July 31, 2004
SATURDAY 31st JULY : PS1
Phil USA goes all summer. Decent older crowd cram this outside space whilst a DJ plays. There's a bit of art somewhere too. Bit like Clapham Common mixed with the nicer elements of Notting Hill mixed with the afternoon part of Space in Ibiza.
Had a good few drinks with the Brits and then Scissor Sister came on the stage. They turned out not to be the BeeGee brother type characters I was imagining but rather a male-female duo: the girl looking like one of those bar maids in a dark basement bar in East Village, the guy straight out of Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 7:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 30, 2004
CLAW
Posted by Guy Brighton at 5:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
THUR 29th JULY : PAYBACK IN TIME
We went to see a guy I've got to know quite well in New York called DJ Stakka play at a 'benefits' gig called Payback at Avalon. It's been a while since I've been to a large club, it's been a while since I heard early 90s dance music.
DJ Stakka was on first so we turned up before the club opened. I used to work for a nightlife magazine called Clubland in London in 91. The owner was the age I am now and and we were amazed he still went clubbing. We spent plenty an evening turning up super early for a club night to wait a few hours before it got rammed. In the line we were like tourists from another time. It was easy to spot us apart - firstly many of the people in the queue weren't old enough to get a drinks wrist band. The girl from Delaware (who was not impressed with my knowledge that the state was the US smallest) also asked me if I was going to get hot in that sleeved shirt. I jokingly told her it was likely I would take it off which surprised her a little. Funny when you are the first person to enter and empty club. It was the first time I was the first. You walk in and you feel compelled to get to the center of the floor and dance like an idiot for just a second. Only for a second.
DJ Stakka played some pretty hard old school tunes for his 45 minute slot. Kids ten years younger than me were throwing down dance moves that kids my age were throwing down ten years ago. I used to shuffle more - but no-one seemed to have learned that one.
In the other room, The Chapel, old tunes took me back in time. Some took me back to a beer soaked cellar bar off Thames Street, others took me back further. It took me back to 88. Or was that 89? Probably 88. All I remember was the time dance music seemed to change forever. I had been on a youth club holiday to the north-east coast of Spain with seventy other kids overseen by a Catholic priest and a lesbian (we estimated). You can drink in Spain when you are about 3 months old and we spent our teenage nights roaming from club to club trying to break our innocence with sloppy exchanged kisses with far too drunk girls. We danced to soulful beats, ska-influenced beats, northern soul, reaggae influenced beats (I shuffled) and we all loved Soul To Soul. Kids with the knock-off T Shirts. Remember? Then we came back home from the sun and it all changed. I went to a house party to meet all the others and the place was dark, aggressive and charged. I found one girl I was still keen on after kissing her on holiday in the living room. She was with older boys now (and forever onwards) and she threw herself back and forth with the older boys to a non-stop riot of electronic alien mayhem filling my ears. She wore the sign of change : the smiley face. Acid House had arrived. It changed everything. You just had to be part of it. For a short time.
The music in The Chapel changed again. I was in Brighton now. Must have been 91. Slipmat and Lime. Joey Negro. XL Recordings. Brighton was really happening then. When Londoners really did go clubbing in Brighton. The Lanes. The clothes stores: Passenger T Shirts and everything seemed to have circle or a target on my chest then. I was at the Zapp on the beach; week night and we were dancing to house. Not techno, house. Diva singing a line again and again. Days of early garage too. People talked about the death of rock and roll. Death of the guitar.
The music in the Chapel changed again. Tunes with sirens in them. Remember? I had a summer job whilst at University as a milkman. I woke up at 4 in the morning, delivered milk in the suburbs until about 2, got home slept 6 hours, went out to a bar or club, slept 2 hours. I'd like to say I was dancing in the fields but somehow I didn't. All the other lads were in their cars. Driving round the M25 to find the rave. Ring this number, meet here. I stayed in just one night that summer but I was in central London instead - houses lit by neon tubes keeping the street up all night. Until the police came. Until the speakers went. Until Tom went crazy on us again. Smoking a pack of Red Marlboros on the drive home.
In the main room a guy called RB was now DJing and the old chestnuts came: the anthems. People weren't dancing by themselves like they used to, there were no lasers strobing the crowd but right now we all did have our hands in the air: grinning at the DJ. The DJ grinning back. Tune. My legs moved in a preprogrammed shuffle: the way I used to move to these tunes long ago. Precisely. So different from today. My hands chopping up and out at the air. Some kids had glow sticks at Avalon but I don't remember them then - they came later with techno and trance. In the other cities.
The Lady called me at 1 : it was time to return to today. Someone was threatening to stick something semi-circular in my mouth I didn't want. It was funny then. I didn't do that then. Kids did do e. But it was fifteen quid each. What did we do? I just drank and danced. Occasionally there was speed. All that happened later.
The Lady's number was buzzing on my phone and I escaped.
I said to Andrew as we left, ' the music really took me back.' He looked at me and replied, 'I wish I was still there.'
Posted by Guy Brighton at 4:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
WILLIAM SHATNER: COMMON PERSON
This tune reminds me of us lads trying to act so cool/'common people' in our living room in Clapham Junction in the mid 90s.
http://homepage.mac.com/sceldred/.Public/Steve/common_people.mov
Posted by Guy Brighton at 2:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 28, 2004
WED 28th JULY : I'M A GOTHAMIST, NO LESS
The Gothamist today published an interview of me given by that naughty blogger Nichelle!!!
http://www.gothamist.com/interview/archives/2004/07/28/guy_brighton_trendspotting_bloke.php
There is a problem with popularity though. The more people who read my blog the more people come up to me and ask me why I wrote this or didn't write that. A couple of weeks ago I went to see the band French and the guitarist approached me last Friday and asked me why I didn't write about how good they were. The Lady's friend Amelia also told me the other day that I should worry if Adie's girlfirend read that Adie had tried to jump Stacy whilst she was away in London. Hang on! What is Amelia doing reading the blog?? Now I have to check what I wrote about her!!! ;)
I dunno. I was only writing a few things down for me and me mates, sir.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 11:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 27, 2004
SUN 25th JULY : GAME, LADY
Of course The Lady triumps! She’s invited friends round for 10 the next morning and the raucous chatter about dating men thumps my cracking hangover.
I try to score a point by making something in a closet with a hammer to compensate / show my builders cleavage.
She later forces me to Bed Bath and Beyond just to show who is master now.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 2:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
SAT 24th JULY : GAME
Felt a bit guilty when half way through the unpacking I announced that I was off out now to play some cards at 7. Some very good cards in Brooklyn with Andrew and thre crowd. We got the new British guy who works for Calvin Klein and somehow he lost all his cash.... we all had a good laugh about it. Well we did, he told us he'd call us sometime.
The rest of us traipsed back into town via Union Square then to Nu Blu into the East Village. I now realise that this is best visited late. Crowded, fun. Lots of dancing about to ethnic-house - me dancing Persian style like The Lady's aunt showed me (arms stretched out, hands a-twirling, hips twitching from side to side). Bouncer has a word.
Got back home about 4 ish thinking I was going to be in trouble but luckily the Lady had already passed out! She had had some friends around and drunk a bottle and a half of wine. I was also in better shape becuase I found a note on the kitchen table that came from the downstairs neighbour about the noise she had been making. Welcome home!
Posted by Guy Brighton at 2:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 23, 2004
FRI 23rd JULY : THE MOVE
Today we finally moved into the new place on West 12th. Beautiful. Old. Simple. Looks great. Her family come by to help and everything goes smoothly.
When the folks leave the Lady and I argue my job prospects and how I am going to pay my share of the mortgage. With my track record, my answers are not very convincing for her.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 2:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 22, 2004
THUR 22nd JULY : THIS TIME OF LIFE
I haven't been in posting frame of mind for a while. I have given myself a rule of abstaining when I am down or frustrated. Who'd want to read that?
Anway: I must always try to remember that these are the best years of my life. Of course there have been plenty best years already and there will be plenty more.
And tomorrow the Lady and I move in to our new place on West 12th!!
So, here's to finding work to pay the mortgage... :)
Posted by Guy Brighton at 4:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
THUR 22nd JULY : SOHO HARDWARE
Posted by Guy Brighton at 2:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 21, 2004
WED 21st JULY : MAGICAL PINT
Posted by Guy Brighton at 1:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Now I know my hair is long but.....
List of phrases that people are typing in Google etc. to get to my site:
Jobs Wanted In China Town, New York
Mardi Gras Women Bearing Their Butts
Blogs New York Dance
Mardi Gra Theme For Bedrooms
Dry Your Eyes Mate
Nurses Bearing It All
Adam Freeland's Home in Brighton Gardens
Hairstyles for Indian Lady
Posted by Guy Brighton at 11:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 17, 2004
SAT 17th JULY : IN THE WOODS
I'm sitting playing cards with the Lady and her parents. It's getting late and we're back in the Philly suburbs as we're still in between apartments. My head hurts from trying to work out the bidding in bridge and my last can of beer is empty.
I ask the Lady's father if I can have one more.
He looks at me shocked. He slaps his cards down, strolls over to the kitchen and swings open his refridgerater. He comes back and says, "No." I feel that I shouldn't have asked. He looks at me again, "Mr. Brighton. There is no tiny bear in my fridge. Be careful what you say you'll frighten the girls."
"Tiny bear?" I ask bewildered.
"You tell me you want a tiny bear from my fridge - is that what you have in England?"
"I just asked for a...." It dawns on me, "A tin of beer."
That allows the man to trump me (again) good and proper: "Teeny of bear? When are you going to learn American, English boy!"
Posted by Guy Brighton at 2:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 15, 2004
THUR 15th JULY : CHELSEA WALL
Posted by Guy Brighton at 1:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
THURS 15th JULY: CRACKING
Woke up with a stinging headache. It took me a while to remember why.
Luckily American Apparel sent me this video to cheer me up.
Cracking.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 11:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 14, 2004
WEDS 14th JULY: WATCH THE BRASS MONKEYS
The guys at the company where I am helping them with sales took me out for a great meal at Bond. Very good sushi especially when you're not paying for it. Pity that that waiter spilled all that stuff down my back. Got a bowl of salt water and a free desert. Well you needed the desert after drinking the water.
Took a taxi over to that new bar Brass Monkeys meatpacking to meet a mad Irishman. I find him at the bar being spoken to by a mad American (from the highest city in the US, no less). They used to be room mates but hadn't seen each other for 8 years. And by the actions of the American (I went for a cigarette) the Irishman had left him pretty upset. Maybe they had just had too many big nights out on the town.
Luckily the fine selection of beer at the Brass Monkey relaxed everyone fine except for one other fellow. Whilst the Irishman and I smoked a cigarette outside the front of the pub a blond guy walks rapidly out of the bar and stops at a car parked by the sidewalk. He swings around, smiles at us, then twists around as he falls to the street infront of the car. Head hits the tarmac first. Crack.
The Irishman (Terry is his name) and I ponder whether he's joking but two guys come out of the pub and rush to him. Terry and I come over and ask if he's OK. The two guys get a little aggressive and say, 'of course. we can handle this.' The blond bloke is still on the ground, not moving.
They drag him to the pavement and onto a stool. He's still unconcious. There's that fine moment when you want to get involved but you think the guy's friends might lay into you.
We walk into the bar and Terry asks the barman if the blond guy was drinking tequila or scotch or something. 'He had a couple of shots upstairs,' he replied. 'With the two guys out there with him: the owners!'
One of the owners comes in and is frendlier now. Through the window behind him his blond mate is still passed out, arms limp, face bloody. The owner thanks us for our help and askes if we would like a drink.
Before I get the chance to consider, Terry announces in his lyrical accent: "That's very nice of you. We'll be having some of those shots. Thank you."
Posted by Guy Brighton at 7:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
WEDS 14th JULY : PETANQUE
Now I have been here a year, events are coming round again which seem like yesterday. Today I walked past the Bastille Day celebrations on McDougall Street. Wish I had brought my camera.
Here's last year's post.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 1:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 13, 2004
TUES 13th JULY : DOLL HOUSE
Posted by Guy Brighton at 1:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 12, 2004
MON 12th JULY : VOCAL
Got in this morning to find that the number of projects on this new client has been cut down to 3 - and even the budgets have been cut by a third.
Frustrating and makes me wonder where the next dollar is going to come from.
Am helping out another guy's company a couple of hours a day. Using my accent to full effect calling his sales leads for commission. This chap actually was my intern 5 years ago, so the moral of the story is don't muck your interns around because you may have to work for him/her one day.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 8:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2004
SAT 10th JULY : PHILLY
Weekend in Philadelphia which consisted of helping the Lady's brother paint his great 1000sq ft new flat in a brownstone in old Philly, swimming in the pool, a bit of tanning, lots of cards and of course, lots of food.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 8:05 PM | Comments (0)
July 9, 2004
FRI 9th JULY : SHINE BRASS MONKEY SHINE
In the morning had a good meeting with a the company who we pitched for business a while back. Teeth whitening product. They say they have about 9 projects for us to work on. Maybe, just maybe this is the big break.
I was already in a good mood as I had a great NYC experience just b4 the meeting: got my shoes shines outside Grand Central up on one of those chairs where everyone walks past looking up at you. And - yes- - I could see my face in the shine!
The night had big one with Andrew and Adie - a new English in town - and the Irish including Irish Jason. As you can imagine good drink up, bit of the other, found a new pub (Brass Monkey) in Meatpacking that wouldn't look out of place in Soho (Brass Monkey: wood panelling, dark, cubby holes, very long bar), got onto the roof deck of the Ganservort (full of tossers, waste of time), went to Passer By: danced about a bit / Andrew break dancing to rock music. Getting back to Andrew's about 4.30pm.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 8:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 8, 2004
THURS 8th JULY : LUCKY FELIX
Have spent this week at Andrew's apartment on St Felix in Brooklyn. An interesting street with security and locals hanging on stoops. Through the open door of one ground floor apartment I see a place filled with men at any time of the night: smoking, drinking, playing cards and shouting at each other. Andrew showed me the spot where the local drug dealer was shot dead the other day. Something about an argument over a woman; not his pregnant girlfriend though.
Some pics.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 6:40 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 7, 2004
WED 7th JULY : FRENCH ROCKS
Went over to Williamsburg to watch French play at North 6 (Listen here). Followed by Lobster Rolls and a glass of bubbly in the garden of Hurrican ? back down the street.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 9:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
WED 7th JULY : A NEW CHAPTER!
The Co-Op Board accepted the Lady. Move next week maybe?
And just when I was getting used to Brooklyn. Hmmm....
Posted by Guy Brighton at 5:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 6, 2004
TUE 6th JULY : CO-OP BORED
So the Lady had her board meeting tonight for the tiny apartment she's (still) trying to buy on West 12th. 3 guys who didn't seem to know each other. One nice, one nasty and one who didn't speak all night. Sounded like they were enjoying their power-trip prying into every part of her life: e.g. 'as you work for a record company won't you come home and play music very loud?','why would someone want to pay so much for an apartment in the West Village','will you be traveling again - we don't like sub-letters'. I mean - they're talking about an old tennement building - not those fancy glass towers on the river.
Bloody outdated system. Left the Lady in tears; unconvinced she'd get approved.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 11:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
TUE 6th JULY : I GOT HERE ALRIGHT - WHAT NOW?
I turn up in New York again with that tired behind my eyes fuzziness but the sight of the Manhattan skyline from the train after Newark can't fail to fill you with energy. Behind me is my rolling suitcase and my suit bag.
I look around Penn station and feel a strong sense of Deja Vu: Currently I am homeless, I am in debt and my work situation is pretty non existant. So, what have I really achieved over the last year?
Time to write a list of achievements and things I ant to do in the forthcoming year.
G
Posted by Guy Brighton at 10:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
TUE 6th JULY : ANNIVERSARY
My blog is 1 today!
Posted by Guy Brighton at 9:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 5, 2004
CONEY ISLAND UPDATE
Have now posted pictures of the trip here.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 10:41 PM
SUN 4th of JULY : IRANIAN AMERICAN STYLE
Spent Independence Day with a slight ethnic twist. Persian breakfast of flat bread, feta and saffron scrambled eggs. Visited the Lady's father's Iranian friend (and their 30 Iranian Friends) for swimming pool basketball, kebab, volleyball, hot dogs, discussion about religion (30 debaters), beer, discussion about politics (30 debaters), more food, desert, going home making sure you say goodbye to everybody.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 9:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 4, 2004
SAT 3rd JULY : POOL LIFE
With the thought of the pool in the backyard and the great Persian food, I am weighing up the idea of staying here for 2 weeks until the Lady closes on her apartment. Well, I am weighing it up until the Lady turfs me out back to New Yorok. Also the Lady's father may consider me as seriously lazy as well as seriously unemployable.
So where am I going to stay next week? Better start calling around.
Posted by Guy Brighton at 10:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
FRI 2nd JULY : MOVE ON OUT
Even after the 3 days notice the Lady gave us; we woke up this morning in our Bank Street apartment and it looked like any other day. Everything was in place with a small amount of mess made by yours truly. It didn't feel like any other day as the Lady shot dagger eyes as I suggested we start with a coffee from around the corner. I suggested that I also get a few more black bags and she demanded why we weren't organised already. She also reminded me that I still didn't have any accomodation for the next 2 weeks. I'll sort it out - don't worry, I pleaded.
Cowering with my coffee when I returned I spent much of the morning boxing, bagging, throwing out and asking the Lady to chill out a little. At 2pm her father turned up with a van from his pizza chain: Papa Luigi's. The plan was to put some crap in storage and less important stuff into the Lady's folks' basement. The father rubbed his chin and laughed at the near chaos in the apartment.
We fetched all the stuff for the storage on 17th and plunked it into the van. When we brought out her shelves, the van was full and father stopped and shook his head. 'You guys, why do you waste your money on storage.' I was more concerned with how were we going to get the 6x6 shelves into the 5x5 doorway of the van??
'Guy,' he said. 'How much do you want to bet that I can take the whole of the stuff back to my house [in Philadelphia]?'
The doors were already cramming the stuff in. It was an easy bet. I shook on a thousand.
'OK. Bring the rest of the stuff out.'
I walked back into the apartment and found the lady still dividing a bok of shoes and boots between piles: charity, parents, parent basement, storage, suitcase, suitcase 2. I told her about the easy bet. She told me that he'd win as she put her much loved black Uggs to one side.
I brought out the bicycle, table and several bags to the steps of the apartment and he was grinning. I returned to the Lady and told her that her father was going to lose big time.
We both walked out with black plastic bags sporting unsecure labels. 'Bloody hell. He thinks he's still in Iran,' I said to the Lady as I saw a pyramid of the Lady's personal possessions tied to the roof of the van with string and extension chord.
'That's my dad!' she said with pride. Damn. More stuff to compete with.
On the way home the police at Holland Tunnel giggled as they waved us through: maybe a highlight in another boring Friday afternoon. I sat in the made-up seat in the middle beside a very satisfied Lady and a pleased with himself Lady's father. What could I do as we travelled at 70 against the wind along the New Jersey Turnpike? 'What's that noise? Oh did we forget to tie down that box with your Ugg boots in, honey?'
Posted by Guy Brighton at 10:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
- Diary
- Event
- For Fun
- Job Hunt Advice
- Out of Town Trips
- Photography
- Random Posts
- Reading Material
- Seen
- Stuff
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
- September 2003
- August 2003
- July 2003
