New York Times article apologizes to Williamsburg: "You are not as cool as you think"!

Take that, oh blog of mine.

The New York Times article, "Mapping the Cultural Buzz: How Cool Is That?", discusses a new study whose research has sought to locate and measure "the geography of buzz."

The study was performed by the Association of American Geographers, which has located culture more around Times Square, Rockefeller Center, SoHo and so forth as much more heavily concentrated than in the so-called hipper neighborhoods of the Lower East Side and, yes, Williamsburg.

OK, but what kind of cultural "buzz" are they talking about? The article discusses the perspective of Ms. Currid, an assistant professor in the School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, who discusses "an economy of scale" in terms of the so-called significance and size of the cultural activity. Enough said.

I am not generally seeking a buzz from pop culture or mass media; culture to me is precisely largely located in what is independent, emergent, under the larger cultural radar, and so on. Yes, I like to keep my cultural activity local when I can. How can a study purport to delegitimize and dismiss this type of culture? This is not to say I didn't enjoy seeing Madonna or purposely try to avoid the MoMa or the Met; but smaller-scale cultural activity is significant in its own way! NYTimes writer Melena Ryzk agrees with me; as she said, the study did not in the end give the researchers a better idea of where to find culture. To quote her: "Rather, like pornography, you know it when you see it."

Daily Routines

Following a bohemian lifestyle these days, I find myself with both the extraordinary pleasure and excruciating difficulty of organizing my time effectivley, and according to my own schedule. I teach two college courses -- at different colleges -- and do one-on-one tutoring work. All together, it doesn't pay much, and may or may not add up to or surpass the hours of a full-time job, but it is a rewarding and exhilirating lifestyle, albeit ocassionally stressful.

Except for the one college course I teach, I actually have both the freedom and the responsibility to schedule my work hours: when I am tutoring, when I am online working with students, when I am grading papers, and so on.

With this in mind, I did a Google search on writers' and artists' daily routines and came up with this: Daily Routines: "How writers, artists, and other interesting people organize their days." The blog is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of many different notable and unconventional thinkers and writers, and can even be searched by categories such as "Night Owls," "Procrastinators," "Exercisers" and such!

"You Need Poems"

So in between the madness of my Friday night -- between the two different shows I saw -- I stopped to get a free poem written.


The poetess, above, on Beford Ave, asked me for a word to work around.

"Culture," I said

"And your name?" she asked.

"Rachel," I responded.

And the results:

culture for rachel

epicenter of life
is in the living of the
multiplicitous exchange
of counter crossed sub

hub pub hop to drop and dance

across any distance

the infusion of all
in all for all

we are the culture of culture.

(Typewritten on the back of a photograph of a world map)

by poemshopnyc.com

Double Trouble With Shows: the Presets and Bunny Rabbit

Friday night was the perfect Springtime NYC evening jaunt, with two shows, free pizza, lots of dancing, and a free street poem written just for me. Oh, NYC in the Spring, I love you.

The Presets at Webster Hall this past Friday night actually went on at the given showtime, 8 pm, apparently! My friend and I arrived around 9, to a packed (though fast-moving) line to Webster Hall, and were promptly greeted by the Presets already playing mid-set.



While the Presets were enjoyable, the oppressive heat and crowds of Webster Hall detracted a bit from the show. I found myself fluctuating between thoroughly enjoying their industrial pop sound, the pulsating light show, and the very charismatic audience, to mellowly reflecting on how one's experience of a show's quality so subjectively depends on our own individual states at the time. Of course, the presence of someone in front of me checking his e-mail during the show didn't help matters, either...





Overall, the Presets were a fun time; but it was only setting the stage for the fun of the evening to come. After a stop at the Crocodile Lounge for free pizza, my friend and I proceeded to Glasslands in Williamsburg for another show.


The "Secret Faggot" party at Glasslands featured Bunny Rabbit, a Peaches-esque singer with a
wonderfully fun dance-arty vibe.

Presets TONIGHT - Webster Hall

I am seeing the Presets tonight at Webster Hall. The show, although early (doors at 7, show starting at 8, supposedly?!?), is sold out and promises to pack a punch.

The Presets, which calls itself "Industrial/Psychedelic/Techno" on Myspace is what I consider a no-wave, electro-pop dance band. But whatever -- their songs, with incredibly catchy hooks, are delicious ear-candy!

They also have an after party tonight at Le Poisson Rouge.

APW Festival Madness: Summer 2009 Here We Come!

It's a little mind-boggling for me that tickets are already on sale for this event that is not happening until the end of July to the beginning of August(!) Especially because for two months before this, I will be out of the country, traveling in Peru. And I'll just be getting back into the country the 25th of July... if everything goes as planned.

This is the 2nd annual All Points West (APW) Festival, and the producers promise a more "user-friendly" experience, with free use of the light rail, more ferry service, larger beer areas, more shaded areas, etc etc.

While I am not completely enthusiastic about this year's headliners - Beastie Boys, Tool and Coldplay - the lineups look strong for each day, and if it is half as fun as last year's festival, with a better set-up, this is a not-to-miss opportunity. The views from Liberty State Park are breathtaking, especially when provided as a backdrop to large, sprawling outdoor concerts.



Oh, and the presale starts today, Thursday April 2, at noon. Regular tickets on sale Friday at noon. Tickets are $89 for a one-day pass and, for a limited time, $200 for a 3-day pass, plus service fees for the tickets. I think a 3-day pass may be too good of a deal for me to pass up...

Tom Tom Magazine Party: Drumroll, Please...

The Tom Tom Benefit party last night at Death By Audio was a throwback to a college house party, albeit one featuring female drummers and mostly female musicians.

Death By Audio, a warehouse-esque space with graffiti-drowned walls and typical sketchy dive-bar bathrooms, reminded me of the older, dirtier Glasslands.

With lots of live performances and cheap PBR, the night was a fun, frivolous time that hopefully proved to raise enough money to launch Tom Tom Magazine's first issue, which was the premise of the party. Well, the groups and the magazine-to-be have at least achieved more exposure... and perhaps, notoriety.

Pics to come!

The irony was that my favorite act was Bad Brilliance, who was neither a female nor a drummer, but made really good beats and performed in costume in a giant blood-orange suit and a balloon for hi head. Enough said.