Beautiful Radio City Music Hall

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Exile on Pain Street

A few weeks ago the whole clan came into the city for the big Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. Guess what? It was spectacular! If you surrender yourself to the spirit and leave your pretentious idiot self outside on 6th Avenue (as I did), you can really enjoy the show. Especially if you have a bunch of kids it tow. Their joy is infectious. And if you don’t want to relinquish your cool quotient, you can always appreciate the show from a design/production standpoint. It’s amazing to see what can be done with a big budget.The show before the show is Radio City Music Hall itself. It’s the cathedral of art deco architecture that opened in 1932. These photos do not do it justice. Here’s one of the lobby staircases leading to the mezzanine.

At the top of the staircase is this grand mural. It works in concert with the murals created throughout all of Rockefeller Center. [Fun fact: Nelson Rockefeller had the Diego Rivera mural destroyed because he slipped the image of Lenin into it!]

Here are two shots of the cavernous interior. How do you like that lighting? The spotlight is on one of the two “Mighty” Wurlitzer pipe organs on either side of the stage. As you walk to your seats, you are blasted with Christmas carols. You can feel the notes in the lower registers in your chest.

Outside in Rockefeller Center, people flock to see the big tree. But by focusing on the tree, they risk missing the smaller touches, such as this stature of a beautiful (and, dare I say? erotic) naked nymph above the skating rink.

Her hair has a distinctive art deco pattern to it.

Stinking rotten happy ketchup face

Posted on December 12, 2009 by Exile on Pain Street

I was sitting at the counter of a diner reading the New York Times and waiting for my patty melt with bacon. Before my burger was ready, the waiter brought my plate of fries. In addition to the fries, this is what he placed in front of me:

It defies commentary. I didn’t know what his game was but you can bet your ass I kept my eye on him for the remainder of my lunch. Fucking creep.

[EDIT to comments: It’s a joke, people! I don’t think he’s creepy for making a smiley face with ketchup. Jeeze! That sure fell flat. I thought I was being sarcastic and witty. I guess I’m no David Sedaris.]

* * *

Do you like Sam Shepard? Well, if you have the money to do so, starting next month at the Atlantic Theater, you can see Ages of the Moon, the U.S. premier of the new Sam Shepard comedy/drama starring Stephen Rea and Seán McGinley. It played at the Abbey Theater in Dublin to superb reviews and a sold out run.

You can see a revival of Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind directed by Ethan Hawke and starring Laurie Metcalf, Josh Hamilton and Keith Carradine.

If you have the money. Shit.

Sex sells. Am I just being prudish?

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Exile on Pain Street

This week, this Calvin Klein billboard was erected in Times Square on the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway:

Here, in one of the busiest intersections on the planet, we have two “models.” The girl, who is so emaciated that she’s repugnant to look at (she looks like a spider who’s missing half her legs), is tugging at this gay guy’s shorts, presumably, to get to his cock. Is it my hyperactive imagination or is she suppose to be jerking him off high above Times Square? Lookout below!

The problem I’m having is that this is the peak of the holiday season. The area surrounding Times Square and the Bryant Park skating rink, which is just a block away, is choked with families who are visiting the city. Tell me if I’m being a tool here, but there are little kids everywhere who I don’t think should be exposed to this stuff.

Isn’t there some kind of faceless city board who approves ads in public spaces? Am I finally too old for the city?

Holiday in New Jersey

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Exile on Pain Street

Here’s our favorite New Jersey diner all gussied-up for the holiday. Warm wishes from the Garden State! I’ll post some holiday pics of the city in the coming weeks.

The Cult of the U.S.A.

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Exile on Pain Street

I saw the young(ish) and talented Mike Daisey perform his latest monologue at The Public Theater, The Last Cargo Cult. I love The Public Theater. I fell in love there on two separate occasions!

This time around, Mr. Daisey visits an island in the South Pacific that’s purported to be untouched by money and commerce. He juxtaposes this against last fall’s economic meltdown and gives a pretty sobering assessment of the stranglehold the Investment Banking community has on this nation. Yes, there are lots of laughs, but you do end up feeling like the victim of white collar crime. Which you are.

He employs the best gimmick I’ve ever seen in a show. As you walk in, ushers hand out money in various denominations to the audience. I got $10! As you can imagine, everyone was in a pretty good mood when the show started, although the people holding $1 were wondering why they weren’t given $20.

It comes to pass that the money handed out is Mr. Daisey’s pay for that evening. At the conclusion of the show, he places a crystal bowl on stage and you have to decide whether not to give it back. He makes it abundantly clear that he needs the money for the rent and the audience means very little to him in a fiscal sense because, as he points out, we are a faceless mob sitting in the dark who will be replaced the next night. Brilliant! I gave my $10 back. I would love to find out how much he recovered.

He takes an unnecessary detour out to the Hamptons to tell a side-story about a paid appearance for a mega-wealthy audience. (“My annual salary is a rounding error to them.”) It was amusing but it momentarily took me out of the matter at hand. I wish I had a tape of the entrance music.