Things I'll miss about nyc #2

1. Tiresias and Truman Capote: every day on my block, around 6pm, an emaciated man wearing ruby-red silk payamas walks his dog, an equally emaciated blind old poodle (simply wiggling his tail makes his limbs shakeshakeshake, r-a-t-t-l-e), who always points his hollow iridescent corneas at me and frankly bugs me out. I call them Tiresias (like the bind seer in Oedipus) and Truman Capote (minus the body fat)

2. Dr. Z and his subway ads: in a series of ads on the subway, famous (infamous?) dermatholgist Dr. Z encourages the MTA riders to take a pop quiz to evaluate if they need a little nip'n'tuck. First question, "How many chins do you have?". I mean, are you serious?

3. The ethical hopscotch, the unspoken, softly spoken, shouted codes of conduct and morality (sex, friendship, politics, religion, income, education) one has to figure out along the way when living in New York City, like invisible lines you must be careful not to tread upon: every day on my way to work I walk past a peddler, squatting on the sidewalk near Lincoln Center, with a dog, a cart (or a bundle of newspapers, rags and miscellaneous belongings) and the traditional "help me" sign. His says: "Shalom. Hungry Jew".

I walked past him again a few days later and the word "Jew" had been crossed out. I wonder who told him to take it out and how.

Only in New York City.

for those who never got me (understanding Italy to understand me)

FINALLY AVAILABLE ON DVD

The Best of Youth
a k a La Meglio Gioventù
2003-Italy-Drama
N.Y. Times Review by A. O. Scott
* Critic's Pick

REVIEW SUMMARY
Orignally commissioned by Italian television as a miniseries, Marco Tullio Giordana's six-hour journey through recent Italian history is nothing less than a masterpiece, combining epic sweep with precise, heart-rending intimacy. At the center of its sprawling story of family and politics are two brothers, Matteo (Allessio Boni) and Nicola (Luigi lo Cascio), whose entwined and diverging fates become a microcosm of Italy's tumultrous transformation in the decades from 1966 to 2002. As rich with character and incident as a 19th-century novel, the film chronicles the radical politcs of the 1960's and 70's and glances at the political corruption of the years that follows, but its deep subject is the way the lives of ordinary citizens reflect and shape the life of a nation. While Nicola and Matteo journey to the extremes of ideological nihilism and encounter tragedy and frustration, their story is ultimately about the survival — indeed the triumph — of a humane, temperate world view, embodied in the thrift, decency and generosity of the middle class that bred them, and against which they both, in their youth, rebelled. — A. O. Scott, The New York Times

machines say G(L)O(W)

New York, June 25, 2006 — (...) condom sales (in the U.S.) should reach $409 million by the end of 2006, well above 2005 sales, when sales rose 2.8% to just shy of $400 million. While three U.S. marketers dominate the market—tracked sales alone show them controlling 98% of retail sales—innovative up-and-comers have helped renew interest in condom usage for pleasure as opposed to contraception and protection from STDs. In 2005, approximately two thirds of the condoms on the market were pleasure-oriented products (vibrating condoms, glow in the dark condoms, and condoms with climax delay lubricant).
(...)
Similarly, direct marketing to female purchasers of condoms has had a direct effect on increasing sales, as has the emergence of condoms and condom-related products from behind the pharmacy counter to retail spaces that are more prominent and easy to reach.

(from MarketResearch.com)

So what is the deal? We as a society are more horny than responsible? Maybe we have finally shed the weight of useless ipocrisy and guilt-soaked puritanism to embrace our true nature? Or could it be that in the light of so much socio-political unrest and gratuitous brutality we have decided to cut ourselves a little slack and bite into one of the little satisfactions left? Or is this a reaction to the rise of the machines, of a reality made of silicon, metal, plastic chips and shells and circuits surrounding us, encapsulating us?

Whatever the case, it's interesting that even in this stance my gender should be the one to set the rules, play the game, lead the way.

So heroically erotic, that's us. But let's not forget to protect ourselves.

Watch out for the Clan

Next August, the Wu-Tang Clan ( Witty Unpredictable Talented Natural Game ) will be hitting the road once again (NYC, Webster Hall, August 17-18). Wanna brush up on your knowledge of the group's lineup? Watch this

Only problem, I can't decide whose flow I like best. What about you?

p.s. interesting detail: in this version of the video at least, all weapons are blurred out.

wtf gwb

President Bush today used the first veto of his presidency to stop legislation that would have lifted restrictions on federally funded human embryonic stem cell research (...) The House and Senate do not appear to have the votes needed to override the veto, meaning it is unlikely the measure will become law this year. The Senate voted 63 to 37 yesterday to approve the bill, passed by the House last year.

O's B

Last Saturday, late afternoon, just finished bitching with Pookalu about the snobbishness of the staff at supposedly laid back anti-artificial, artificious grocery temples such as Trader Joe's , "it's so much better to go to the Farmer's market right?" and then, pow!, we approach the blueberries stand only to be greeted by a squeaking comment: "We were featured on Oprah, you know? She said ours are the best blueberries e-v-e-r! WE ARE OPRAH'S BLUEBERRIES!!!"

Well.

abattoir blues

Pick of the week.
"Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus"
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2004)

This man is a midnight talker and a midday sleepwalker. Truly refreshing, from time to time, being reminded that amidst all the Intercrap ISpaceYouSpace BlogBlah frenzy (I plead guilty), the congregation of geniuses, poets and troubadours survives and creates.

And once again who do I have to thank? Dave Gahan.

One track for all? "Carry me". No, seriously: carry me.

Things I'll miss about nyc (and the USA)

First installation of a new project of mine.

Brooklyn Bridge Park's Movies With a View
"Easy Rider"
with los companeros... and what a view!

and people too...

talk about release

Rome shouts

... this is crazy - here's a few seconds stream
from a webcam mounted in Rome, the instant Italy kicked its winning penalty kick: hear our capital city ROAR ...

CHAMPIONS IN NEW YORK

... we were here, with all our hearts ...

IT'S OURS

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Be patient and navigate the whole gallery, it's worth it... Hope they don't kill the link too soon!

when in Italy...

A few priceless moments I brought back from Italy:

1. The perfect silence descending on Milan (and the rest of the country) when a world cup game begins. You think absolute silence is that hiatus in sound preceding a storm? Think again: think my team, on a field, as the first notes of our national anthem are played (and on another note: to all German fans in the stadium who booed it, well, see the finger?)

2. Umbria, for Terni jazz.
The music: check out bassist Michel Benita's latest cd, "Drastic" > when jazz meets electronica and they actually shake hands. I asked him what were his sources of inspiration, he replied: Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Amon Tobin, DJ Krush, Matthew Herbert, Massive Attack, Autechre, Murcof (absolutely great minimalistic house/ambient check it out if you haven't yet), Telefon Tel Aviv, Talvin Singh... His performance at the Terni amphitheater was absolutely stunning. What is also stunning is the fact that he only started dabbing in electronica one year ago.


The music #2: Maria Joao > her performances are like exorcisms, her voice ranges from child-like whimsical blabbers to guttural shrieks, with moments of intense, poetic, lyrical, stunningly beautiful phrasing. She puts on a show, dances, gestures, very dramatic diva is she. This time, though, she was aided by a very special effect: the "Marmore" waterfall, first started by the Romans, now commanded by a switch, it started pouring water as soon as she hit the last note. The stage was just a few meters from it, we were handed raincoats and watched mist and music dissolve in the night...


The people: went to Collescipoli, a small town near Terni, built atop a hill in Umbria, fortified, with a few hundred souls. That's where the jazz magazine I write for has its headquarters, believe it or not. That's where my editor-in-chief rents a whole turret for 600 Euros a month and gets to enjoy a view like this:



The people #2: it was like building a new family in 4 days. Such great people, so welcoming and generous and fun! And so in love with jazz! Operating hours where 9am-4am. All the time, we'd be listening to a concert, a cd preview, a conference or workshop, eating, drinking, laughing out loud. Really, what more could I possibly want? Well, maybe... Rome...>>>

3. Rome: I can't wait to go back. And to eat more of that coffee granita with vanilla gelato E. made me try. I owe him one. Well actually more than one: what did I just say about very interesting encounters, hehe?

4. Liguria: freshly baked focaccia at 8am on the way back from my run, fritto misto, more gelato, pesto. Watching Italy's game with Croatia in a bar on a caruggio (Liguria's typical alleys), sun sun sun (I'm the color of burnt caramel, in some areas at least), THE SEA.

The only place where you can enjoy a private moment in your hotel room, with your camera, oblivious to the world only to look out of the window and see a nun, wearing white and staring at you (she was washing the banister of a balcony: the minute after she gave this sly wicked smile, winked, looked left and right and swwwwwosh! she emptied her bucket of dirty water on the street! Was it a code message for me?).


The day after, another nun, dressed in black, was hanging her laundry in the sun, while chanting "Hail Mary".


The only place where people can afford to be terribly blase' about their Ferraris, parking them next to trash bins. After all, we make Ferraris.



Since I opened with silence, let me close with it as well. Here's where I ate on my last night there, the so- called "bay of silence", "baia del silenzio".

Ain't it somethig? Enjoy the silence.

G+G

No matter what happens on Sunday, last night was memorable.

Team Italia can make you miserable one minute and ecstatic the minute after and then miserable all over again but right now I got 2Gs for my boys. "G" as in "grazie" and "grandi".

No matter what happens on Sunday, they proved they still got game. We got game. VAI ITALIA (and "go" also to my American and British and South African friends who are rooting for us: honorary Italians, so damn cool!)