Madonna wasn’t drawn to New York City by tax breaks but by its cultural life, creative community, good transportation, and great bars. But if she arrived today, could she afford a place to live? Alicia Glen, deputy mayor for housing and economic development, sees the pop star as a business model, revealing the city’s … Continue reading »
Monthly Archives: December 2016
Episode 152: Laurie Anderson
Life is constructed from the stories we tell, suggests this splendid musician, film-maker (and more). “What else is there but stories?” she asks. “Well,” I reply geriatrically, “there’s the truth.” Or is there? She has a more nuanced view (or perhaps just a darker one). A conversation about myth-making, with side trips to the Venice … Continue reading »
Episode 151: Renee Cox
Do happy artists produce better work than gloomy artists? Renee Cox contemplates her own work and says yes. I say: Beethoven. We considered the matter at the Interntional Print Center in conjunction with their exhibition Black Pulp. The featured musical performer was Norris Bennett of the Ebony Hillbillies, whose work made me so joyful … Continue reading »
Episode 150: Heidi Rodewald and Stew
Art often fails. Writers discard first drafts (and second, third, and fourth). Painters trash early sketches. And even when completed work enters the world, some is transcendent, but much is hopelessly earthbound. Or so I believe, but Heidi Rodewald and Stew, creators of the musical Passing Strange, demur. “I don’t think art is ever wrong,” … Continue reading »