more dork action

Picture the scene: it's the wettest day in NY since 1977. Torrential rain. Subways flooded. We're in Brooklyn - Carroll Gardens to be precise - in a Japanese restaurant. Lauren and I are sat eating noodles (paid for with the $90 I've just been given as a reward, see earlier post). I ask how the boys' video shoot is going, as they're in LA that weekend for it.

"They have to wear lycra bodysuits."

I guffaw with laughter and try not to picture that too clearly as Lauren texts Ryland to make sure he takes lots of potentially embarrassing photos of aforementioned outfits for us to laugh over.

Six weeks later: the video appears on youtube. And whilst rocking the fake mustache look is one thing, the bodysuits are in a league of their own...



[Also, remember to vote...]

high culture, low culture

Spend the day running around - over to J&R [camera sale!], down to Abercrombie at Southstreet Seaport for my sister [I spend max. 2 mins walking through the store repeatedly thinking I fucking *hate* this shop then have to leave] and to Pier 17 where the view down the East River of the Brooklyn Bridge and beyond makes everything feel strangely fake.

Then it's back to Brooklyn, rest up for a few minutes, meet up with Dan then head up to the Met for some overdue culture. I've barely been to the Met - just one time on an MB organised trip that was ruuuuubbbbish - so I'm pysched to finally see it. The place is immense. We check out the mummies and the two exhibits and some photos and then spend a while trying to find a picture I want to see: "It's a number 5. It goes with that William Carlos Williams poem." "Okay. Who's it by?" "Ummmmm..." Figuring it's gonna be in the Modern Art section we head there and slowly but surely locate the painting I was talking about:*

By now we're both being old people and our feet are killing so we head home. I get in, text Lauren to see if she wants to get dinner in the 'hood instead of Union Sq - but apparently the party we're meant to be going to [that, truthfully, I was considering bailing out of 'cause I'm knackered] will have food. I sit down for five minutes, sugar up on Nerds, then have to head back out again to go meet Lauren.

We head to Shallon's book party just off Union Sq. We're like the first people there. We have the open bar and the snacks alllll to ourselves. Awesome. We hover by the chips-n-dip after pouring generous vodka-Frescas for ourselves until people we know turn up. Rob Hitt, Sarah H, Alex Sarti, other Crush Mgmt peeps... We're hanging out by the cupcake table - cupcakes with letters on them that, originally, spelled out 'Congratulations on the book Shallon'. Only after a fair few drinks...




All the free alcohol means things descend even further...



...until some of us decide to split. Lauren, Sarah, Sarti and I leave and, for lack of decision of what else to do, head to Beauty Bar where Omri is spinning. While there I also run into Jenny, the Lula photo ed., who I haven't yet seen in NY, which is pretty cool. We take a seat and argue about what to do next... Annex... Guns 'N Roses afterparty ["It's in midtown? Ewww."]... no decision seems to be reached but we head out anyway, waiting while Lauren runs into KFC to use their bathroom. There's a rat out front of the restaurant, just hanging out. It's kinda gross.

Standing outside the KFC, we all realise we're tired and a wee bit drunk perhaps, so - more old people antics - decide to head home. Lauren and I wait for the L and as it pulls in I notice Andrew and Alex Littl'an, and LaRue already on the train so we jump in their car and say hi. I entrust Lauren to them at Lorimer and stumble to the G to get back to Carroll Gardens...


*the painting is by Charles Demuth
**I stole most of these photos from Lauren

Snakes On A...

So the Cobra boys were back in town, for one night only. They're currently on the MTV $2 Bill Tour, with 30 Seconds To Mars [haha], Head Automatica & Men, Women & Children [who had their gear stolen in Detroit - check their myspace page for how to help 'em out] and are touring, like, all autumn. Boo Cobra and MTV.

A pass was procured for me so I could go see Alex and Ry, my old homies [fact: Alex Suarez is the first NY kid I ever spoke to, at Trash @ Rififi in May 2005. He's one of the raddest people around]. I met Sarah H from work [have I mentioned before that I work a couple blocks from where Lauren & Sarah work? And how awesome that is?] and we headed over to W'burg, where Lauren and Alex were "napping". Once everyone was ready we headed into the city and up to Roseland, miraculously meeting up with Ryland and Kristen on the L.

We caught the very end of MW&C's set, went up to the reserved staged seating area [I heart passes] and met up with Joe-Nightmare of You and Gurj, and half watched Pink Spiders [loud. stripes]. Then Cobra Starship came on. For like the first song I sat there with a stupid grin on my face - after being used to watching Alex & Ryland play a couple of feet from me in places like Cake Shop or the Delancey [in their other band, Ivy League, who I've mentioned more than a few times on here] it was so awesome seeing them up there on a huge stage. Gabe was jumping around like all good frontmen, Ry and Alex were totally rocking out. For their last song they did Snakes On A Plane, and Gabe got some girl to come up on stage and do the rap, which was pretty funny - although not as funny as Lauren jumping up and turning to us when she saw the girl, saying "Ohmigod that girl mystalks me!"

After their set we kinda wandered around, headed up to the green room, back downstairs. Lauren and Alex and Sarah disappeared to the tour bus for a bit. I chatted to some intern from Warners, Head Automatica came on and played a horrendously loud set, accompanied by loud frat-boy yelling from the guys at the table next to us - who Gurj summed up best by yelling "Spring Break! Yeaaahhhh!". Ugh. After H.A.'s set I went and joined them in the tourbus, dashing through the pouring rain [the weather was terrible - I had like three comedians making some "must be like home" "guess you get this all the time" "so this is London weather" riffs that night].

Alex Sarti dragged most of the band out to do a meet-and-greet signing thingy so we all cotched on the bus with its overly-effective aircon, nibbling at the band's apple-cranberry pie [Sorry guys. Hadn't eaten all day] and admiring the rubber snakes adorning the bus. Walked back through Roseland towards the end of the 30STM set, to see Jared Leto jumping around on stage, wearing all black, shouting "Father Kill Me!" - hi-LAR-ious - to the merch area, where we were crushed by hordes of teenage girls and Suarez handed me a CD.

Back on the bus, still pissing with rain, trying to decide for far too long what to do. Lower East Side was most frequently mentioned, but the weather and general tiredness seemed to prevent anyone from even moving. Eventually about midnight we headed round the corner to a 24-hr diner - where we were almost kicked out straight away: "Table for 15 I think - oh FUCK!" In the middle of asking for a table, Sarti spied the World Series results. The poor Mets fan wasn't impressed. We got seated in the back, in the corner, and were given our food pretty fast...

In the end, no one ended up doing anything. Bus call was 5am and the Cobra boys went back to the bus to try and sleep, and everyone else was tired and cold and soaking and just headed en masse to the subway, and home.

And *that*, children, is what they call rock 'n roll...

Yeah! New York

An uneventful flight, quick passage through immigration and customs, and a cab ride down to Carroll Gardens, where even the shitty BQE made me smile and feel almost nostalgic. After shedding baggage, we walk around, to the bank and to the downtown Target for supplies [of which candycorn and Spiderman gloves are an important part] and fresh air and a stretching of the legs.

We come back and I sit down and check some emails while D. gives me a fashion parade - he's off to a fancy gala at the Whitney that evening, dontcha know [and let's not forget the pre-drinks at the Carlyle...] - then I feel like I could easily fall asleep so wander up to Smith St and down to the American Apparel where Lauren and Sarah H work. I LOVE living so close to where they work. When I go in they're both downstairs so someone goes to get them while I stare spacily out the window until I'm grabbed in a hug by Lauren... and suddenly it's like I only saw them both yesterday, not six months ago. We chatter until they have to get back to work, then I head back to get chinese takeout and half watch The Avengers on BBC America. I try to nap on the sofa as I'm meant to be heading to the Litt'lans/Kooks party at Double Happiness that night, but I can't quite doze off. Mr Fancy Pants leaves for his partay, and I turn the tv on, feeling crappy - overtired and headcoldy - and eventually come the decision that I can't quite face going out that night, so bail on and suddenly feel happier. The air mattress is inflated, there's candycorn to nibble at and Disney movies on tv. I do some work and go to bed at 10, an inauspicious first day back...