RIP PhifeDawg, aka Malik Taylor and some of 90's NYC

(Above a still from the music video for "Jazz/Buggin' Out" by "A Tribe Called Quest" (1991) featuring a then mostly desolate DUMBO waterfront in the background. Of course that building behind them in this shot is being made currently, into condos.)

Phife Dawg is dead at 45. This one personally hurts.

"Phife Dawg" aka Malik Taylor was a lyricist and key member of hiphop's ground breaking group "A Tribe Called Quest"

Some folks rant about people mourning the death of entertainers or celebs, and if you're kind of fan of "A Tribe Called Quest" then Malik Taylor aka Phife Didd-dawg was the energetic essence of that, but he was also the dude I'd see on the regular in NYC. Specifically in video game arcades where he'd hold down a machine for hours, beating anyone who foolishly stepped to challenge, or just rocking the machine by himself. If you have no idea who I'm talking about let me take a few lyrics from the man himself to explain:

"Now here's a funky introduction of how nice I am Tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram I'm like an energizer cause, you see, I last long My crew is never ever wack because we stand strong"

From "Check the Vibe" by A Tribe Called Quest
(This video shot with contours of a desolate DUMBO in the Background)

Phife on his preference of women:

"I like 'em brown, yellow, Puerto Rican or Haitian Name is Phife Dawg from the Zulu Nation Told you in the jam that we can get down Now let's knock the boots like the group H-Town You got BBD all on your bedroom wall But I'm above the rim and this is how I ball A gritty little something on the New York street This is how I represent over this here beat"

From "Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest,

Phife On fidelity:

"Original rude boy, never am I coy You can be a shorty in my ill convoy Not to come across as a thug or a hood But hon, you got the goods, like Madelyne Woods By the way, my name's Malik The Five-Foot Freak Let's say we get together by the end of the week She simply said, "No", labelled me a ho I said, "How you figure?" "My friends told me so" I hate when silly groupies wanna run they yap
Word to God hon, I don't get down like that."

Also From "Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest

Phife On life(kinda):

"I never half step cause I'm not a half stepper Drink a lot of soda so they call me Dr. Pepper(sad! He was referring to his indulgence of sugars that led to his diabetes) Refuse to compete with BS competition Your name ain't Special Ed so won't you seckle with the mission I never walk the street thinking it's all about me Even though deep in my heart, it really could be I just try my best to like go all out Some might even say yo shorty black you're buggin' out"

From "Buggin' Out" by A Tribe Called Quest,

Damn! Imagine being 20 years old and those lyrics play over Tribe's dope beats as you walk down the street, into the club, off to class, Phife aka #MalikTaylor made an introduction, lines for anyone feeling the vibe, especially someone young as he was then, trying to find their way.


It's very important to note these albums came out over 20 years ago, when HipHop was still a largely unknown genre, and when images of HipHop ranged from under budget to cliched. Yet A Tribe Called Quest powered by Q-Tip's fertile visual imagination, he and Phife's lyrical flows, Ali Shaheed Muhammad's dope beats and all three of their combined energies created videos which were imaginative, bugged out (sometimes literally, as shown above) and always full of Black and Brown faces.

Smiling faces, Hard Faces, Happy Faces, Dancing Faces, Living Breathing on the Block from Bk to Queens, faces. Us just living, being, us.

For a great example check out this video for "Oh My God" which was shot on Monroe (btw Marcus Garvey and Monroe *below) in Bedford Stuyvesant.

I can't begin to express what it was like in the 90's to click on "Video Music Box" (running on a public tv station channel 31 here in NYC at the time) and seeing the block my family lived on, and the people of Brooklyn I recognized as everyday people being the setting for the music of the moment. Tribe was a part of the culture that elevated an unseen NYC for millions of people.

If you're reading this and you've never heard of any of this, it could because while Phife and A Tribe Called Quest (#ATCQ) were pioneers in a jazz infused melodic hiphop that plotted the course for hundreds of lyrasis and producers to come, most notably The Roots, so you may not have heard Tribe on your radio but it didnt matter or as Phife might say:

No need to sweat Arsenio to gain some type of fame No shame in my game cause I'll always be the same Styles upon styles upon styles is what I have You wanna diss the Phifer but you still don't know the half.

From "Check the Rhime" by A Tribe Called Quest

"Rappin' is an art, coming straight from the heart So forget the chart because the action can start."
From "Hot Sex" A Tribe Called Quest (on the Boomerange Movie Soundtrack)

Me, I used to be a gamer, hardcore, and like others I'd go to the city to play the best in the land. I saw Phife regularly in the arcade. Occasionally I'd stand by and watch his gamer skills. He was totally unpretentious. A regular dude like everyone else, flexing skills at a serious hobby, concentrating mad hard, or cracking jokes.

Dudes would come and try talking him up, but usually not, cause Phife was busy leveling up. And if you know, you know how that goes. After a while my visits to the arcade were just to come and go. I'd step in and right back out cause if Phife was on deck nobody had next.

Phife is a part of my NYC, my Hip-Hop my memories. 

Seeing him struggle with diabetes in the "A Tribe Called Quest" documentary was rough, but like anyone would, I'd hoped he was recovering toward a happy ending.

45 is young. Way too young to go.

(Recent photo of Malik Taylor aka "Phife Dawg" Photo credit Andrew H Walker/Getty)

"You on point Phife?" Yo Rest in Peace man.

#RIPPhife #ATCQ #NATIVETONGUES #HIPHOP #FallenRappers #NYC #BROOKLYN #BKLYN #QUEENS #UPTOWN #BRONX #WORLDTOUR #LONGISLAND #VIBE #PEOPLESINSTINCTIVETRAVELS

(Apologies for the wack spacing throughout this, I will be overhauling this blog soon)

Photo Wednesday 091014 : West Indian Parade 2014 Edition

I was in the parade which feels like many more than ten days ago. Not in the parade in the teen aged sense of the days when I'd hope the barricade and join the mostly other non participant paraders, but in a more age mature stroll with my niece and nephew down the parkway lanes, enjoy the people watching and food scents.

From my point of view, having walked back and forth from Franklin to Nostrand and back, as well as taking the train out to Utica Av, (with the exception of a lack of information dolled out to the rank and file officers on where crowds could permissibly cross streets) the parade was a grand success.

I have lots of pics (Senator Chuck Schumer was hilarious with the bullhorn in my opinion) and I'll put up a gallery soon, but I've settled on this shot from high above Franklin Av and Eastern Parkway.

PHOTO WEDNESDAY : AFROPUNK IS WHATS UP EDITION

So yesterday was a lot. I'm still recovering from the greatest weekend in Brooklyn this summer of 2014.

The Afro Punk Festival had been on my calendar since I was forced to miss it last year, and then outta the blue Spike Lee, 40Acres, DjSpinna and the New York Knick City Dancers (?!) decided to throw a huge old fashion Brooklyn block party styled tribute to Michael Jackson at Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy.

So of course I hit both.

And (as you can see) I got pictures, click through the one below or check the album (since yahoo killed flickr's slideshow function https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_fuetur/sets/72157646939767815/)  and it's like you were there, only much quieter and less cool.



and video and stories and my god there needs to be another weekend between last and next just to express all the greatness that went down, from Spike hosting a good all family event for longterm Brooklynites and newcomers from around the world, including bringing out two of the newest Knick players, to a free rock event that somehow got a fraction of the Arcade Fire concert's media coverage despite it being just walking distance away from AfroPunk which was hands down the greatest music event last weekend and possible of the August if not the summer.

Here's a list of bands if you were getting married last weekend or just had fingers in your ears:

Meshell NDegocello
Fishbone
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
D'Angelo
Bad Brains
Alice Smith
Lianne La Havas
Unlocking The Truth
Body Count with front man Ice-T
SZA
The Bots
Valerie June
about half The Roots
and thats only about 1/5 of the show. Plus there was food beer and rows of tents with vendors selling artwork, clothing and more. And entry was free.

So up there is a slideshow of some of the best pics and I'll be getting the video I shot soon with some special clips.

Dance Africa all this Weekend @ BAM

What a year this has been so far, just yesterday the Great Spirit of Gil Scott-Heron passed across us all, and without gettin in too deep, that event reinforces how much of a year of transitions and lasting world altering change this has been already. There have been similar shifts in my personal life and I've noticed some changes in the local bloggy world, which I'll be getting into in future posts but yes, even without a discernible fictions rapture, it seems there is much realigning in our lives this year.

Thats a big lead in, but in times of uncertainty celebration of life and tradition is always good, and a great example of that is the annual and ongoing event Dance Africa at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this Memorial Day weekend.

Dance Africa has stood for over 30 years as a kick-off to Summer events in Brooklyn and throughout the city and it also the place for Great Culture, Great Food, Great Sounds all downtown in Brooklyn of course. After the damp grey May we've had it's time to get this Summer going!

Check http://www.bam.org for more info

Soul Summit Today!! Fort Greene Park! (updated)

So yesterday's news was a deadly downer, but today is a dancing delight! (yeh I'm corny, I grew up reading the Daily News, much luv NYDN!)

(Update: The Soul Summit, which has been getting short-changed by the city for years, shrinking from a summer long event to recent years when there have only been three days of soul glow, was cut further this year. The same edition of the soul summit I referred to in this pos turned out unexpectedly to be the last. It was during the DJ crew's spoken thanks to the crowd of dancers an supporters in general that we heard the MC say "this is the last Soul Summit if the year" Meaning this year's soul summit lasted only two separate days. Local officials tried to express the reduction as a result of compromise with other neighborhood elements, personally I think Fort Greene Park having hosted a separate concert earlier in the summer somehow cut into te number of park events local residents were willing to accept. In any event it's a fine example of the old broken and dangerous park being good enough for locals and the new refined realigned park being too good for us. Yeah that motivates improvement...)

Today is Fort Greene Park is another edition of the hilltop House party known as the Soul Summit and it's wonderful. Families, old friends, dancers, artisans all moving to the steady beat of rare grooves and deep house music.


It's going to be fun, it's free to come, and there will be good memories made.



I love coming out here, seeing the beautiful people of all shapes, sizes, colors and cultures. United in rhythm.

 It's from 3pm to 8pm so the music won't stop when the sun drops...



The Soul Summit party has been a tradition since at least 2002 in 2003 it moved to Fort Greene Park where its been ever since For more details:http://soulsummitmusic.com/

And if you are into social dance (an umbrella term for many forms of dance including House) theres also the Coney Island Dancers who get down on the Coney Island Boardwalk (natch) weekends all summer along.

Photo Wednesday 05/19/10: Video Beat Box Edition

As mentioned in last week's post, this past Saturday was Habana Outpost's Annual Block Party, and on top of an afternoon of good food, beautiful sun soaked people churning around the intersection at South Portland and Fulton St. there was also a near endless amount of music. The performances were headlined by Bajah and The Dry Eye Crew (who will be on stage with The Roots July 11th at Celebrate Brooklyn) and as if B&DEC's blend of Sierra Leone inspired Hip Hop was not enough, along came a surprise special guest in the form of the Original Human Beat Box, Doug E. Fresh. Doug dropped some classics, played a little music history, led a light hearted call & response, busted some fly olSkool moves and of course, spread love the Brooklyn way. Video below...

Saturday: Prospect Hts Flea, & Habana Block Party in Fort Greene

Sunny Saturday in the city. After days of September weather I hope you're ready to soak up the 70° sun.

For activities I recommend these two:



World Akcent's Artisan Marketplace Prospect Heights Flea. A long name to be sure. But it's all to describe a very casual flea market with over 40 vendors in the cool shade atop Eastern Parkway at little Dr. Ronald McNair Park(which is the patch of green space on the other side of the Brooklyn Museum, across Washington Avenue).





I found the market two weeks back and it will be occurring every two weeks through the summer. It was great for a simple stroll even. I passed through amid happy shoppers, cool merchants all in a very friendly space with live music and an easy attitude. Among some great wares on sale there were fashions from Society HAE (as in the shop Harriet's Alter Ego) (Shout out to Ngozi!!)

Dr. Ronald McNair Park is located on Eastern Parkway btw Classon and Washington Aves. You can take the subway to the Eastern Parkway or Franklin Avenue stations to get there. Check MTA.info to avoid their weekend construction madness.

My next recommendation is Habana Outpost's Block Party(below).

The party's events will be going on today from 12-4 with kid friendly activities, a designers market featuring hand-made crafts for sale and musical performances all afternoon from diverse talents whose music stylings range from Salsa, to London Soul, to HipHop from Sierra Leone courtesy of Bajah and the Dry Eye Crew.

Also I have it on good authority that there will be a very special guest performing after B-DEC's set, so don't be the one who missed....

You can get to Habana Outpost directly by the Lafayette C train station but except it to be impossible to exit during the late afternoon from the South Portland exit which is almost center of the block party activities. Try exiting at Greene Avenue and walking down Fulton Street. Same as above check MTA.info for less travel headaches.

Photo Wednesday 04/14/10 : Guard Your Grill Edition

Taken on Franklin Avenue near corner of Lincoln. (No bailout here)

Franklin Avenue in the (say it with me) Crown Heights section of Brooklyn has had a lot of rough and occassionally violent goings on lately. To be fair, ten years, twenty years, even thirty years ago, this would not have been news. But the Ave has been getting noticeably better, garnering news coverage, blog posts, and a neat crop of new businesses especially eateries, so it can be shocking to hear about rooftop snipings (I'm sure they were targeted, but still) and brutal slashings (again targeted but still..) Anyway, we live in a big city, not everyone in this and often other city neighborhoods beamed down from college, loaded with dreams and a taste for IPAs. There's at least two worlds existing side by side, with some broad overlap but not alot.

Some people (especially young ones) are living in a state of mind that offers extreme views and more extreme choices. Last night while I was sitting at Franklin Park (a fave) on St. Johns, a series of loud screams erupted outside in the street. Suddenly a line of figures went sprinting horizontally like two-dimensional characters in a Scooby-Doo episode. They were teens, across the street, running top speed, police officers followed right behind, and inexplicably another line of teenagers ran after the cops. All of them yelling at each other.
After, I and the rest of the outdoor beer garden patrons of Franklin Park watched the HDTV like scene and then turned back to our beers and socializing.

It's logical to fear random violence, which by definition can happen anywhere to anyone but these recent acts aren't random. Sad but not random. A friend living on Crown St. is considering a move after hearing about the rooftop shootings, and I can understand that. I would say that you generally can't escape New York's mean streets entirely, but staying aware is a big part of not being a victim.

UPDATE* Media reports the rooftop shooter suspect apprehended by Police (according to reports the 21 year old was a "rival" of the intended victims and was found hiding under the bed of his sister's apartment. Classic.

Missed it Monday: Easter Sunday Edition

Easter Sunday in Brooklyn

I got around yesterday but not over to "Ch'uch" which I guess was just as well that I didn't because none of my clothing even comes close to the finery that families were styling all over the borough. I caught up with one of those families after making a painful dash in search of a B45 bus stop (resulting from another Atlantic Yards failure, which I will be raising the ruckus about soon) anyway once I was on the bus, and basic levels of oxygen returned to my mind I met the Vann family, fresh from Church full of the Eucharist Spirit and they were kind enough to pose for this picture.



Apparently sunday was also an unofficial day of 花見 meaning Hanami" which means "cherry blossom watching". Even though the official Hanami is a month away and the dense grove of cherry trees which produce near firework like bouquets were not in bloom there was still a lot of color to see.

(My apologies for this post being up without photos, I tried to blog it from a moving subway train on Manhattan Bridge, and it worked, but not so much.)

Sunday Stories 01/31/10: Bruekelen Born Edition

Time for a quick sample of Sunday Stories. The NYTimes has this article about the Wyckoff-Bennett Homestead out in a part of Brooklyn I always thought of as Midwood or Flatlands, that the paper refers to as "Madison". Makes sense I guess, Madison High School (home of the coolest female teachers ever) is a few blocks from the locale of the homestead.

The subtitle of the article is "A Prewar Home, to say the least" that's because the house predates the American Revolution. The Wyckoff-Bennett Homestead is one of a few remaining original Dutch farmhouses that dot the far reaches of Brooklyn, dating back to the days when Brooklyn was spelled Bruekelen (for land of Brooks as this place was). Btw, that spelling of Brooklyn really confuses the hell out of at least some neighborhood newcomers, if the conversations I've heard around Franklin Avenue are any indication.

Back to the article, which is sweet and feisty, profiling the long lived couple who own the home and have in their time considered a ghost, stood up to the city and lived among historical notables (rye for the king and Hessian graffiti!).

The Wyckoff's in short were major land owners in Breukelen during the 17th century. The family name as the article notes had been Claesen before the British forced the adoption of British names.

Anyone who lives in Crown/Prospect Heights, Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill and/or riders the B48 might recognize the sound of Claesen since it's the root of "Classon" avenue. So a heads-up to those of you who pronounce the street as"CLASS-on" You can stop now, you're wrong. It's "CLAW-SEN" (I'll rant write more about that and other local identity peeves later).

Back to the Wyckoffs, today their family name came be found unceremoniously througout the borough and the area extending out to Jersey. Another of their houses still standing, the Wyckoff home on Clarendon Road in East Flatbush is officially the oldest standing home in New York City, and you can visit it here. Wikipedia notes: The Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum is the oldest structure in New York City, with rooms dating back to 1652 (New Amsterdam).

Another heads-up, I lived out that way too, if you go to the Wyckoff home expect to find a residential/light industrial neighborhood surrounding the home and not much else). One of the more infamous places you'll find the name today is the Wyckoff public housing complex in what I personally used to call no man's land but is more clearly defined today as next to Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens.

Another colonial farm house referenced in the article is at East 48th Street, in what I still consider to be in the Flatlands (although that's debatable) and I knew the house before I'd even googlemapped it. The home on E.48th a few blocks from one of my many childhood haunts was and is different from all the others on the block. While the rest of the block is made of the standard two floor brick home that consistently covers the residential enclaves of the outer boroughs, the E. 48th home also dates back to colonial days.

Riding my Huffy through the neighborhood, making utterly unnecessary (but vital) stops at Red's toy store (where my uncle practically lived every Christmas Eve) and then continuing through the neighborhood I'd pass dozens of the these outstanding homes. To me they gave off a sense of deep history beyond simply being architecturally different from their surroundings. So I find it cool that the Times took times to report about one.

I went, as I do, on a cascading set of google searches in an effort to get more information and I found a lot. Too much write about now (unless I give up on laundry, groceries and eating) but here's one great link I found as a result. It's to the site "www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com" which is a repository from many things of past Brooklyn. Enjoy.

Missed it..?: West Indian Day Parade/Carnival Edition

A slide show of photos from yesterday's West Indian American Parade/Carnival 2009.

And now video! These are short clips from (arguably) the largest representatives at the parade: Jamaica, Trinidad and Haiti.


Jamaica


Trinidad


Haiti

And what would the Pahkweh be without an aerial head check by the NYPD...

Photo Wedns: 09/03/09: Sensing a Parade, the Dragon strayed

I'm not familiar with a Chinese cultural parade through Crown Heights, so I assume this mythical creature got lost. Or maybe it's just early for next week when the West Indian Day Parade/Carnival marches down Eastern Parkway, just a block away from where this photo was taken.

Photo Wed: 7/08/09 : Janelle Monae the future now

The AfroPunk festival at BAM continued through this past Monday and featured a terrific example of what the next big thing looks like in the form of Janelle Monae. I've been hearing about Janelle for more than a year and I may have seen her a stage in the last 6 months, but what I saw on Monday was an unforgettable "I saw her when" moment.


The set was short about a half hour, in front of a crowd seasoned with neon teen skate rockers, artists of all kinds, counter-culture holds outs and Hip-Hop grandparents. The audience, hyped on Janelle for hours leading up to the show erupted when she appeared and kept high and deep energy levels for her throughout.


Her band of three was as fast and furious and rock star appropriately over the top as Janelle was, black ties and all. Janelle as you'll see in the pics, has a specific style that accentuates her moves whether shes posed for shock, or poised to bare her soul, or even suddenly paint a picture, while singing, which she did.

Of the band's style I especially dug the Prince Valiant do on the bass player. The songs went from high powered herky-jerky rock funk pop numbers that I recognize but whose titles escaped me, to a very sweet rendition of Smile, dedicated to Michael Jackson.


Moving The Crowd: two guys were motivated to these heights, climbing a nearby
trailer and becoming impromptu backup dancers, by Janelle Monae's performance.

The descriptions I heard, in the many post performance conversations were heavy with references to André3000 and Annie Lennox. I could add to that Grace Jones, Gwen Stefani and Marvin Gaye. But I think while it may be hard to aptly condense her windup-metropolis-robot-slash-moshpit-rage-meets-pop-syncopated-movements and the jasmine-velvet-whispers-broken-by-primal-screaming-and-funk-grunts of her voice into an easy description; I think you'll agree when you see her that we owe it to her to condense all that she is and will be into two descriptive words; Janelle Monae.


And since this is Photo Wednesday, here are some more views from Afro Punk 09
(Don't for get the Afro Punk Block Party is this sunday in Clinton Hill)


lemme guess; radiohead.

Subway Shmutz and PP Bandshell Bonus

Thursday Random

The Times reports on the Straphanger's report of the cleanest and shumtziest subway lines: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/subway-cleanliness-from-7-to-r/?hp

And tonight at the Prospect Park Bandshell, Femi Kuti & the Positive Force/Melvin Gibbs Elevated Entity. If you don't know about the musical majesty of Femi Kuti (son of Afro Beat legend Fela Kuti) now's your chance to jump, funk and sway to the rhythms. Gate @ 6pm donations suggested ($3) http://briconline.org/celebrate/

Weekend One-Liners 6/12-6/14

If you're not as cool as this cat, and you don't have a ton of things planned for the brief sunshine this weekend has to offer, here are a few weekend-one-liners. Also Happy Pride.

Friday 6/12
"3 THE HARD WAY / A WILD MUSICAL RIDE FOR BROOKLYN PRIDE /feat DJ SELLY / DJ LYNNEE DENISE / DJ RIMARKABLE - DET/SF/NY @ LITTLEFIELD - 622 Degraw Street bet. 3rd & 4th Aves.Music and Much more details/tix @ http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/367
PRESENTED BY UBIQUITA WORLDWIDE, GAY GIRLS GUIDE & ILOVEUPEOPLE.COM"

All Weekend (Show Ends Sunday!)
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater At BAM www.bam.org

All Weekend (ends Sunday!)
Northside Music Festival "Four Days of Music & Art in Brooklyn" http://www.northsidefestival.com/

DANCE AFRICA in and around BAM! This Weekend!

Feel that 84 degree sun? Before you leap from that digital box and squeaky office chair I wanted to remind you that Brooklyn's beloved Dance Africa festival is happening inside and outside BAM this Memorial Day weekend.



Expect good looking people, performances, crafts, an outdoor shopping bizarre and a ton of island and soul food so good, best to get on line now.

Ashland Place and Lafayette Avenue outside and inside BAM.

For more info check their link [www.bam.org].

Below more pics from last year, don't say I didn't tell ya!


Local Colors


Food Crowds






Rhythms for Everyone

PhotoWedns 3/18/09 Thank You, Gowanus Lounge

A place to rest.

A "Street Couch" as coined by Robert Guskind of GowanusLounge.com

Brooklyn is a place to rest. Lounge even. That's the way I see it.
No matter how much posh, chic, glass walled, towering steel is projected on us I'll always see Brooklyn as the living room to Manhattan's rumpus room. Being raised in a brownstone on a tree lined street and traveling to Manhattan for BIG shopping, BIG movies, and other types of BIG fun will form that mentality. Some people might want an eight-foot diameter disco ball in their living room, not I. That's why I go to clubs. In Manhattan.

The blog Gowanus Lounge reminded me of that sensibility. If you don't know it's a blog whose view was the Gowanus section of Brooklyn and whose focus seemed to be all things in the world that effected Brooklyn and vice versa. The blog presented a stream of thought provoking neighborhood news, upcoming events and lighthearted features such as the "Street Couches Series" where they'd post a photo of couches that for reasons left to the imagination, furnished the curbside. I enjoyed the challenge posed by the Street Couch Series to look at more than just the literal and apply my imagination to something others might regard as worn and past it's prime. That's how I took it anyway.

Unfortunately, the founder of the blog Robert Guskind, who some have referred to as the "Brooklyn Blogfather" passed away a few weeks ago on March 4th. As I wrote in comments on other blogs I never met him but I enjoyed Gowanus Lounge and am happy that his loved ones are continuing the site.

So last week I was walking through Prospect Heights, (me old stomping grounds) I found not one but two Street Couches, one on the curb and the other footsteps away, on deck.

And suddenly I wasn't just walking down the street surrounded by the discarded past, I was part of an urban fantasy scavenger hunt. I'd found treasure! I whipped out the camera, snapped some pics and thought how simply fortunately it is that Guskind decided to share his views of Brooklyn and imagination with us.

Thank You. Rest (Lounge even) in Peace, Robert Guskind.

Great set of 70's Brooklyn photos on Flickr

Photo from Flickr by user Whiskeygonebad.

Someone passed a flickr link to me of a photoset belonging to photographer "Whiskeygonebad". I knew nothing about the guy, but his photos are a great mix of family memories, everyday hanging out, and teenage bravura all dressed in a palette of 60's, 60's and especially 70's Brooklyn. He's posted photos from as far back as the 40's as well. Check out his works if you want another idea of how many eras and worlds exist all in Brooklyn.

"Whiskey" in addition to having a great compositional eye, is Italian, grew up in Boro Park. Looking at his 70's pics I felt like I was viewing the art directional inspiration for Saturday Night Fever. Here's that 70's set. [Flickr]

And somewhere Al Bandiero is smiling

I was listening to 92.3 K-Rock this afternoon when suddenly the most annoying song (in a world of annoying songs) came on and wouldn't go off. The sound of ticking was the only thing heard and I keep waiting for the vocoder to drop when finally I realized, I was listening to the last moments of the station 92.3 K-Rock. I'd read earlier that they were changing formats, and the same afternoon I faintly heard mention of the change coming at 5pm. Sure enough, it was three minutes to 5, and the ticking wouldn't stop. Cheekily they punctuated the ticking with a heart monitor going flat line.

The first song seemed to be a Kanye remix, the fifth or sixth? DMX. awesome, how many not laid off frustrated workers were in the middle of their turnpike commute jonesing for some Bon Jovi when they had to listen to the Ruff Rider himself growl at them from the mid 90's. I'm sure Obama will get the blame for this change.

For those who read this and have some remorse for the former modern rock format, renamed 92.3 NowFM (lame, but it's always now, no?) all I can say is it was 1985 when the great dance station 92 KTU became K-Rock, (yeh they hopped over to 103.5 but everything changed) ending a station that was one of the most heard in the Disco era in NYC. Al Bandiero anybody?

Sadly it does leave the city that much closer to cultural hegemony.

For a sample of what used to be heard from 92.3 on the dial check this sample.

Harriet's Alter Ego. Us moving through it, it moving through us

I'm shaking up this Photo Wednesday a little bit to talk about the iconic urban boutique Harriet's Alter Ego.

Harriet's was a landmark for ten years and through two locations first on Flatbush near Fifth avenue (at the toe of the footprint that is intended to be Ratner's folly aka Atlantic Yards) and later when that location was closed for demolition, causing Harriet's to move further up Flatbush Av to it's second home between Prospect and St. Marks. It has been more than a launching point for cultural creatives of color, it has in a long and short time nestled into folk-landmark status in Brooklyn's recent geographical and psychic landscape. After all that and more, Harriet's Alter Ego was closed Saturday with a joyous celebration (to paraphrase) of life, death and the spirits of our ancestors.

And dayum it was so good fun.

Old friends, new friends, small children, veggie buffet, flying fashions. All good indeed.

I'm not going to go on about the vibe at the closing party, or the rhythmic press of throbbing bodies. I won't try to encapsulate the shop co-owned by Hekima Hapa and Ngozi Odita that gave lift to the wings of so many talents. I won't do any of that any further because I feel the most striking sensation of the night was of energy let loose and run rampant resulting in the following moment. At one point I moved quickly from the dance floor because I realized that between the people, the movement and the resulting generated heat, I couldn't breathe.

I went outside, out to the freeze post midnight sidewalk and swallowed long gulps of cold air. Looking around I was surprised to see how many others were doing the same. And then I saw what for me was the quintessential defining image of the moment. It was the door of Harriet's cocked open with a heavy flow of steam billowing out. Not from a stove or furnace but from the power, the pure heat of the energized 500 plus who through Harriet's, let their spirits soar. The energy couldn't be contained, of course it went free.

Based on what Ngozi was saying you should keep and eye and an ear out for when that energy resettles, because it will.


Harriet's Alter Ego Blog

Harriet's Alter Ego Website

And if you want a taste of what has been check this courtesy of the youtube