| 30 april 2001 a new big apple review! it's like they knew i was in town. joey ramone's CBGB shrine, april 22 | gobs of art Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to visit New York City. Most people I know go for the big Broadway shows. I never got into those too much; theatre just isn't my bag. Others go to simply experience life in one of the biggest, most vibrant cities on earth. They want a vacation filled with the persistent hum of activity, unexpected moments, human diversity, and near guarantee that you will see something unusual. You might get discovered. You might even end up in the same cafe' with Art Garfunkel. Uh...I would still be awaiting that last possibility. Folk rock...toes wiggling... This time, I went primarily to see some friends, hear some good poetry, and possibly see some good art. Did it, heard it, and saw it. Mission accomplished! New York is Airwolf! As it happened, Ernie Cline was in town to feature at the Urbana Poetry Slam at CBGB's. Ernie is about one of the neatest guys you could know, and he's from Austin, Texas. Not just-moved-there-cause-he-heard-it-was-trendy neato. He's original Austin, and he's a hoot. The title of his new poetry chapbook? The Importance of Being Ernest , as in Ernie Muppet, Ernest Hemingway, and Ernest Borgnine. Add to all this the fact that his eyes glaze over in reverence when you mention either Airwolf, The Incredible Hulk, or the Atari 2600; and you've just envisioned the guy that you probably didn't hang with in high school, but wish you did now because he's got the hot, smart girlfriend. My kinda guy. Okay, so the next day a few of us ended up at the Museum of Modern Art to see Andreas Gursky's exhibit, a contemporary German photographer, as well as the museum's collection highlights exhibition. I had never heard of this Gursky fellow before--WHY NOT?!? Drippy American pop trendmakers, get over your Anne Geddes fetish already--this guy is hot! We were bowled over by his photos. They were huge prints, beautifully and clearly executed, with compositions that any regular gal off the street could "get". From a panoramic winter Olympic scene, to May Day aerial shots, to a stunning aerial shot of the Chicago Board of Trade, we were impressed. We then visited the Collection Highlights show, which comprised many of their most famous paintings. They included one of Jackson Pollock's breakthrough abstract expressionist paintings, Van Gogh's Starry Night , Monet's Water Lilies , and Matisse's The Dance . It was like art class, only real live! We especially enjoyed seeing the Pollock piece, since we'd all recently seen the Ed Harris movie. We agreed that his paintings didn't do much for us, but we could certainly appreciate where he stood in history. Okay, so then we ate. That was good. And then, we went to The H.E.R.E Collective to see the first inception of Taylor Mali's one-man show, Teacher Teacher . It was good, so far! He asked for notes from everyone, which I plan on sending him, so that he can re-tool it and get it on the road. Overall, I think that any teacher in America would enjoy it very much. Knowing Taylor, he could single-handedly inspire college kids to fill the teacher shortage in this country. He's that sort of guy. So that was my big art day in New York. No Paul Simon, James Taylor, or Art Garfunkel...yet. But wouldn't you know that Artie's coming to North Carolina in June, to headline at the Brevard Music Center. And do you KNOW who's opening?? MY VERY VERY VERY FAVORITE MUSIC GUY!! Woo-hoo! Folk rock extraordinaire, yippee! Yep, summer's already looking good. |
