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I’m trying to bring theatre back to the city! Back in January Sam Rolfes and I directed a huge one-night-only musical show called Diskokina, and I’m currently developing the Club Cringe showcase for festivals. As a result, theatre is seeping into everything else I’m doing right now. I’ve been spending a bunch of time in the Theatre archives up on 64th st, where you can watch the city’s archive of musicals and plays dating back over 50 years - but the catch is you can only view each production once in your lifetime. It’s so depressing that the only shows we see talked about online is shit like Hamilton. Plays used to be such a big part of New York’s cultural export and it feels like it’s kind of been handed off to the tourists. I think performers in general play it very safe and calculated these days, which is why I’m drawn to musicians who get up there and present a whole idea in their live shows. Frost Children and Club Eat come to mind immediately. It’s vulnerable and cringe to get up on stage and start sharing things that used to be just in your notes app, to a whole room full of people. I guess that’s where the name Club Cringe comes from. It’s more about the risk of performing something big and high concept and being okay with potentially seeing it flop or be ill-recieved, “coming off cringe” than it is about the work actually being intentionally cringey.
Mar 29, 2023
Related Recs
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most underrated movie theatre in la. student tickets are $5
Nov 19, 2024
Staying at the Roxy in NY (formerly the Tribeca Grand) is akin to being on an elegant cruise in Manhattan. It’s my home away from home in the city. Everything is there: from live jazz in the massive atrium lobby with the glass elevator zipping up and down and the divine food and drinks (I recommend the lobster roll and a mescal cocktail) in recessed leather booths shaped like teacups, to the gorgeous red velvet theater below - which offers the best films on screen in Manhattan - curated by the brilliant Illyse Singer. After attending a killer film and fascinating Q&A, retreat to the Django, the speakeasy next door, which stays open til 4AM and is often where the hottest underground music acts play… What else could you ask for?
Jan 16, 2025
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Pretty sick, went with a friend and it was very funny. $14 Movie Theater IPAs were hitting in a fantastic way. Then we went to see the second half of the Knicks game in some dive in the Village. It was a great time, stumbled on the escalator in front of strangers.
10/10
May 26, 2025
Top Recs from @jake-sillen
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I’m shocked whenever I hear that someone hasn’t watched the Monster Ball. It’s probably the best touring show ever produced. She toured it around the world for two years without stopping. It’s a perfect spectacle of camp, raw talent, and high budget theater. Most people go for the HBO Madison Square Garden filming but personally I prefer another version that’s free on YouTube. Philly, shot right after her five-night Madison Square Garden stint, is Gaga at her loosest. The wigs are unbrushed. The muscle relaxers are flowing. There’s a branded Virgin Mobile part where she calls a fan on a flip phone. She calls herself a tranny and she fucks up some of her keytar solos, but it’s impossible to look away. It’s a masterpiece of improvisation and I’ll take it over the squeaky clean HBO version anyday
Mar 29, 2023
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If you’ve been living under a rock, let me tell you. This is probably the best game released last year and it’s only $3. My business partners would be horrified to learn how many hundreds of hours I’ve given to this game. After a long day on set, there’s nothing better than posting up horizontal for a few half hour runs through the Inlaid Library while you listen to the new Lana album.
Mar 29, 2023
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My all time favorite show of the last few years. I’m halfway through a podcast recap series (on Seeking Derangements with Ben Mora & Hesse Deni, the first few episodes are free and the rest are on patreon). Here’s the elevator pitch: Three self-made billionaires are dropped in small American cities with fake identities and none of their possessions or contacts. With only a truck, a smartphone and $100 in their pocket, can they prove the American dream is still alive by starting businesses that reach a 1 Million dollar valuation in just three months??Ever since becoming a business owner I’ve done a deep dive into business media like this because it really gamifies life into a speedrun where now the variables and game elements are people and products and prices and logistics systems. It’s like applying D&D game theory to all of the connected economies in a city, which sounds stupid except they’re kind of right. Real life is just like that!
Mar 29, 2023