Big League Poets - Mikhail Horowitz (1978), Baseball, I Gave You All the Best Years of My Life - Richard Grossinger, Lisa Conrad (1992)

Big League Poets - Mikhail Horowitz
"Baseball, I Gave You All the Best Years of My Life - This book includes Donald Hall, Jack Kerouac, Robert Kelly, Bill Lee, Paul Metcalf, Anne Waldman, Tom Clark, and Bernadette Mayer. The quality of the work in this anthology varies widely, but the sheer unlikeliness of a volume of neo-beat baseball poetry and new-age-inflected essays cannot help but inspire generosity. The photography is remarkable, and the photo essays of baseball stars of the 1950s and 1960s have this awe-inspiring sense of the mundane about them."
amazon
Google: Baseball, I Gave You All the Best Years of My Life
W - Mikhail Horowitz
amazon: Big League Poets - Mikhail Horowitz (1978 - City Lights Books)

The Palestinian Museum

Wikipedia - "The Palestinian Museum is a flagship project of the Welfare Association, a non-profit organization for developing humanitarian projects in Palestine. The Museum is currently under construction in Birzeit (25 km north of Jerusalem) and will be opened in Spring 2016. ... The Palestinian Museum was conceived as an institution capable of transcending political and geographical borders, and as such it aims to resist the restrictions to mobility imposed by the Israeli occupation and overcome the divisions currently threatening its body politic. Through local, regional and international partnerships and affiliate centers, the Museum will connect Palestinians from all over the world, and thus bring together a people that has been fragmented for decades. An extensive network of partnerships within historic Palestine will also allow it to act as a hub for cultural activity there. In this sense, it is one among a number of cultural projects aiming to resist the ghettoization and fragmentation of the Palestinian people."
Wikipedia
The Palestinian Museum (Video)
Organizers Prepare Palestinian Museum For 2015 Opening
“Museum without borders” to open in Palestine
YouTube: The Palestinian Museum

The Golden Palominos - The Golden Palominos (1983)

Wikipedia - "The Golden Palominos is an American musical group headed by drummer and composer Anton Fier, first formed in 1981. Aside from Fier, the Palominos membership has been wildly elastic, with only bassist Bill Laswell and guitarist Nicky Skopelitis appearing on every album. ... The group first featured Fier, singer-guitarist Arto Lindsay, saxophonist John Zorn, bass guitarist Bill Laswell and violinist/guitarist Fred Frith. Their self-titled debut album was released on New York's Celluloid Records in 1983, and featured guest appearances by bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, percussionist David Moss, turntablist M.E. Miller and others. The album has some of the first recorded turntable scratching outside of rap music, courtesy of Laswell and M.E. Miller. ..."
Wikipedia
W - The Golden Palominos (album)
YouTube: The Golden Palominos (1983) full album 43:04

William Kentridge - “More Sweetly Play the Dance” (2015)

Notes Towards a Model Opera, 2014–2015, three-channel video installation, 11 minutes 14 seconds
"Dance has always been aware of death: it lingers just off to the side of the stage, waiting for the performance to end. William Dunbar’s 1508 poem 'Lament for the Makers' describes two 'state[s] of man': 'Now dansand mirry, now like to die.' In other words, you’re either dancing or dead. Death in the poem is personified as a sort of efficient businessman, doing his best to knock people out of the dance. The more familiar character of Death—the cloaked, scythe-bearing skeleton who fulfills his duties like an overworked godly employee—was around even before Dunbar, an invention of the medieval period, which remains the most productive time in human history for imagining deathly personifications. People then seemed less resistant to death than they are now, perhaps because the threat was omnipresent: one could die from the plague, childbirth, decapitation, infection, or even of indigestion, as Martin of Aragon did at a feast in 1410. The danse macabre, or death dance, another medieval invention, was an allegorical way of resisting as well as respecting the force of death. ..."
The Paris Review: More Sweetly Play the Dance
Elephant
artforum
Marian Goodman Gallery
YouTube: More Sweetly Play the Dance (2015), If We Ever Get to Heaven (EYE 25/4/2015 - 30/8/2015)

2009 November: William Kentridge, 2011 April: The Insolent Eye: Jarry in Art, 2013 August: Stereoscope (1999)

Metropolitan Lives: The Ashcan Artists and Their New York, 1897-1917

"Between 1897 and 1917, six painters, none native to the city they so provocatively and energetically portrayed, challenged the standards for suitable artistic subject matter when they took to the streets of New York and seized on images full of motion and life. Their 'prophet' was Walt Whitman, and their achievements create a vibrant record of urban growth and artistic evolution. George Bellows, William Glackens, Robert Henri, George Luks, Everett Shinn, and John Sloan were friends and collaborators, each developing their own distinct style, each capturing different slices of New York life. There are scenes of poverty and wealth, work and play, sensuality and despair. Zurier and her coauthors, Robert Snyder and Virginia Mecklenburg, bring expertise in art, social, and cultural history to this lively volume. They profile each artist and analyze his works, establishing a visual context with photographs and graphic arts of the time. Most of the paintings, which are beautifully reproduced, are rarely seen in books, and some, especially Shinn's exceptional pastels and watercolors, are a revelation. - Booklist"
amazon: Metropolitan Lives: The Ashcan Artists and Their New York, 1897-1917
Google

The Map of Literature combines centuries of books and poems in one gorgeous illustration

"Romanticism serves as the bridge between realism, enlightenment, and fantasy in 17-year-old Martin Vargic's meticulously comprehensive Map of Literature. Vargic is a self-appointed illustrator of brilliant worlds made out of our own ideas. The Map of Literature, which reviews writers of drama, poetry, nonfiction, and prose works, is one of 64 and infographics featured in his new book Vargic’s Miscellany of Curious Maps: Mapping Out the Modern World (Available in US/UK). ..."
Vox

The Blue Mask - Lou Reed (1982)

"In 1982, 12 years after he left the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed released The Blue Mask, the first album where he lived up to the potential he displayed in the most groundbreaking of all American rock bands. The Blue Mask was Reed's first album after he overcame a long-standing addiction to alcohol and drugs, and it reveals a renewed focus and dedication to craft -- for the first time in years, Reed had written an entire album's worth of moving, compelling songs, and was performing them with keen skill and genuine emotional commitment. Reed was also playing electric guitar again, and with the edgy genius he summoned up on White Light/White Heat. Just as importantly, he brought Robert Quine on board as his second guitarist, giving Reed a worthy foil who at once brought great musical ideas to the table, and encouraged the bandleader to make the most of his own guitar work. ..."
allmusic
Wikipedia
Graded on a Curve:
Lou Reed, The Blue Mask
Spotify
YouTube: The Blue Mask (Live), Average Guy, The day John Kennedy died, Women, Underneath The Bottle, Waves of Fear
YouTube: The Blue Mask (Full Album)

2010 August: Heroin, 2011 June: All Tomorrow's Parties - The Velvet Underground, 2011 June: The Velvet Underground, 2012 November: Songs for Drella - Lou Reed and John Cale, 2013 October: Lou Reed (1942 - 2013), 2014 June: The Bells (1979), 2014 August: New York (1989), 2015 June: Capitol Theatre Passaic, NJ 9/25/1984.

Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1981 - Riad Sattouf

"In October, Metropolitan Books will publish the English translation of the acclaimed French graphic memoir, Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1981. The grim but funny three-volume work by Riad Sattouf, about growing up under bleak political regimes in Syria and Libya, will also, Metropolitan hopes, be the kind of breakout hit in the States that it has turned into in Europe. Sattouf is a bestselling cartoonist in France and an award-winning filmmaker. Arab of the Future, named best book of the year at the Angouleme Festival, is also delivering sales—the first volume has moved more than 200,000 copies since its release in France last May. (Volume two in will be released shortly in France.) ..."
Breakout Graphic Memoir ‘Arab of the Future’ Coming to U.S.
The Middle East Monitor
W - Riad Sattouf
amazon
Google: Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1981 - Riad Sattouf

Bob Williams - My Goose Is Cooked / Talk To Me (1958)

"Two contrasting R&B killers from this fantastic but little known vocalist! Recorded for RCA in the early '50s as the rock 'n roll era was about to dawn, 'Talk to Me' is a wicked, driving Jump Blues with cool horn riffs and even cooler jangling guitar accompaniment. The flipside 'My Goose Is Cooked' is a greasy piece of twisting Black Rock & Roll which surfaced on two obscure independents near the end of the same decade. Both are sure-fire dance floor sure-shots and very hard to source on their original issues."
Discogs
Spotify
YouTube: My Goose Is Cooked, Talk To Me

Kongo: Power and Majesty

"A landmark presentation that will radically redefine our understanding of Africa’s relationship with the West, Kongo: Power and Majesty, opening at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this September, will focus on one of the continent’s most influential artistic traditions, from the earliest moment of direct engagement between African and European leaders at the end of the 15th century through the early 20th century. The creative output of Kongo artists of Central Africa will be represented by 146 works drawn from more than 50 institutional and private collections across Europe and the United States, reflecting five hundred years of encounters and shifting relations between European and Kongo leaders. From a dynamic assembly of 15 monumental power figures to elegantly carved ivories and finely woven textiles, the exhibition will explore how the talents of Central Africa’s most gifted artists were directed toward articulating a culturally distinct vernacular of power. ..."
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NY Times: A Lost African Civilization, and a Sculpture That Tells Its Story
NY Times - Review: ‘Kongo: Power and Majesty’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Guardian - Kongo: Power and Majesty review – African treasures inspire awe at the Met
Yale Press: Kongo
YouTube: Kongo "Power and Majesty" exhibition at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Unforgotten New York: Legendary Spaces of the Twentieth Century Avant-Garde

"It’s the people that make the character of a city, but people need a place to get together if magic is going to happen. New York City is perhaps only rivalled by Paris for world-famous centres of creative expression — whether they be artist studios, hedonistic nightclubs or coffee shops that served as a magnet for intellectuals. These places, as much as the people themselves, helped to shape New York’s reputation as a leading centre of artistic and social development in the latter half of the 20th Century. Reel off the names. Studio 54. Andy Warhol’s Factory. The Gaslight Café. CBGB’s. How many of these important venues have survived the passing of time, and how many burned brightly and died, leaving only memories? Unforgotten New York: Legendary Spaces of the Twentieth Century Avant-Garde investigates the legacy of legendary New York haunts that are no more, recalling their glory days and the influential figures of the creative world who were once regular visitors. ..."
Unforgotten New York looks at the ghosts that haunt the city's most influential venues of the 20th Century...
John Short: Unforgotten NY
John Short rediscovers New York's lost creative spaces
amazon

HMS Surprise - Patrick O'Brian (1973)

Wikipedia - "HMS Surprise is the third historical novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1973. The series follows the partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin during the wars against Napoleon's France. Maturin is tortured gathering intelligence. On HMS Surprise, Aubrey and Maturin make a long voyage to bring an ambassador to Southeast Asia, rounding the southern tip of Africa. ... A convoy including Aubrey seized the ships carrying the gold deemed necessary by Spain to agree to join the war on the side of France. On the quibble that Spain had not yet entered the war, the new First Lord of the Admiralty decides the vast sum is a droit of the Crown so thus not shared out with the captors. Smaller amounts will be distributed to the captains, quite opposite to the expectations of the successful convoy. The First Lord blunders into mentioning the name of intelligence agent Stephen Maturin during the proceedings, very risky for Maturin. ..."
Wikipedia
The Patrick O'Brian Mapping Project
Aubrey-Maturin in Brief 3: H.M.S. Surprise
amazon

2009 September: Patrick O'Brian, 2013 July: Harbors and High Seas - Dean King and John B. Hattendorf

Rubble Kings – The Mixtape

"In case you missed it, Rubble Kings is a recently released documentary about the war torn gang era of NY from 1968 to 1975 that was fueled by failing race relations and an overall 'unfocused rage'. The movie focused on the events during this time period that broke down these walls and ultimately gave birth to hip-hop culture. Just this week saw the release of Rubble Kings – The Mixtape which effortlessly showcases the amazingly powerful music of this time period from all walks of life. Director Shan Nicholson enlisted the help of additional Rub homies Sammy Needlz, Rok One and DJ Tahleim to put this amazing project together and give this documentary a proper soundtrack. Listen to and download this fantastic mix below."
The Rub (Video)
NY Times: ‘Rubble Kings’ Recounts a Death That Led to a Gang Truce and Changed the Bronx (Video)
Roger Ebert
Rubble Kings
facebook (Video), twitter (Video)
YouTube: RUBBLE KINGS Official Trailer (2015) New York Gangs Documentary

Social Media Takes Television Back in Time

Illustration by Cristiana Couceiro; photograph by Steve Bonini
"... Every Thursday since the show’s premiere, most of the 'Scandal' cast and crew have used Twitter to add live commentary that runs during the broadcast. The cast’s social media presence — which, according to the ratings firm Nielsen, inspires hundreds of thousands of tweets from viewers during every broadcast — has been credited with deepening the program’s relationship with its audience. Television used to be a supremely solitary experience, for its creators and for its viewers. The writer David Foster Wallace called it 'an absolute godsend for a human subspecies that loves to watch people but hates to be watched itself.' For a time, digital technology seemed to be deepening the rift. TV has always been spatially isolating, with each of us cut off from everyone else who was watching. Then DVDs and DVRs and, later, on-demand services like Netflix added a temporal disconnection, too, making it increasingly unlikely that everyone else everywhere else was watching the same schlock at the same time. ..."
NY Times (Video)
NY Times: Social Media Takes Television Back in Time - Platforms like Twitter and Vine are helping make TV more communal, increasing the likelihood that programs are watched when they are broadcast. (Video)

Spool's Out: September's Tapes Reviewed By Tristan Bath

"... African Ghost Valley - ARA (Hylé Tapes).  This Switzerland-based, ‘Canada-European duo’ utilise samplers to craft their soundscapes, which cover a pretty wide range of tones across their debut tape ARA. ‘Cordillera’ blends pads and field recordings into a lush bed over which wonky synth lines tinkle, while opening track ‘Dunesl Ceremonies’ is a different kind of beast entirely, pulsating like an earthquake for an extended crescendo that delves deep into darkness. The title track and ten minute ‘Always Eat What You Kill’ (which takes up the entire flipside) aren’t as gripping as the opening pair of tracks, but the duo’s methodology, and the organic ways in which this music unfolds still make for a great listen. All manner of noise erupts from their samplers, and ultimately this is an impressive - albeit somewhat familiar - approach to freeform patchwork sound composition. ..."
The Quietus (Video)

The Quietus: Spool's Out (Video)

Laurent Kronental

Les Tours Aillaud, Cité Pablo Picasso, Nanterre, 2014.
"The colossal grands ensembles, or high-rise public housing projects, in Paris and its surrounding banlieues, or suburbs, were built after World War II to accommodate an increasing population of rural migrants and immigrants. Today, the deteriorating buildings are largely considered failed experiments — catalysts for the alienation of their populations and a slew of accompanying social issues. Some are being renovated and reimagined but more still are slated for demolition. In Laurent Kronental’s series, 'Souvenir d’un Futur' (Memory of a Future), the product of four years of visits to nearly a dozen of these places, the modernist concrete landscapes are made to seem impossibly huge and virtually abandoned, like something out of a dystopian fantasy. ..."
Washington Post: A poetic vision of Paris’s crumbling suburban high-rises
Laurent Kronental
W - Brutalist architecture

Richard & Linda Thompson - Rafferty's Folly (1980)

"The Thompsons were without a record contract in 1980, when Gerry Rafferty offered to finance an album for them with his 'Baker Street' producer Hugh Murphy. The sessions yielded 10 tracks – and Richard rejected them all. Eighteen months later, though, he and Linda re-recorded six of the 10 songs with producer Joe Boyd as Shoot Out The Lights. Rafferty’s Folly, then, offers an alternative version of what became the couple’s final album. It’s more polished, with more instrumentation – keyboards, Moogs, accordion, simulated strings – compared to the stark Shoot Out The Lights. Other surprises include 'Wall Of Death' and 'Don’t Renege On Our Love' with Linda on vocals, as well as a beautiful version of Sandy Denny’s 'I’m A Dreamer' (later included on Linda’s 1986 comp, Dreams Fly Away). Both Thompsons have since relaxed their attitude to the Rafferty sessions – Linda has admitted she prefers some of her vocals here. But it wasn’t bundled in with last year’s deluxe edition of Shoot Out…, and for now, it exists only in boot form, including this and Before Joe Could Pull The Trigger, which throws in demos from ’80-’82."
Uncut
Willards Wormholes (Video)
YouTube: For Shame of Doing Wrong (Rafferty's Folly)

2011 July: Shoot Out the Lights - Richard and Linda Thompson, 2012 February: I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, 2014 March: Videowest 81, 2008 January: Linda Thompson, 2011 November: Linda Thompson - Fashionably Late, 2012 December: "Paddy's Lamentation" - Linda Thompson

Post-Scarcity Anarchism - Murray Bookchin (1971)

Wikipedia - "Post-Scarcity Anarchism is a collection of essays by Murray Bookchin, first published in 1971 by Ramparts Press. Bookchin outlines the possible form anarchism might take under conditions of post-scarcity. One of Bookchin's major works, its author's radical thesis provoked controversy for being utopian in its faith in the liberatory potential of technology. Bookchin's 'post-scarcity anarchism' is an economic system based on social ecology, libertarian municipalism, and an abundance of fundamental resources. Bookchin argues that post-industrial societies have the potential to be developed into post-scarcity societies, and can thus imagine 'the fulfillment of the social and cultural potentialities latent in a technology of abundance'. ..."
Wikipedia
From Post Scarcity Anarchism, 1971: Listen, Marxist! by Murray Bookchin
[PDF] Post-Scarcity Anarchism
Murray Bookchin: social anarchism, ecology and education
Institute for Social Ecology: The Communalist Project by Murray Bookchin | September 1st, 2002

2014 September: Anarchism in America (1983), 2015 August: The Prophet Farmed: Murray Bookchin on Bernie Sanders

Citizenfour (2014)

Wikipedia - "Citizenfour is a 2014 documentary film directed by Laura Poitras, concerning Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal. ... In January 2013, Laura Poitras, an American documentary film director/producer who had been working for several years on a film about monitoring programs in the US that were the result of the September 11 attacks, receives an encrypted e-mail from a stranger who called himself, 'Citizen Four'. In it, he offers her inside information about illegal wiretapping practices of the US National Security Agency (NSA) and other intelligence agencies. In June 2013, accompanied by investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald and The Guardian intelligence reporter Ewen MacAskill, she travels to Hong Kong with her camera for the first meeting with the stranger, who reveals himself as Edward Snowden. After four days of interviews, on June 9, Snowden's identity is made public at his request. ..."
Wikipedia (Video)
NY Times: Intent on Defying an All-Seeing Eye (Video)
Slate: The NSA Debate We Should Be Having (Video)
New Yorker: Why “Citizenfour” Deserved Its Oscar

Disco Not Disco (2000)

"Is it disco? Well, not completely. Just look at the title -- it sounds confused. And the title was inspired by one of the groups featured here, and that group, Was (Not Was), was not disco. Most of these songs came from the post-punk era, and like the material by a lot of the bands that easily fit in that category, they blur the line between punk (in attitude) and dance (in rhythm). But only one or two of the artists here could honestly be classified as post-punk. Furthermore, how could anyone say with a straight face that a compilation with the Steve Miller Band's 17-minute long 'Macho City' is a post-punk one? So what is it then? It's Disco Not Disco, a compilation of songs suitable for the dancefloor. Less ambiguously, what binds these strange bedfellows together is the fact that they were popular on the dancefloors of New York City clubs in the late '70s and early '80s. ..."
allmusic
W - Disco Not Disco, W - Disco Not Disco 2, W - Disco Not Disco 3
Disco Not Disco: Post Punk, Electro and Leftfield Disco Classics 1974-1986
Spotify
YouTube: Yoko Ono - Walking On Thin Ice (1981 Re-Edit), Was (Not Was) - Wheel Me Out, The Bank - Tinga Lin Tingo, Eddy Grant- Time Warp (12'' VERSION), Maximum Joy - Silent Street/Silent Dub

American Impressionism and Realism: The Painting of Modern Life, 1885–1915

William Merritt Chase, At the Seaside
"American Impressionism and Realism: The Painting of Modern Life, 1885–1915 brings together the appealing works of two generations of American painters and presents them from a fresh point of view. The American Impressionists and Realists have been categorized as separate or even opposing groups, but, in fact, they shared significant experiences and goals—notably Parisian training, an enthusiasm for modern French painting, and a desire to translate these sources into a peculiarly American idiom. The continuities between these two groups are more impressive and the constrasts more subtle, a complexity that is highlighted by arranging the works not by artist or chronology, but by broad subject categories: the country, the city, and the home. ..."
Yale Press
amazon
LA Times - New Look at 'Modern Life' : LACMA Show Reveals Continuity of American Impressionist, Realist Painting

Tom Verlaine (1979)

"Tom Verlaine scores a solid winner on his first solo release. Not surprisingly, many of the songs here suggest the music of Television, his former band, especially in the use of vibrant and full guitar textures and frequent solo break sections in which to feature them. Verlaine's fey vocals surprisingly do not detract from the gutsiness of these numbers. Several of the songs here utilize hooky initial guitar riffs in the tradition of 1960s bands like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Beatles, most notably on 'Flash Lightning,' 'Kingdom Come,' and especially 'Grip of Love.' ... This is a top-notch solo debut that bears repeated listenings."
allmusic
W - Tom Verlaine
How Tom Verlaine is creating new waves
Spotify
YouTube: The Grip of Love, Souvenir from a dream, Kingdom come, Breakin' in My Heart, Last Night, Red Leaves, Mr.Bingo, Yonki Time

2007 November: Tom Verlaine, 2010 March: Tom Verlaine - 1, 2011 October: Warm and Cool, 2012 Nov: Little Johnny Jewel, 2012 December: Words from the Front, 2013 July: Flash Light, 2013 October: See No Evil, 2014 October: Dreamtime (1981), 2014 November: Marquee Moon (1977), January: Adventure (1978).

1001 Ways to Beat the Draft - Tuli Kupferberg and Robert Bashlow (1966)

Wikipedia - "1001 Ways to Beat the Draft is a satirical Vietnam War protest pamphlet written in 1966 by Robert Bashlow and Tuli Kupferberg. The text reels through dozens of ways that young men facing conscription during the Vietnam War could avoid service. Kupferberg leaves no societal more unscathed in this anti-war pamphlet, which is considered one of the most notable antiwar publications. Donald L. Simons, in his autobiography I Refuse: Memories of a Vietnam War Objector, wrote 'It is not possible to determine how many men successfully fooled the system, but stories of attempts, and how to do it, became part of the Sixties culture.' The most famous examples were Arlo Guthrie's classic folk song, 'Alice's Restaurant', and the book, 1001 Ways to Beat the Draft. The pamphlet was published originally by Oliver Layton Press, New York; Kupferberg also printed it under his publishing label, Birth Press, and an illustrated version from Grove Press came out in 1967."
Wikipedia
Jacket2: Tuli Kupferberg, '1001 Ways to Beat the Draft'
1001 Ways to Beat the Draft - Tuli Kupferberg and Robert Bashlow (1966)

Jimmy Reed - Big Boss Man (1960)

Wikipedia - "'Big Boss Man' is a blues song first recorded by Jimmy Reed in 1960. Unlike his most popular songs, the songwriting is credited to Luther Dixon and Al Smith. It was a hit for Reed and has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of artists, including Elvis Presley and B.B. King, who had record chart successes with the song. 'Big Boss Man' is an uptempo twelve-bar blues shuffle that features 'one of the most influential Reed grooves of all time'. It is credited to Jimmy Reed's manager, Al Smith, and Vee-Jay Records staff writer, Luther Dixon. The song is one of the few Reed hits that was written by someone other than Reed and his wife. Backing Reed, who sang and played harmonica and guitar, are Mamma Reed on vocal, Lee Baker and Lefty Bates on guitars, Willie Dixon on bass, and Earl Phillips on drums."
Wikipedia
YouTube: Big Boss Man

Astor Place

Barbiere
Wikipedia - "Astor Place is a short two-block street in NoHo/East Village, in the lower part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs from Broadway in the west, just below East 8th Street; through Lafayette Street, past Cooper Square and Fourth Avenue; and ends at Third Avenue, continuing as St. Mark's Place. It borders two plazas at the intersection with Cooper Square, Lafayette Street, Fourth Avenue, and Eighth Street – the Alamo Plaza and Astor Place Station Plaza. The name is also sometimes used for the neighborhood around the street. It is named for John Jacob Astor, at one time the richest person in the United States, who died in 1848; the street was named for him soon after. ..."
Wikipedia
Karen Johnson - Astor Place
Astor Place Area
Curbed NY
YouTube: man in a cube, Astor Place: Riots at the Opera, Designing IBM Astor Place

Roman à clef

The Mandarins - Simone de Beauvoir (1954)
Wikipedia - "Roman à clef ... French for novel with a key, is a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the 'key' is the relationship between the nonfiction and the fiction. This 'key' may be produced separately by the author, or implied through the use of epigraphs or other literary techniques. Created by Madeleine de Scudery in the 17th century to provide a forum for her thinly veiled fiction featuring political and public figures, roman à clef has since been used by writers as diverse as Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, Victor Hugo, Phillip K. Dick, Bret Easton Ellis, Naguib Mahfouz, and Malachi Martin. The reasons an author might choose the roman à clef format include satire; writing about controversial topics and/or reporting inside information on scandals without giving rise to charges of libel; the opportunity to turn the tale the way the author would like it to have gone; the opportunity to portray personal, autobiographical experiences without having to expose the author as the subject; avoiding self-incrimination or incrimination of others that could be used as evidence in civil, criminal, or disciplinary proceedings; and the settling of scores."
Wikipedia
Literary Definition: Roman à clef

Art Zoyd - Rock in Opposition Festival 2015

"The lineup for this year’s Rock In Opposition festival has been confirmed. The 2015 edition of the French event takes place in Le Garric on September 18-20, dedicated to the memory of Daevid Allen and curated by Robert Wyatt. It includes a 45th anniversary appearance by Art Zoyd in a 9-person lineup, which is the subject of a nearly-complete crowdfunding campaign. Organisers Rocktime say: 'RIO’s international influence has been confirmed over the years, due to the intensity of a unique proposition in an unforgettable location. We seek to create incredibly moments of live performance and sharing, where audiences from all over the world can gather round their passion.'”
Team Rock
YouTube: Rock in Opposition Festival 2015 (1 of 3), (2 of 3), (3 of 3)

Shepard Fairey: A Steady Drumbeat Inside and Out

"A steady drumbeat characterizes the work of Shepard Fairey on the street and in the gallery, using art and design and his insight into the corrosive power of propaganda to pound out damning critiques and ironic appeals that address political, social, environmental issues of our day. If the new mural and the paintings, layered collages, and metal sculptures comprising On Our Hands are an indication of our current state, it is a time of neglect and peril like no other – yet exactly like every other. ..."
Brooklyn Street Art

2009 March: Shepard Fairey, 2010 August: Banksy, 2011 May: Shepard Fairey's New Music Video For Death Cab For Cutie, 2013 August: Brooklyn Mural Project featuring Faith47, DALeast, Shepard Fairey, Eltono, Buff Monster & more, 2015 August: Politically and Socially Conscious NYC Street Art, Part II: Caleb Neelon & Katie Yamasaki, Shepard Fairey, Kesley Montague, Icy & Sot, Chris Stain & Josh MacPhee, David Shillinglaw & Lily Mixe

The Greenwich Village vision of artist Alfred Mira

Seventh Avenue, Greenwich Village
"Alfred S. Mira and his realistic, gritty, intimate Greenwich Village street scenes should be better known. Born in 1900 in Italy to a carpenter father, he left school and began working for an interior decorator, dreaming of going to art school but without the 50 cents a day it cost to attend. He did make a career out of painting though; he listed his address as East 8th Street and his occupation as painter in the 1940 census. And he sold his work at the Washington Square outdoor art exhibit, a heralded event decades ago. ..."
Ephemeral New York
Interview with Artist Alfred Mira
artnet

Poetry Center Digital Archive

"Poetry Center Digital Archive makes available significant portions of early audio recordings from the Poetry Center's American Poetry Archives collection, supplemented by select archival texts and images. New files will be added incrementally as recordings are prepared and as we proceed through the collection from the 1950s onward. The Poetry Center, founded at San Francisco State College (now SFSU) in 1954 by English professor Ruth Witt-Diamant, has been recording and archiving tapes of its public events for nearly six decades. ... This collection, together with the Poetry Center housed within the SFSU College of Humanities (Department of Creative Writing), today holds over 4,000 hours of unique original audio and video master-recordings, 1954–present – an inestimable cultural asset. ..."
Poetry Center Digital Archive: About
Poetry Center Digital Archive (Video)
San Francisco State University