Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival
June 13th, 2013 by Mr. C
Last weekend was another fun-filled celebration on Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan where gleeful culture clashes of immigrant Chinese rubbed elbows with the Jewish Community. The Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival has been an annual event for 13 years – created to celebrate these two cultures living side by side in harmony. For a $5 combo of an egg roll and an egg cream, you can get right down to the core of Chinese American – Jewish American eats!
(Steve Weintraub – Yiddish Dance Master)
(Michael Winograd and the Klezmer Orchestra)
The center of this outdoor/indoor joyous event took place on Eldridge Street between Canal & Division Street with the Eldridge Street Synagogue as the focal point for the celebrations. Festivities included musical performances by Michael Winograd and the Klezmer Orchestra, the Chinatown Senior Center folk orchestra, East River Ensemble of Mencius Society for the Arts, & Cantor Eric Freeman. Steve Weintraub provided the fun dance routines to move along to the Klezmer music! Cultural and language exchanges took place in the form of Chinese & Yiddish lessons while Mah Jong lessons and play took place on the street. Folk Art demonstrations in Jewish papercutting, scribal arts, Tzit Tzit tying, Chinese brush painting & calligraphy, & Chinese knot tying took place in the Eldridge Street Synagogue. Events targeted for the kids included face painting, yarmulke making, designing a chinese paper fan, & creating your own lion mask. Challah making and a Tea Ceremony rounded out the food demonstrations. A Peking Opera performance with a Face Changing routine anchored the day’s event.
(Yarmulke making)
(Yiddish lessons by Mark Sommerstein)
(Chinese Lessons by Julia Guo)
(Chinese knot tying by Cindy Qian)
(Tzit Tzit Tying by Susan Eisman Levitin)
(Chinese Tea Ceremony demonstration by Angel Chan)
(Cantor Eric Freeman)
(Hebrew scribal arts by Rabbi Zelig Mandel)
(Mah Jong)
(Face painting)
(Making lion masks)
(Challah making)
(Chinese brush painting and calligraphy)
(Chinese ensemble)
(Gigi Lee and Councilwoman Margaret Chen)
(Face Changing by Cao Zhen Jian of the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company)
(Peking Opera)
(Klezmer Orchestra)
(Steve Weintraub leading the dance to Klezmer music!)
(Making an Egg Cream
Tags: egg rolls egg creams festival, lower east side
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Big Apple BBQ Festival
June 12th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Skylight Inn with their double cleaver whole hog chopping action at the Festival)
(Whole Hog Sandwich – Skylight Inn)
The Big Apple Barbecue Block party went out with a smoky bang last weekend at Madison Square Park! Once again we over-loaded ourselves with some porky delights enough to get the Dukes of Hazzard County out and about with Boss Hog hot on their trails! Where’s the Boars Nest at? My favorite meal of the day went to the folks from Ayden, North Carolina – SKYLIGHT INN! They served up a scrumptious whole hog sandwich which in my mind blew the competition away. It’s a wrap! The chopped up tender pieces of whole hog including shards of fat & cracklings, bits of finely chopped cole slaw with an added dash of hot sauce – all resting up on a soft pillow of hamburger buns to absorb all the juices. It simply was divine! It was smoky, porky, and crunchy all in one bite! Some other favorites included Big Bob Gibson who also served up a mean & tender/smoky whole hog sandwich w/ a bit of the sweet BBQ sauce lathered all about with the additional white-ranch style sauce accompanying the hog party! Jim n Nicks was another repeat offender – one of our usual favorites serving their smoked out spicy sausage accompanied by pimento-jalapeno cheese! Ed Mitchell’s & Scott’s BBQ rounded out my other whole hog sandwich cravings as I was ready to tap-out with a three count after those delights. We eventually went in with the kill at Blue Smoke who served up a delicious salt & peppered beef rib alongside a tasty pickle!
How many days left for the Big Apple BBQ Fest 2014?
(Ed Mitchell)
(Whole Hog sandwich – Ed Mitchell’s)
(Ed’s team getting ready for their first wave of customers)
(Fire up those coals – Ed Mitchell’s)
(Pappy’s Smokehouse – brushing the ribs w/ some BBQ love!)
(while Pappy himself seals in the flavors w/ a torch!)
(Scott’s Barbecue – whole hog sandwich w/ cracklings)
(Jim N Nicks – Smoked sausage & pimento cheese)
(Blue Smoke – salt & peppered beef ribs w/ a pickle)
(Big Bob Gibson – Whole hog sandwich)
(Fried Apple pie! Looks like an empanada!)
Tags: barbecue, BBQ, big apple block party, food
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Photos From Outer Space 4
June 11th, 2013 by chocko
Once again, Chocko has been combing the streets with camera in hand and ready for action. Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest) was taking part in a Music + Film panel at SVA Theater during the Tribeca Film Festival.
Lead singer of THE NATIONAL, Matt Berninger also took part in the panel. He spoke proudly of his band’s eerie love songs being featured in television shows such as GAME OF THRONES and BOARDWALK EMPIRE. One of THE NATIONAL’s songs is featured in the film WARRIOR, a mixed martial arts movie. A scene in the movie features the saddest NATIONAL song playing while two fighters brutally beat each other up. His band is featured in the documentary MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS which was directed by his brother Tom Berninger during the High Violet Tour.
Legendary West Coast gangster rapper Snoop Dogg recently stopped by the Apple store in Soho to discuss his new moniker Snoop Lion and introduce some clips from the documentary REINCARNATED. Snoop is now all about feel-good reggae music and positivity. On the way out the building, Snoop signed some albums and posed for pics with fans.
Damien Echols of the West Memphis 3 at one his favorite New York hangouts, Sacred Tattoo in SoHo, a tattoo parlor where he spoke, did a Q&A and signed his book LIFE AFTER DEATH. Recommended reading! He talked about the worst years in his life and after spending 18 years in prison, relocating to NYC…walking the streets of Chinatown for hours soaking in the sights and smells. Sacred Tattoo was the first places he hung out and felt comfortable around people. Damien and his wife now lives in Salem, MA where he recently opened The Hermetic Reiki Center.
More fun at the Apple store…Edie Brickell (best known for her 1988 hit “What I Am”) and legendary funnyman Steve Martin recently stopped by to play a couple songs and talk about their recently released album “Love Has Come For You” which features a modern day take on bluegrass music. Great banjo playing by Steve and Edie’s vocals are syrupy sweet!
The “Godfather” of Hip Hop Afrika Bambaataa made an appearance at the Filmmatic event at Sunshine Cinema which feautured 3 rarely seen hip hop documentaries including “Beat This” by Dick Fontaine (1984).
Rachael Yamagata outside the David Rubenstein Atrium in Lincoln Center. We missed her performance but caught her outside during a post-show cigarette break. Chocko took a couple photos and she awkwardly admitted to not knowing how to pose. C’mon now, I know she’s lying.
The Riot Grrrl Collection: Book Launch and Signing at Fales Library Reading Room (l-r) Lisa Darms (curator of the Riot Grrrl Collection and editor of the Riot Grrrl Collection book), Ramdasha Bikceem (GUNK ‘zine) Johanna Fateman (Le Tigre) and Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill + Le Tigre). The Riot Grrrl Collection book documents the feminist movement in punk during the 80’s and 90’s by reproducing ‘zines and printed matter from that era. The book is out now on The Feminist Press.
Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke were at Apple Store along with director Richard Linklater to discuss their new movie Before Midnight. If you have followed the characters of Jesse and Celine since 1995’s Before Sunrise and also saw Before Sunset in 2004, you will enjoy being reunited with the funny and chatty romantic couple once again. Not only will the ladies enjoy the “Before Trilogy” but the dudes will dig it too.
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Tags: damien echols, ethan hawke, julie delpy, new york city, nyc, photos, rachael yamagata, snoop lion
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EDO POP – Lady Aiko
June 10th, 2013 by Mr. C
Faced with a 30 minute time limit at Japan Society for the EDO POP Art Exhibit because of technical issues we encountered trying to check-in our CitiBikes at the 47th Street & 1st Avenue stations, we brisked through the installation just to at least appreciate the visuals of the historic ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the EDO period (1615-1868) alongside contemporary art by living artists. This exhibit was set to close on the following day which unfortunately, we could not make. We wished we could of spent some more time reading and just soaking in the collage of traditional artwork mingled in with the modern. That being said, what drew me in to EDO POP to begin with was the installation by Lady Aiko. Lady Aiko is a Japanese born street artist who uses stencils and spray paint on walls to create pop collage images with bright colors that jump out of the surface. Her murals at the Japan Society were stunning and serene to look at. We first came upon some of Lady Aiko’s creations when she was a collaborator with FAILE as well as some of her own individual works displayed at the Jonathan Levine gallery and at the famous mural location on the Bowery & Houston Street.
Aiko’s murals at the Japan Society were located in a room underneath a huge skylight.
Tags: grafitti, japan society, lady aiko, street art
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BREAKUP AT A WEDDING – Free Advance Screening in NYC w/ Zachary Quinto Q&A – Monday, June 17th @ 7:00pm
June 7th, 2013 by Mr. C
BREAKUP AT A WEDDING – Free Advance Screening in NYC w/ Zachary Quinto Q&A – Monday, June 17th @ 7:00pm
Oscilloscope Laboratories presents a PERIODS. Film – “BREAKUP AT A WEDDING”
** Catch an advance screening on Monday, June 17th @ 7:00pm w/ Zachary Quinto (STAR TREK) Q&A **
at
AMC Loews Village 7
66 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10003
Produced by Zachary Quinto (Mr. Spock of STAR TREK; NBC’s HEROES) and the producers of MARGIN CALL and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, “Breakup At A Wedding” is a new comedy created by “PERIODS.”, the viral video comedy team behind “Viking Wives,” “East of Eden” featuring Penn Badgley (GOSSIP GIRL), and the new comedy webseries “Lil Women” on the Nerdist network.
** PLEASE NOTE **
RSVP does not guarantee admission. Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first served basis. Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to start time.
Film Running Time: 85 minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated by the MPAA
ON DEMAND & DIGITAL – JUNE 18th, 2013
—
BREAKUP AT A WEDDING
Directed by Victor Quinaz
Written by Anna Martemucci, Philip Quinaz & Victor Quinaz
Starring Philip Quinaz, Alison Fyhrie, Mary Grill, Damian Lanigan, Michael Lidondici, Chris Manley, Anna Martemucci & Brian Shoaf
On the eve of their wedding, Alison gets cold feet and decides to break up with her fiancé Phil. But rather than face the embarrassment of calling off the ceremony, Alison suggests to Phil that they proceed with a sham wedding. Phil is more than game to try, secretly hoping that a surprise gift he has for Alison will ultimately change her mind. Yet once the guests begin to arrive, more complications ensue than either of them could have ever imagined – even if they did know their wedding was bullshit.
To watch a clip and for information:
http://www.breakupatawedding.com/
Tags: comedy, Oscilloscope laboratories, Zachary Quinto
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DRAGON GIRLS screening at Brooklyn Film Festival: Windmill Studios
June 5th, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: Inigo Westmeier
Cast: Xin Chenxi, ChenXi, Huang Luolan, Yang Ziyu, Quan Ling, Xu Manyu
Genre: Documentary on Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts school
Dragon Girls is a documentary that follows a handful of young ladies who take up residence at the Shaolin Tagou Martial Art School as they live the lifestyle of training in Chinese martial arts and elementary cultural education. The Shaolin Tagou School is the largest private Kung Fu school in China and incidentally is right next door to the famous Shaolin Temple. It houses 35,000 students, trainers, & educators. It appears that most of the parents that send their children to this school had good intentions that Shaolin Tagou would turn their kids into a well disciplined kung fu fighting machine. The training looked tough. The trainers looked tougher. And the environment looked similiar to being in the militiary. The headmaster of the school reminded me of a warden at the penitentiary. It’s also apparent that some of the students in the school would just as much not want to be there but realize that upon graduation, they most likely would find themselves in a better situation to provide for their families. This documentary if anything raises layers of questions that largely go unanswered at least from my perspective. The movie was uplifting to a certain extent especially when we see the students persevere through the training while still maintaining the playfulness and innocence as kids when they have that one day off. It was amazing to see how the girls sustained their composure throughout despite all the hardships and obstacles at the school. It’s difficult to criticize another culture for their customs and ways of industrializing the population in every aspect because their lifestyle is so foreign to us. What was sad to me was the lack of love and emotion that the fathers showed to their children at times, using motivational factors like “if you don’t place first in the competition, I will not come to visit you”. I thought the interviews with the martial art trainers, the Head Master of the school, and the Shaolin monk offered a nice contrast in thoughts and opinions of martial arts virtue & humanity in general. The student that ran away back home to Shanghai was also a telling story. The hard boiled discipline doesn’t just get propagated to the students as the instructors are also limited in contact with their loved ones. It seems like not only students defect but instructors do as well. Now what does that tell you? My question arises after the student graduates. Where do they go then? Do most go into the Police force, working on movies, or perhaps represent their country in competitions? Maybe they find jobs working in the school as intructors? Maybe most go no-where and end up going back to their village? This documentary never really answers that nor suggests career paths for our subjects. One thinking I have is that maybe the Shaolin Tagou school or if I want to be more cynical, the Chinese government didn’t want certain information to be revealed or suggested in the final output or maybe it was just an afterthought on the directors part?
There was no narration on the film, just interviews with the subjects. Visually the film was stunning offering a birdseye view camera shot of some of the massive training sessions attended by thousands at the school. The synchronous movements and precise coordination of techniques from the students were truly a sight to behold. Although I wasn’t totally wowed by the film, I thought the film was eye-opening and raises a lot of cultural food for thought in a world we are still learning a lot about. I also thought it was brilliant that the director made a film solely on chinese female kung fu practioners because that is more of a trying story in my opinion. In China, girls are not viewed in the same high regards as boys and therefore are not given equal opportunities. The underlying backdrop of old school techniques a la The Shaolin Temple in contrast with the new school train of thought and industrialization of Kung Fu in Shaolin Tagou was a great way to bring the talks to the table.
Go and watch DRAGON GIRLS to see how you feel about alternate education at the school of Shaolin Tagou hard knocks! Dragon Girls screens at The Brooklyn Film Festival at Indie Screen on June 6 – 8:30pm! The Brooklyn Film Festival runs through June 9th.
Tags: brooklyn film festival, china, documentary, martlial arts, shaolin
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New York Chinese Cultural Center performance at David Rubinstein Atrium/Lincoln Center
June 4th, 2013 by Mr. C
Last weekend, Meet the Artist Saturdays at Lincoln Center hosted a fun program for adults and kids as performers from the New York City Chinese Cultural Center demonstrated a diverse set of asian dance, arts, & culture including a traditional peking opera set: In search of the Real Monkey King! Traditional dances from Tibet, Mongolia, and China were also on the set list! We were treated to a rare performance of the Face-Change dance as well. Before the program started, children in the audience had fun at the crafts table making their own Monkey mask to be worn after the show as the Monkey King performer showed the kids a few dance moves from the agile one from the forest! The event was opened with a performance of traditional Chinese folk music.
(Hillary M. Plate – Meet the Artist/Lincoln Center)
Hillary M. Plate, the Assistant Director of the Meet the Artist program introduced this wonderful event to help celebrate asian culture in anticipation of the Monkey King: Journey to the West – Live Performance at Lincoln Center from July 6-28th! It’s a limited engagement – 27 shows only! This Monkey King performance promises a high-octane circus with jaw-dropping gymnastics, jugglers, trapeze artists, contortionists, & Kung fu fighters! Find out more about the event HERE!
(Cathy Hung – New York Chinese Cultural Center)
Cathy Hung, the Executive Director of the NYC Chinese Cultural Center was on-hand to introduce their performers.
(The Monkey King)
(The Monkey King teaching the kids a few moves)
(Kids at the craft table designing monkey masks)
(Kids with their monkey masks on in preparations to learn a few moves from the Monkey King!)
The Face-Change dance originates from Sichuan opera and performers where bright colored costumes with multiple masks. The mask changes happen at the swipe of an arm and the different colors of the mask represent various emotions.
Fan dance highlights the movements and poses of the dancers. Fans can be made from feathers, silk, & paper.
Xinjiang dance is a dance from the Xianjiang region of China which is located in the Northwest. which features landscapes of mountains and deserts. The xinjiang people portray their elegance in their postures with intricate hand and arm movements with buoyant steps. This particular dance represents their daily life.
Tibetan dance symbolizes their spiritual life often using buddhism as a stance to fight against nature and their enemies. This particular dance exemplifies their daily life.
Mongolian bowl dance demonstrates the intricate shoulder, wrist, & arm movements. Mongolians are also known for their hospitality in their culture. See if you can see it emit from this dance!
The Red Ribbon dance symbolizes happiness and good luck in chinese culture.
The Monkey King dance is a traditional chinese opera dance which imitates monkey behavior combined with martial art movements. This dance shows us the Monkey King’s journey to the west as he discovers an imposter!
(All photos and videos by mr. c)
Tags: asian dance, chinese culture, monkey king
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Brooklyn Zine Fest 2013
May 30th, 2013 by chocko
The second annual Brooklyn Zine Fest, the biggest self-publishing expo in NYC celebrating zines and DIY publications happened last month. More than 80 writers and artists crammed into all of Public Assembly in Williamsburg. In the front of the venue there was an outdoor pop-up library and lots of passersby peeking in with a “what the hell is going on in there?” face. At times, it was so crowded inside that it was difficult to move and I felt like I was being helplessly swept away in a riptide of hipsters and crazy folk. It was all worth it. I picked up a couple issues of Deafula by Kerry Radley which is a personal zine about a girl dealing with the experience of being deaf. I also picked up “Dead Hand” a mini-zine by artists Mark T. Sedita and Matt Crabe who draw some really detailed, gross stuff (not for the kids!). The latest Vinyl Vagabonds was hot off the press and features record reviews with a lot of special attention to Kurtis Blow records. I can’t wait for the next one to come out. I also stopped by Katie Haegele’s table to pick up her zine The La-La Theory which features stories and lots of penmanship. Her book White Elephants: Yard Sales, Relationships, and Finding What Was Missing recently came out on Microcosm Publishing and compiles some of her zines into a funny and well written memoir worth checking out. Meet The Lady by Tom Blunt was also for sale and I picked up 2 issues of the humorous and kinda creepy zine in which found photos (from junkheaps) are put together to tell a story. Dessert Island is the best place to buy indie comics in NYC and they were also at the fest with their latest – the reprint of Kicks #1 which was originally released in 1978 by Billy Miller and Miriam Linna. They would both later form the Norton Records label which took a devastating hit when Hurricane Sandy came to town. Flooding from Sandy destroyed a ton of their merchandise. The 100 page reprint features great photos and articles on rock and roll and the proceeds of the book go to Norton. Check out some photos below!
ZINESTER MOSH PIT
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Tags: 2013, brooklyn, diy, fest, public assembly, punk, zine
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The Shirelles played BB King’s
May 28th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Beverly Lee)
The Shirelles featuring one of the original members – Beverly Lee were on hand at BB King’s Blues Club on 42nd Street to rattle off a fun set of timeless Shirelle songs as well as other familiar hits from the Temptations, The Four Tops, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Anita Baker, & more! The Shirelles were a 1960s all girl group that originated from Passaic High School in NJ who then went on to blaze a trail for the future women artists of pop/doo-wop & motown alike. Beverly Lee was accompanied by the new generation of Shirelle’s Diane Spann and Louise Bethune. Diane and Louise have been on tour with Beverly Lee as The Shirelles for the past 25 years or so.
The original sound of The Shirelles with the four young ladies from Passaic, NJ can never be duplicated but Beverly Lee and her new friends come very close in recreating the vibe! Beverly still provides excellent harmonies and great lead vocals on “Mama Said”, “Dedicated to the one I love”, and “Tonights the night”. Lee also went off on the dancefloor as she busted out more than a few moves during her performance of Chuck Berry’s – Johnny B. Goode! It was mucho fun watching her let loose on the stage like hat! Beverly Lee also came out on stage earlier with a skit holding coca cola signs to show that the Shirelles were the first girl group to do a coke commercial. Other memorable performances from the night included singing SOLDIER BOY to a few of our soldiers in the audience who were invited on the stage in honor of our Militiary forces on Memorial Day. “I met him on a Sunday” was also a memorable tune from the night as Beverly Lee introduced this song as a song that The Shirelles created in the auditorium of Passaic High School in 1958. Lee invited male audience members to come sing a few verses from the song. Other timeless Shirelle classics on the set that night included Mama Said, Tonights the Night, dedicated to the one I love, Will You still love me tomorrow, Everybody loves a lover, and Baby it’s you. All in all – The Shirelles put on an entertaining set that lasted almost 2 hours at BB King’s. Thank you ladies for the memorable performance! We couldn’t ask for a better way to celebrate Memorial Day!
As an additional note: THE TOYS, a pop girl group from NYC formed in 1961 but disbanded in 1968 were in the audience! I wished they could of performed LOVERS CONCERTO!
SET LIST
Remember the Time (Michael Jackson)
instrumental medley by the band:
Soldier Boy
Will you still love me
Mama said
Dedicated to the one I love
This will be (Natalie Cole)
Mama Said
Dedicated to the one I love
Tonight’s the night
Money (That’s what I want) – The Beatles
Baby it’s you
I met him on a Sunday (song written in the auditorium of Passaic High School)
What I’d say (Ray Charles)
*Coca-cola commercial skit*
Everybody loves a lover
You can reach me (Anita Baker)
Baby please don’t go
Dr. Feel Good (Aretha Franklin)
I can’t get next to you (The Temptations)
It’s the same old song (Four Tops)
Rolling on the River (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
The way you do the things you do (The Temptations)
Soldier Boy
Will you still love me tomorrow?
I’ve got a testimony
Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry)
(Beverly Lee recreating the coca cola commercial by The Shirelles!)
(Singing “Soldier Boy” to a bunch of soldiers on stage at BB King’s)
(“I met him on a Sunday” on stage at BB King’s)
(Beverly Lee busting out a few moves to Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode)
Tags: 1960's girl groups, doo wop, girl group, music, the shirelles
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Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
May 27th, 2013 by Mr. C
To counteract the events in the city that we often find ourselves diving into with a swarm of hip folks on the hunt for the coolest events that our metropolis has to offer, I sometimes love to take refuge at places that your mom or grandmother might find cool. I’m no gardener or plant connoisseur but I do enjoy the beautiful colors that these irises emit when at full bloom. I definitely find solace looking at these plants under the beautiful manicured space known as the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens tucked away in Upper Montclair, NJ! There are literally thousands of different iris varieties to gawk and admire at! Go-Go-Go before the bloom season is over! The grounds of the garden boasts a large open field with a few picnic benches so you can enjoy your lunch. The Presby gardens also plays host to free outdoor movies in the summer as well as live jazz bands and book signing events! Checkout their schedule pronto! By the way, the garden is technically free but donations are highly appreciated.
The garden is open during bloom season which is May 10 – June 5. The Bloom Room Gift Shop is open from Monday-Saturdays 10am-5:30pm and Sundays from 11am-5pm.
Presby’s Iris Plant Sale continues all season 10am-4pm weather permitting.
The Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens was established in 1927 to honor Frank H. Presby of Montclair, a leading horticulturalist and a founder of The American Iris Society.
The Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
474 Upper Mountain Ave
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043
973-783-5974
Tags: presby memorial iris garden
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Fab 5 Freddy at The Museum of the Moving Image PART II
May 26th, 2013 by chocko
Legendary Hip Hop Pioneer, FAB 5 FREDDY was at the Museum of the Moving Image last week for a discussion about many things including hip hop music, videos and graffiti art. Check out Mr. C’s review of the event in the previous post which includes the music videos Fab presented during the evening. I had no idea that Fab directed dozens of hip hop videos for artists like Boogie Down Productions, Queen Latifah and Nas. I enjoyed watching early footage of the influential public access cable television program called TV Party where Fab 5 Freddy was a camera operator and frequent guest, rubbing elbows with great artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Clash, and Blondie. Blondie immortalized Fab in their song “Rapture” with the lyric “Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody’s fly…” Fab made a cameo in the music video for “Rapture” and in 1983 starred in the classic and first hip hop feature film Wild Style. The film which captured hip hop in its early years in the South Bronx was directed by Charlie Ahearn and celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Fab 5 Freddy also talked about his years on the groundbreaking music video show Yo! MTV Raps hosting the show and taking it to the streets to interview artists such as the BEASTIE BOYS. It was great to see one of my most favorite hip hop groups ever up on the big screen…Mike D, Adrock and MCA (RIP). Check out some footage below of Beastie Boys in full effect along with DJ Hurricane and Fab walking the streets of Chinatown in NYC. After Fab 5 Freddy finished his discussion at the museum, he dropped more knowledge during a Q&A which was moderated by Museum Trustee, producer/director Warrington Hudlin. A member of the audience brought up the Wu-Tang Clan’s television debut with Fab on the scene at the video shoot of “Da Mystery of Chessboxin'” which featured Ghostface Killah wearing a mask during the whole time on camera. Fab had a great recollection of that show where Ol’ Dirty Bastard was keeping it real and talking about being so poor that he had to keep the milk and eggs out on the window sill because he didn’t have a refrigerator. Check out that ILL footage below too. PEACE to Fab 5 Freddy for a fun and memorable night of stories, insight and art.
BEASTIE BOYS on YO! MTV RAPS
FAB 5 FREDDY Q&A moderated by WARRINGTON HUDLIN at MOMI
WU-TANG CLAN on YO! MTV RAPS
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Tags: fab 5 freddy, graffiti, hip hop, momi, museum of the moving image, pioneer, wildstyle
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Fab 5 Freddy at The Museum of the Moving Image
May 20th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Fab 5 Freddy at the Museum of the Moving Image)
To celebrate SPECTACLE: The Music Video exhibit, Chocko & I attended the event “An Evening with Fab 5 Freddy” hosted at the Museum of The Moving Image in Queens which was moderated by Warrington Hudlin last friday night! We almost didn’t make it because of concerns with traffic from NJ at the height of rush hour on a Friday evening and with the prospects of the Yankee game looming large at 7pm BUT we mysteriously were able to bob and weave through the traffic like Ghost Riders gliding into money making Manhattan to “The Bridge, The..The..The Bridge..Queensbridge”.
For those that do not know who Fab 5 Freddy is – he basically is an intellect from the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant who blossomed into a legendary hip hop relic before the term hip/hop even existed. Fab 5 is a pioneer, a transporter, and champion of urban culture through the use of visual arts (grafitti, fine arts), directing music videos,producing movies,making commercials, & just influencing pop culture in general with his eagle eye from the urban jungle! Fab 5’s hustle also led him into the punk rock party scene in the lower east side in the late 1970s with the likes of Deborah Harry, Chris Stein, The Clash, & the Sex Pistols! Fab helped introduce the world of hip hop to the punksters which in turn influenced hip hop to some shades of punk & nu-wave as well! We can all see where this is going now! Fab 5’s fever for the flavor of combining cultural mash ups in New York’s downtown film, music, and art scenes to the emerging hip/hop scene in Harlem and the Bronx which gave birth to a new style onto itself. Fab is a major influence in bringing hip hop culture to the mainstream for some serious consumption!
(Warrington Hudlin + Fab 5 Freddy)
I can remember how Fab 5 Freddy and his personality helped feed my habit of rap/hip-hop in the late eighties along with Ed Lover & Dr. Dre from the TV show – YO! MTV RAPS which juiced me to buy the 12” vinyl singles, 45 singles, and god forbid cassette albums of all our favorite joints! Fab 5 brought the swagger, the hustle, the style as he introduced the streets into our living rooms as he interviewed soon to be larger than life artists like Eric B/Rakim, Beastie Boys, EPMD, Naughty by Nature, RUN DMC, Big Daddy Kane, & Wu Tang Clan to name a few while segueing into their music videos! Between Ralph Mcdaniel’s Video Music Box TV show available to watch on public TV to YO! MTV Raps which was on cable, we would have tremendous access to the latest and greatest from hip hop culture. As I became more fascinated w/ FAB, I ventured over to his grafitti laced movie called WILDSTYLE. The rest is history.
Getting back to the talks on hand at the Museum of the Moving Image, Fab 5 Freddy churned out a TREMENDOUS presentation full of flashbacks and good times filled with music, stories, & music videos of artists that we grew up listening to. We knew Freddy had directed a few music videos (60 plus, wow!) but we did NOT know that he directed videos to rap songs that were basically our soundtracks, our anthems into hip/hop fandom. Music videos that he directed and showed at the talks included: Boogie Down Productions’ – My Philosophy, Stetsasonic’s – Talkin all that jazz, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Road to the Riches, Queen Latifah + Monie Love’s – Ladies First, NAS – One Love, Gangstarr – Just to get a Rep, and Shabba Ranks – Mr. Loverman to just name a few! He even showed a really cool Yo! MTV Raps clip of an interview that he did with the Beastie Boys as they showed Freddy where they used to live on location in Chinatown near the Manhattan Bridge! The whole talks that night at the Moving Image comprised of just Freddy being Freddy with his smooth operator talking self as he discussed the evolution of hip hop from the boogie down and uptown to mingling with the downtown scene which helped to manifest itself to movies like Wildstyle & shows like Yo! MTV Raps which further spawned fans of urban culture which propagated to the whole world! Fab 5 had a memorable story that he shared with us during the talks at the Moving Image that night on how he was trying to convince Chuck D/Public Enemy into creating a music video for them with a budget of $40,000 that would make them explode in the industry. Public Enemy would turn it down, stating that for $40,000 they can front a whole album! In retrospect, we can see how the visuals from music videos can play a big part in getting the message across to your audience. Another fact that we didn’t know pertained to Fab 5 Freddy’s single in 1982 – “Change the Beat”, this song has been sampled and most definitely scratched a zillion times over by old skool and new skool DJ’s alike! We knew about the **FREeeESH** scratching/sampling of course but did not know it was Fab 5’s single that everyone was scratching on! Right on! It was made famous by Grandmixer DST in Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit”.
This presentation by Fab 5 Freddy was entertaining as all hell and captured our attention for a few hours! It really seemed like a flashback to Yo! MTV Raps in a certain way, but 25 years later! You know – talking, showing music videos, talking, telling stories, showing music videos – stylin’ and profilin – REPEAT! It seems like a magic formula especially if you dig the tunes! FAB 5 mentioned that he should take this spoken word/lecture on the road with DJ WIZ on hand to provide the cuts and some added visuals! Fab 5 should very well take the talks on the road because the story should be told! It’s part of american culture. I have got to say that this was one of the most entertaining spoken word events that I’ve been to and we’ve been to quite a few! I say John Leguizamo – Fab 5 Freddy would make a nice combo broadway punch!
Below are some music videos that Fab 5 Freddy directed. He showed these videos as part of his presentation at the Museum of the Moving Image! I added some linear notes from his talks to supplement this!
(Boogie Down Productions – “My Philosophy” – FAB 5 Freddy’s 1st music video venture. KRS-One is one of the most lyrical and positive conscious artists in the business.)
(Stetsasonic – “Talkin all that Jazz” – Fab 5 talked about Stetsasonic’s response to all the naysayers about sampling.)
(Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – “Road to the Riches” – Fab 5 discusses gangsta’ rap from Queens & the crack epidemic at the time. This video helped inspire the movie NEW JACK CITY. Fab 5 helped produce the film.)
(Queen Latifah + Monie Love – “Ladies First” – DJ Mark the 45 King discovered Latifah but wasn’t crazy over her, but when Fab 5 heard her, he was blown away. He mentioned this to Tommy Boy records and the rest was history!)
(NAS – “One Love” – Filmed in the Queensbridge projects not far from this Museum. The video was shot when crack still had a choke-hold on the neighborhood. NAS had all his homies act in the video.)
Nas – One Love (1994) from Golden Era Videos on Vimeo.
(Gangstarr – “Just to get a rep”– One of the lowest budget videos he shot. The video was about a stickup kid in the neighborhood. Filmed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.)
(Guru + MC Solaar – “Le Bien, Le Mal” – Guru’s influence with Hip Hop in France / MC Solaar. Solaar was a smooth rapper and this song blew down the doors in France.)
(Shabba Ranks – “Mr. Loverman”) – Fab 5 Freddy showed the adult cut of this video! Fab did 6 videos w/ Shabba and Mr. Loverman was one of his favorites. This was in a time when R&B was big mixing in w/ reggae and rap. The adult cut of this video was shown on the Playboy channel were you can be a bit more risque!)
(Crucial Conflict – “Hay”) Fab 5 mentions this Chicago group helped influence the No Limit/Cash Money/down south hip hop movement. Fab wanted to instill the southern rodeo attitude aesthetic to this video. There’s a cameo of an urban “lone ranger” in the video as well!).
Tags: hip hop, lecture, museum of the moving image, music videos, spoken word
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