City Winery – Mitchell's thoughts, photos, etc.

Asking Celebs Dumb Questions

Do You Ever Wonder What They Think?

I know many celebrity-obsessed people. Many want to meet them. I have a friend who regularly sends me info about the signing events athletes do. He’s never gone and never will. He’s dying to meet them and the actors who play superheroes. Toss in the writers and artists that work on the comic books.

I have dated women who have their crushes. One told me the first day we met she was in love with Harrison Ford and Paul O’Neill. Nothing better than Han Solo, Indy, and the best right fielder and intense player the Yankees had in many years. No one will replace Paul. I’d take him in RF and the clutch hitting situation over just about anyone. One was in love with Eddie Vedder and Johnny Depp: another Sting and Geddy Lee. The best of them dreamed of Roger Taylor and Simon Le Bon. She was the best dressed, classiest, prettiest, and smartest of all I dated. She could have been the girl on film.

I have my crushes. Those that know me know who they are. Last year, I was at Yankee Stadium for Old-Timers Day, and Jack Curry was walking into the Stadium. He shook hands and snapped pictures with many of us. I referenced some of his books in our brief conversation. He told me he has another coming out. I sent the image to my friend. He was jealous.

In 2012, as part of the Times Talks, I saw Yoko (Ono), where she discussed the movie “Imagine.” At the end of the event, I went up to the stage and got to hang with her for a few minutes. She’s super nice.

People asked her fairly normal questions, such as what type of music do you think John (Lennon) would have liked these days. She said he would have loved hip hop because he was obsessed with fast-moving wordplay.

About two years ago, Chris Stein released a book about his work in Blondie. I attended. Blondie was one of the first bands I liked, and I remember when my grandmother, a religious woman, took me to TSS in Queens to buy the band’s cassettes. I think I also got music from the Ramones. I have some interesting stories to tell about them. Maybe one day. Or not.

I can still picture this shopping event. I was about six. The cashier was curly-haired, about 17, and wore glasses with a Led Zeppelin T-shirt. He asked what I wanted. She said he wanted Blondie. I got my tape. I wonder what the kid behind the counter thought about a six-year-old with his religious grandmother buying punk? Probably nothing. It was a sale, and he likely wanted to go home, listen to Plant and Page and have a beer.

Deborah (Harry) accompanied Stein at an event held at his alma mater, SVA. The two spoke about their times at CBGBs and the assortment of characters they hung with, including the Ramones, Lou (Reed), Television, Iggy (Pop) and club owner Hilly (Kristal). They opened it up for questions. People asked about Iggy and the scene. Then came the “brainy” question. The person said he was an electrician and asked, “Do you remember maybe in 1975, when the two of you lived in your Bowery loft, and I came to fix an electrical issue and had to look in a closet?” Deborah and Chris just looked at him and said something.

A few weeks ago, I saw Lenny Kaye at City Winery’s Loft. Lenny spoke about Patti (Smith), Joey (Ramone) Lou and Hilly during his time at CBGBs. The Q&A started. Someone asked Lenny if he remembers meeting him and shaking his hand outside a club in 1976. Lenny said something along the lines of I have met so many people.

A week or so before Kaye’s event, Ann Wilson did a Q&A at City Winery. People asked similar questions. I wonder what they think when people ask these questions? Only twice did I ever ask questions.

I think they were normal. At a CD signing at the former Tower Records on 8th Street, I asked Depeche Mode if they could play songs from a specific album at their upcoming show at the Garden. Martin said, “Maybe.” The songs I wanted were ones they usually don’t perform. About two years ago, they did play them at the Garden. Maybe they had me in mind from 2002. Not.

At the 92Y in the early 2000s after Idina Menzel spoke, I was in line to get her signature on her new CD. This was post “Rent” and before “Frozen.” I asked her what her favorite “Rent” songs were. She mentioned a few that were not hers.

I am sure I will be at more Q&As. I cannot wait to hear the questions.

Nostalgia

How Music is the Driving Force

Over the last few weeks, I saw performances by Paul Simon at Forest Hills Tennis, Bon Jovi at the Garden and Joe Jackson at the Beacon. Future shows include Squeeze at Radio City Music Hall, David Byrne at Forest Hills Tennis, Sting at Brooklyn Paramount and Belinda Carlisle at Palladium Times Square. I hope to see more. I do have a few Yankees-Red Sox games on tap.

All brought back memories. Or, as my mom said, nostalgia. Bon Jovi’s on-stage commentary put it best. He said, let’s party like it’s 1999. We all know Prince, whom, sadly, I never saw did that. Bon Jovi said Let’s go back to 1986. He references when his hair was a little fuller and his jeans were tighter. He continued, saying that all of you listening to me now were much younger back in the day. Probably all in high school and now we’re older.

As I listened to him, I was blasted back to my high school job at the Greenridge Plaza McDonald’s and when we closed the store. We all brought cassettes to put into the boombox to blast while we cleaned up. Remember cassettes and boomboxes? We had one of our managers, Uncle Dave, or Disco Dave, with his choices. Others had their choices. We used to fight over what we’d listen to. We heard a wild mix of Bon Jovi, the Cure, David Bowie, Cinderella, Depeche Mode, Genesis, Guns & Roses, Love & Rockets, Madonna, Mötley Crüe, Poison, U2, Van Halen and Wham. I liked most of it. Couldn’t stand and still can’t Cinderella, Mötley Crüe, Poison and Van Halen. Plenty of other acts made our playlists. They were either on mixed tapes, or albums that we pulled in and out of the boombox. We did not have the luxury of Apple Music.

Hearing Bon Jovi pushed me back to those days. I had visions of us in our uniforms scrubbing the grills, sweeping and mopping the floors. It made me think of the times we hung out in the parking lot after we closed. In our cars, we played what we wanted. In front of the stores, some of us had beer. Not me. I did nothing. That’s usually the case.

As for Paul Simon, I wasn’t around for Simon & Garfunkel’s heyday. I did see their reunion tour in the 2000s. I have seen Simon solo a few times and saw Art Garfunkel once at the original City Winery on Varick Street. As Simon played songs from the “Graceland” album, it reminded me of being driven to Scout trips, particularly our winter ski trip—my first- and only-time skiing. I did not do well.

It also reminded me of when I played music all night and kept my sister up in the next room. I made mixes. Most of the new wave and goth bands. But had to include the classic rock tunes. Elton John, Billy Joel, and the Beatles made the cut. Billy Joel was my first concert. I called in sick when I was supposed to close McDonald’s. I got to the former Brendan Byrne Arena with my family. Seated a few rows behind me were several of my coworkers. No one said a word about my illness.

I constantly listen to the Cure. Many times, I flash back to what was perhaps my first date, seeing them with the Pixies and Love & Rockets. We were too young to buy beer. Not that would have as I was driving. We had M&M’s at Giants Stadium.

All of the other bands mentioned do something similar. People who knew me in college often say they remember my Cure and Depeche Mode posters hanging on my dorm room wall. Sid Vicious hung on my room’s wall at home.

Good music, particularly the best generation of music ever, the 80s, is the driving force of keeping things going.

What Does the Venue Think?

By Mitchell Slepian

Last night, I saw Paul Simon at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. A few days ago, I was at Yankee Stadium. Just before that, I saw Lenny Kaye in the Loft at City Winery, Human League with Soft Cell and Alison Moyet at Radio City Music Hall, and Kim Deal at Pier 17. Future shows will be at the Beacon and Garden. Speaking of the Garden, we all know Taylor Swift married there on July 3.

Paul Simon at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium

All shows brought their expected crowds. We had the aging hippies, the artsy and all-black-wearing new wave and goth crowds, and, of course, those of us decked out from head to toe in our NY Yankees apparel. It didn’t help. They embarrassed themselves by allowing the Twins to pound them. Seems to be a trend. George and the Stick must be rolling around in their graves.

Many of us have felt the Garden shake during performances by The Who or felt connected to Bono. We’ve come to a new understanding of the world while listening to the top-notch songwriting and skills of the Cure and Depeche Mode. We ached that Siouxsie Sioux only did a few shows and did not come to NYC.

But did you ever wonder what the arena feels like? We know what the Stadium feels. It wants the Yankees to bring home that trophy. It’s been far too long. Sure, these venues are concrete and steel. But do they have feelings? Do they have a sense of what’s happening inside them? Does the Garden ever say to Radio City Music Hall, I wish the Human League were on my stage? I doubt the Stadium talks to Fenway Park. They hate each other. Or maybe they complain about the fans or certain players?

Forest Hills Tennis must have been happy to have its local Forest Hills High School boy, Paul Simon, performing at its arena. Although the schoolyard in “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” is never officially named. Per the lyrics, it is in Corona. I have been to the schoolyards; it is believed to be. As I was listening to him perform it, I wondered how many people in the venue had ever traveled to the yards he meant. What does that schoolyard think?

Do the venues have favorite artists? Do they prefer the classic rock, goth, or pop crowds? Does it give off feelings that enhance or hurt the show? Does it get excited when one band does three or four nights? I saw Billy Joel’s residency at Madison Square Garden a few times. Does the Garden kick back into Billy’s coming tonight, and will we have his awesome crows? What does it think when Robert Smith takes the stage with the Cure, and they play in darkness vs. the more top 40 shows that light up the place? Does it prefer bands that really honed their craft to those that are marketing projects created to sell tickets and push downloads? Maybe I need to ask it. It might laugh at me. Or whisper back its thoughts.

Jen’s pregnancy

Jen announced her pregnancy to the world via Facebook. She was worried not about how she’d handle this stage of her life. But would she be safe? She was doing fine with her married life, her job as a social worker was going well. But she was scared Anat would come after her baby.

She hadn’t heard from Marc for a while. She wasn’t sure if he’d be able to protect her for the whole 9 months. And during her child’s life. She was grateful he and Alana saved her engagement, wedding and honeymoon. But she knew there had to be a limit.

The two of them had their own lives. Eventually, she figured they’d forget about her.

Turns out Marc and Alana were having dinner at City Winery while waiting for Max Weinberg to take the stage. They saw Jen’s announcement. They just looked at each other and clinked their glasses, as Weinberg opened with Thunder Road.

Naturally, Anat saw the post. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want Jen to be happy. But she was wondering if it was time to let bygones be bygones. She was just so upset with her loneliness. She knows she’s a bit off. But there had to be something that could break for her.

Anat sat on a bench in Central Park with a box of Sun-Maid raisins. What could be better? She was fairly calm.

Alana and Marc were walking hand in hand down Spring Street. As usual, Weinberg finished with Glory Days. They knew they’d never wed. Or seriously date. But just be each other’s partners in everything.

Marc’s phone buzzed. He had no desire to look. He was doing well with breaking his addiction to it. But it was nonstop. So he figured he should take a peek.

It was a note from Jen. He gave it a quick read, congratulated her and told her he and Alana had her covered. She’d be fine. But told her to be watchful.