Cult Cult Culture: Mom & Pops, Bob Gruen, Frying Pan nyc, Andy Warhol


	Culture Vulture: Mom and Pop VS. Plasticine Mall When you think of Mom and Pops, small town comes to mind, correct? Then there's the urbane Mom and Pop vastly popular in NYC’s east village. Away from the hustle and bustle, urbane Mom and Pops transform the neighborhood into a small town – “small” being relative to friendly, inviting. Shoppers who express distinctive taste in clothes, jewelry and decor frequent these small businesses. That kind of chutzpah is the single trait that attracts people to our fair city in the first place. Quirky storefronts sans the big name labels make New York, New York. Ask the natives whose passion for what they buy and where they buy it borders on mania. I remember how a typical day of rummaging through vintage shops in the village filled me with excitement. On one occasion, I stumbled upon Howdy Doo Dee, a little hole in wall where kitsch reigned supreme. Is Howdy Doo Dee even a word? Actually, he's a puppet cowboy from a 1950's TV show but I digress. Warm, fuzzy chatkes flashback to childhood: Snoopy figurines, an original Viewfinder, TV show paraphernalia and items of that ilk. It’s almost like visiting a museum of memories on the sly. Recently, my favorite kitsch-shop-and-stop had a going out of business sign above its doorway. One by one, Mom and Pops are disappearing throughout the city. Beyond capitalism, it's our non-conformist way of life that's approaching extinction. Super-sized retail chains are in part to blame for the velveeta-ization of our culture-steeped city. It’s truly a tragedy in the making. New York City is slowly losing the defining features that make it so celebrated. Capitalism, albeit hard to hide, historically takes a back seat to the soulfulness of our melting pot culture. Over the years, I’ve watched St. Marks Place morph from offbeat vintage stores, dive bars and funky eateries to a downtown Tokyo. Neon-infused commercialism mirrors a cold Potterstown setting – remember how that galled George Bailey in the movie It’s A Wonderful Life? What are we to do? Give up and give into the plasticine mall vibe that’s invading our spaces? NYC doesn’t roll like that or do we? Maybe a move to Brooklyn would be just the ticket. Cult Cult Culture >>> Bob Gruen: A Day in the Rock 'N' Roll Life Over the past four decades, legendary photographer Bob Gruen has documented rock's most infamous musicians. Most of us don't get the opportunity to experience a day in the rock 'n' roll life - living vicariously through the eye of the lens is the next best thing. 60's motto "tune in, turn on and drop out" has been stated as the underbelly of Gruen's iconic photography. Talent and luck played a hefty part in that equation. His 1974 photo of John Lennon clad in a New York City T-shirt is renown the world over. Gruen gave the ex-Beatle the tee the year prior as a welcoming gift to his newly adopted home. The native new yorker sported the same tee so frequently, he owned one for every day of the week. John and Yoko picked Gruen to be their personal photographer as well as loyal friend. The last known photos of the ex Beatle fittingly were taken by him. Gruen grew up on Long Island learning the craft from his mother, an avid photo hobbyist. After taking snap shots of hero Bob Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, he got hooked. In the 60's, the young photographer took up residence with friends in a band called Glitterhouse so living the rock 'n' roll life came naturally. Par for the course, Atlantic Records hired him as the band's photographer. A few chance connections later won Gruen a photo shoot with the Bee Gees catapulting his career. During a stint with Rock Scene Magazine in the '70s, Gruen traveled and partied with rising punk stars and new wave bands capturing the wildest moments of The New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Ramones, Patti Smith Group and Blondie. The photographer still totes his camera every where determined not to miss a rock moment. From underground to above ground, Gruen's portfolio includes artists of rock's golden days like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Elton John, David Bowie, Madonna, Tina Turner, KISS and Alice Cooper. This past July in nyc, marked a retrospective of the photographer's work - one of the largest rocker photo exhibits ever seen. The special bond between photographer and subject is based on mutual trust and respect. Through that bond, we get a glimmer of Bob Gruen's vision. The fan who worships rock's icons permeates each photograph. In-your-face decadence prevails throughout the body of Gruen's work, setting an almost bacchanalian tone. It's as if we're invited to join the party. Get New York Dolls: Photographs by Bob Gruen to peer more into the photographer's lens. Out of the Frying Pan "Are we moving or is it my imagination?" I whispered to my friend. "Er, it's a barge on the water so yeah, we are moving" she replied. I think can handle the gentle, almost imperceptible motion of the Frying Pan despite my moniker sea sick gal. The lightship is docked on the Lackawanna Railroad car barge on Pier 66 in Chelsea, nyc. So not too much tossing about. Ok, not really any tossing about. I could sit here for ages in my newly foraged locale. The interior's rust patina exudes a nautical charm, barnacles and all. There's a top deck view of the Manhattan skyline as well as many nooks and crannies to explore. "Wow, it's like we're on a cruise ship!" I blurted out. Well maybe not. From 1930 to 1965, the US Coast Guard commissioned the Frying Pan as a floating lighthouse to protect vessels on the Frying Pan Shoals near Cape Fear, NC. The historic ship, built in 1929, came to near ruin when it sank to the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay before it was salvaged and brought to Chelsea by John Krevey in 1996. One of a few lightships in existence, the Frying Pan is listed in the NY State and Federal Registers of Historic Places. Surely the lightship is a cat of nine lives. In its current morphed state, the hot spot serves drinks and food, features live bands and hosts dance parties. If its seaside quiet you seek, go in the afternoon or early evening to enjoy a bit of nyc's maritime past. Andy Warhol: Pop Art Superstar Andy Warhol is the undisputed superstar of American Pop art. The artist elevated Campbell Soup cans and Brillo boxes to emblems of industrialism while turning it on its head. Warhol’s work plays off the idea of mass production to challenge the very core of American culture. The Death and Disaster paintings, circa ‘62-’63, not only reflect Warhol’s fascination with fragility and death but also a war-ridden social climate torn by assignation of our nation’s political leaders. Painting series Death in America, Maos, Skulls and Rorschach merge the artist’s inner life with the atrocities ‘60s society. In 1962, the artist developed an innovative technique for silk screening commercial labels, film stills and photos directly onto canvas. Every image reflects an inner life that evolves each time it’s reproduced. Hence, Warhol’s repetition of imagery is never quite the same as the next, similar to movie stills that vary slightly from frame to frame. Warhol’s fascination with movie stars spawned his collaboration in film at the Factory. The artist’s colossal- scale late works feature hand-painted depictions of pop imagery, the Last Supper, Camouflage series as well as collaborations with Jean-Michel Basquiat. The Andy Warhol Museum houses an extensive collection of the artist’s work in all media from the 1940s to the 1980s. Warhol's pieces fill the gap between fine art and commercial art by escalating celebrities and industrial images to a deity status. Glance at the artist's sketchbook from his early years in NYC’s commercial art scene to map the success that lead up to his 1960’s portraits of Marilyn, Liz and Elvis. Art from Basquiat, Factory photographer Billy Name, Mariko Mori and Jean Cocteau are on special exhibition. Check out the Andy Warhol's museum's website at www.warhol.org or buy Warhol items at the MoMA Store http://search.momastore.org Chatters check out the Chat Box Blog http://chatterbox-cafe.blogspot.com for the latest exposé on hot topics. © 2008 Marcia Merson. All Rights Reserved.