Patti Smith Says NYC Is Closed, Find A New City
I got some interesting and varied responses to this posting, especially since I added my own comment: "Kind of what I thought..."
The responses it produced came from a New York based Assoicate Producer at a film company who attended Southern Methodist University with me:
"I was at a party of NYC performance artists and Penny Arcade said the same thing. Interesting right?"
"I was at a party of NYC performance artists and Penny Arcade said the same thing. Interesting right?"
NOTE - For those not in the know (I wasn't) Penny Arcade is a performance artist in New York City.
The next response was from another New York resident, someone with whom I attended Towson University, who is now the Artistic Director of a prominent theatre company:
"I think this is dogmatic. New York nourished me as a young broke artist. Certainly, it isn't the NYC rendered in Patti Smith's Just Kids but it still feels inspired and creative to me."
The following response came from an independent musician who has composed music for productions I've created in Washington DC and was referring to him and his wife and their time in New York in relation to this posting:
"It's why we left"
"I think this is dogmatic. New York nourished me as a young broke artist. Certainly, it isn't the NYC rendered in Patti Smith's Just Kids but it still feels inspired and creative to me."
The following response came from an independent musician who has composed music for productions I've created in Washington DC and was referring to him and his wife and their time in New York in relation to this posting:
"It's why we left"
The final series of responses came from an actor who lives and works in Washington DC. He offered these three replies:
1) "yup.
the young and hungry searching for artistic fulfillment end up feeding
into the service industry and are too exhausted after 16 hour shifts to
make a difference. NYC is for the established, the young who want to
struggle, and/or the wealthy."
2) "that said, I wouldn't trade my years there for anything..."
3) "dude, I'm thinking that it's Baltimore's time..."
For those of you who don't know, I live in Baltimore. I've been hearing this about Baltimore for some time. It's changed a lot over the years, but all I could initially offer as a response was this:
"Maybe."
I had a lot to say...about New York, Baltimore, and even Washington DC. There were also people who "Liked" my posting. God knows what the hell that means.
"Maybe."
I had a lot to say...about New York, Baltimore, and even Washington DC. There were also people who "Liked" my posting. God knows what the hell that means.
Do they like that artists are fleeing New York in droves?
Are they thrilled Patti Smith thinks the city is a cultural wasteland?
Do they agree with me?
Whatever.
Are they thrilled Patti Smith thinks the city is a cultural wasteland?
Do they agree with me?
Whatever.
I'll save you their partial biographies since they only shared little white thumbs rather than opinions. I weighed my options, considered some of the politics I should play with people who are both friends and professionals, and what I should write in response...if I should write any real response at all. Then I thought, "What the hell... I'll just write what's on my mind."
This was my extended response to the conversation:
I think this is less about Patti Smith's lost New York, or Sarah Jessica Parker saying it's "too pricey," or Madonna saying it's boring, or even David Byrne saying the city as he knew it is gone. It's about something else that is happening.
An arts scene will always be alive in any city. The state of its health is always in flux, or defined by the eye of the beholder. It's never going to fully die, but it might find itself in periods of being on life support. Anyway, again, how one defines that is in the eye of the beholder.
The more troubling thing I keep hearing is just how expensive the city has become in such a short time. DC may not be as "pricey," but is experiencing a similar kind of "accelerated gentrification" (I think that's the term used by The Post a few months back). I agree with P-. The end point is that fewer and fewer people from the class people like Patti Smith came from can afford to live in that city and actually practice their art, craft, whatever. Hell, I know people who have "regular jobs/careers" outside of the arts and are dancing on the razor's edge of being able to afford living there, or in DC.
What to do? I don't know. Some leave. Some stay and fight. Some succeed. Some fail. Others start ashrams. Find your place. Find your fight. Find your ashram...I guess. Or a safe and affordable suburb?
As for Baltimore...?
I've lived here on and off since '98 when I first came to school at Towson University. Back then I would never have even STOOD on the corner of North and Howard in what is now called Station North. Back then I thought of it more as NO MAN'S LAND. Maybe I thought that because it looked and felt dangerous as hell...and there were these kids who rode by on mopeds and four wheelers (two kids to each vehicle) popping wheelies while holding little brown paper baggies, weaving in and out of traffic.
I saw those types of kids a couple of years ago, but now there's a pizza place on that corner. As they rode by I went into it. It's called Joe Squared. Every time I eat there I can't believe I am eating a meal at that corner. Go there. Eat there. I recommend either the Irish Pizza, or the risotto with venison and arugula. They are both divine.
Baltimore has that going for it.
This was my extended response to the conversation:
I think this is less about Patti Smith's lost New York, or Sarah Jessica Parker saying it's "too pricey," or Madonna saying it's boring, or even David Byrne saying the city as he knew it is gone. It's about something else that is happening.
An arts scene will always be alive in any city. The state of its health is always in flux, or defined by the eye of the beholder. It's never going to fully die, but it might find itself in periods of being on life support. Anyway, again, how one defines that is in the eye of the beholder.
The more troubling thing I keep hearing is just how expensive the city has become in such a short time. DC may not be as "pricey," but is experiencing a similar kind of "accelerated gentrification" (I think that's the term used by The Post a few months back). I agree with P-. The end point is that fewer and fewer people from the class people like Patti Smith came from can afford to live in that city and actually practice their art, craft, whatever. Hell, I know people who have "regular jobs/careers" outside of the arts and are dancing on the razor's edge of being able to afford living there, or in DC.
What to do? I don't know. Some leave. Some stay and fight. Some succeed. Some fail. Others start ashrams. Find your place. Find your fight. Find your ashram...I guess. Or a safe and affordable suburb?
As for Baltimore...?
I've lived here on and off since '98 when I first came to school at Towson University. Back then I would never have even STOOD on the corner of North and Howard in what is now called Station North. Back then I thought of it more as NO MAN'S LAND. Maybe I thought that because it looked and felt dangerous as hell...and there were these kids who rode by on mopeds and four wheelers (two kids to each vehicle) popping wheelies while holding little brown paper baggies, weaving in and out of traffic.
I saw those types of kids a couple of years ago, but now there's a pizza place on that corner. As they rode by I went into it. It's called Joe Squared. Every time I eat there I can't believe I am eating a meal at that corner. Go there. Eat there. I recommend either the Irish Pizza, or the risotto with venison and arugula. They are both divine.
Baltimore has that going for it.
Joe Squared's full address is:
133 W. North Ave.
133 W. North Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21201
They have a location in Power Plant Live, a performing arts venue in the Inner Harbor, but I hate that place...and so should you...unless you're going to the National Aquarium. Then you're fine.
They have a location in Power Plant Live, a performing arts venue in the Inner Harbor, but I hate that place...and so should you...unless you're going to the National Aquarium. Then you're fine.
NOTE - The Irish Pizza has Roasted garlic cream, corned beef, potato, caramelized onion, mozzarella and Swiss cheeses. It's really something else.
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