Ask a New Yorker: What’s up? What’s going on today?
Redd: Not much. We are just wandering. On our way back home, exploring Times Square one last time.
Ask a New Yorker: Sounds like you’re visiting.
Redd: Yep, I’m visiting from Seattle. I was out here for my first New York art show so we are making a week of it, exploring.
Ask a New Yorker: Fashion, design, installation, living art…what’s your medium?
Redd: Painting mostly; we also do some video.
Ask a New Yorker: Elaborate please.
Redd: I’m an artist and we were doing a show that had a musical component and a music video. We flew out works from 13 Seattle artists to give them their first New York introduction.
Ask a New Yorker: Do you have a favorite New York artist?
Redd: That’s a tough one maybe Andy Warhol. And Alexander McQueen is a huge inspiration for me. Actually I came out last year to see the show at the MET. This time we made a little pilgrimage to his store in the Meat Packing District.
Ask a New Yorker: Did you get a picture with the Andy statue downtown?
Redd: We didn’t, but I stood by him for a minute.
Ask a New Yorker: How would you describe your look?
Redd: Today I was describing it as Blade Runner meets My Fair Lady. But it’s different every day.
Ask a New Yorker: I detect an accent.
Redd: I’m originally from Germany but I grew up on the West coast.
Ask a New Yorker: Back to Seattle. What’s the biggest difference from New York?
Redd: Seattle is a lot more laid back and New York is lot more sparkly and pumped up.
Ask a New Yorker: Who has the better coffee?
Redd: Seattle, but New York has better fashion.
Ask a New Yorker: But we have more Starbucks. What are people called in Seattle?
Redd: Seattleites.
Ask a New Yorker: Are New Yorkers as friendly as Seattleites?
Redd: New Yorkers have been really friendly. They are a lot busier and there’s more energy everywhere. In Seattle it’s a lot more chill and laid back. We have had a lot of fun just exploring the subways. There seems like there is always something really crazy and weird and unexpected going on down there. So we’ve been playing “find the weirdest thing in the subway station” game.
Ask a New Yorker: Anything stick out?
Redd: Well, right, as we got on our first subway there was a Russian accordion player playing on the train with his littlie sister going around collecting money.
Ask a New Yorker: Was there a monkey?
Redd. No monkey.
Ask a New Yorker: The weirdest thing I saw was this guy pull down his pants and take a poo right in front of my wife. She was horrified. Anyway, I won’t get into that…what would you recommend I do, see when I visit Seattle?
Redd: We do a thing called The First Thursday Art Walk where all the little local galleries and coffee shops open up. It’s this big night where there is just tons to see, performances, visual arts all of it together in The Pioneer Square area.
Ask a New Yorker: Do you have a website?
Redd: I do. http://candygears.com/
Ask a New Yorker: What’s your favorite candy?
Redd: I love lollypops and anything chocolate, especially German chocolate.
Ask a New Yorker: I’m allergic to chocolate. Do you have anything you’re allergic to?
Redd: Metal. It actually burns my on skin contact.
Ask a New Yorker: What’s your go-to body lotion?
Redd: Candy flavored body lotion.
Ask a New Yorker: Nice meeting you. Come back soon!
