August 7, 2011
Live from New York, it’s Cheeseburger Saturday Night! Starring Ray’s Candy Store and a street party in front of the Mars Bar! And now, ladies and gentlemen, from the East Village in New York City, Ray’s Candy Store!
And it's off we go into the night. There's a protest/party starting out at the BMW Guggenheim Lab thingy and then ending up at the Mars Bar for a street party. The BMW portion was too early for me, but I thought I'd stop by Ray's and get a cheeseburger and then wander over to the Mars Bar for the street party/protest. The man organizing this party/protest is longtime NYC activist, John Penley. Last Halloween John was organizing an event for Halloween and we traded comments on EV Grieve and he promised me a kiss! The event didn't happen though, so I didn't get to receive my kiss. Tonight I'll see if John will make good on that promise.
It's sprinkling a little outside, but it's not that bad and it's brought the heat down.
And here we are at Ray's, time for Cheeseburger Saturday night to begin!
There's a line inside which I always like to see at Ray's.
And here's the man himself, Ray flanked by two of his pretty co-workers.
Ray recently became an American citizen, here's a photo of the legendary day. Congratulations, Ray!
They were out of cheeseburger ingredients for the night, so I opted for a hot sausage with mustard and carmelized onions.
It was delicious!
I also got one of Ray's classic vanilla milkshakes. And now it's all gone. Burp. Okay, off to the street party at Mars Bar.
Hey, where is everybody?
Oh, here they are!
And here's the man who put it all together, John Penley. The group gave the BMW Guggenheimer's a run for their money and I was sorry I missed it. But at least I made it to this portion.
A sign is hoisted in front of Mars Bar.
"Gentrification is class war! Fight back!" The message for the evening.
LES Jewels had a poem he had just written earlier in the evening.
It was a great poem and read with heartfelt conviction. Nice job, LES Jewels!
Ace photographer Bob Arihood was on the scene documenting everything. I look forward to his take on the evening which should be forthcoming this week.
Perfectly summed up. I've asked many people what the point of this whole BMW Guggenheim Lab thing is, and no one seems to know. I haven't gone yet, but it seems like one big circle jerk to me.
And the wine is brought out, let the party begin!
A corkscrew was brought out and the uncorking of the wine begins.
Here's everyone milling around.
Hey John, how about that kiss?
This photo by Bob Arihood just may be the highlight of this blog so far! It'll be hard to top this moment! Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.
Further reading: EV Grieve, Neither More Nor Less, facecrack and The Gog Log.
You Might Also Like: Peaches and Herb.
Five Songs About Parties
Where’s The Party by Madonna
Party on the Patio by ZZ Top
It’s My Party by Lesley Gore
1999 by Prince
The Party by Phil Ochs
In the city there's a thousand men in uniforms,
And I've heard they now have the right to kill a man.
ARCHIVES
(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you! This one’s a day late.)
33 Comments | Share Article | tagged Bob Arihood, John Penley, Mars Bar, Ray's Candy Store | 1 Reference
Reader Comments (33)
"You must remember this
A kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by."
Becoming Metropolitan Wasteland.
(the closing of landmark institutions for the sanitized, cookie cutter, barcoded world we are seeing)
To Mars Bar.
(and all those involved in it's legendary place in history)
Amen.
UFB !
Wow Marty, you seem to really be sinking away into that kiss. I feel as though I missed out on something on my visit! And pretty sure I would not want to hang out at any place sponsored by BMW.
Gentrifiction = Yuppification...I remember when they tore up one of the best neighborhoods in Uptown Minneapolis and put in a mall....so sad. Some maniac celebrated that event 30 years ago by leaving a pipe bomb on a bus stop bench with a dollar bill for a trigger. I was two blocks away when some poor guy picked it up and set it off...it misfired, but the guy still lost two fingers because of it. It was all they talked about on the news for the next two weeks, as I remember. Scared the crap out of me...I thought some asshole had thrown an M-80 at me, untill I looked up and saw this big grey - white cloud and a lot of freaked out people two blocks away.
@"Boris:" "Becoming Metropolitan Wasteland." Exactly, Daddio, good one! To the Mars Bar!
@GENE: Yes, truly a moment that defines, UFB!
@kari: Despite rumors, no tongue was given during this kiss! And I hear you about BMW, I wish they'd leave this city alone.
@Jaws: That's a wild story! Did they catch the guy who left the bomb?
No, they didn't...but the guy that picked it up lost two fingers and an eye. The pipe bomb was poorly constructed and misfired, had it gone off full force, that guy and alot of others would have been killed.
@Jaws: Wow, I wonder what the bomb guy is doing these days? Probably time in jail for another crime.
@ M.A.D.; Yeah, or maybe he blowed himself up...real good. I remember a spokesman from the Minneapolis Police said the triggering device on the pipe bomb was one of the most sophisticated they'd ever seen. It misfired because the cap wasn't on tight enough, and the force of the blast went out through the end of the pipe. Had the pipe fragmented, the blast would have been much worse, and there would have been shrapnel. I can't remember if they caught the guy, maybe they did and it wasn't broadcast or I didn't catch it on the news at the time. It happened about 30 years ago.
It's nice to see a good, old-fashioned wine on the sidewalk gentrification protest. I'm glad that John's around to put these things together. And speaking of John, you and he make a cute couple. I just hope that Gumby didn't get too bent out of shape! HA HA HA!
Slowly but surely these people like BMW are taking the uniqueness out of the city. May I add that a building is to be constructed or is already,,,,next to Milano's (one of my favorite bars), actually they plan to build part of the building above Milano's without actually touching it,,,,I know, it sounds impossible,,,but thats whats happening. I haven't seen a Gulf gas station in years and years down here,,,,wow,,,can't believe they are still around,,,,,UFB (right Gene?)
@Biff: Nice one!
@MAD: I'm glad I never offered you kiss when I met you last year!
Here's to drinking on the footpath!
@Biff: "I just hope that Gumby didn't get too bent out of shape!" Ha ha ha! You still gots it Bifferoonie!
@Al: That's great that they're not touching Milano's! I need to make a stop there one of these nights. Nice use of UFB!
@Clacky: The next trip...pucker up, buttercup! And yes, to drinking on the footpath!
@Marty: In regards to that picture of you and John...."It takes one hell of a set of 'nads to post something like THAT nowadays! BWAHA! " - a cartoon biker from an old issue of a 'Dr. Atomic' underground cartoon.(paraphrased).
@Jaws: Nice one! Yes, I was born without an embarrassment gene!
BMW, the company that built the engines for the Luftwaffe and the motorcycles for the Wehrmacht. Good luck to those artisan partisans fighting a losing battle. On the other hand, perhaps the man will give in to your demands if you agree to stop your manly embraces in public.
"You can all just kiss off into the air
Behind my back I can see them stare
They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind
They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time"
@csp: I hope the man is reading this, we'll see if the kiss is a caving point! Great idea!
@Everybody: I got a shout-out from Fat Al over at the Half Empty Glass! Check out the reference above or cut and paste this link. http://twe.ly/2ipb
Cutting and pasting can be serious business.
who says you can't have hoy dog on cheeseburger saturday night? nobody tha's who! that't the beauty of MAD...no rules...improvise improvise w/ a little change up here there or in the middle...even an Impassionate kiss now and then...
'Living in this gentrification environment is much more difficult for residents. Actually, what they're doing is killing the indigenous culture."
~ Peter Kwong
rr
@csp: You have to send me an email on how to put up a clickable link. Yes, I'm internet-challenged.
@rr: True, no rules here at MAD. One minute I'm out in pursuit of a cheeseburger, the next I'm eating a sausage and after that I'm kissing an activist. Hey speaking of improvisation, I just had an idea for a reality show called, "Kiss My Activist!" Well...maybe not. Perfect quote, once again!
@Borris: I hate that song, but I already went over this a few days ago.
I had to look up gentrification. It didn't mean what I thought.
@Rick: This one's for you!
@Danny Maness: Did you think it had something to do with these guys?
Yes! Gentrification: Becoming totally aligned and absorbed into the 7 member 60's early 70's group called the Gentrys with the irresistable urge to keep on dancing and a-prancing.
@MAD&Danny: The Gentrys are aptly named. Just like the process of gentrification, "Keep on Dancing" seems innocent and sweet at first, but that evil, insipid drum roll quickly proves otherwise. That devilishly wicked rest, followed by a drum roll as a bridge, allows that song to be looped infinitely. I would conject that a looped version of that song could Clockwork Orange an individual in record time. Keep on Dancing indeed.
@Danny Maness: Exactlyodo Quasimodo! (Stolen from John Prine.)
@csp: The drummer you speak of was called Mikey Bloomberg back in the day. I think we all know what happened to him!
@ Rick: The second "r" in "Boris" is silent.
@Borrris: Sorrry sirrr.
@"Boris" and Rick: Where's rr when you need him?
That last photo is priceless!
Sorry we missed you - I had to drag Special Ed home after the Gug Lab portion. I'll be posting videos of that today - many people gave some great speeches and I only wish my memory card hadn't filled up. The word needs to be spread - people just don't seem to get why gentrification is a problem and the total disconnect between the Gug Lab and the EV community
@Goggla: I'll be looking for the videos, can't wait to see them. Sorry I missed the first half of this!
Hahaha! Great post, Marty! Bob's photo of you and Penley is the perfect end to the post! Beautiful! hahaha
That's OK Rrick.
@Lindsay: Glad you liked it! I thought it was quite a fitting end to the post!
@"Boris": Harr, Harr!