Halloween in NYC 1974

Classic Mr NYC

Today, in case you missed it, people who worked for Donald Trump's 2016 president campaign were indicted, and another one already pleaded guilty to, money laundering and collusion with the Russian government. It's a big legal and political morass and how it'll play out is anyone's guess: either it'll destroy Trump politically (massive election defeats for the Republican party and Trump in 2020) or legally (impeachment, resignation, etc.) or he and his party will survive it and live to fight another day. Who knows? Only time will tell, it's impossible to make predictions.

That said, the fact that all of this is going on is a tragedy for our nation. This man and this party should never have taken power in the first place and we're all paying the price everyday.

What's hard to remember is that it all started out as a joke!

Back in 2011, more than five years before his Orangeness was elected the 45th POTUS, I blogged about the living reality show that is Donald Trump. I compared him to Charlie Sheen and the cast of the Jersey Shore, and how, like them, all he wants, all he really wants, the only thing he  truly, deeply cares about ... is attention. 

The only thing he thinks about is: Look at me! Pay attention to me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Sweet lord, my five year old kid is less needy for attention than this 71-year old narcissistic fascist with access to the nuclear codes!

And here we are, laughing yesterday, crying today, scared for tomorrow, all because of this ogre. He got what he wanted, he got the eyes of the world on him, and now we're all paying the price.  

Delight in Rapture

My earlier post about the NYC rock'n'roll scene got me thinking about other times when music in NYC was exciting. 

Specifically, rap music. 

Perhaps no era was more pivotal than 1979-1981, and these two videos show it.

First, 1979: the Sugar Hill Gang produced Rapper's Delight, arguably the first great and popular rap song. Back then, however, rap was viewed as niche or "black music", or not even "music" at all -- and certainly not mainstream. 

But if you ever doubted that rap would go mainstream i.e. that it would conquer white America, then only look at this video for Blondie's great 1981 song "Rapture" in which, halfway thru, the very white Debbie Harry raps. The future of music was obvious from these two songs and the consequences would change American culture. And it started here in NYC.

Interesting trivia: in "Rapture", the famous, short-lived artist Basquiat can be seen playing. Apparently he was a last-minute addition when Grandmaster Flash failed to show up for taping.

NYC's Huddled Masses: Yearning, Breathing, Voting, and Spending to Live Free

In "The New Colossus", the poet Emma Lazarus writes most famously about the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Specifically, she's referring to immigrants arriving by ship into the "air-bridged" New York harbor, literally huddled on board together, excited by the prospect of freedom in America and life in NYC, the Statue of Liberty looming above, eager for the literal and metaphorical open air of the New World. 

When she wrote this poem, in 1883, the United States was only a century old, a young country still finding its place in the world. NYC represented its literal and figurative entrance, the most welcoming place in the world's most welcoming country. 

Today, much has changed. We are no longer a neophyte country but the world's superpower -- and NYC is its superpower city. We still have "huddled masses" here but life couldn't be more different than almost 140 years ago; and this country and city aren't always, sadly, so welcoming.

Why? Well, you can look at our national political atmosphere to see why the country's not so warmhearted. As for NYC, it's simply the cost of living that bars so many people from living or staying here. 

And yet ... the city thrives. And for one simple reason: there are lots of people here. It remains big and populous. It's a teaming cauldron of humanity. The "huddled masses" of 2017 may be richer and more sophisticated but, like those before them, they are hungry for a better future. In many ways we resemble our immigrant ancestors -- we yearns, oh yes, lots of yearning goin' on -- but with more money.  

Here's a cross section of evidence. 

First, if you want to know how much it costs to live in NYC today, check out this comprehensive breakdown of the 50 most expensive neighborhoods. Here, in cold hard numbers, you get an idea of how and why it's so costly to live here -- although some of the most and least priciest neighborhoods might surprise you (i.e. the Upper East Side isn't anywhere near #1). What's also surprising, as this radio segment indicates, is that many people who can't really afford to live here somehow do. Hence the population boom.

Second, NYC is in election mode right now and, when it comes to voting, New Yorkers have many options. When voters go to the polls on November 7, their ballots will contain more choices than Baskin Robbins. That's because there are lots of political parties in NYC. Here's a history and explanation of the myriad political parties that exist in this town. Don't like either the Democratic or Republican parties? Well, you have an array of choices -- including a political party devoted simply to "diving" (you heard that right, as in diving off diving boards). 

Third, if money and politics isn't your thing, how about the stories of individual New Yorkers? This year marks the 50 Anniversary of New York magazine and their anniversary issue is devoted to the first-person telling of such stories by New Yorkers both famous and not. There's nothing more powerful than personal stories and here is an array of New Yorkers talking about what the city means to them. 

So what's NYC all about? Well, like the Declaration of Independence declares, it's about "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." But, as "The New Colossus" also indicates, that's only possible if we can "breath free" -- after all, you need air to breath and you need to breath in order to ... live. But if the air isn't there, if it's choked off, then it's hard to live. That's why we try hard to breath and, although it's never easy, when we do, we thrive!   

The NYC Rock Life: 2001-2011

The heyday of rock'n'roll in NYC is, without question, the 1970s. That's when CBGB's opened, when punk rock hit, when bands like Talking Heads, the Ramones, Television, and Blondie exploded the city's rock scene, and when the Police and Elvis Costello made their American debuts. This was when rock became dirty and dangerous, loud and crazy, and 1970s NYC served as the perfect ecosystem for it.

But that ended. Those bands when mainstream, or broke up, and eventually clubs like CBGB's closed.

And yet ...

According to writer Lizzy Goodman, author of a new book called Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock'n'Roll in New York City 2001-2011, the first decade of the 21st Century was another great time for rock in NYC. That's when bands like The Strokes and Vampire Weekend arose out of the ashes and depression of post-9/11 NYC to create a new era in music. And, like their ancestors, today those once funky bands are mainstream. 

I remember going to see some rock shows during that time and, to be honest, it didn't feel like the rock scene was undergoing some great renaissance. But, if Ms. Goodman felt the need to write a book about it, there probably was something cool going on and, typically, I missed it completely.

My memories of music in that time here in NYC was mostly going to shows at Irving Plaza and the Bowery Ballroom. I remember seeing the Drive-By Truckers a few times with a young Jason Isbell captivating audiences. Honestly I can't remember all the bands I saw but I do remember one: a joke rock metal band like Spinal Tap called Satanicide that was easily the funniest show I've ever seen in my life. I'm sure Satanicide does not rate high in Ms. Goodman's favorite bands in NYC 2001-2011 but, for me, they were the best. Here is the their tribute song to Dungeons and Dragons "20 Sided Die":

And here are the Drive-BY Truckers.

I can't wait to read this book and learn more about what was going on all around me and that, as usual, I was too uncool to be a part of. Listen to the author's WTF interview here. 

Seinfeld's "The Contest" @ 25

Twenty-five years ago the TV show Seinfeld was riding high, conquering the ratings and, more importantly, the culture. 

People from all over America were falling in love with the distinctly New York neurosis of this show, quoting it endlessly, and finding in it a mirror to their own non-New York lives.

Perhaps the most famous episode is "The Contest" where the four frenemies bet on who can or who cannot remain "Master of their Domain." What made this episode and, indeed, the whole series, so beloved was the in-joke quality of it, the you-have-to-read-between-the-lines-to-get-it attitude. This was a show that respected its audience intelligence, viewed its fans as smart and sophisticated -- and, in the long-run, changed TV for the better.

Want to know the inside story behind the most famous episode of the one of TV's greatest shows? Read this. 

Never Sleeping ...

Several years ago I interviewed the authors of a book called Nightshift NYC about the city's overnight workers. This was in follow-up to another post I wrote about the romantic allure of NYC in the dead of night. It's such a beautiful idea: the big, crazy, multitudinous city becoming, for several hours, a kind of ghost town -- a calm, mysterious, lightly-populated dreamscape. 

New York City at night ... it's a subculture all its own. Not only was a book written about it but even the great Martin Scorsese himself made a movie about it! 

And speaking of movies, I recently recorded a movie off Turner Classic Movies that aired at four in the morning (having a full-time job and being a full-time dad makes staying up that late to watch a movie rather impossible). But while the movie itself was "eh" I LOVED the intro that TCM played just before it started. The intro even has a its own name: "Open All Night."

This intro perfectly captures what I love about NYC at night: the jazzy, funky, romantic, mellow vibe and mood; the soft visuals, the casual attitude -- everything about it is just right. If you want to know what NYC overnight feels like to me, this perfectly (in an almost cliched way) brings it to life:

Oh, and speaking about NYC at night, recently the Jimmy Kimmel show was taping in Brooklyn, and the always entertaining Howard Stern made a memorable appearance. Late night NYC isn't always so quiet:

NYC at night ... it's always interesting. 

Interview: Ross Barkan, State Senate Candidate for District 22

Well, this is interesting. 

Back in September, I interviewed political reporter Ross Barkan for this blog. He's a well-respected scribe on New York City and State politics, and he gave Mr NYC some great insights about the upcoming mayor's race. His interview has quickly become a popular and widely-read post. 

Little did I know but apparently Ross had something in the works and now it's official: he's throwing off his reporter's mantle and running for the NY State Senate. He's vying for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican State Senator Marty Golden in 2018. According to Barkan, he plans to focus on the issues of "Single-payer [healthcare], transit, fixing Albany, and a lot of other things."

Ross is certainly a smart and courageous person. I just hope he knows what he's in for. Politics is brutal. I mean brutal. Remember the famous Game of Thrones line? "You win -- or die." Well, in 21st century American politics, maybe you don't literally die, it's still really, really tough. Ever the gentleman, Ross was kind enough to give Mr NYC another interview -- this time as a candidate:

Lots of aspiring politicians talk about the "sacrifice" of running for office but, let's face it, for most, it's a business, a career plan, and no sacrifice at all. But you're a successful, talented journalist who doesn't need to do this. Why?

I felt motivated to do it because I’ve been repeatedly disappointed by the political class. There are good people in politics and some very talented individuals, don’t get me wrong, and I don’t think the pols of yesteryear (with few exceptions) were particularly impressive. But we’re facing several crises here in Brooklyn and across the state and I saw that few were standing up to offer solutions or call out the bad actors who’ve screwed us. In the past, I had mused privately about running for office, and got serious about it a few months ago. When I announced this campaign, I said to myself I wanted to run a race on the values I care about, like Medicare for All, fixing our failing transit system, and cleaning up corruption. I want to run a campaign I would be proud of. In my corner of Southwest Brooklyn, a retrograde Republican state senator named Marty Golden represents me. He’s a nice enough guy and my grudge against him isn’t personal—it’s grounded in policy. He doesn’t care about public transportation or a woman’s right to choose or the discrimination faced by the Arab-American community. It’s time for him to go. And I plan to chase him out. On a personal level, this was a good time to run a campaign. I’m young enough. I don’t have children. In a decade from now, I probably won’t have this kind of time. I didn’t want to look back with any regrets.

Politics is ugly for a reason: it's the battle for power. You're trying to take power away from people who already have it or who think they deserve it more. Are you ready for people saying hateful things about you in the media, investigating your life, perhaps attacking your family, perhaps having people following you around recording you, all sorts of nightmarish stuff. Are you ready for the onslaught? (You realize that the Brooklyn Democratic machine might have other ideas of who should go up against Marty Golden and, if you win the primary, the GOP machine is going to fight like hell for a State Senate seat that pads their tiny, basically non-existent majority)?

Politics is a very rough business. I know it well. Am I ready? I hope. I’ve done my fair share of digging on other people and now I expect people out there to return the favor. I’m not naïve about the process. It will be a tough but exhilarating time, and I think ultimately it will be worth it. Not enough people take risks in politics. They hew to the conventional wisdom, play it safe, slink into the shadows. That’s not really my way. I intend to speak my mind. Maybe I’ll make some people uncomfortable. More often than not, though, I’ve found people don’t want to hear bullshit. Let the GOP cash machine come after me. I’ll have the truth on my side.

You said on Twitter that you'll never join the IDC. That's good to hear! Is there anything more you want to add about that?

The IDC needs to go. In an ideal world, the conference would be destroyed, never to return. All members of the IDC would lose and go home. Of course, that will be hard to achieve. Jeff Klein sits on millions of dollars and is a known quantity in his district. Diane Savino is good at constituent work. Defeating all eight is going to be very challenging. Do I hope it happens? Yes. I don’t want a scenario where I have to cast a vote for co-leader Klein. I really don’t. I will never vote for him. What galls me most about the IDC is the deception. To pose as progressives and literally keep conservatives in power. It’s disingenuous and wrong and I’m glad people are speaking up and fighting back.

Any more thoughts or things we should know about your State Senate run?

I said somewhere I am going to be unapologetically myself, no matter what. I won’t morph into an android politician. I won’t be Jon Ossoff. Win or lose, I will battle on the issues and values that matter most to me and my supporters.

Sounds good. I wish Ross luck. People are always complaining that good people don't run for office so here's a chance for the people in Brooklyn. It'll be interesting. If you want to know more about his campaign, you can go to his website here. 

Self-Driving Cars in Lower Manhattan = Insanity

Self-driving cars are, like the Internet and most technology we use these days, probably inevitable. After all, who wouldn't like to have a car that can drive and park itself, freeing its riders from the hassles behind the wheel? I'm an awful driver so this is a technological development I welcome!

So the world turns.

That said, there's a long way to go before self-driving cars become an every-day reality and it'll require lots and lots and lots of testing. What does testing means? It means that these test cars will have to drive around and crash before they can become safe for regular drivers. So, if you were a company developing these cars, where would you test them? Perhaps in a place where they couldn't do much structural damage or stall or, you know, kill people. Perhaps a low-population, low-density area like ... Lower Manhattan???

Yes, it turns out that GM -- you know, that car company that almost went out of business until taxpayers bailed them out? -- is planing to do just that. They want to start testing their self-driving prototypes in Lower Manhattan next year. This is dumb and dangerous and Mayor De Blasio is, rightly, strongly against the idea. Testing these cars in that environment is madness and he's vowing the stop it.

So who gave these cars the metaphorical and literal green light? Governor Cuomo -- oh, and the state Department of Motor Vehicles didn't alert the city Department of Transportation before approving this. Instead, they sent out this nasty, self-defensive missive when De Blasio vowed to stop this: "The mayor can do whatever he wants but the city is subject to state jurisdiction ... We understand that the mayor's taxi industry donors don't like it, but it is the future and all states are exploring it.” So instead of addressing the concern the state attacks the mayor personally and throw its authority in our face. Oh, and GM contributed to Cuomo's campaign funds. Yeah, the statement didn't mention that. 

Something is rotten about this -- it's all corrupt. This must be stopped! No self-driving car tests in Lower Manhattan! Or else the state, and not the city, will literally have blood on its hands. 

October 19, 1987 - Black Monday

Today is Thursday but thirty years ago on this date -- October 19, 1987 -- the New York Stock experienced its biggest crash in history. The Dow Jones Industrial Index, something you might call "the stock market of the stock market", plunged by 508-points or 22% of the "index." 

Imagine that the value of your house evaporated by almost a quarter in a single day and you can imagine why it was a dark, dark day on The Street, recorded by history as Black Monday.

What caused it? Many explanations: a weak dollar, investor fears of inflation, conflicts in the Middle East (i.e. unpredictable oil prices), and the vagaries computer trading. News reports, like the one above, assaulted viewers with terms like "S&P 500", "market capitalization", "index funds", blah blah blah, trying to make sense of the madness. But the market quickly recovered and the Go-Go '80s soon became the Go-Go '90s.

Of course, 21 years later, in the fall of 2008, the market would yet again crash due to the collapse of the housing market and nonsense of the the big banks. This would lead to the Great Recession that we are still, almost a decade later, recovering from.

So October 19, 1987, Black Monday, was a sad one indeed but, ultimately, one of the good ol' days.