When I sold my 160-acre ranch in British Columbia, I thought I would never see Starshine Valley again. But my new friends (new at the time—now they are old friends!), Gary and Val, invited me to house-sit for them while they went on a long trip to Scotland. My art project Warhol in the Forest was born as a fun surprise for their return.
I subsequently wrote about my love of the Campbell’s Soup can, and keep coming back to this theme. The idea of bringing the Warhol project to New York’s Central Park has been simmering in the pot of my brain for a few years now.
Finally, this past Sunday, it was time. It turned out to be a special day, as you will see. Here is the result, my newest art project, “Warhol in the Park.” The original project entailed 28 images—the number of cans of Campbell’s Soup in Val and Garry’s cupboard. This time I’ve upped it to a nice round 30.
Our heroine humbly begins her journey here, on the shelf at CVS. The price in Vancouver in 1999 was $1.19 to $1.69.
Oh boy, the park! First a bite to eat. I was sitting on that shelf a long time.
Now a drink of water.
Aw, such cute friends. They gave me a good sniff, and now they’re ignoring me.
Good view from up here.
Transported to Paris.
I wonder if the park will ever have the budget for repainting.
WWI Mayor Mitchel, this is a beautiful, if unexpected, memorial.
Jigsaw puzzle perfect.
Ah, resting in a gnarly bole.
Hey, looking good! Well thank you, Mayor of Central Park.
What’s going on over there?
It’s the New York Marathon!
Protectors of the realm.
While the cat’s away…
No wait, there’s someone in there. Oops.
On the grid.
This is just so unexpected. An ancient urn with a bull in the forest.
A spaceship? No, it’s the Guggenheim.
Sun is setting in the park.
To the rescue.
I feel like I’ve been running forever. But it’s only 1.5 miles. Or is that 3.08? What the heck does this mean?
Ghostly night runners probably know what it means.
Art inside and out. The Seated II, bronze statue by Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu.
Where did everybody go?
Warhol Splash
Time for a splash. OK, I’m done. Taxi!
Home James, on the M2 down Fifth Avenue.
Thank you for joining us on our day in the park. This 121-year-old can is good until July 18, 2021. She’s going to have some more adventures before the casserole.
I was honored to be granted membership to the National Arts Club in May, and this has opened up many new opportunities for friendship and creativity. One surprising outcome was the subject of this blog entry. I was chatting with another member in May, and we happened to talk about how we both like dressing as David Bowie occasionally. As you may recall, I have been at a few stellar events dressed as Bowie! The Orpheum Theater and the New York Marathon, as well as the Halloween Parade and the Pride Parade.
NYC Pride Parade 2019. Ziggy with the NYPD.
How it all began
My fellow NAC member, the painter David Krueger, mentioned that there would be a talent show for new members, and we decided to do a Bowie duet at the show. I started taking singing lessons, picking up on the singing dream I’d long held dear but abandoned in my twenties, when it was clear I was a better writer than a singer. Nonetheless, it felt great to be singing again, and I found a fantastically skilled, supportive teacher in Hannah Reimann, close by in the West Village.
I began to learn a few Bowie songs, and wanted to sing Life on Mars for the performance since I already had the blue suit. David liked the song too, but decided not to join me onstage after all. So I proceeded on my own. But this never would have happened without him, and for that I am eternally grateful!
Life on Mars
Little did I know that Life on Mars is a very challenging song for someone like me (an untrained newbie) to sing, partly because of the chord changes, and partly because of the speed of the lines in the chorus. There is very little chance to pause and reshape my mouth and throat for the high notes. It takes muscle memory and skill to make quick transitions, which I haven’t developed yet. I honestly had no idea that it would be so challenging to learn to sing just one song. I thought 4 months would be plenty of time. Easy peasy! haha
It also takes a long time to learn to consistently control the voice. Though I could get the notes just right in rehearsal, this doesn’t translate into glorious singing under the pressure of a live performance! Another aspect that was hard for me to learn was to really project my voice out to the audience. Like most people, I normally sing alone at home (or in the car), and what I am listening to is the sound of my voice inside my head. Where it really sounds great—powerful, tuneful, resonant! Hannah kept instructing me to imagine the sound reaching an audience in the distance, but when I sang louder it didn’t sound right inside my head.
The day of the show
On the day of the performance, I over-rehearsed in the morning. A rookie mistake! Hannah had very generously agreed to be my pianist for the performance, and even found a Mick Ronson-like glam outfit to wear. She and I had a short warm-up and rehearsal at the Club right before I went on. I realized to my dismay that my vocal chords were strained and sounded weak. Achhh. (German sound of disapproval and disgust.) As Hannah and I walked through the hallways and galleries and up the stairs to the main parlor, I was literally shaking. Total fight-or-flight response mode! Not a good thing for the vocal chords, as I am sure they were as tense as piano wire.
Taking the stage (the carpet, really)
Luckily, a number of dear friends were in the audience to support my debut, and their smiling faces helped me find the courage to sing the first notes. I had planned some simple choreography as well, and my costume was the Nazz. So I just jumped in and did it, and made it through to the end.
I felt a weird combination of conflicting feelings and sensations all happening at once. I felt afraid. I was exhilarated. I could feel the nerves thrumming along the skin of my arms, and I was remembering when to switch the mic from one hand to the other. I was recalling Hannah’s instructions on lifting the soft palate in preparation for “Mars.” I felt humiliated when some of the notes were wrong. I was looking at the audience (some of the time) to see how they were responding, and seeing a mixture of enjoyment and boredom. And I loved being there and performing. LOVED IT!!
This subset of the audience is Fellini-esque…
What I learned
It was a great learning to watch and listen to the recording of the performance (see below). I realized what Hannah had been telling me all along. I need to reach out and connect with the audience, overcoming my shyness about singing. This is something I’ve read that Bowie also had to do, early in his career. He wanted to write songs and create music, not go on stage, but he ended up singing in front of an audience (and becoming a legendary performer) because other people weren’t playing his music.
And of course I also learned that it will take many years of perseverance to learn to sing well. Who knows if I will ever make it in this lifetime!
But I continue to be inspired by David Bowie—the most lovable, creative genius earthling—and will keep learning and hopefully improving as time goes on. I am working on letting more of a powerful sound come forth. Stay tuned for my next performance!
For your viewing pleasure
I created three versions of the video of my singing debut, for audiences on different platforms and with different levels of interest in watching me sing. Really, one minute is all I feel I can ask of anyone who is not a member of my family!
Video footage recorded by Andrea Thurlow and Dusty Berke.
Square for Instagram
This one is under 1 minute (timed for an Instagram feed), and square to display well in Instagram.
Short YouTube Version Captures Highlights
This is the length for my Another New York Love Affair art project, where each video is usually under two minutes. It captures the feel of the event, with behind-the-scenes warm-up and a flash on the audience at the beginning.
Full Length
This is the full length of the song. It’s my singing debut, and my Mom might want to see the whole thing!
The Met has an exhibit called Camp: Notes on Fashion. This year’s Met Gala celebrated the exhibit, which is part of The Costume Institute at the Met. The exhibit examines how the elements of irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration are expressed in fashion. Not to mention food!
Here are some of my favorite pieces from the exhibit.
I would love to wear one of these gorgeous gowns to the next gala at the National Arts Club! An inspired pairing…
Spanish designer Cristoba Balenciaga evening dress (1951), black silk velvet and pink silk taffeta. French designer Thierry Mugler “Venus” ensemble (1995-96 haute couture), bodysuit of beige synthetic powernet embroidered with clear paillettes and pearl beads; dress of black silk velvet and pink silk satin with pink and blue silk satin roses.
Here’s a variation on wearing the lampshade on your head. There’s so much going on here, the mind boggles. David Hockney swimming pool, suit of armor, art deco shapes, wetsuit zipper. And so cute!
British designer Mary Kathantzou ensemble, 2011. Top of polychrome printed cotton-synthetic crepe; skirt of polychrome printed synthetic satin and white synthetic velvet trimmed with clear crystals.When you think Bob Mackie, you must think Cher! This 2008 dress is nude synthetic tulle embroidered with iridescent crystals, clear seed beads, and clear paillettes; headpiece of white silk organza and white felt embroidered with polychrome crystals and iridescent paillettes.Wild and Lethal Trash ensemble (1996); jacket of yellow PVC, bodysuit of purple synthetic spandex knot. French designer Jean Paul Gaultier dress (1995-6) of synthetic plain weave.This is making me hungry. According to Andrew Rose, camp is the “inherent funniness of leftovers.” The Italian design House of Moschino (Jeremy Scott) “TV Dinner” ensemble (2019-20). Cape of jute plain weave, polychrome foam, and silver spandex knit; romper of green synthetic plain weave embroidered with green paillettes.“The Souper” dress, à la Andy Warhol, 1966-67. You know how much I love the Campbell’s Soup theme!
A triptych of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, 1914-1926. Altogether he painted about 250 pictures of water lilies in the series.
MOMA is closed for four months for a major $450 million renovation. The reno will add 40,000 square feet and improve traffic flow. The good news is the museum will be able to display more pieces from its permanent collection.
The museum will reopen on October 21.
I went on the last day before the closure, June 16, in a pre-emptive move against MOMA withdrawal. Here are some favorite works of art from the permanent collection for you to enjoy if you are missing our beloved museum.
MOMA One
It almost seems a crime to present these inexpertly photographed works of art, especially as better versions are already available online in abundance. So I hope you will take this in the spirit intended—to share my love and appreciation of these works with my friends and family.
MOMA Two
Did you notice any suprising new artists or works of art in the above slideshow? 😉
I revere Anna Wintour and Vogue magazine. ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is my favorite vacay movie. But just to cut through the idealization, this time I’m going to take the piss and show how style translates from haute couture to proletariat.
Highlighter hues as seen on the celebs in Vogue.
I ripped this page out of May Vogue for inspiration, when I was in Paris checking out the style in the Fashion Capital.
When I got back to New York, I spotted these highlighter hues everywhere! Taking it to the street…
Delivering laundry & multitasking on the phone.
Strolling on the street with a soda. Girl in foreground is in highlighter pink.
Waiting for the subway at Penn Station, phone in hand. Woman on the bench is in highlighter yellow too.
Unloading a truck on Sixth Avenue.
So you see, you don’t have to be rich and famous to dress like the stars. Just color-match and you’re there!
As I mentioned in my last post, this year I attended the famous Easter Parade in NYC on April 21, beginning at 10 AM at 49th Street and proceeding north to 57th Street. The parade ended at about 1 PM. I also watched the 1948 film, “Easter Parade,” with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. This is a classical musical, with the song and dance numbers blending absolutely seamlessly into the story, in glorious color, with fun tunes by Irving Berlin. The grand finale is on Fifth Avenue, and this is where the Easter Parade takes place to this day.
Here are some photos of this year’s paraders:
Easter 2019
It was a glorious sunny day, and people were in a jubilant mood, as you can see. The man in the hounds-tooth jacket actually sang a few bars from “Easter Parade” to me! People were happy to pose in their festive finery, though I also captured a few candid photos on the subway and platform. It was a joyful day with the true Easter spirit of new life and growth bringing happiness to everyone’s hearts.
Each year on Easter Sunday, celebrants in New York don fantastical finery and show off their very best bonnets along Fifth Avenue. This year’s parade takes place on April 21, beginning at 10 AM at 49th Street and proceeding north to 57th Street, continuing until about 4 PM. This New York City tradition dates back to the 1870s, and anyone wearing a bonnet can join the parade. As you probably know, the best place to watch is from the area around St. Patrick’s Cathedral between 50th Street and 51st Street.
Macy’s Fashion Pods
In the weeks leading up to the parade, Macy’s has its annual Spring Flower Show at three New York locations. This year’s theme is a sci-fi spectacle called Journey to Paradisios, complete with “fashion pods,” alien trees, and a spidercrawler. Each location has different flower displays and events. This is the 73rd annual Macy’s Flower Show. According to Susan Tercero, executive producer of Macy’s Flower Show, “This year Macy’s Flower Show will take spectators on an incredible extra-terrestrial journey filled with wondrous sights, dazzling discoveries and unexpected experiences as we invite them to explore Paradisios. More than 1 million spectators in three cities nationwide will have the opportunity to experience this immersive floral world and be the first humans to set foot on this majestic planet.”
National Arts Club Bonnet Bash 2019
In a related event, the National Arts Club will be holding their Bonnet Bash 2019, “Carnival of Capital Sins,” on Friday, April 12, 8 PM to 11:30 PM. Tickets are $35, available on eventbrite.
Stay tuned to this page for photos from this year’s parade!
Alexandra Kargin, The Bomb, and Karen Rempel in spots
I’ve been attending FashionSpeak Friday events at the National Arts Club, ever since stumbling upon the Iris Apfel book launch (for Accidental Icon: Musings of a Geriatric Starlet) and award ceremony there, in May 2018. Suddenly a glamorous world of high fashion and style opened up before my eyes, and I knew I wanted to be part of it. I happened to be wearing fantastic Herchkovitch; Alexandre + Melissa clear vinyl platform shoes with flower cut-outs, and it appeared I fit right into the event, for people assumed I was part of it. (Actually, I’d been attending our graduation dinner for the United Nations Worldview Institute Executive Leadership Training, downstairs, that evening.) In any case, I was smitten with the National Arts Club, FashionSpeak Fridays, and fashion in general.
The Bomb’s shoes & socks. This man has style!
A few weeks ago I attended a leopard-themed event at NAC, in honor of International Women’s Month. The speaker was Jo Weldon, author of Fierce: The History of Leopard Print. She gave a very informative and fascinating talk, and the evening began with an amazing burlesque performance. What was most delightful about the evening for me was the prevalence of leopard prints, as New Yorkers love the chance to play dress-up. There were so many spots in that room that I thought I might have an epileptic fit.
Sole mates – zebras and leopards in harmony
FashionSpeak Fridays at the National Art Club are free to the public, so I like to go whenever possible. I just love the atmosphere at the Club, and the fashion events are truly inspirational. The Club, at 15 Gramercy Park South, is located in the historic Samuel Tilden Mansion. Samuel Tilden, the 25th Governor of New York, combined two mansions and gave them a complete redesign in 1863. Tilden hired Calvert Vaux, a famed architect and one of the designers of Central Park, to modernize the façade with sandstone, bay windows, and ornamentation in the Aesthetic Movement style. John LaFarge created stained glass panels for the interior of the mansion and glass master Donald MacDonald fashioned a unique stained glass dome for Tilden’s library that crowns the room where the bar is now located. This is truly one of my favorite places in New York to have a drink.
Bert Daniels, Karen Rempel, and part of Jo Weldon’s leopard print collection, with DJ in background – he mixed a lot of great jungle-themed tunes for the event!
In 1966, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission declared 15 Gramercy Park South a New York City Landmark; and in 1976 the Federal government designated the building a National Historic Landmark. Of course the club has had many illustrious members, including three US presidents and many artists, writers, architects, and other creative geniuses.
Dusty, Alexandra, me, Anila, Nikki, and Bert at the Rose Bar, across Gramercy Park, after the event
The club is a great place to hang out, and I hope to be a member soon so I can lounge and dine in the gorgeous library and restaurant. The sparks of creativity in the atmosphere have landed in my heart, and ignited in my new role as Fashion Editor of the WestView News, the Voice of the West Village. As many of you know, I’ve been writing articles for the paper for a few years now. When I wrote a piece on the closing of the Cornelia Street Cafe (also discussed at length in this blog), the owner of the paper, George Capsis, said he’d like me to write, write, write for the paper. He invited me to HQ on Charles Street, and asked what I would like to write about. What came out of my mouth, with no forethought or foreknowledge, was the single word, “Fashion.” Wow! A revelation… My first fashion column came out in March, and the April edition is due out tomorrow, with the second column. You’ll see me sporting leopard there too!
As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve been writing fashion pieces for the WestView News. With spring hovering near, the West Village is starting to take on a greenish hue. Tiny leaves are budding on the trees in sunny gardens. Birdsong is in the air, calling us to spring forward out of our beds at an earlier hour. A sprinkling of fairy dust was also in the air on St. Patrick’s day, as West Village residents and visitors alike took to the streets sporting green to celebrate our favorite Irish holiday.
Paul MacKnight’s St. Pat’s ’stache
It’s an eerie coincidence that Paul MacKnight works at both Barre3 and Bar Six, both in the West Village. (And frequents Hell’s Kitchen’s Bar Nine, the dueling piano bar?) He poured a wicked Irish coffee on Sunday, serving it up to St. Patrick’s Day patrons during his shift behind the bar. In honor of the day, he put on some gold and green sparkle, making him the pixiest bartender in town.
Sana Siddiqui strolling down Sixth Avenue with Jefferson Market Library in background
Meanwhile, Sana Siddiqui strolled with her family down Sixth Avenue, and this couple power-walked in green splendor down a Gold Coast side street.
I’ve been getting emails from Cornelia St. Cafe owner Robin Hirsch for the past month, letting his mailing list know that the cafe will be closing for good, after 4 decades of being a Greenwich Village institution. I wandered over there today after Barre class, not realizing it’s the last day they will be open.
I had a chat with Robin, and he said the closure is not just about rent increases, but also about general landlord nastiness. Evidently the landlord who owns the building is on the Top 10 list of worst landlords in New York, and actually boasts of being THE WORST!
I’ve had a few wonderful evenings at the cafe over the past few years, and recently was the first patron in for a morning coffee, trying to soak up the last few bits of memory before the cafe closes. Some of you may recall that when I worked at Krystyna’s Place, the vintage clothing store on the same block as the cafe, we wound up the photo shoot at the cafe, and I met Robin that day. He gave us each a glass of wine, as Krystyna is a good friend of his. It was the perfect ending to a dream day.
So I have a soft spot in my heart for this New York institution. For a while, my writing teacher from Gotham Writers, Nelsie Spence, was hosting a monthly comedy reading show here, the Imperfect Perfect Show. Sadly, I never got over to see it.
Today was an especially vibrant and emotional day at the cafe, with regulars and new visitors alike thronging around the bar, filling the tables, and lining up outside for the 3:00 PM Songwriter’s Exchange. Tonight, the final event will be an artists’ salon, starting at 7 PM. I was lucky to get a seat at the bar, and ordered a tasty New Year’s Day brunch of eggs Florentine, coffee, and mimosa. An excellent first meal of the year, though tinged with sadness.
Here are some short clips of the scene outside the cafe today.
On one side of me was a couple from Toronto, in town to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The man is a performer in Come From Away in Toronto, and his partner is a tango dancer. They went to a tango event last night and then finished up the evening at Marie’s Crisis, a sing-along piano bar in the West Village. On the other side of me, I met a long-time New Yorker and cabaret performer, MAC nominee Kathryne Langford. She is under consideration for a Bistro Award for a recent cabaret performance, and has promised to take me out to some of her favorite New York places. How wonderful to meet a new friend on the first day of the year.
The cafe is selling its custom-made tables. Lacking space in my apartment for any more furniture, I took home a Cornelia St. Cafe sparkling bottle instead. (See top photo.)
Robin Hirsch is an amazing person, a former Oxford, Fulbright, and English-Speaking Union Scholar, who has acted, directed, taught, and published on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a long-time supporter of eclectic artists and art forms, ranging from stilts, to tight-rope walking, to writing to spoken word to music, and much more. He has written a book about the cafe, called The Whole World Passes Through: Stories from the Cornelia Street Café, and other works as well. His cafe will be much missed, and I wish him and the staff all the best as they head in a new direction.
Here’s a brief history of the cafe, and some stories about the cafe on the same page. Here’s another great article about the cafe and some of the famous and infamous people and goings-on.
