Related Recs

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Silver Apples

Speaking of unheralded New York signifiers, I bring you exhibit C, the psychedelic electronic duo known as Silver Apples. Now perhaps, dear reader, you’re the type of switched-on young newsletter subscriber that knows Silver Apples as a pioneering band that inspired the likes of Suicide by introducing electronic instrumentation into the milieu of psychedelic rock. But did you know that they were Mayor John Lindsey’s favorite band? And that he described them as “the sound of New York”? Or that they were asked by the city to perform live in Central Park during the broadcast of the moon landing? For the unacquainted, Silver Apples were a duo that first brought oscillating electronic instruments from the sober and hyper-serious confines of academia and into rock n roll. The Velvets, The Dolls, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Run DMC, Biggie, Gershwin — these acts are all etched into the city’s history. Silver Apples don’t enjoy the same proximity, likely because after only two relatively obscure albums, they were forced by PanAm to disband (long story, look it up!). I think its time we carved the name Silver Apples into the Big Apple.

@a.-savage

Oct 19, 2021

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BRIAN ENO’S DIARY: “A YEAR WITH SWOLLEN APPENDICES”

My friend Richard Turley turned me onto this book in April or so. I’ve been reading it in correlation to whatever the day is. I’m grounded enough in reality to know that next to This Legend, I’m a drop in the bucket. BUT— I am delusional enough to think that in diligently reading his diary, I am able to channel the spirit and the honor with which he lives and creates. My other main takeaways have been that he loves porn and big tits. (Nice.)

@madelinequinn

Dec 16, 2021

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michael hurley

any record will do - i‘ve been stuck on Snockgrass lately. he’s the wizard of whimsy, the king of quirk, a true hot dog. he can capture joy, melancholy, goof, and hopeless sadness in one verse, while almost exclusively employing simple language (aside from the occasional made up word) if you’re up a little earlier than the rest of the city and need a soundtrack for your foggy morning commute, Doc Snock is your man. he lives in the PNW now but was a Village boy back in the day, probably bouncing around town with the likes of Van Ronk and other Greenwich legends god bless Elwood Snock

@sweetbabyjosh

Feb 16, 2024

Top Recs from @michael-m.

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ROXY CINEMA TRIBECA

Is this currently my favorite movie theater in NYC because they premiered my new film and hosted a complete retrospective of my work? Duh! But it’s deeper than that. Two years ago I was convinced the arthouse theatrical experience was doomed and that the future was ramshackle cine-clubs for a handful of scorched psychos. Turns out I was wrong. Things are back to normal and on any given night now there’s a surplus of amazing programming all across the city again. The biggest plot twist, though, was the rise of this posh, art deco, single screen theater beneath a fancy hotel in the heart of Tribeca as the new epicenter for contemporary indie cinema. While other venues floundered at first, the Roxy reopened with a bang, finally giving a theatrical run to Eugene Kotlyarenko’s Spree (which never got a proper theatrical release due to covid). Next thing I knew they gave Project Space 13 a run there too, despite not having played any festivals or any of that shit… and it was selling out! They’re doing the same for Betsey Brown’s Actors right now, which keeps getting extended. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a theater tap in this hard. Recent events with Abel Ferrara, the Ion Pack, Alex Ross Perry, and more have been unforgettable. Seeing ASAP Rocky hop on stage to freestyle with Abel after the Siberia premiere is one of my all time fondest memories there. It’s tight being able to see new films like The Scary of Sixty-First, Zola, or El Planeta balanced perfectly with rep fare like Screen Slate’s Bad Habits nun series and Sean Price Williams and Nick Pinkerton’s monthly ‘City Dudes.’ Head programmer Illyse Singer and her cohort Mitchell are heroes. Bonus points for being walking distance to the best new record store in town, Paradise of Replica.

@michael-m.

Apr 7, 2022

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HANGMAN’S ELM

It’s not just the most GOATED tree in Washington Square Park, it’s the single oldest tree in all of Manhattan! For over 300 years it’s been posted up on the corner of Waverly Place and MacDougal Street in the northwest region of the park. On any given morning, afternoon, or evening you can find throngs of wack jobs enthusiastically ingesting every type of narcotic while acting shady af around it. When the city was in lockdown I’d have all my “important” meetings there. The bulk of Project Space 13’s pre-production was hatched out under its shade. In the last few years alone it’s been privy to crazy all night raves, historic protests, Van Damme level fight clubs, and bizarro performances (from every end of the spectrum). The most outré shit you can think of is just another day at the office for this towering Ulmus procera. It even beat the murder allegations! People love to claim it was used for hangings in the American Revolution, but there’s little to no evidence supporting this. There’s no plaque or anything drawing attention to it either. Salute this OG tree when you see it.

@michael-m.

Apr 7, 2022

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SOLOWHEEL CREWS

Shout out to everyone racing around on electric unicycles, drinking bubble tea (or White Claw), yapping into selfie sticks, blasting un-Shazamable dubstep, and weaving through oncoming traffic. While face masks and plywood dining shacks have completely altered the contemporary urban landscape, this scene’s the cherry on top in our journey (descent?) into some kinda cyberpunk meets Burning Man future. I never thought vape pens or Bluetooth headsets would catch on because they looked so ridiculous and shamelessly sci-fi… But they did. Don’t wanna be wrong side of history again, so I’m all in on the e-scooter renaissance!

@michael-m.

Apr 7, 2022