cityrag

as we skate off into the sunset
all the pics on cityrag are taken with a 7 year old, 1.3 megapixel, no zoom, piece of crap camera. that's been dropped one too many times. if anyone can suggest a digital camera in the $400 range (that you know and love) we'd be very grateful.
have a great weekend everyone!

nycguys - free and naked
that site we tipped you to with free pics of naked new york boys has been updated! four new super hot spreads - including this beautiful guy. and some cool stuff on cityrag (hey we told you the webmaster was our homey :-) these are 100% nude photos - so not work safe (but no suckass pop up windows or really graphic stuff) here's this month's nycguys.com!

and a lil somethin somethin extra - check out the brillaint and hilarious article on BlackTable.com - IT'S A GOOD THING: TURN OFFS THAT TURN THE LADIES ON. with a super hot and sexy peice by one of our favorite blogger's Rachel of LustyLady (scroll down to "Rachel Kramer Bussel Digs Big Bellies")

Sharon Osbourne kicked my boss in the balls!
in the early 80's we worked at various venues for east coast promoter John Scher, and took with us some incredible stories. here's a favorite... one of our jobs was box office manager for Convention Hall in Asbury Park. during concert nights, after the band went on, it was our task to count out the cash and bring it backstage for hand-off to the band's management. on the night Ozzy played what went down was one of the craziest fights we've seen in our life (including the EV bartending dayz). here's an excerpt from an uncredited interview with Sharon we found on the net. her description is very accurate by our memory...

Interviewer: There's kneeing the promoter in the balls.
Sharon Osbourne: John Scher. He is a very big promoter -- or was -- in New York, and I was just a twenty-six-year-old kid going in to collect payment for the show that Ozzy had done. It had sold out the first day. So I went in, and he'd got all these bills for advertising up until the week of the show, and I'm like, "You couldn't have advertised, because we sold out the first week." And he said, "Oh, well, it was pre-booked and we had to pay it" -- the usual bullshit. And he would not give in, and he was threatening that "Ozzy will never work in the New York area again." All this crap. So I got up and nutted him with my head, and then I kicked him in the balls.
Interviewer: And what did he do?
Sharon Osbourne: He just stood there. He was just so taken aback. And then I pulled on his hair.

so here's our juicy additions...
John did try and fuck them over. Sharon's father Don Arden was also there in full glory (open shirt, big hairy chest, lots of gold - he's a powerful and impressive character.) Sharon tried to grab the cash drawer out of my hands during the fight. the fight was loud and crazy, and seemed to last a while (building to the kick.) someone had called the Asbury Park cops and they had time to arrive and get involved as it was developing. the cops were holding Sharon back, and she actually had to break away from them and rush forward at John to kick him. she didn't make big contact but it was a HUGELY impressive move that floored everyone in the room including the cops. don't remember the head butt, but she grabbed a big handful of John's fading hair as the cops pulled her away from him. god it was beautiful.

couple lessons:
- Sharon's account to the interviewer is very accurate, not boastful. people who kick ass don't have to embellish.
- we've been in a couple bar fights and this move can only be delivered by someone who knows how to back it up and is ready to get it on. even the fucking Asbury Park cops were afraid of her. Sharon Osbourne is more than a tough chick, she's a certified bad ass.

creamsicle heaven
on these hot and humid days even city pup's need a little ice cream relief. and after Buddy has his bite, you really don't want it back...

sometimes fights don't happen
there's no mistaking a street fight in new york... even from a block away - the posturing, arm gestures, and chest slapping draw your attention. another tip off is fights move quickly into the street. on the corner of Houston and Ludlow in the LES last night we see these 2 dudes already in full blown form. you can also tell if the engaged have been in fights before - and these guys definitely had some fights under their belts and were ready to thrown down. but as they're circling and advancing on each other, the guy on the right is yelling that what he did was an accident and they don't have to "do this", and low and behold the guy on the left listens to him and the fight dissolves. lesson: people who've been in fights for real shit aren't usually anxious to fight over bullshit.

Swindle Magazine hits the streets NY!
Swindle is the hottest fucking magazine to make the scene in a decade! (and we're not saying that because our girl, Claw Money, is the mags fashionista.) published by Shepard Fairey and described as "the definitive pop-culture and lifestyle publication" - Swindle is loaded with raw and visceral images and moving words on edgy culture and life - a compelling and immersing mash.

but the best thing in the mag (and it's chock full-a goodness) is the blow-your-fucking-fashion-mind WARRIORS tribute (an all fem photo spread based on the gangs from the film). this is fashion ART the way it should be - no paid advertisers, most of what's featured is legendary urban wear, handmade leather goods and vintage couture. this spread kicks the ass out of anything we've seen in years, in any magazine. check this shit out as fast as you can get your hands on it! (and until you track down an issue, the site has some hot pics)

Buddy's 4th of July
Buddy love him some country livin'. hanging out on the porch, visiting friends, burger bites, sleepin in the grass...

favorite LES eats: 'inoteca
we've been a huge fan of 'inoteca since it opened a couple blocks from us a year ago. lots of knowing bloggers have posted their cool findings, but we're surprised how many of our friends have yet to check it out!... great selection of wine and delicious food to feast on, a warm and friendly atmosphere with knowing staff that offer selection advise and descriptions, low lighting and lots of wood throughout.

everything is excellent. the meat and cheese platters are huge with a wide selection of stuff to try. great salads. their acclaimed truffled egg toast lives up to it's reputation, we usually get 2! and do not miss the affogato dessert - a tall glass of amazing vanilla gelato with a shot of espresso poured over.

but what we truly love about 'inoteca is the open-air setting and relaxed pace that allow us to sit in our hood for hours eating and drinking and talking to friends while we take in the street life.

check out these cool blogs for more pictures and info.

the purple guy
if you live in the EV or LES you've probably seen Adam Purple around, but unless you moved here about 20 years ago you might not know who he is... (this pic was taken a few weeks ago when we stopped to chat with Adam about the progress of the Surface Hotel "monstrosity", as Adam calls it :-)

Adam Purple has been a beloved activist, artist and icon on the Lower East Side for several decades. he's most known for The Garden of Eden - a huge circular garden he developed and nurtured on Forsythe in the 70's-80's (that was bulldozed in 1986 for low income housing). the garden was a glorious and massive work of art that was made using all kinds of abandoned debris that Adam found around the city and recycled, including horse manure. Adam not only brought a great work of beauty, peace and enjoyment to the people of the neighborhood, but he was known for passing around the harvest. since the garden was destroyed, he's moved to the East Village and continues his activism and recycling work throughout the neighborhood.

if you're new to the EV or LES take a minute to read a little about one of the area's true homesteaders, it was a different world just a decade ago. and if you see the "purple guy" in the hood, please treat him with the honor and respect he deserves, anarchist heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Midtown faces
back to work, and biz as usual in midtown...