Sunday, November 13, 2011

Give Me Novocain


Just ran five miles in Central Park while listening to my new playlist, Enzo’s Top Ten Green Day Songs, in an attempt to be a better father and understand my oldest son’s budding adolescent angst.

While I let the constant banging on the drums drive my stride, it was difficult to understand the lyrics; heard a lot of “Mom and Dad don’t understand, I’m in a Rock & Roll band, my mind is about to explode.”

Oh, well, I gave it a shot. Guess it just gets harder to comprehend as each passing day and every fraying synapse of memory widen the gap between me and my own teenage years. Plus, as far as I recall, my frustration then was mostly a matter of pubescent frustration; I don’t recall having any axe to grind or desire for anarchy. Guess, I owe that mostly to my parents. Thanks Mom and Dad.

But than again, I could also blame my relative pacifism on the Disco I used to listen to on my AM radio and tape cassette player—Off The Wall was certainly nothing like American Idiot.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Heavy D is Dead


Heavy D, the overweight luva, was a rap star, musical icon of my youth. He died yesterday, at the age of 44. I’ll be 44 myself in two weeks, so it was a healthy reminder that I am likely not immortal…after all.

Thus, I thought I’d pay tribute by posting a few of his better known lyrics here from his hit song, More Bounce.

Height—six-three, style —swing beat
Name—Heavy D, so just watch me
Car—Chevy - four by four Blazer
Favorite pasttime? Skeeze chaser!
Size—ten and a half, sometimes eleven
Place of rest after death? —Heaven

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Money is the cheapest thing



*Photo still from the film Bill Cunningham New York, a film by Richard Press

"You see, if you don’t take money they can’t tell you what to do. That’s the key to the whole thing, don’t touch money! It’s the worst thing you can do. Money is the cheapest thing. Liberty is the most expensive."

—Superstar NY Times Street Fashion Photographer Bill Cunningham explaining why he didn’t accept payment for the 100 page spreads of photographs he shot for the original Details magazine in the late 80’s.