Livin’ in New York City Post 20: Protests, Drag Shows and Billy Joel. Also, I’m Now 23.

You never know who you will meet in New York, especially if it’s award-winning actor Mark Ruffalo at a Writers Guild of America protest.

In just over a month, I will have been a New York resident for a year. For nearly 11 months, I’ve been taking subways, enjoying dollar slices, taking in all the sights and trying everything possible in order to make the most out of my time here. In particular, this past month of May has been full of action and excitement as I have, true to my word, tried to do many exciting and new things to celebrate my one-year anniversary of graduating from college and my 23rd birthday. 

One of my biggest pet peeves is when one of those morning show anchors say to their cohosts “It’s May already! Can you believe it? The year has gone by so fast. Can you believe it?” I just want to scream at the television and say “Yes I can believe it Janice! I have a calendar on my phone. I keep a planner. I know that the Earth takes 365¼ days to go around the sun. I have a basic understanding of time. So, yes. I can believe that it’s May!” Maybe that trick impressed people back when literacy was still a rare phenomenon but that won’t fly with me. With that said, May really did go by fast. 

When I go out on one of my adventures, I sometimes have people ask me if I plan them days in advance or if I just come up with them on the fly. The answer is both. Sometimes I carefully and meticulously strategize how I will spend a day. Other times shit just happens. Towards the beginning of May, I was on my lunch break at the LIC Corner Cafe scrolling through FaceBook when I saw an ad pop up that said “win a ticket to a free test screening at the AMC Lincoln Square.” While, at first, I thought it was a scam or some kind of browser cookie, I noticed that there was too much accurate information in regards to the theater for it to be a phony. 

After clicking on the ad, I filled out a survey and found myself invited to a test screening of a film from the studio A24. If you’ve been reading my film reviews, you’d know that I celebrate the filmography of this studio and, as soon as I found out that this studio was attached to the film I was going to see, my anticipation rose for the end of my shift so I could go see this movie. Now, because the film is still in testing stages, I cannot say what I saw and I won’t even say what I thought of it. However, when the film is eventually released, I’ll be sure to say to everyone that I got to see it months in advance. 

Being a part of this test screening was pure bliss. While the crowds that normally see A24 films understand the sanctity of a theater, this was different. This crowd was especially enthused to see this film so early and be invited to fill out a detailed survey explaining our thoughts. It was like being at a press screening to the point where I thought, if I turned my head, I could see the likes of Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael alongside me. 

Following the screening and filling out the survey, I approached one of the administrators of this test audience and expressed my thanks as well as my eagerness to take part in future showings. He then asked me “would you like to be a part of a focus group we’re having afterwards.” Let me see. A forum where I get to talk with people about a film for an extended period of time and they actually give a damn what I have to say? Hell yeah! 

For the next half hour, about 20 attendees and myself openly discussed the film and what we thought of its strengths and weaknesses. At one point, as I passionately and articulately discussed my enthusiasm for the film, the person in charge of the focus group told me to be careful, “or else your quote will get put on the poster.” That might be the best compliment I’ve ever received in regards to my love of film discourse and criticism. 

One of the perks of being on the picket line is that you get to carry a sign with a witty remark on it.

But while test screenings are going well, everything else in film and television is completely upside down right now because of the Writer’s Strike. As I’m sure many of you are aware, many television shows (both live and recorded) and films have been put on hold due to the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) being on strike. For over five weeks, members of the union have put their pens and keyboards down and have taken to the streets to protest their treatment by studios and especially the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Through these pickets, shows have been halted and the message of these writers has grown incredibly strong. 

The whole basis for the strike is rooted in a few issues the WGA has with studios. First, writers want an established minimum wage for their work on streaming. While a minimum wage has long been around for WGA writers on broadcast television and film, streaming has no such practice since it is, relatively, a new format of entertainment. 

Another problem with streaming that the writers want resolved is streaming residuals. In the world of entertainment, not only are initial salaries important for the incomes of actors, writers, stagehands and others in the industry, but so are residuals. When an old episode of television or a film is aired on cable television or when a physical copy is bought, a portion of those proceeds go to the people who helped make the show. Streaming has no such practice. So, if you want to binge watch one of your favorite original shows on Netflix again, the people who write that show aren’t getting any money. It’s not just streaming originals either. With a long-running show like “Friends,” residuals will be paid if an episode was screened on a channel like TBS but not if someone was streaming it on MAX. 

Finally, another issue that the WGA has been pushing for has been the limiting of artificial intelligence software in the creative process. First, I want to make it clear that I’m not completely against artificial intelligence. In fact, it can be quite useful. One famous example is when Peter Jackson and his team were making the three-part Beatles documentary “Get Back” for Disney+. Much of the audio from 1969 was recorded onto one single track of analog tape which rendered many of the Fab Four’s conversations garbled or unintelligible. However, with machine learning and artificial intelligence, Jackson and a group of filmmakers were able to teach a program what John’s voice sounded like or what George's guitar sounded like and the computer was able to separate all of these elements. Not only did this make all of the conversations more clear, but much of the music was able to be remixed in a completely new way.

In fact, I hope this technology is used to a similar effect in the future. How amazing would it be to remix early blues, country and rock-and-roll songs that were previously recorded onto just one track? Think of the positive effect AI software could have on film. However, I am apprehensive about the use of software like Chat GPT in the creative processes of screenwriting and storytelling. With AI now becoming more widely available, there comes a debate about ethics regarding the use of this software and it’s best that the WGA jumps on this now. 

Overall, the yearly wages that the WGA is demanding of the AMPTP amount to over $400 million. That’s only 2% of all the profits made by this industry. Yet, the AMPTP was only willing to shell out $86 million. This is why the strike is necessary and why you’re going to have to wait a bit longer for your favorite shows and film series to be made. 

Despite not being a member of the WGA, I felt the strong urge to show up to the picket lines and show my solidarity. Yes it’s important to spread awareness of the WGA’s struggles on social media and to donate to groups that are trying to provide necessities to writers during the strike but it’s also just as important to show up and march with these writers if you can. I’m a filmmaker. I have an understanding of the difficulties of the creative process. The fact that hardworking, talented writers are struggling to put food on the table while creatively crippled CEOs are raking in hundreds of millions boiled my blood. If I didn’t take part in these protests, I’d regret it. 

After meeting a few WGA members, who had just finished picketing, at the café during the first week of the strike, I asked them where they were going to be next and they told me that their next picket was going to be the next day at Silvercup Studios which is just a ten minute walk from where I work. So, I became a protestor. 

When I went to my first picket, I was excited to see that not only were there a lot of people there but not all of them were WGA. Other unions, including the Director’s Guild of America (DGA), The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters came out to show support and to create an impenetrable picket line. The union power present wasn’t even limited to the entertainment industry. Members of various unions for teachers, construction workers, drivers as well as civilian supporters like myself were marching alongside these creatives. The amount of people present at my first picket was so massive that we had to move some people across the street to form a second line. 

As we marched and chanted, I began to notice a familiar voice behind me. When I turned around to get a quick look, I realized that I was picketing with Seth Meyers of “Saturday Night Live” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” As cool as this was (I mean, how often do you get to protest with a former host of “Weekend Update”), it got even cooler when I saw who else was marching in the picket line with us. It was two more former stars of “Saturday Night Live” turned comedy gods and they were none other than Fred Armisen and Tina Fey. 

Even though I was marching with the creators of some of my favorite shows and films, like “Portlandia,” “30 Rock,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Mean Girls,” and “Documentary Now!,” it was just humbling to see these big names taking part in this strike and standing in solidarity with their fellow writers. While I have seen big names over the past few weeks marching and protesting, going to these lines has never been about celebrity stalking. This has been about showing my respect and enthusiasm for these writers and demanding that studios give them their fair share. After all, if I’m to become a WGA member someday, I would like to know that I will be able to afford an apartment and groceries at the same time. 

While I do work quite a bit during the week, I have managed to find at least one day per week to take part in a picket/rally so that I can show my solidarity for the strike in person. So far, I have been on the picket line five times with locations spanning from Silvercup Studios in Long Island City to Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Naval Yard to Rockefeller Center in the heart of Midtown. 

On my second day, at Steiner, my fellow protesters and I were exposed to high temperatures and a bright, cloudless day. While our unity was strong, it can’t be denied that marching that day was especially grueling. When the marching was done for the day, I was walking to get a bagel when I spotted a place that sold beer by both the case (for restaurants or large gatherings) and as individual cans/bottles. After four hours in the sun and laying down the foundation for a solid farmer’s tan, nothing tasted better than that beer.

My third day of picketing took place in Hudson Yards where the Javits Center was hosting a Disney convention of some sort. During the marching, I noticed that I was walking with a few bright new stars of “Saturday Night Live” like Andrew Dismukes, Molly Kearny and Sarah Sherman as well as several unsung writers. Once again, I marched for four hours, walking for seven miles. After we dispersed for the day, I found myself feeling hungry for a slice of Joe’s on Carmine Street. Keep in mind, I was picketing where 34th Street meets 11th Avenue and Joe’s is on Carmine Street in the West Village. That’s a little over two miles away. Rather than take the subway, I thought “why not keep walking.” A half hour later, I made it to Heaven on Earth for pizza and had two slices. All without breaking a sweat.

Although most of my appearances at WGA events have been picketing, I did wind up at a rally at Rockefeller Center on May 23 where many important guest speakers came to remind protestors and the rest of the world why writers are striking. Among the speakers were important union delegates as well as famous faces like Al Franken, Cynthia Nixon, Wanda Sykes and Kal Penn. Then, when it seemed like the excitement of this event couldn’t grow any more, Tony Kushner came to the podium and we all freaked out. It was amazing to see the writer of incredible plays like “Angels in America” and “Caroline, or Change” and films like “Munich,” “Lincoln” and “The Fabelmans” speak on behalf of the writers and he certainly let the AMPTP have it with witty insults and well-worded injuries which tore CEOs like David Zaslav apart. 

Following the speakers, I was able to make my way closer to the stage where I could see  performances by Steve Earle, who performed a few pro-union songs, and a union brass band. While the brass band was performing, I looked and I noticed a guy who was taking some selfies with WGA members. It was award-winning actor Mark Ruffalo and he was standing right next to me. Trying to keep my cool, I casually talked to him and I thanked him for coming out to show solidarity. He said the same to me, we shook hands and he was gracious enough to take a selfie with me. So, now I have a selfie with this acclaimed star of great films like “Thirteen Going On Thirty,” “Zodiac,” “The Kids Are Alright,” “Spotlight,” “Dark Waters” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s the God damned Incredible Hulk for crying out loud!

Now, you might be wondering if Mark Ruffalo is really that nice. Yes he is! Here’s how nice of a guy Mark Ruffalo is. Not only is very politically active about issues, like women’s rights, education and humanity’s damage to the environment, but he also lifts up the voices of people who have risked so much in the defense of these ideals. Back in 2015, Mark Ruffalo starred in a film called “Spotlight” which told the incredible true story about how The Boston Globe’s titular team of investigative journalists uncovered the Catholic Church sex abuse scandals in Boston which won the team a Pulitzer. For his portrayal of journalist Michael Rezendes, Ruffalo was nominated for an Oscar and he invited  Rezendes to attend the awards ceremony. Although Ruffalo lost to Mark Rylance for his performance in “Bridge of Spies,” Rezendes got to spend a night with Hollywood royalty and watch a film based on his journalism win Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. That is a nice man. 

For my most recent time on the picket line, my fellow protestors and I all held up an on-location shoot in Williamsburg. While we were slated to end at 4 p.m., we ended up calling it early at 2 p.m. so that the crew that was refusing to cross our line could get some work done and get paid. While the overall goal of this strike is to slow things down and to put enough pressure on the AMPTP to offer the WGA a better deal. What we don’t want is good, hard working people on set to not earn their paychecks and to lose their jobs. 

In between my actions with the WGA, I’ve also taken the time to enjoy a diverse range of concerts, shows and beautiful sights throughout New York. After his residency at the LIC Culture Lab with SUSS and a semester of teaching at Brooklyn College, Pat decided to compose some new music and perform it live as a trio of electric guitar, violin and cello all within the span of a couple of weeks. As crazy as that all sounds, the end result was some incredible music that felt cinematic in the main room of the Howl gallery in NoHo. There was an especially dark and moody piece called “The Last Words of Dutch Schultz:” based on the feverish last words of New York mobster Dutch Schultz in his dying hours after a fatal bullet to the gut in 1935. This show was so good that I needed to see it twice just to take it all in. 

A performance of “The Last Words of Dutch Schultz” with music composed by Pat Irwin.

For the last week of my 22nd year, before my birthday on May 27, I decided to make it count by trying some new and exciting things. It had been a while since I’d attended a screening at the IFC Center and I felt the compulsive need to see a film there. When I saw that the theater was playing a whole series of films by David Lynch, I knew that it had to be one of them. Despite being a tremendous fan of Lynch’s work, I had never seen one of his best-known films “Mulholland Drive.” While it would take me at least twenty pages and just as many viewings to detail my thoughts on the film, I can say that I was entranced by Lynch’s hypnotic masterpiece. 

When I was getting concessions for the screening, I saw that they had Heineken beer for the Lynch films. If you’ve seen the 1986 classic “Blue Velvet,” you’ll know that some of the characters, mainly Dennis Hopper’s Frank Booth, have strong feelings towards that beer. So, when I ordered a Heineken and the snack bar attendant just treated it like a normal sale, I asked if he was going to verbally abuse me. He then shouted to me “Heineken? Fuck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon! That's what you'll drink tonight!” There was not a single person in the lobby of the IFC Center who didn’t understand what he was talking about and everyone had a good laugh. Isn’t it great when people just get you? 

For day two my last week of being 22, I went to the Village East by Angelika cinema to see “Tommy,” a 1975 rock opera film based on The Who’s 1969 concept album of the same name. What’s great about the film is that it not only stars The Who, with lead singer Roger Daltrey playing the titular “deaf, dumb and blind kid” and drummer Keith Moon as the perverted Uncle Ernie, but it has a plethora of acting and musical talent in the cast including Ann-Margret (in a role that got her an Oscar nomination), Oliver Reed, Jack Nicholson, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Tina Turner who passed away just two days after I saw the film. 

Watching this room with a bunch of old hippies and young hipsters was a fantastic experience and each musical sequence was greeted with tremendous applause. It also served as a fitting tribute to Tina Turner’s legacy as a performer with her rendition of “The Acid Queen” which lasted a whopping ten minutes. When Turner’s performance concluded and the story moved on, the crowd was cheering so much that I was worried that the theater’s staff would have to pause the film. What I love about cinemas like Village East is how much they care about giving film fanatics the best screenings possible. This was evident at the showing of “Tommy” because the Village East had a replica of the gigantic boots that Elton John wore as The Pinball Wizard. Getting a picture with them was daunting and exciting when you realized that those boots were three feet tall. 

My first drag show was a lot of fun, especially since I saw my friend Andrea embrace this fantastic persona which kind of looked like a live-action version of Snoopy off to hunt the Red Baron.

After the screening, I quickly walked across town from The Lower East Side to The West Village to a bar called Pieces. It was there that I saw my first drag show. Just a few days earlier, my friend Andrea told me that she was reviving her drag persona Donny Divisi and I decided to come on down and show my support. Plus, I’d never been to a drag show before, unless you count being part of a shadowcast for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Well, after attending a drag show, I can say that I had a pretty damn good time. I don’t see what all the fuss is about with Tennessee banning them and other states passing similarly harsh legislation to restrict drag performance. I mean, I just sat down, hung out with some of Andrea’s friends and had a few Bud Lights while enjoying the show. While I’m not part of the LGBTQ+ community, I do consider myself an ally and, even if you remove all of that, I still am interested in performance of all kinds whether it be film, theater, television, music or drag. The entire show was a riveting experience complete with grand pageantry, excellent choreography and a Master of Ceremonies who had the entire bar’s attention. I didn’t think I was going to laugh that much at a drag show but, by God, that MC told some incredible jokes and gave Joel Grey a run for his money which, as we all know, makes the world go around. 

When Andrea came on as Donny Divisi, I saw her do an impressive lip-sync performance to Elton John’s “Rocketman” and I really enjoyed seeing her in her element, surrounded by excellent performers. It was just a good time and I think I might attend another show in the future with a Bud Light in hand. 

Speaking of which, how the hell did this beer become the unofficial drink of the LGBTQ+ community all of a sudden? I mean, I know exactly how. The company partnered with a transgender influencer to market Bud Light and a bunch of insecure, bigoted, mentally crippled bastards decided to throw a fit on the internet. I’m thinking more analytically. Why is Bud Light the hill so many are willing to die on? It’s Bud Light! It’s a beer that I don’t think should even be legally called beer. With that said, when you’re working hard on a hot summer day and the sweat is just pouring from all of the humidity, a Bud Light can be refreshing and I don’t mind it necessarily. 

So, if being an ally means drinking Bud Light, I’ll drink them as fast as Kid Rock can shoot them. Speaking of which, this question goes out to Kid Rock, do you think that Anheuser-Busch cares that you blew up a case of Bud Light? Once you buy it, they don’t care what you do with it. If anything, they’re probably glad you didn’t drink it because it’s Bud Light. It’s the McDonald’s of beer. We all know it’s shit but sometimes it’s what we feel like having. 

Between the Bud Light fiasco, the Target boycott, the complaining about how so many companies are changing their logos to have a rainbow in them for June and all of the laws restricting drag, I have come to an important realization. All of these people who are using this moral panic are hiding behind excuses. Excuses like “I just don’t want it shoved down my throat” or “I just think that INSERT COMPANY should just stick to INSERT THING COMPANY DOES and not be political.” These excuses are bullshit. These people aren’t against drag or Bud Light or Target or any of it. They’re against LGBTQ+ people. It’s as simple as that. They hate this community and they’re using this pitiful moral panic to harness that hate. 

Critics point to drag and act as if it's entirely sexual and should be restricted when the reality is that drag has many personas. Dressing in drag can be sexual but it can also be wholesome, funny, family-friendly or just plain casual. Does no one even remember “Mrs. Doubtfire?” Or “Monty Python?” Or “Cabaret?” Or “Some Like It Hot?” 

But here’s the thing about moral panics and the people who lead/take-part-in them. They’re pathetic. If you know your history, then you’ll know that every moral panic in the past and present has since been, or will be eventually, viewed as a terrible way to use institutions to hurt people for no good reason. We’ve seen this during the Salem Witch Trials, the Red Scare and the Joe McCarthy Hearings, the ongoing War on Drugs, fears of immigration, the belief that violent video games cause real-world violence and the theories surrounding QANON. 

Despite all evidence pointing out that, at worst, drag is completely harmless and, at best, it makes for a good night with friends as you watch a fire queen lip-sync and dance to Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now,” if you still want to persecute drag queens and use this trendy moral panic to attack LGBTQ+ people, then go cripple yourself. Just give yourself a lobotomy with a spork. Because, in the coming years, you will be viewed with all the contempt and scorn that has surrounded swine like Joe McCarthy, Jesse Helms, Richard Nixon and every televangelist who thought that playing “Dungeons & Dragons” would lead straight to Satanism and I don’t think you’ll enjoy this mockery even though it will be much deserved. 

Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral is not only a beautiful house of worship, but it’s also steeped in cinematic history due to its use in “The Godfather.”

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, for day three of my last week of being 22, I not only attended the Rally at the Rock and met Mark Ruffalo, but I also decided to venture down to Little Italy to treat myself to some authentic cannoli and gelato. As I walked up through Little Italy and NoLita, I noticed a building that I thought looked familiar and then I realized that I was looking at Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral (not to be confused with Saint Patrick’s New Cathedral across the street from Rockefeller Center). As a cinephile, this church is especially important since it was used as a filming location in “The Godfather’s” famous baptism sequence where, as he stands godfather to his sister’s baby, Michael Corleone has his assassins murder the heads of New York’s Five Families and settles all family business. 

When I entered the church, it was the middle of the afternoon and there was no mass. There were a few visitors and we all just walked or sat in silence, awe-struck by this beautiful shrine to God. Although, as I was in the sanctuary, it was hard not to think of that sequence from “The Godfather” as, ironically, Michael is asked if he renounces Satan. Luckily, no one was murdered on my orders. Yet. Also, here’s a fun fact for all of you movie fans. While Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral was used for the interior shots of the church, the script called for the church to have a large lawn and to look like it was outside of the city. So, for the exterior shots following the baptism, Francis Ford Coppola used the Church of Saint Joachim on Staten Island. So there isn’t one “Godfather church,” there’s two. 

For day four of my last week of being 22, I went to an event that I have been anticipating for months. As some of you might recall, back in August I attended a concert of Chest Fever, a group that plays songs by The Band. Well, in honor of Bob Dylan’s 82nd birthday, the Brooklyn Bowl was hosting a celebration with The Near Dead Experience performing a wide variety of Bob Dylan songs. Since Bob Dylan’s history is so entangled with The Band’s, Chest Fever was the opening act for the concert. 

Along with my friend Andrew, we went to The Brooklyn Bowl and, before the concert, enjoyed all of the amenities it has to offer: a well-stocked bar, a kitchen which makes delicious meals and a bowling alley. Then, about a half hour before the show was supposed to start, we made our way to the stage and just stood there, waiting for the fun to begin. As we waited and chatted, the bass player for Chest Fever walked up to us and he actually recognized me from last August’s show. He promised that me and Andrew would have a good time with this music as the group would be playing the entirety of “Music From Big Pink:” The Band’s debut album. 

When the show began, Chest Fever was true to their word as they killed it with their eleven song setlist. Not only was it great to hear hits like “I Shall Be Released” and “The Weight,” but they put just as much energy into lesser-known songs like “To Kingdom Come” and Lonesome Suzie.” When they played the song that gave the group its name, it was pure rock and roll with a marvelous organ intro coupled with a three-minute long electric guitar led instrumental section that could have gone off the rails at any moment. As the band played like a train rounding the curve with one wheel off the track, it was pure excitement. When the band finished their set, it was hard to imagine anyone going on afterwards. Fortunately, The Near Dead Experience provided a hell of a show to celebrate the birthday of one of the greatest artists of all time. 

Chest Fever absolutely rocked out at Bob Dylan’s 82nd birthday celebration at The Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg.

The Bob Dylan celebration was littered with hits ranging from his early days as a folk artist with just a guitar and a harmonica to his days as a full-fledged rock star. Songs like “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece” took us on a massive journey throughout the many sounds and personas of Dylan’s career. Even when the fire alarm malfunctioned and went off, the band continued to perform with the house lights up and with a soft tempo before eventually resuming the hard-hitting sounds of rock. 

I don’t think it’s a big secret that, despite my belief in God and Christ, I am not a fan of Christian Rock. I find it to be lame, uninspired and full of lyrics that are either too on-the-nose or just poorly thought out. Sure there are some groups that manage to stand out, but most of it is pure fluff. However, Bob Dylan’s three Christian-themed albums (“Slow Train Coming,” “Saved” and “Shot of Love”) are massive exceptions and I feel a strong, spiritual connection through these songs. When The Near Dead Experience performed “Gotta Serve Somebody,” it was almost like a religious revival with hands being outstretched toward the almighty. But this paled in comparison to the final song of the night “Knockin’ On Heaven's Door.” 

As far as I’m concerned, the music of Bob Dylan and The Band is some of the greatest this country has ever produced and will be remembered for a long time. In a few hundred years, I think that Bob Dylan will be taught in schools on the same level as Shakespeare, Shelley or Whitman. It was a great night and full of love for a truly great man and some incredible music. 

For day five of my last week of being 22, I decided to go to see some theatre. However, I wasn’t really interested in seeing something on Broadway. I wanted to check out something Off-Broadway and I knew just the play to watch after seeing an ad for it in the Music Inn in Greenwich Village. Seeing ”Race: The Movie: The Play” was one of the most hilarious shows I’ve seen in New York with humor that felt like a mix of “South Park,” Mel Brooks, “Key and Peele” and “Airplane!”

A brilliant satire, “Race: The Movie: The Play” is a parody of films, like “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Crash” and “Green Book,” that center on racism but are seen as shallow and stereotypical. Yet, they manage to win a lot of awards. In “Race: The Movie: The Play,” a white man named Wyatt Saveeyer is hired to chauffeur a black musician named Gene Yus across the South. So, it’s basically a repeat of the plot to “Green Book.” However, this plot is set in the 1950s and will see them encounter crazy characters like Ray Cist, Max Hayte and Jen Trifier, because this play is anything but subtle. Together, Wyatt and Gene form a silly, yet meaningful, friendship as they go on a big adventure with massive stakes. And maybe, just maybe, they might end racism. 

What made this play so entertaining is how well it balances thought-provoking commentary on race with absurd comedy that throws everything at the wall. At one point, after Gene is captured and becomes a slave on a plantation, he and his fellow captives come up with a way to reappropriate the n-word from their white enslavers by ending it with a soft A instead of a hard ER. When they call an overseer their version of the n-word, it almost short-circuits his brain and, when he talks to the plantation owner about it, he says “it made me feel kind of cool.” When the plantation owner asks the overseer to say the word multiple times for clarification, the man says “Yeah. Sure. It’s not like I’ll need to work again after this show.” With this scene, not only are you getting a comprehensive analysis of why it’s okay for black people to use that word and not white people, but it’s also really, really funny. I laughed so much watching “Race: The Movie: The Play” that my sides were hurting. 

From the parodies of Wakanda and “Django Unchained” to the fourth-wall breaks to the white protagonist clarifying multiple times that he’s not white, he’s Italian, this show makes me want to check out even more Off-Broadway shows. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great plays and musicals on Broadway but they often have to think more about commercial success. Off-Broadway, there’s more experimentation and unconventional storytelling which is very exciting to experience. Plus, many of Broadway’s best shows began life off-Broadway including “Hair,” “A Chorus Line,” “Rent,” “Hedwig and the Angry Itch,” “Avenue Q,” “In The Heights,” “Hadestown,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Hamilton” so checking out off-Broadway shows might just save you some money and give you a front-row seat to tomorrow’s cultural phenomena. 

As my birthday approached, I was treated to a special surprise when my mom and nana decided to come out to New York for the weekend. Since I wasn’t quite too sure what I was going to do without family for my birthday, their visit saved me a hell of a lot of trouble as I got to share this city with them. With just a weekend, there was only so much to do but I think we made the most of it. On Friday night, after Mom and Nana landed at LaGuardia and as they were taking a cab to their hotel, I punched in the address and called a cab of my own to surprise them. To my luck, I perfectly timed it and, thanks to the cab driver’s efficient speed, I made it to the hotel right after they got there. 

For the next 48 hours, I was always up and moving. During the day, I would be working at the café while Mom and Nana would explore the city and do some of the touristy things that I have already experienced including seeing Rockefeller Center, Strawberry Fields, The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. After I got off of work, I showed them the more intimate parts of the city that I really enjoy. On my birthday, we went to Katz’s Deli for dinner where we had a feast of pastrami, reuben, latkes, matzo ball soup and the always iconic black-and-white cookie. We stuffed ourselves to the point where we needed to take a cab so that we could make it to the Village, even though its central point, Washington Square Park, was just a mile away. 

In the Village, I showed Mom and Nana all of the amazing sights including The Up & Up (which was formerly the site of the Gaslight Cafe), Cafe Wha?, The Music Inn, The IFC Center, Joe’s on Carmine and all of my favorite bars. We also went to The Cellar Dog, where my friends and I shoot pool, for a nice drink and to listen to the live jazz that is played nightly. 

No tour of the Village is complete without going to Washington Square Park and, before going, I told Mom and Nana “don’t stare. At any of it.” Washington Square Park is a weird place where skateboarders, street performers, artists, chess players, musicians, students, poets and other colorful characters come together. It’s definitely a lot to take in and Mom and Nana were almost afraid to venture in there. Washington Square Park may be strange and full of crazy people, but it’s harmless. It also smells like marijuana but you get used to it. 

One site I was excited to show Mom and Nana was the shooting location of one of my favorite films of all time, “Do The Right Thing,” which is just five blocks from my apartment.

For their final day in New York, I showed Mom and Nana my neighborhood of Bed-Stuy. While there is a lot of activity in our parks and local businesses, it’s certainly more quiet than Midtown or The Lower East Side. After showing them a bunch of murals and Do the Right Thing Way, we had a nice soul food dinner at Peaches just down the street before saying goodbye. Despite the trip being so short, we all made the most of it and it was amazing to see Nana experience this city for the first time. 

Following that week of celebrating my birthday and making the most of my 22nd year, I started year 23 by having one of the best concert experiences of my life. Back in October, I decided to see Billy Joel in his long-running residency at Madison Square Garden on December 19. However, just days before the concert, I received word that Billy Joel had gotten sick and was unable to perform. So, my digital ticket automatically changed itself to reflect a new concert date: June 2. 

After eight months of waiting, I finally got to go to Madison Square Garden for the first time to see the great Billy Joel and it far exceeded my expectations. Not only is Madison Square Garden the world’s most famous arena, it’s also the nicest. The seats were comfy, the hallways were clean and the concession stand had pastrami sandwiches. While my ticket was about $200, where my seat was more than justified the cost. I was sitting in the front row behind the stage which meant I was as close to Billy Joel as many on the ground floor and for a fraction of the cost. During the concert, the platform Joel’s piano was on would spin so, for a good chunk of the show, he was looking in my direction. 

The concert was a massive wave of pure energy that rivaled all others I’d seen before it, including Queen + Adam Lambert and Bruce Springsteen. Not only was Joel playing the hits, but he also interacted with the audience quite a bit. At one point, he made us choose which song he should play next. Keep in mind that it wasn’t him asking “which song should I play first?” It was “which song do I play?” the songs he presented to us were “Just The Way You Are” and “Vienna” from his 1977 album “The Stranger.” Having to choose between those two was borderline impossible and yet, somehow, we managed to verbally vote, leading Billy Joel and the band to break into “Vienna.”

Seeing Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden is something that New Yorkers need to experience. It’s a rite of passage.

While Joel is a master pianist, to the point where there was a camera on the side of the piano that solely focused on his hands, he would sometimes get up and sing to the crowd from a mic stand. Now, I’ve never considered Billy Joel a physical performer. However, he told the crowd that he had moves as good as Mick Jagger and told us to watch and see. He waved to the band and they broke into The Rolling Stones’ iconic hit song “Start Me Up” and, honestly, he had some sweet moves. He would twirl the mic stand in one hand like a baton, throw it to a stagehand and strut up and down that stage to our delight.

Despite his age, Joel proved that he still had that golden voice of his younger years when he performed “An Innocent Man.” During the chorus, he was able to hit those high notes like it was 1983. Before he and his band performed “For The Longest Time,” he, the band and the audience all warmed up our doo-wop vocals with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” before immediately breaking into this iconic song. Singing almost acapella with a sold-out crowd is something that just can’t be replicated and I was floored that I was even in the same stadium as the man who wrote some of my favorite music. 

But my favorite song of his was also one of the show’s highlights as he performed “New York State of Mind.” Being surrounded by thousands of New Yorkers as we sang this tribute to our city was incredible. It was like when I heard Bruce Springsteen sing “The Rising” back in april. You just felt that unity. At this concert, Joel not only paid tribute to this city but also to the lat Tina Turner with “River of Dreams” that, halfway through, exploded into a rendition of Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High” that was sung by percussionist Crystal Talifero before smoothing over back into “River of Dreams.” It was a great way to honor this amazing icon. 

At one point in the show, Joel also paid homage to his love of classical music and opera by having one of his guitarists, Mike DelGuidice, put down his axe and sing Giacomo Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma,” a beautiful song from Puccini’s opera “Turnadot.” DelGuidice’s rendition of this aria was amazing and I forgot I was at a rock concert for a few minutes. Instead, I was taken on a voyage that I couldn’t explain. I just had to marvel at its beauty as we all just stood there like all of those prisoners in “The Shawshank Redemption” when Andy plays “The Marriage of Figaro” over the loudspeaker. 

But the real showstopper of the evening was before the encore when BillyJoel strapped on a harmonica holder to his neck and played his most famous song: “Piano Man.” Everyone in that arena knew every word and our singing rose up through the entire arena. At one point, Joel and his band just stopped playing and let the entire audience sing the chorus acapella before starting the music once again. When the show was over, I couldn’t believe what I had seen. All I know is that I want to see him again before his ten year residency at MSG ends next year. 

So, now that summer is officially here, I think I know what I’m going to do for the near future. I’m going to keep protesting, writing, filming and  making the most of what this city has to offer.

It may have freaked Mom and Nana out, but I know just how wonderful Washington Square Park is.