With one foot in classical music and the other pressing the heavy petal of metal music, musical virtuoso Brennan Dylan takes a few minutes to answer some questions for AskANewYorker.com. Among many fascinating insights from his earliest experiences in his musical development, he explains some of the consequences of music piracy, shares the number one… Read more »
New York City of the 1970s is what you discover in Lynn Steward’s debut novel, A Very Good Life. If you miss the Manhattan of that era (or missed it altogether) you’ll especially enjoy the ambiance re-created within the pages of this book. Stepping into A Very Good Life is much like walking into the legendary… Read more »
I will be crispy, very clairvoyant and a little frivolous. Art is food. The ancient realm and art form of paint on canvas holds a central pedestal in my art world. Finding something for my wall is like fitting in a missing piece of my soul. We (humans) like things specific yet universal, simultaneously. Tough… Read more »
For dance performances, most people avoid one of my favorite seats. I like to sit on the side where a portion of the stage is obstructed. Although I miss some of the performance, this inadvertently offers a sliver of a view backstage. Between the side skirts, I can often see dancers standing at the edge… Read more »
More than a technique, more than a school of thought, more than a conception of an idea, society relies upon the artist for the artist’s unique vision. From the artist’s vision, society gains perspective. Artists do not show mirror images of reality. Artists show us how we feel and how we live. Artists align everyday… Read more »
I am back to MoMA PS1 (not because I have to change three trains to get here). But! Because of a young Thai artist whose name I can hardly pronounce. Korakrit Arunanondchai was raised in Bangkok and is headed to take over the art world armed with a wealth of color and abstraction. It is… Read more »
He is the most consummate master of vowels and consonants, the greatest poet. As a philosopher and moralist I have no abnormal respect for him. You guessed it folks. Shakespeare! The man, the dude, the master of masters imbedded in the canons of literature, music, performance art and even everyday language. He had coined hundreds… Read more »
We are all artist. We all create our own lives. As we become adults, we decide to what extent we will comply with society’s demands and how we will balance this with our individual interest. In this, life is an ongoing struggle between conformity and creativity. Conformity securely diminishes. Creativity precariously broadens. As social beings,… Read more »
Circa 2014. Be aware. There will be no intermission but I do have a smoke machine so don’t panic. Today’s ride will be endowed by the mystical power of writing and centered around William Kentridge. In particular his intellectual installation The Refusal of Time in the Met. (This transit is ready to depart mind the… Read more »
Welcome to my vaudeville. A pencil driven farce designed to extract you from the battlefield of routine. (It’s not a pencil, it’s a weapon!) Persistently refusing to confront reality is Patricia Smith as beautifully illustrated in Mapper, her show at the Front Room Gallery in Williamsburg. (Sh-Sh-Shame on you, Brooklyn Zoooooo!!!) She has been wondering the… Read more »
