Livin’ in New York City Post 29: We’ll Do Almost Anything to Beat the Heat

One of my favorite recent events I attended was a special screening of “Stop Making Sense” at the King’s Theatre which featured a Q&A with all of the four members of Talking Heads.

Since the beginning of summer, New York has only gotten hotter, muggier and more intense. When stepping outside, the air rapidly changes. It feels heavier and taking a single breath is like having a small weight on your chest. In spite of the more negative side effects of the summertime heat, it is still a good time to be in the city. The time is already going by fast and there’s still several seasonal activities that I need to do. I still haven’t been to the beach yet. I guess I’ll get to that soon, especially if I make a visit to the famed Coney Island. 

In the world of film, I have been taking advantage of the many opportunities to see great films with great people. It’s such a comforting feeling to know that I can leave the house and the chances are good that at least one independent theater in the city will be playing a classic film that I love. New York is a film lover’s paradise. So many of the greatest films of all time were shot here and the numerous theaters in the five boroughs are always hosting events for filmmakers. One such event I went to was a very special screening of a new Western film titled “The Dead Don’t Hurt”. While I was scrolling through Instagram, the algorithm that controls what I see showed me an advertisement for a screening of the film that would have a Q&A featuring the film’s director Viggo Mortensen. 

I immediately bought a ticket because not only was Mortensen the film’s leading actor, director, writer, producer and composer, but he also happened to play Aragorn in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Since those films are among my all-time favorites, I knew that I had to get a ticket. So, I bought a front row seat and went to see the film. “The Dead Don’t Hurt” was, by itself, an excellent Western film and I would place it alongside some of the finest Westerns of recent years like the remake of “True Grit” or “Hell or High Water”. Then, following the film, Viggo Mortensen came out to talk about the film and answer some questions which absolutely floored me. He was a very thoughtful and subdued person with some very interesting stories about the making of “The Dead Don’t Hurt”. But the entire time I was just in disbelief that the actor who mesmerized me when I was 12-years-old was sitting right in front of me. What was even crazier was that Patti Smith was sitting a few rows behind me. So here I was, sandwiched between an Academy Award-nominated actor and an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s precisely for this reason why I love going to see as many films in a theater as I possibly can. 

Amid the screenings, I have also been taking the time to see the multitudes of live acts that can be found in New York’s parks, bars and music halls. In the time that I’ve lived in the city, I have grown to befriend many talented local musicians who are hard at work, busking for money, playing shows, planning tours and making albums, singles and EPs. One such musician is Jimmy Climbs who combines fun rock songs with good vibes and a phenomenal stage presence. I had seen him perform at the Music Inn open mics multiple times but I hadn’t seen a full show from him since April. So, I went to a bar in Alphabet City for his show and joined my Music Inn crew as we danced to his songs. The whole time I was filled with this strong feeling of camaraderie. So many of the people I was with that night came from the Music Inn and showed up to support one of their own. 

At a screening of “The Dead Don’t Hurt”, director Viggo Mortensen (right) participated in a Q&A where he discussed the joys and challenges that cam with making his Western film.

To be in that kind of environment is nothing short of incredible for the creative mind. Whether you’re a filmmaker, musician, poet, writer, painter or any kind of creative, it’s important to find a group of people who will show up for you, be supportive of you and want to help you achieve your goals without a thought as to what they’ll get in return. When so much of the film and music industry works on a quid pro quo type of system or people network to see what all of these hopeful artists can do for them, it’s reassuring to befriend and work with people that are more concerned with lifting up everyone around them. That’s the kind of crowd that I have found in a multitude of places and the people at the Music Inn represent the expansion of my amazing circle of friends. 

While it is nice to continue meeting new and interesting people, it’s also been marvelous to be able to see people from back home in Illinois as they come to New York. I like being the person to guide them through the city and to give them a taste of what this place has to offer. One such person that came to New York recently was my eighth grade English teacher Shari Eubank who was also my first theater coach and is still a close family friend. Before becoming a teacher, she also studied acting and even moved to California where she embodied the lifestyle of counterculture in the late-60s and early-70s. Shari is a big reason why I am the way that I am and I was so excited when I learned that she would be coming to New York as part of a travel group. In this group, they would all go to Broadway shows and she had gotten me a couple of tickets to see some plays with her which I was not going to turn down. 

So, when she arrived in the city, I met her and her tour group (comprised of other old people from Central Illinois) for a sight-seeing trip of Greenwich Village. It never gets old seeing people experience the city for the first time, especially when it’s one of my favorite neighborhoods. From the oddities of Washington Square Park to having an authentic New York bagel, it was a productive walking trip which included historical sights like the Stonewall Inn and the significance of The Village during the founding years of America. When walking on MacDougal Street, I was happy to have informed Shari that we were walking past the house where Louisa May Alcott lived when she was writing “Little Women”. The look on her face was priceless. 

Later on in the week, we took a morning to explore the Theater District and the Upper West Side before we went to our double bill of a matinee and evening show. As a lover of theater and film, I had to take Shari to the famed Drama Book Shop to explore the many shelves of plays that adorned the store. It was during this browsing that Shari revealed that, when she was studying acting, she had the opportunity to learn from Karl Malden. As in the famed actor who starred in the original Broadway runs of “All My Sons” and “A Streetcar Named Desire”. He would reprise his role as Mitch in the film adaptation of “A Streetcar Named Desire” and even won an Oscar for his role before going on to star in films like “Pollyanna”, “Patton” and “On The Waterfront”. This was a guy who worked with the likes of George C. Scott, Vivien Leigh, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Elia Kazan, Burt Lancaster, Lee J. Cobb, Eva Marie Saint and Marlon Brando. That guy taught my teacher. So, by the transitive laws of teaching, I was taught by Karl Malden. That’s a hell of a thing to learn at 10 in the morning. 

After purchasing a few plays, we took a cab to the Upper West Side to see Strawberry Fields. I knew that this would be an important place for Shari to see for a few reasons. First, she grew up with The Beatles and their music was a defining characteristic of her youth. Shari had also not been to Central Park and I couldn’t think of a more beautiful spot to show her than the Imagine mosaic. But most importantly, Shari had actually met John Lennon when she was living in California. When we arrived, we could immediately hear Beatles songs and I thought Shari was going to cry. At the head of the mosaic, a musician had a speaker blasting instrumentals of The Beatles and John Lennon. With a violin, he would use his music as a substitute for the vocals, providing an excellent combination of the classic Beatles sound with the elevation of strings. I asked Shari if she wanted to get her picture taken with the memorial and she said no. Not everything has to be ruthlessly documented. Some things are just meant to be enjoyed in the moment. 

Being able to see “Stereophonic” (among other shows and sights) with Shari Eubank, the woman who gave me a love of theatre, was absolutely remarkable.

By the time we made it back to the hotel, we had to get moving to see our matinee showing of “The Great Gatsby”. Both of us are big fans of the original F. Scott Fitzgerald book and we were pretty skeptical at the idea of a Broadway musical adaptation. I mean, does everything need to be turned into a Broadway musical? Fortunately, the show utilized the spectacle of Broadway and expertly combined it with the environment of the novel. Jeremy Jordan was especially compelling as Jay Gatsby and the musical numbers were insane. To watch this from the front row was amazing and all of my cynicism regarding this play was disappearing. While I do feel that it somewhat lacks the depth of the book (especially in regards to the ending), I think it’s a solid adaptation that completely sucks you into the glamor and compromise of the Jazz Age. 

After a nice dinner, we went to an evening showing of the play that would go on to win the Tony Award for Best Play: “Stereophonic”. This was one of the most phenomenal shows that I’ve ever seen and was worthy of every Tony it received. Set in a recording studio in 1976 and 1977, the play follows a band as they record their new album following the overwhelming success of the previous one. With members of the band in tumultuous relationships with each other and the recording process being bogged down by ego, perfectionism and conflicting ideas about what the direction of the album should be. Everything about this play spoke to me on a fundamental level as a lover of good storytelling, music and the creative process. Since I had mezzanine seats, I got a more overhead view of the amazing set that looked and moved like a real recording studio. 

As an amateur musician and lover of music history, I have a massive problem with the current state of music biopics. Too often they feel superficial and they rarely go into the creative process. “Stereophonic” is nothing but the creative process and how the personalities involved dictate its movement. The band itself (which I’m just going to call Stereophonic since their name is never revealed) resembles Fleetwood Mac greatly in terms of the music they make, the gender breakdown, the position of each member as a musician and the way certain characters are in romantic relationships with one another. The balance of comedy and drama, the atmosphere and the music were all on point. Half the time I felt like I was watching a music documentary and I could vividly see the cinematic qualities of this gripping play. 

To have been able to share these incredible Broadway experiences with the woman that introduced me to theatre remains one of the highlights of my time in New York. It was an excellent way to spend a few days and truly reinvigorated my desire to experience mainstream theatre in the city. I’ve spent some time watching local and underground productions but it had been months since I had seen a Broadway production. Not since the dark time that was “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. To go from that to the Tony winner for Best Play was a definite step in the right direction. 

With my visit to the cinema to see Viggo Mortensen, I was clearly in a mood for “The Lord of the Rings” so imagine my joy when I discovered that certain theaters in New York were rereleasing the films. But not just the films. The extended editions of “The Lord of the Rings” were being played in theaters with the first film on Saturday, the second on Sunday and the third on Monday which is more than fair when you consider the fact that the extended cut of “The Return of the King” is four hours long. 

On top of all that, the films would be shown in the 4DX format where the theater’s seats can move according to the actions of the characters and the camera movements. I’ve been a massive “Lord of the Rings” fan for well over a decade but seeing these films on the big screen was like seeing them for the first time. The excitement, the thrills, the action. The fact that the seats were jostling around enough to give me whiplash during the battle sequences only increased my enjoyment. 4DX is a format that you’re either going to love or hate and I was completely hooked. It was like riding a roller coaster with nearly 12 hours of movies attached to it. Even after nearly two years of living in the city, there’s still plenty of new cinematic discoveries to be made.

Based on my illustrious history of live music attendance, it would be a safe assumption that I only attend the shows of old performers from generations past like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Mavis Staples, Billy Joel and Patti Smith. It’s a fair observation but I do like to give my time to plenty of modern artists. Aside from the plethora of up-and-coming local musicians that I regularly see, there are many modern acts that are just as captivating as the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Willie Nelson. Perhaps you’ve observed the same kind of behavior but I’ve noticed that for the majority of each generation, there comes a cut off date where the members of said age range collectively determine that any music made past said date is not as good as their music. This is ridiculous and insane behavior because plenty of modern acts not only are just as skilled as past musicians, but they also can emulate them in a way that should appeal to older audiences. If you wanted more Led Zeppelin, we now have Greta Van Fleet. If you wish you could have seen Janis Joplin, there’s Dana Fuchs. And if you love guitar gods like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn, then you’ll love Gary Clark Jr. who I got to see perform live at Radio City Music Hall. 

The decision to see Clark Jr. live was a last-minute idea but the FOMO itch arose when I saw that reasonably priced tickets were available. I had been a fan of Gary Clark Jr.’s for quite some time and I consider him to be one of the all-time best guitarists around with admirers like Tom Morello and Eric Clapton. His fusion of R&B and blues with rock and hip-hop have given him a unique spot in today’s music world and seeing him live only added to my fascination with his skills. Originally from Austin, you can tell that Gary Clark Jr. has retained his Southern humility and it is from his deep roots in Southern music that his guitar playing emerged. The show he put on was nothing short of pure rock and roll revelry with outstanding sound that shows how versatile the guitar truly is. 

This also marked my first time attending a show at Radio City Music Hall and I was blown away by the decadence and the beauty of the venue. Even the bathrooms, which are usually small and uncomfortable at most theaters, were spacious and designed with such care. You felt like you were attending a grand opera or some kind of gala with how lovely Radio City looked. But with the way Gary Clark Jr. played, I think there are plenty of operas that would fall short. It was rock at its finest. 

Speaking of perfection in rock, I found myself attending a screening of “Stop Making Sense” for the seventh time. Why would anyone see this concert film in theaters seven times? Well, I never get tired of the energy the film emits and I love being able to dance with audience members who love Talking Heads as much as me. Furthermore, this would be a particularly special screening of the film because of where it was and who would be there. Held at the King’s Theatre, the same venue I saw Bob Dylan at back in November, this film would be screened with the presence of all four members of Talking Heads: Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and David Byrne. While I had seen the latter three artists at a screening of the film in January, being able to witness a full reunion of this unique band was something I couldn’t pass up, especially since they would be doing a Q&A following the film that would be hosted by Questlove. 

In the glamorous King’s Theatre, the place was brimming with anticipation as many of the attendees had already seen the film in theaters and were dying to relive the magic of “Stop Making Sense”. How often do you get to see a film where it’s encouraged that you get out of your seat and start wildly dancing to the music? Unlike at an AMC, The King’s Theatre was so gorgeously decorated with lots of gold accents and classic 1920s architecture that it felt like we were all attending the film’s premiere 40 years ago instead of a celebrated rerelease. The fact that the King’s Theatre opened in 1929 as a movie theater only added to the screening. 

Before the film began, Questlove came out on stage with the boombox that was seen at the beginning of the film (one that David Byrne turns on before playing a solo acoustic version of “Psycho Killer”) and introduced a special guest to kick this night of music off. We were then treated to a live performance of the song “Found a Job” (originally made by Talking Heads in 1978 for their second album “More Songs About Buildings and Food”) by The Linda Lindas, a rock band from Los Angeles, who had recorded the song for a tribune album to “Stop Making Sense” that also included artists like Paramore, Miley Cyrus and Norah Jones. Their performance was a massive shot of energy that quickly got the audience in the perfect mood for the film. 

(From Left) With Questlove moderating, I got to see Jerry Harrison, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and David Byrne reunite for a special Q&A in celebration of “Stop Making Sense”.

I found myself seated next to a family who had gotten their father tickets to this showing for his birthday. The patriarch of the family was a Talking Heads fan who spent his twenties going to see their shows at CBGB and other clubs in New York, although he told me that he watched Talking Heads because they often opened for his favorite band Television. This was a pretty good group to sit next to because, within twenty minutes of the film starting, the entire audience was out of their seats and moving in the rows and aisles, just completely taken by the music. Those of us who were too young to have seen Talking Heads live were dancing alongside the original fans who lifted them from a local band playing shows in the Bowery and turned them into one of the greatest bands to ever exist. It was, by far, the best time I’ve ever had with this film. 

When the film was over, everyone was trying to catch their breath when, after a 15 minute intermission and a change of scenery (the film screen was swapped for multiple seats fit for interviewing the band), Questlove came out on stage and, one by one, introduced Talking Heads. While the Q&A was very insightful, especially in how Talking Heads discussed creating their visual language, there was something that felt so right seeing them back together. You felt this magic that must have followed them everywhere during their time as a band. Despite a few offers, Talking Heads has made it clear that they’ll probably never perform together again but having this night to watch a cinematic record of them in their prime and being able to see them reunite 40 years later to preserve its legacy was good enough for me.

After arriving back at my apartment that night, I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw that the IFC Center would be having a midnight screening of “True Stories”, the 1986 film David Byrne directed, cowrote and starred in and which Talking Heads wrote an album of songs for, the following night. While I am not always fond of how much social media knows about me and my interests, the algorithm does get it right sometimes. What better way to wrap up this amazing time with such a cool band? The next night, I went to the Village to see the film but I got there a little early. So, I made my way to a local bar, where a friend of mine works, to pass the time and have a quick drink. 

After getting a beer, I pulled out a book and started reading when this caught the attention of a customer who asked why I was reading in a bar. I told him “I’m waiting to see a film and this seemed as good a place as any to get some reading done.” He was pretty impressed with the answer, and slightly drunk, and he was further happy to see that I was reading “The Lord of the Rings”. When he asked what film I was watching, I told him “True Stories” and he wanted to know what it was about. “I haven’t a clue,” I said. “But it was made by David Byrne of Talking Heads, stars John Goodman and features a lot of music from Talking Heads so I’m quite curious.” He gave me a strong pat on the back and told me “that’s awesome that you can just go to a movie without any idea of what you’re seeing”. He then wished me to enjoy the film and went back to drinking with his friends. Always good to know that I can still impress. 

Like most of my experiences at the IFC Center, “True Stories” was a wonderful viewing experience that perfectly appealed to my mood so soon after the reunion I had witnessed the night before. Watching this film so late in a theater made me feel like I was doing something in secret as the film rolled. I feel that David Lynch had to have taken some influence from “True Stories” when making “Twin Peaks” because both of these stories are perfectly content to exist in their weird little worlds carved in small-town America. Plus, who doesn’t love watching John Goodman dance to “Wild Wild Life” and later singing “People Like Us”. As much as I love his work in “Monsters Inc.”, “Raising Arizona” and “The Big Lebowski”, this should be counted among his great screen roles. Even though I had to ride the A train home at two in the morning and go to work the next day, seeing this film was the best way to put an end to this kind of manic fandom I’ve had with “Stop Making Sense”. While I’ll probably see the film again if it’s playing at a theater and I do own the film now on Blu-Ray (thanks to an amazing physical media release by A24), I don’t know how I could possibly top my seventh time seeing this film. It was a perfect 48 hours of music, film and celebrating life.

Later that week, I got a text from my mom, asking if I could buy a knockoff Louis Vuitton from the peddlers on Canal Street. Even though it was insanely hot outside, I did it anyway because my mom asked me to and I had to haggle with a guy to buy a large purse for just over $100. My mom certainly appreciated it, especially when she told me that the actual Louis Vuitton bag that my purchase looked like was well over $1000. All I can say is fuck the rich. I judge a lot of expensive items not in money but in what I pay in rent and when you are spending a whole month’s rent for my apartment on a bag, I think that we have let capitalism get out of control. 

With that said, I do get why these brands like Vuitton, Gucci and Balenciaga are popular and why people want them. They make beautiful clothes and I find the world of fashion to be fascinating and not just because I watched “The Devil Wears Prada”. The artistry and the desire to express oneself with wearing and designing clothes is something I can identify with as a filmmaker. I’m not even disgusted by materialism because I am a very materialistic person, just not when it comes to fashion. But I do love getting beautiful prints of books. Or deluxe colored vinyl editions of albums I love. Or Criterion Collection Blu-Rays. But $1000 for a bag from Louis Vuitton? Well, at least you’re not buying a social media company or donating to a conservative super PAC or using a Ps4 controller to pilot a submarine so that you can take selfies with a mass grave. 

Sometimes I just think that the best thing we all can do is just completely immerse ourselves in something exciting that’s happening. To ignore our phones and social media and just be present with a band playing music or go to the theater to see a play or film. Not everything needs to be captured, but recounted. That’s why I like going to the movies so much. It’s a dark, cool room where you get to sit in a comfy chair and everyone just shuts up. All of the daily bullshit that accompanies us is put on hold and we can just watch something together. But it’s not just an escape. I, for one, reject the notion that entertainment is supposed to just provide us with a temporary exit from reality (although I respect that it has the power to do so). I see film and art as a means to understand reality and something that can give us something to take into the real world. While I am always going to see new films and old films that I love and I often do research into what I watch, it’s nice to just look at a film with no preconceived notions. I experienced that, one again, at the IFC Center when I got to see “Smithereens”. 

For those who don’t know, “Smithereens” was made in New York City in the early 80s by a young filmmaker named Susan Seidelman who you may know for her next film, “Desperately Seeking Susan”, as well as for directing the pilot episode of “Sex and the City”. With a small budget and dedicated cast and crew, Seidelman was able to make a raw portrait of New York in the early 80s when the punk scene was dominant, even getting Richard Hell of the band Television to be in the film. I had never seen the film before but the artwork of the film’s Criterion Collection Blu-Ray case had been staring at me every time I walked into a Barnes & Noble. Plus, in addition to the film, director Susan Seidelman would be in attendance for a Q&A and to sign copies of her memoir “Desperately Seeking Something”. Before the film even started, Seidelman came on stage to let us know that not only was she so happy to see a packed house for her debut film but that we were watching it in the same theater where it premiered in New York City after becoming the first independent American film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. 

This film was full of grit and character and it felt like it was to 1980s cinema what “Midnight Cowboy” was to 1970s cinema. It was full of characters you weren’t sure you liked but they were interesting people and, at the heart of it, was Susan Berman’s incredible performance as the protagonist Wren. It’s a shame that she didn’t do many other films after “Smithereens” because her persona was nothing short of captivating. After the film was over, I got to briefly meet Seidelman and I asked her what connects the New York of the 80s with how it is in the present. She told me “The energy. This city just keeps on transforming but there’s this sense of resilience that has always existed in New York and keeps drawing people towards it.” 

Back in the theater where “Smithereens” premiered, director Susan Siedelman (right) talked to an audience about her first feature and the memories she made in New York that fueled her as a filmmaker.

Following the screening, I immediately went to the Music Inn to take part in my new Tuesday night tradition: The Music Inn Poetry Night. While I have been performing music every Thursday as part of the Music Inn’s open mic night, I have also started writing and reading poetry. At first, I went to poetry nights just to watch others do their readings but, like the open mic nights, I just got sucked in and had no choice but to make my own contributions. Like the bug that camouflages into its surroundings, I’ve spent so much time among poets and musicians and filmmakers that their mannerisms and passions have rubbed off on me. Like playing music, I love what it has been doing to me and I have been producing a steady stream of poems and lyrics ever since I took up poetry night. Having this space where you’re surrounded by people who are encouraging and want you to succeed in your work really gives you the confidence to write and read whatever you’re feeling or thinking. 

Furthermore, this poetry night is important because, like the open mic, it keeps the bohemia of The Village alive when there’s so much that is working against it. Too many rich people are moving into the neighborhood, inflating the rent and shutting out the young artists with no reverence for what came before. When they pass by a street section called Dave Van Ronk Street, they have no clue who its named after. Along with Washington Square Park, the IFC Center and numerous clubs in the Village, the Music Inn is a bastion for the art life. On these summer nights, we’ve been having our readings outside on the sidewalk with an amplifier to project our voices as we read poetry to our friends and to the city of New York. Oftentimes we’ll be gawked at by tourists or locals and they’ll take out their phones for a picture but then you’ll have people walking by that will stop what they’re doing and just listen. One of our regulars, Wolfgang, is a true character who dresses in all black and recites poetry with such a unique persona and cadence, like a Edgar Allen Poe character made manifest. One night he was reading a long poem teeming with sexuality, violence and nature that made four guys all wearing shorts and polos (like they had all played a round of golf to close a business merger) stop and watch. They looked like yuppies but you could see that they were fascinated and appreciative of what we were doing. It’s that kind of togetherness that makes me glad that I’ve started reading poems. 

Spending time at the Music Inn has completely opened a new side of the art scene happening in New York. Everyone I meet is either making music, performing in plays, working on a script or doing something, anything to express themselves. Some are in finance and do this as a pastime while others are fully committed to the artist lifestyle which often means making little money and living with five other people in an East Harlem flat. But we are all linked in our desire to create and to foster a community that is supportive of our ambitions. It is through this desire that I’ve gone to other events like a screening of “If You Don’t Love Me, Set Me Free”, a short film that was shot at the Music Inn and featured many regulars in the cast. Filmed by Summayya Wagenseil, a talented filmmaker and the girlfriend of Coulee Slatnick, the son of Music Inn owner Jeff, the movie had already been accepted in a few New York film festivals and had been received quite well. 

A screening at the inn was inevitable and was successfully held with performances by other Music Inn constants including songwriter/comedian Becky Goodman who performed songs from her one-woman show “The Day My Sugar Daddy Dumped Me.” The songs were at once biting and funny with Becky promising us a full performance of her show the following week at the SoHo Playhouse. So, a bunch of us from the Music Inn crew went to see Becky’s show and had such a marvelous time both at the show and at the afterparty at a nearby bar where I bought fries for everyone to share. 

At the Music Inn, everything bleed together. Everyone is helping someone else with their art and here I am being able to witness it all. I’ve seen one-off duets turn into lasting collaborations. I have gone from a spectator to a musician and poet. I have found a new group of people to call friends. When we exchange Instagram handles (my generation’s equivalent of giving out phone numbers), it’s amazing how, when I meet a new person, I can see that there are at least ten people that we’re connected to. While it can seem like New York is this massive sea of people, there is so much connective tissue that spreads throughout the city. Whether you are a spectator or participant, if you ever find yourself in New York, paying attention to the arts might just be the thing that will make you want to stay forever. 

On the same block where “Do The Right Thing” was filmed, director Spike Lee hosted a block part to celebrate the film’s 35th anniversary.

With the heat reaching unbearable levels, I’ve been trying to stay in as many air-conditioned spaces as possible or to be outside. If I’m going to sweat, I’d rather do it in the fresh air. It’s hard to go anywhere in New York without stumbling across a party or barbeque or some kind of gathering where people are all together to drink beer, eat food, smoke pot and just have a good time. It was precisely this feeling of fraternity that brought me to a block party at the end of June in the heart of Bed Stuy. The invitation came from none other than Spike Lee himself who posted to his Instagram that he would be having a massive party to celebrate the 35th anniversary of “Do The Right Thing” featuring incredible music courtesy of DJ Spinna and a plethora of special guests associated with the film. Furthermore, the block in question would be on Stuyvesant Avenue between Lexington and Quincy which was where Spike Lee shot the film in the hot summer of 1988. 

Since this would be happening in my neighborhood and since I consider “Do The Right Thing” to be one of my all time favorite films, I’d have to be a fool to ignore this. After work, I was able to make the last two-and-a-half hours of the party and what a glorious event it turned out to be. So many people flooded the block, many of them native Brooklynites, and we all danced to the sounds of Prince and Michael Jackson with Spike Lee leading us all from a stage set up at the end of the block. As promised, there were plenty of guests that were a part of the “Do the Right Thing” family including Rosie Perez, John Turturro and Barry Brown (the film's editor, who I went absolutely nuts for). 

One moment in particular stood out and that was when we were treated to the presence of Buggin’ Out himself Giancarlo Esposito. While Esposito has gotten very popular in the last decade for playing calm and menacing figures in “Breaking Bad”, “The Boys” and “The Mandalorian”, his actual personality is much closer to the character he played in “Do The Right Thing”. After he and Spike revved up the crowd with their brilliant chemistry (still stronger than ever all these years later), I actually ran into Esposito while he was walking through the crowd. At the time, I was wearing a red t-shirt that I had bought when I went to see Spike Lee’s exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum and it said, in bright white letters, “Boycott Sal’s”, a reference to Buggin’ Out’s attempted boycott in the film. When Giancarlo Esposito went past me and saw my shirt, all I could do was say “Boycott Sal’s.” Surprisingly, he yelled it right back at me with the passion an actor of his caliber would reserve for his most intense moment on set. I then yelled “Boycott Sal’s” back and he smiled before exchanging with me the same handshake he and Spike had shared in the film. It’s amazing the people you run into in Brooklyn.

The party just kept growing over the next few hours and kept getting better. Towards the end, it began to rain with most of us not having umbrellas. However, we didn’t really seem to care. It had been unbearably hot and humid over the past week and any precipitation was welcome. As far as I’m concerned, you do not get to complain about the summer weather only to turn tail when we actually get some natural relief. As the poet Luke Bryan once said, “Rain is a good thing.” During the rain, Spike kept the party going with another special guest, someone who would sing an anthem of “Do The Right Thing” that has since gone down in history as one of the most powerful songs hip-hop has ever given us. The song was “Fight The Power” and the singer was Flavor Flav. That’s right. The whole block was being treated to a performance by Flavor Flav, one half of Public Enemy (the other being Chuck D), who first wrote the song for the film. Since then, the duo have become icons of music and, in 2013, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That guy was performing “Fight The Power” in the heart of Bed-Stuy, wearing his giant clock and occasionally revving up the crowd with his signature phrase “Yeah, boyeeeeeee!” You must think poorly of me if you think that, when all this was going down, I wasn’t dancing and singing every word from memory because of course that’s what the hell I was doing. It was amazing!

Towards the end of the party, we all shared a solemn moment as Spike read aloud the names of all the cast and crew of “Do The Right Thing” who have since passed on. Names like Ozzie Davis, Ruby Dee, Danny Aiello, Frank Vincent and Robin Harris were read with such honor, such respect and, when Spike had concluded the eulogy, the whole block became a massive wall of sound as we cheered for the people who made it possible for this film to exist. With just a few songs left, everyone was dancing with all their might when Michael Jackson came on followed by the two songs that would bring the audience back to Earth and end the whole party on a powerful note: “Purple Rain” and “Man in the Mirror”. Drenched from the downpour, it was even more fitting as we raised our hands to the heavens while Prince blared out into the streets of Bed-Stuy. With Michael Jackson urging us to fight against oppression, hunger, racism and anything else that would seek to undermine humanity, I left for home. 

When I got back to my apartment, I began to start packing. In a few days, I would be bound on another one of my adventures for the Fourth of July weekend. Only this one wouldn’t be spent in New York City. My path would take me 90 miles up the Hudson River to a small town nestled in the Catskill Mountains: Woodstock.