkers from Rockaway to Riverdale enjoy this fall, truncated though it may be. Soon the blusters of winter will be upon, and this fall will be a fond sigh in our memories.
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