Interview: Michael Musto of "La Dolce Musto"

Cindy Adams, Liz Smith, Rush & Molloy -- and Michael Musto. He's one of the legends of the New York gossip and culture scene -- an iconic voice and authority of all things "downtown" -- and if he ain't written about it, it ain't happened.

Michael's been writing his Village Voice column "La Dolce Musto" for more than two decades. He's appeared on PBS, NPR, E! Entertainment Television, and MSNBC (amongst many other media outlets), and although he's got a national presence, Michael's never strays from his New York state of mind.

Michael was kind enough to share a few thoughts with Mr NYC readers about gossip, New York City, and bloggers.

How long have you lived in NYC and been writing "La Dolce Musto"?

I've lived in New York my entire life. I couldn't exist anwhere else. I don't drive and I'm allergic to too much sun--or at least to people who stay out in too much sun. I've been writing the column for at least 20 years. My first column was in hieroglyphics, ba dum pum.

What made you, an Ivy League graduate, want to become a gossip writer?

Even at Columbia, I mainly cared about gossiping about my dormmates and buzzing about Cher's latest hairstyles (in between studying The Iliad, of course), so it all made sense to me. Gossip is what I do best. It deflects attention from myself and onto others who live in a faster lane while at the same time, ironically enough, getting me some attention as well.

Tell us briefly about the art of gossip writing. What makes one a good gossip writer? Who influenced you?

Gossip writing should be fair (there are two sides to every story), yet a bit jaundiced, so your eyebrow is always raised in response to the p.r. hype machine. It should also be carried on with an underlying sense that none of this stuff really matters much--not in the larger picture--yet it's all important because we care about it passionately and guilty pleasures should not be ignored. A gossip writing style should be bold, personal, individual, and opinionated. Through the years, I've been influenced by Tom Wolfe, Rex Reed, Truman Capote, Liz Smith, Cindy Adams, and many others.

What are your favorite "gossipy" things to cover?

A walking train wreck like a Lindsay/Britney/Paris is fun to cover because their entire careers seem to consist of providing great tabloid copy. Plus I like what they do careerwise--Lindsay's a terrific movie star, Britney puts out really fun music, and Paris has a certain poise, even with egg on her face. She's telegenic and in fact so seemingly blank you can project whatever you want onto her and put her in any medium you like.

Who are your favorite people to cover? What makes a person good gossip fodder?

I'll cover anyone on the way up or the way down. These are the people who are desperate for press, so the'll say anything to get into your column. Once they're on top, they're generally too guarded by p.r. watchdogs to say anything interesting. I also like anyone who will provide conflict and good copy. "I hate my costar" is much more interesting than "My newest sequel was a labor of love."

What was your biggest scoop or most exciting thing you covered?

I was the first to run the details of the murder of drug dealer Angel Melendez by club kid king Michael Alig and his roommate Freeze. It was truly grisly, from the Drano injection to the smothering by pillow. I also was ahead of the curve on outing people like Rosie and Ellen, who weren't thrilled, but who ultimately came out with a vengeance and left me behind to out others. It was exciting to push buttons and go where no one was going at the time. Huge magazine profiles of Rosie were portraying her as an ambiguous single mom with a crush on Tom Cruise!

Did you really coin the term "Celebutard?" Please give us a brief definition.

I said the word on Countdown with Keith Olbermann and it somehow went into my Wikipedia profile as having been coined by me. I'll take credit, if they want to give it, but I can't say for sure if I coined it. On other sites, I've been credited with everything from being a martial arts expert to having written a movie starring Jayne Mansfield, so don't believe everything you read (except my column).

In many ways gossip columnists were the original bloggers. Are blogs and bloggers a threat to gossip columnists?

I feel like my column was the original blog. It consists of my wicked, personal thoughts and opinions interspersed (one hopes) with information and insight. The advent of actual blogs has been threatening to columnists, but I feel it's a welcome burst of energy that forces us to work harder and dig deeper to compete. And at least we get paid for it!

What do you love about NYC? How has the city changed in the years you've lived here?

New York has lost much "edge"--God, I hate that word--ever since Giuliani made it a giant Disneyland for tourists and rich people, but I feel those who fled in horror are complete wusses. I stayed and continue to find fringey nightlife and wacky people living on the precipice. I'd rather celebrate them than give up and move to San Diego just because you get a terrace there.

Is NYC still a great place for gossip?

Yes, it's great. L.A. has more celebrities per square mile--you can't even go into a 7/11 without running into a Pamela Lee--but here we have theater, movies, music, nightlife, everything, and it's all on a somewhat higher level.

Tell us something about Michael Musto we don't know.

He's actually a nice guy. Now THAT'S shocking!

Thanks Michael!

Check out La Dolce Musto every week in the Village Voice.

Mucho Musto!

You may recall that a couple of months ago Village Voice columnist Michael Musto was kind enough to do an interview for Mr NYC. Well, this morning I was honored to be included in an email alert he sent out, informing us big media folks of his new blog:

"Hi, friends and lovers. Here's a link to my kooky new blog, "La Daily Musto," which I'm doing in addition to the kooky old column, "La Dolce Musto." Can there ever be too much Musto? As one poster already commented,"Yes!" But still, just to humor me, please click on it, comment on it, or relieve yourself on it--but just get on it now! Thank you, kids!"

Naturally Mr NYC will click on it and comment on it and link to it but I shall refrain from relieving myself on it as that might cause expensive damage to my computer. And no, there can't ever be too much Musto. At Mr NYC, we say mucho Musto!

"La Dolce Musto" Forever

In the very first year of this blog, back in 2007, I had the honor of interviewing legendary Village Voice gossip columnist Michael Musto. He gave me a funny, quirky interview, and I was very grateful for his time. The name of his long-running column was "La Dolce Musto."

Now, if you'd like, you can go back and read about Michael's memory of his first 1984 "La Dolce Musto" column in the Village Voice. 

Michael is an Only in NYC type, the kind whose likes we might never see again. 

Classic Mr NYC

The legendary NYC gossip columnist and man-about-town Michael Musto has a big new article in The Daily Beast about what he predicts will be "New York City's Marvelously Messy Comeback."

His basic theory is that NYC will, as it always does, once again become a popular destination for people to live and visit and it'll be better than ever -- more exciting and, hopefully, more afforable. He also hopes that some of the grit that has been bleached out of the city's identity in the last several years will return. I hope he's right!

I actually interviewed Michael Musto 13 years ago, one of the earliest interviews I ever did for this blog. Read it here. He really is one of the wise-men of NYC.

Culture Shock NYC

Bemoaning about gentrification in NYC has become a constant for New Yorkers -- and yours truly is no different. "This city ain't what it used to be" has probably been a refrain since Colonial times. Twenty, thirty years ago it was all about how the city was falling apart and raging with crime. Today it's about how the city is too expensive and how neighborhoods are being taken over by high-rises and chain stores.

Whatever's going on in NYC, its citizens will complain about it.

So that's what makes this article by Village Voice columnist, and early Mr NYC interviewee, Michael Musto so interesting -- he doesn't complain about gentrification, instead he looks at it from an historical perspective. Basically, he posits that the city is always changing, has always been changing, and businesses and buildings are always coming and going -- at first we hate them, then we fall in love with them, then we weep at their demise.

For example, as Michael writes about, the Astor Place K-Mart. When it opened in the 1990s, it was a hated example of encroaching corporatism, a vile chain store in the middle of the hipster community. But over the years it became a very convienent, and beloved, neighborhood staple. Now it's gone -- and Astor Place denizens are bummed.

Michael perfectly captures the feelings we have about the constant churn of NYC -- what was once new becomes old, what was once viewed with suspicion finally get embraced, and when it vanishes we get sad. 

Plus ca change, plus ca meme chose.

But one place that has remained strong in NYC for the last 50 years, and shows no signs of vanishing, is Film Forum. The downtown revival movie house is deeply beloved by many New Yorkers, and its survival and resilience in an era of streaming and COVID is all the more impressive. Prior to having kids, I went there all the time with friends and loved ones, and saw old movies by Goddard and Orson Welles, and many others. I even spent my 30th birthday there for a Woody Allen festival -- it's such a great place and, in a midst of constant economic and cultural change in NYC, it's still going strong.

In fact, my most popular blog post ever is about Film Forum -- this over 13-year old post has been viewed over 17,500 times! I can't explain it or understand why but, for me at least and in so many ways, Film Forum is the gift that keeps on giving!

So the culture is always changing in NYC -- and sometimes we experience culture shock -- but some culture remains the same ... which is somewhat shocking in and of itself.

To Friend Or Not To Friend ...

... a celebrity -- and no, I'm not talking about on Facebook.

Last night were the Oscars and, as far as I can see, no big-name New Yorkers won anything. But it piqued my interest in posting this lengthy article by famed New York gossip columnist -- and Mr NYC interviewee -- Michael Musto about the pitfalls of being friends with someone famous.

The idea of being friends with, or maybe even dating, a famous person might seem exciting and glamorous from distance. After all, how cool must it be to hang with someone that the whole world knows and loves? How cool must it be able to brag and say "Hey I was hanging with" so and so, or even boast "I dated" so and so.

Seems cool. But the reality, like so much in life, is worst. When you're friends with a celebrity, they call all the shots. The friendship completely revolves around them -- as does almost everyone and everything in their life. They except other people to be at their beck and call every moment. They are, for the most part, narcisists and impossible to deal with.

In many ways, this isn't their fault. They live in a very strange world, a very rarified existence. They are detached from oridinary human experience. The world caters to them, treats them like deities, and indulges their every whim. Basically, they're not normal, and being friends with them is not a normal. As someone who has been around a few (semi) famous people in the past, I can assure you this is true.

Comedian John Mulaney said it best in his stand up act. When asked, after he he had worked with Mick Jagger, if the Rolling Stones frontman was "nice", Mulaney gave the perfect answer: "No! He's not nice!"

Classic.

Out Tonight

As NYC recovers from the pandemic, one of the things that took the biggest hit -- and that New Yorkers of all stripes wish to recover -- is enjoyment of the nightlife.

Is there any town, anywhere in the world, that's better to go out at night in? 

The restaurants, clubs, shows, events, there's more to do on any given night in NYC that no one can ever do it all. 

We're the city that never sleeps, for reason. The greatness of NYC nightlife speaks for itself.

That's why three recent articles about going out in NYC caught my attention since they really summarize the drama and joy of nightlife in NYC.

There's the mayor-elect, Eric Adams, who declares that he plans to be omnipresent in NYC at night. Oh no, he won't shutter himself in Gracie Mansion when evening descends on the city, he'll be out rubbing shoulders with the great unwarshed, enjoying not only his power but his prestige as NYC night-lifer #1.

Oh course, one of the places where people go out at night are bars and clubs. Most cater to a certain clientele -- young, old, rich, poor, or scraping by. So that's what it was fascinating to read about how young New Yorkers are flocking to the Bemelman's bar at the Hotel Carlyle on the Upper East Side. This place is about as old-school NYC at it gets, it's hardly a place where the young and hip have congregated. Well, what's old is new or, in this case, young, again.

Finally, there's legendary NYC columnist (and past Mr NYC interviewee) Michael Musto, writing about what it's like to be an older man going out to the clubs and hitting the downtown scene these days. He shares his memories of what NYC nightlife was like when he was young and how it's changed -- but how he, an inveterate NYC "nightcrawler", has remained largely the same.

Power in NYC

Due to life happenings, I haven't been able to blog much lately (in case you hadn't noticed) but I would be remiss if I didn't direct you to New York magazine's Who Runs New York? feature from last week (in case you missed it).

Obviously the most powerful people in NYC are Mayor Bloomberg and other politicians -- along with the powerful financial, real estate, and media interests that support them. But, as this insightful report indicates, it's more complicated than that. The days of the old moneyed Wall Street establishment are over, the days of The New York Times and their erstwhile newspaper competitors controlling the daily new agenda are waning, and there is a new generation of real estate moguls who have a different idea of what should and shouldn't be built in this town.

The power in NYC fragmented like never before. Chaos reigns.

For example, take the media. Those who own big the media in this town are no longer the most powerful people (think Sulzberger, Zuckerman and Murdoch). Instead, you have folks like Nick Denton, an irascible Brit, who founded the snarky Gawker site. Ten years ago this guy didn't even live here -- and now he's as important a media figure in this city as Jimmy Breslin ever was.

Or politics. Mayor Bloomberg still may run NYC with as close to absolute power as any mayor in history but his days in office are waning. Soon he'll be just a billionaire instead of the mayor/billionaire. So who will take his place? That will depend, largely, on the new political kingmakers in this town. We're a long way from the days of Tammany Hall bosses like Carmine De Sapio and from labor union leaders like Mike Quill and Albert Shanker. But if you want to find their successors, look no further than Dan Kantor of the Working Families Party, the third-party organization that has succeeded in getting lots of up-and-coming politicians like John Liu and Bill DeBlasio elected. The effectiveness of the WFP turn out operations on election day are becoming famous. In 2009, while Bloomberg spent $100 million on his third term, the WFP was able to get out enough voters to reduce Bloomberg's margin of victory to an embarrassing four points. Kantor may be the most powerful person in NYC you haven't heard of -- but you will.

And then there's the likes of Lauren Santo Domingo who may be in the running for become the city's new Social doyenne, the new Mrs. Astor.

As you can see, in this era of the niche, power in New York is getting more diffuse even as wealth is getting more concentrated. It's an interesting, almost absurd paradigm -- one that is powered as much by new technology as anything.

Even this blog could be considered, in it's small, small way, a part of the new power game in NYC. For example, here am I, a regular guy, a simple blogger, who has been able to publish interviews with the likes of Kurt Anderson and Michael Musto, who has been asked by various business to advertise and plug their products, who has been invited to parties and events because of this blog, and who has gotten more than one person (including a prominent newspaper editor) extremely angry by some of the stuff I published on here. None of this would have happened if not for this blog and the small, tiny bit of power it has in the huge NYC media universe. (By the way, with one exception, I've turned all the invites and requests to plug stuff down. I ain't that kinda guy.)

So who runs New York? Who has the power? We do, my friends, you and me.

Remembering "Beyond Vaudeville"

Long before YouTube and the Internet allowed everyone to become a "content creator", the only place where you could find oddballs and fringe characters producing weird and uncommercial stuff was on public access TV.

In NYC, on Manhattan Public Access, there was a show that merged the amateur and fringe with the more mainstream -- called Beyond Vaudeville, it ran from 1986 to 1996, and was hosted by an Andy Kaufmanesque guy named Frank Hope. It was a talk/variety show where a number of randomly assorted guests would talk while Frank and his hyper sidekick David would say or do outrageous things that got amazingly cringey reactions from their guests.

Although Beyond Vaudeville was on for ten years, it only aired 75 time. The show did not have a regular schedule, it would just pop-up every so often, and its guests were beyond eclectic -- they included the dwarf from Twin Peaks, Barry Williams from The Brady Bunch, NYC talk show host Joe Franklin, WNBC news anchor Sue Simmons, actor Fred Williard, Grandpa Al Lewis, Tom Arnold, Oscar-winners Shirley Jones and Kim Hunter, Tiny Tim, as well as strange comedians, dancers, jugglers, and others. 

Others who appeared on the show were Mr NYC favorite Alison Steele and as well as Mr NYC interviewee Michael Musto.

I've posted a few episodes below -- watch them and take a peak at this memorably weird show at a time when NYC was still memorably weird.

Mr NYC: The Interviews

No one would mistake Mr NYC for "60 Minutes", and I'm no Babwa Wawa -- but in the seven-plus years of this blog's existence I've interviewed a wide variety of people.

These include fellow bloggers, comedians, sex writers, book writers, public radio hosts, even Richard Bey -- yes that Richard Bey -- himself. One of my first interviews was with Kenny Kramer, inspiration for the iconic TV character, and a New York legend.

Here's a look back at several of the interviews over the years. I think they still hold up and hopefully you'll enjoy reading them: 

Jesse Thorn
Zack Hample 2
Simone Grant
Imogene Lee
Urban Infidel
Suzannah B. Troy
Arianne Cohen
Richard Bey
Stefan Lawrence
Cheryl Harris Sharman
The Dateable Dork
Kurt Andersen
Russ Smith
Michael Musto
Rachel Kramer Bussel
Kenny Kramer
Stephanie Sellars
Zack Hample

Classic Mr NYC

The Village Voice gossip columnist Michael Musto -- one of the last of a great breed of smart and classy New York columnists who turned gossip into an art -- recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of his column.

Managing to have a newspaper column that lasts 25 years in this town is nothing short of a miracle. Mr NYC wishes him a heartfelt congratulations.

Here is my 2007 interview with Micheal where he talked briefly about his career and himself.