New York – Page 7 – Karen's New York Love Affair

David Bowie Station to Station

This was a super-cool New York happening! In conjunction with the David Bowie Is exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, the MTA and Spotify collaborated to put up this tribute to Bowie at the Broadway-Lafayette Subway (the station closest to Bowie’s home on Lafayette Street). I met other people wandering around looking at the pictures who were also profoundly impacted by Bowie, and we strangers shared stories with each other.

I have often wondered what was so compelling about Bowie that made so many people feel a personal connection to him. I didn’t find out how many until after he died and I got the Ziggy haircut, which has prompted dozens of people to share their love of Bowie with me.

Bowie Station 1

I think for me personally, one of things is the androgyny that Lynn Goldsmith mentioned in the quote in the above slideshow. I have always felt that my truest self is androgynous, and that the particular gender I carry in this lifetime is not my deepest self. I believe I’ve been both genders, over hundreds of lifetimes, and this one happens to be female, but can feel what it’s like to be male as well.

For teenagers and folks in their twenties who are trying to figure out what gender and sexuality feels right, Bowie offered the freedom to do that. He was a role model who said it’s all acceptable, and wonderful. I recall the lyric from Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide, where he says “Gimme your hands, ’cause you’re wonderful…” That to me is the epitome of Bowie’s kindness, love, and acceptance.

Bowie Station 2

Then there’s the simple fun of dressing up and putting on a character. Bowie gave us so many fantastic looks and characters to emulate. I don’t know the statistics, but if you Google Ziggy images, you will see dozens of people dressed in various guises of Ziggy. I’ve certainly loved dressing in several Ziggy costumes with full make-up. The year Bowie died, there were several Bowies in the Halloween parade in the West Village. I remember the guy in the Bowie Labyrinth costume. Fantastic! There is a Bowie Ball where people get into Bowie costume–not just in New York but in Vancouver and I’m sure many other cities as well. And I went to a Bowie roller disco in Brooklyn at which dozens of people roller skated dressed as Bowie!

Bowie Station 4

In the musings he wrote in the last image above, he recounted his trip to the Village in the 70s, where he followed the footsteps of his “enthusiams.” I did the exact same thing on my first trip, staying at a hotel where Dylan had stayed, going to the Whitehorse Tavern, and Carrie’s SATC stoop. He followed the same urges to New York, to touch the people who inspired him, and found a life for himself here.

Bowie Station 5

After he died, the first thing I connected to was his creative brilliance. I watched the videos, like so many did, and listened to his music. I was in training for the New York marathon, and listened to his music on the endless long runs through the North Shore mountains in Vancouver. I was so blown away by the body of work he had created during his lifetime. 25 studio albums! Innovative rock videos long before MTV. And so much more.

I listened to his final album, Black Star, and was curious about and moved by what he chose to express on his way off the planet. According to Donny McCaslin, who played sax on the album, Bowie was also very interested in collaboration and hearing what his fellow musicians had to bring to the co-creation. So he had his personal genius, but also a gift of collaborating with others to create something bigger than any one person.

Bowie Station 3

So why do I love Bowie—the phenomenon, if not the person, though I did see him up close and personal a few times! I was right in front of the stage at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, and felt Bowie’s special charisma pour over me. There is something so lovable about him, and I think he makes people feel they are like him, so some of his stardust must be in each of us.

My favorite work of art at MOMA

Of all the works of art I’ve seen at MOMA, van Gogh’s Starry Night has impacted me the most vividly. The first time I visited MOMA, I entered the hall where the work hangs. There was a wall facing me, and behind the wall I could hear a huge crowd of people talking excitedly. I said to my friend, “I bet Starry Night is on the other side of that wall.” I was just talking out of my hat, but sure enough, there it was!

I waited for my turn to step front and center, gazed into the sky, and felt my head start to whirl as I tumbled into the galaxy. The painting opened up a doorway into endless time and space, I felt the ground drop from under me, and I was flying. I experienced a wordless sense of the mystery of the universe. I am certain this is what van Gogh felt as he painted.

I go back to see this painting every time I visit MOMA, and feel that lurch in my solar plexus every time.

I also grew to love Portrait of Joseph Roulin, which used to hang as a companion nearby. I was moved by the story of this man being van Gogh’s only friend in Arles, which brought meaning to the work and helped me feel the love in the painting. The other townfolk rejected van Gogh, and I felt the pain he must have felt as an outcast, and the warmth of friendship he shared with Roulin and his family. Plea to MOMA: Please bring the Postmaster back to hang near Starry Night!

Both were painted in 1889, and you can see the similarity in style, with the movement in the curled brush strokes.

What is your favorite work of art at MOMA? Please comment and share what has moved you at MOMA.

Celebrating New York

On January 29, I spent the afternoon at the Museum of the City of New York. I began the trip with lunch in the museum’s cafe overlooking Central Park (which is very brown and uninspiring at the moment)–but enjoyed a tasty white bean and curried cauliflower salad–and learned that they have a weekly dance program for children with disabilities. The girl in the wheelchair loves this class–it is her favorite part of the week. So that’s the first flavor of New York.

I headed up to the top floor first, and ended up spending over an hour on the mod clothes exhibit, which shows the dramatic fashion changes during the decade of the 60s. They have clothes worn by Jackie Kennedy, Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy, and more… With a great 60s soundtrack playing. This is the decade I was born in, so it is interesting to feel the influences of change that were in the air, transforming consciousness in New York and around the globe. Plus fun to see the amazing clothes!

The top floor also has an exhibit of photos of Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism in New York (more changes filling the decade and still percolating throughout the globe today), an extensive display on the women’s suffragette movement, right up to Hillary’s campaign, and a display of silver “then and now.” The silver display shows classic pieces and their modern equivalents created by today’s artisans. For example, an old chased serving platter shows the early subway lines in New York. The modern equivalent shows all the surveillance cameras located throughout the city. Did you see Person of Interest?

On my way out I took the stairs, and took this photo series:

New York Stairway

Enjoy!

My New York Apartment

Dear friends and family,

As you know, I’ve been searching for my dream New York apartment ever since I sold my East Village home in Vancouver in April. I have finally found my New York home, in the West Village of lower Manhattan. It took a few false starts and I learned a lot about New York real estate along the way. You would not believe!

But the search has paid off, and I hope you will bear with me as I show you all the details of this fantastic space that I love. Lots of photos follow, and I thought it would be easiest if you can just scroll down through them, rather than using slide shows. So here goes:

Preparing the space: hanging art, assembling furniture! Come up to the 6th floor in the elevator. Turn left, no, I said left!

The entry way–an actual foyer!

Down the hallway–an actual hallway! (My former romantic attic studio in a brownstone did not have these features, hence my excitement.)

The kitchen, with black cabinets and counter-top and mirrored back-splash:

This last one is from the kitchen looking back down the hallway, and you can see my little Christmas tree.

Next up: another hallway into the bathroom and bedroom! Doors closed, and then open.

Another look around the kitchen with close-ups of details:

And now into the bedroom!

Leaving the bedroom, turn right to go down the hallway to the bathroom. No, I said right!

I couldn’t resist getting a little arty there.

Now for the dining area, by the big double-window:

And the pièce de résistance, the living room!

Dear David Bowie!

Now converting my desk area for work:

And a few views out the windows:

My apartment is on the top floor, overlooking a courtyard area between W. 11th Street and W. 12th Street. It’s nice to see some green out the window.

Interior artwork on David Bowie’s album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Spooky!

Thanks for coming on this tour with me! I hope you come visit me in New York soon.

Race to Deliver

The race Sunday morning (November 19) for God’s Love We Deliver was fantastic! I felt so moved by the spirit of New Yorkers. Joan Rivers was involved with this charity for over 25 years, and personally delivered meals to people at Christmas time. They currently deliver 1.7 million meals a year to 6,800 New Yorkers who are too ill to prepare meals. Mostly people with HIV/Aids (until 2001 that was the exclusive population served). Joan Rivers won $500,000 for this charity on Celebrity Apprentice in 2009.

This was the New York Road Runner’s 24th annual Race to Deliver, to raise money for the charity. Kinky Boots was one of the race sponsors, and a Broadway star sang the national anthem at the beginning of the race.

Before the race I had time to look at the statues on the Literary Walk of the Mall in Central Park, and learn more about the history of New York.

It was my 8th race this year, and I got to run on the same 4-mile loop as the people who ran the 60K ultra marathon the day before. I volunteered for the 60K, and watched the amazing runners do the 4-mile loop over and over. Some kept running as though 60K is nothing, and others were visibly limping as the miles went on, but they all had that little bit of crazy that I love about New York!

I feel so lucky to be here and part of this incredible city. It was wonderful to look back today on the year and to take some time to contemplate how magical it has been–how much I’ve experienced, how much I’ve grown and changed. I feel like I belong to this city and these people.

Seinfeld’s passion for a laugh

I saw Jerry Seinfeld on October 6, at a school auditorium on the Upper West Side. David Remnick interviewed him there as part of the annual New Yorker Festival. The two of them were very entertaining together, and Jerry shared anecdotes about his personal journey to becoming Forbes’ highest paid comedian around today (and in my opinion funniest of all time), with income of $69 million between June 2016 and June 2017.

I was amazed to see Jerry Seinfeld live, after loving the show Seinfeld and growing up in Burnaby, BC (a middle-class suburb of Vancouver), where nothing ever happened. I never would have dreamed that one day I would actually be in the same room with Seinfeld, close enough to hit him with a spitball.

Imagine the leap, from watching a star on a TV screen in my dismal college apartment (my neighbors in the apartment about six feet across from my window used to regularly vomit and urinate out the window onto the concrete below) to attending The New Yorker Festival on the Upper West Side of New York City. This is a leap all the way across the continent, to a location very close to Tom’s Restaurant, where parts of the show were filmed (and where I’ve actually eaten), to seeing Jerry Seinfeld and David Remnick in person. I truly had no idea this would happen one day.

I remember being at writing school in the early 90s and coming to class the day after a new episode of Seinfeld. We all watched the show and marveled at the clever writing and just how funny it was. I have never laughed as hard in my life as I did during the episode where George told his date he was a marine biologist and Kramer shot the golf ball into the whale’s blowhole (Season 5, episode 14). This must be one of the funniest things that’s ever not really happened. Interestingly, this was the episode Jerry mentioned as an example of how the writers on the show came up with situations that suited the characters. It started with the idea of Kramer driving balls into the ocean (something that no one else would ever do), and took off from there.

Jerry spoke a lot about his love of comedy and how it motivated him to pursue that goal, regardless of financial success, which of course he also enjoys at this point in his career, aged 63 (and looking fantastic). His success is phenomenal and impressive, but it’s hearing how he has worked hard at it—due to his love of it and not wanting to do anything else—that is inspiring to me. He listened to comedy records in his room as a kid, and later worked at his routines in small venues with a handful of people in the audience. He just wanted to be an opening act for a band. But his whole world was comedy, and comedians, and getting jokes to work.

He said the audience tells him what works. “The laughter has so much information in it. They sometimes go ‘Yeah, but, it’s not funny…’ Every laugh is totally unique. You could play me a laugh and I could tell you the joke.” It’s a weird dichotomy, because he’s trying to get the audience to understand his unique view on something, but at the same time, he is acutely conscious of the audience’s response and crafting his wording and delivery to communicate the idea to us, so it’s a highly interactive process.

I was struck by how he puts his whole being into this life of a comedian. He shared a story of working on a particular bit for 10 years. He thought it was funny, but no one else did, and he kept playing around with it until he could get other people to see what he saw.

I am inspired to see someone who loves something whole-heartedly and expresses it in the world at the peak of what is possible. Living in New York, I have the opportunity to see the best ballet, modern dance, and theater in the world, and hear the best musical performances. Obviously, Jerry does this with comedy. What’s clear is the single-minded interest and intention it takes to get that good at something.

No one knows this about me, but when I was a kid, about 6 or 8 years old, I used to dream of being a comedian. I got a book of jokes from the library, and used to practice the jokes in the cold concrete-floored basement of our suburban house. But I didn’t think I was funny, and of course at that age I didn’t have the depth of experience to communicate the nuance of the idea in the joke in a funny way. And those jokes probably weren’t that funny to begin with, come to think of it!

After a painfully shy adolescence, I overcame my fear of public speaking during a program called the Advancement of Excellence, in the late 80s, and since then I’ve taken singing and guitar lessons, some acting classes. I’m now studying dance at the Joffrey Ballet Center, and I’ve taken a lot of different dance classes over the years. As some of you will recall, I was given the opportunity to dance onstage (and conduct the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra) at the Orpheum Theater! I’ve taught yoga and led vision quests in the desert. I’ve given presentations as a professional writer, and spoken publicly in large crowds. I like the limelight now, and love the feeling of saying something that makes a group of people laugh.

When I came to New York, the first writing course I took was a comedy writing class at Gotham Writers. The instructor, Nelsie Spencer, was hilarious. Everyone in my class was hilarious. Sadly, I learned that I was not. Though I did have the class laughing at one or two of my dating (read: sex) misadventures.

In a way it is a curse being pretty good at–or at least enjoying–a lot of things. I’ve never had a really strong sense that there is ONE THING that I am meant to do and am passionate about. Though maybe writing is the thing that comes closest. I wrote my first story in grade 6, and now I’m a couple decades into a writing career. I believed this was my passion and my destiny at one time, but now I’m not sure! I’ve taken a few other courses at Gotham, and as you can see, I’ve been writing this blog pretty consistently since 2008. I just don’t know. Is this really it?

Seeing Jerry has had an impact–seeing someone like a Mozart, who has one passion and follows it right to the very end, the very peak. I have the feeling that isn’t my destiny in this lifetime. But I am looking forward to contemplating this question for a while. Where does my passion take me? Where does yours take you?

Eric Reed – Git’cha Shout On Nov. 10-12 at Smoke Jazz Club, NYC

I was fortunate to worship with the converted at Eric Reed’s altar at the Village Vanguard on Sunday, April 9. He was leading the congregation from his piano (actually, the VV’s venerable piano—what souls have imprinted that keyboard!), with his confessed alter-ego Tim Green providing counter-point on alto and tenor saxophone. Reed was on fire with spirit, innovation, and purpose. Green’s long lines were strong and clear, with a cleanness that complemented Reed’s soulful presence.

The band started with a tribute to Thelonious Monk, weaving the Monk’s magic into a medley of classic jazz, then shifted into gospel groove with “Git’cha Shout On” from soon-to be released A Light in Darkness, and crowd-fave “Prayer” from Reed’s Reflections of a Grateful Heart (2013). The audience was swept up in a collective contemplation of the fullness of love the human heart is capable of during these two songs, and it took off from there, building to a culmination of optimistic joy by the end of the set. One of the reasons I love going to the Vanguard on the final Sunday show of a band’s stay is that they have reached a cohesive groove and relaxation at this point in the run, and a comparison of the recorded version of Prayer with the live version on Sunday illuminates what I mean—there was an immediacy and excitement to the live performance that elevated the song to a new level of ministry and revelation.

Perhaps expected in the world of jazz, Reed speaks a political message with his soul-stirring melodies. “The older I get, the more I start to see my musical, spiritual, and personal influences as all one stream of consciousness,” Reed says. In today’s strange time, a very real, pressing question is how can the arts help us deal with the political situation. Reed is the first jazz artist I’ve heard address this directly. He enjoined the audience to pray for our leaders in these difficult times, saying they need our loving energy which will help guide their actions, whether they know they need our prayers or not! I was uplifted by this message with the music, which acknowledged what is going on in the world, and provided his listeners with the positivity and hope of right action and loving responsiveness, rather than despair and the futile hatred of ugly memes and clickable sensationalist links that seems to make up so much of people’s response to the times in social media. Responding to chaos and aggression with love might seem naïve to some, but I believe it is the response of a more mature humanity.

Reed is the son of a Pentecostal preacher, and was playing piano in his father’s church by age 5. He is steeped in the tradition of Christian love, and this heritage has matured into taking right action in the world through his role as inspirational entertainer. His early days in the Pentecostal church reverberated on the stage at the Village Vanguard, with the organic call-and-response that was part of those earlier Sunday nights. It was a time to share in a community of people who understand, and say “Yeah, we know.”

In between numbers, Reed also reminisced about the Vanguard owners giving him a chance 20 years ago when he was in his twenties, and he talked about the up-and-coming generation in the audience on Sunday night. Some of these up-and-comers were on stage with him as well. Young pups Michael Gurrola on bass and McClenty Hunter Jr. on drums laid down a strong gospellation of groove and amens.

It’s fascinating to watch a piano master at work, whatever the music genre. I remember watching the Buena Vista Social Club pianist Rubén González and his incredibly long fingers seemed illuminated with Wim Wenders’ divine light. Another Cuban-born pianist, David Virelle’s amazing spider fingers dance on the keys with a distinctive pouncing movement. Reed’s soulful jazz piano hands are mesmerizing in a different way, with resiliency and spiritual presence actually curving the ends of his fingertips up away from the keys, so that the pads connect with a caress each time they touch down. Then the blur of movement picks up tempo to faster than the speed of light, and the sounds of 10 notes at once fills the ear space with joyful jazz improvisation.

Philadelphia-born Reed has a 27-year career as a recording band leader, from 1990’s Soldier’s Hymn to the 2014 release Groovewise, and also recorded on numerous Wynton Marsalis albums in the 90s, including Live at the Village Vanguard (1999). More recently he played on Christian McBride’s Kind of Brown (2009). At the time of the April Vanguard show, Reed was in rehearsal for his upcoming release, A Light in Darkness.

This release will be Reed’s thoughtful, deliberate response to current events “Yeah, I see what’s happening out there–I’m not living under a rock or sticking my head in the sand. My faith is undaunted by the ugliness of racism, greed, and blatant ignorance of, seemingly, a world gone even madder than one can imagine. It’s easy to get away: prayer, the soft, mild chords on my piano in my solitude.

“These are all the things I think about as I prepare for a new recording… I can tell you, it will be highly emotional, more so than any of my other works. It will be a creation, a compilation, a collaboration and it will illuminate love, love, love!”

Reed toured with Ravi Coltrane to the Jazz on the Odra Festival in Poland this spring, followed by various dates in California and DC. He’ll be playing with his Eric Reed Quartet in New York, NY for his CD Release Party at Smoke Jazz Club on November 10-12, 2017, featuring music from A Light in Darkness.

The disappointment of Guns N’ Roses

I was thrilled to see Guns N’ Roses last Sunday at Madison Square Garden. At least, until I was actually in the stadium watching the show. Then it was a bit of a snooze, I am disappointed to say.

I had previously seen early GNR shows in 1989 at the LA Coliseum (where they backed the Stones) and in 1991 when they headlined at the Tacoma Dome. I can clearly recall the thrill in LA of seeing Axl twirling with the microphone stand, and performing his signature sideways sashay. Somehow, as the old blues song says, the thrill is gone.

“Welcome to the Jungle” was song #4 in their setlist, and I thought, finally, this show is getting going:

But it never sustained this level of energy… By the time they did “Coma,” 9 songs later, I was pretty much in one.

Surprisingly, the covers they performed had more energy. I especially enjoyed the freshness and emotion of Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.” But honestly, I just saw Paul McCartney do “Live and Let Die” last month at Barclays Center, and his version was better! I could feel the heat from the flashpots in the nosebleed section. I also saw Roger Waters do his own “Wish You Were Here” last month (see my video on YouTube), and again–his was of course WAY better than GNRs, though the crowd loved the song and sang along over GNRs instrumental version. It was a fun moment, don’t get me wrong. Just not the GREAT moment I was expecting.

What surprised me was that the audience was on its feet much of the time. A lot of reviewers loved the show, and here’s one by Loudwire. GNR are the 41st best-selling artists of all time, with Appetite for Destruction being the best-selling debut album of all time in the US, 11th best-selling album period. The “Not in this Lifetime” tour was the highest-earning per-city global concert tour of 2016, and the fifth-highest grossing concert tour of all time. People love this shit. And I did too. But maybe I’m not the fan I thought I was.

By comparison, I was blown away by Mötley Crüe in their final tour, which I saw at Madison Square Garden in 2014, on my first trip to New York. And AC/DC rocked the house in Vancouver last October–one of the best shows I have ever seen, with one favorite song after another, and the aging rockers kicking ass like you wouldn’t believe. I thought GNR would be equally exciting, but their show just wasn’t as good as these others. I guess it’s hard to live up to a memory. Nuff said.

Oh, except for one more fun fact:

Am I right?

New York fashion model shoot on Cornelia St.

Sept. 20, 2017 – Earlier I told you about my fantastic summer gig at Krystyna’s Place. An unexpected outcome is that Krystyna is an amazing artist and photographer, and she offered to do a photo shoot of me for a model’s portfolio. We spent the afternoon on a glorious sunny day in early September shooting photos up and down Cornelia St. This is a preliminary pic to give you an idea.

Krystyna dressed me in fantastic couture, mostly vintage. The dress pictured above is more recent, from Venice, and is absolutely stunning haute couture. It’s exquisitely rich satin, with asymmetrical details and the pattern is coral roses with grey touches on a white background. Stay posted for more pix when Krystyna finishes processing the shoot. I hope I can give you a full-length shot of the dress later.

I felt like a real fashion model, and had so much fun wearing the gorgeous clothes and striking poses. Passers-by joined in the fun as well, sometimes holding the reflector for Krystyna or commenting on the amazing outfits that Krystyna put together. The green crinoline might look familiar to you from the window dressing that I created as my final masterpiece at the store.

Karen Rempel photographed at Taglialatella Galleries art opening in Chelsea Sept. 14

Embed from Getty Images

Sept. 17, 2017 – My friend Angela James and I attended an opening at Taglialatella Galleries on Thursday night, Sept. 14. We saw an exhibition of iconic original and limited edition works by influential graffiti and pop artist Cristophe Schwarz, aka Zevs. The collection is called Zevs: Liquid Assets.

Here’s a pic of the artist at the opening (black t-shirt):

It was a real scene. Evidently the night began with tequila shooters, and the champagne flowed freely from there. I was honored to be photographed with Ange in front of a great piece of art that my outfit matched. The slideshow at the top shows some images taken by celebrity photographer Patrick McMullan. This one is by Ange:

Many thanks to my friend Pat Duffy, writer and instructor at the United Nations, for the invite. Ange and I had a blast, and met some amazing people, including artist and professional partier David Padworny; actor, photographer, and former model Mark Reay, who made the autobiographical documentary Homme Less; writer/actor/producer Gregor Collins; and artist and musician M Fisher, aka Viking Swan.

Here’s David with a Louboutin-flashing babe. There’s a button on her shoe with a message for President Trump!
And here’s M (from another event):

He’s working on an upcoming photo exhibit that will take place in Spain.