New York Nostalgia

New York's always been a city torn between nostalgia and frenzy, so any visit will be just like that. Took about half a minute to feel home again. And although Mr. Lou Reed and I might differ on the exact definition of a perfect day, those eight were sure right up there. It was nice and breezy days in Red Hook, Bluegrass sessions at Sunny's, soup dumplings at the New Green Bo, Pupusas and Huaraches at the ballfields (see who's volving down Pupusas in the video) and a burger at the Odeon. It was training with David, sparring with Charlie and seeing the Zab Judah/Miguel Cotto fight at a sports bar full of fans from Brownsville and Puerto Rico.



All crowned by a New Jersey sunset on Kara's Brooklyn roof, making the perfect background fro a jumbo shrimp barbeque and an argument about who was the greatest singer of all times. Rich bets on Ismael Rivera (Arsenio Rodriguez thought so too), I'll go with Hector Lavoe (J-Lo agrees, which admittedly ain't quite such a weighty argument). And if Lavoe's best song was "El Cantante" for it's epic range or "Periodico De Ayer" for it's bittersweet cynicism. We must've sounded like two old geezers sitting on a Brooklyn stoop arguing, if it was Sugar Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali who was the greatest of all times and if Ali's most shining moment was against Liston or Foreman. And of course the dispute was never settled.

(Woop Woop) That's Da Sound Of Da Police

It's mostly sounds and smells that instantly make you feel home again. The classic wail of a NYPD squad car for example. New York cops have a whole set of sirens to choose from. There's the yelp and the manual Woop Woop, which was immortalized by KRS One with a song that all through the summer of '93 had every kid in the neighborhood imitate the siren chorus. There's the priority siren, which has a definite electro-boogie flavor to it, the European sounding Hi-Lo and the penetrating airhorn, which will clear any gridlocked intersection in a matter of seconds. With the right operator a New York squad car can sound like Miles Davis' band circa 'Dark Magus'/'Agartha'.

Just now the NYPD announced it will add another sound to their repertoire - the rumbler. Just tested, it makes the area surrounding the squad car shake with heavy bass sounds. That's about as hip as a police department can get.

Listen to or download the:

wail

yelp

priority siren

Hi-Lo

airhorn

Woop Woop

rumbler

Adverstising For Myself

Hung out with John Brockman for a long lunch. Always impressive, how connected he is (well, he started the A-list networking early, as proven by the 1967 picture above). John filled me in on all the latest advances the forces of faith made in the States (candidate hopeful and evolution denier Senator Sam Brownback given space on the New York times op-ed pages followed by an op-ed by none other than the creationist Discovery Institute in the Times owned Boston Globe ).

And there's of course the advertising for myself - I've got a story in John Brockman's online magazine Edge.

ThisYear's Summer Hit

More mainstream than 'Kick, Push, Coast', not as easily accessible as 'Crazy', but currently heard on street corners in Lower Manhattan, South Brooklyn, Outer Queens and the Boogie Down Bronx.

I Love The Smell Of Tear Gas In The Morning

Supposedly the black block was 3.000 deep in yesterday's G8 protest that escalated into an outright Battle of Rostock. That's quite a step up from the 30 followers of John Zerzan who started the Battle of Seattle eight years ago.

I guess this would be the time now to read up on neo-primitivists Zerzan and Kaczynski, throw in some Lewis Mumford, some Otto Reich and there we go. Although I suspect that reading's not so high on the Black Block's to do list.

My Way Or Death

News flash for all fellow Sing Sing patrons:

A man has been shot dead by a security guard for singing out of tune in a Philippine karaoke bar. Romy Baligula, 29, was halfway through his song on Tuesday night in a bar in San Mateo town, east of Manila, when 43-year-old security guard Robilito Ortega yelled that he was out of tune. When Mr Baligula ignored his comments and continued singing, Ortega pulled out his revolver and shot him in the chest.Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas said Mr Baligula died instantly. The security guard was detained by an off-duty policeman shortly after the shooting.

Deaths and violence are not uncommon in Philippine karaoke bars. The popular Frank Sinatra song My Way has been taken off many karaoke bars in Manila after it was found to be the cause of fights and even deaths when patrons sang out of tune.


Sid Vicious - not ready for the Philippines

La Candidata

Rigoberta Menchú is gonna run for president of Guatemala for a party called Encuentro Por Guatemala. Back in '92 we lucked out, when Rigoberta Menchú won the Nobel Peace Prize while we were in post for the film about Guatemala we had shot with her and her network of human rights organisations. The gold standard of films about Central American conflict back then was already "When The Mountains Tremble" by Pam Yates. Now Pam, Paco and Peter will follow Rigoberta Menchú's candidacy, which means there's gonna be another great Skylight Pictures classic to look forward to.

Trailer for "When The Mountains Tremble"

The Office

This simple game of self-destructive pleasure is a huge hit in cubicles all over the greater New York area. Sure hits a nerve.