After flying over Manhattan in the morning, I went last night down to the East Village to meet a friend for dinner. The first place had no reservations available, so we went to a second spot where the crowd was spilling out on the street, which led us to a third place, where we were told that they actually did have a single reservation left for two, at 9:45pm (it was 7:45). We both sighed, since we were both better acquainted with an East Village that existed close to twenty years ago, when the concept of reservations was pretty much foreign to the neighborhood. We did see a punk get violently thrown out of a bar on Avenue A, however, so there was that. In the end we went to an Indian restaurant in 'Little India' (aka Sixth Street), which was good.
After dinner we went to a 'Tumblr meetup' at a bar on Avenue A, which thankfully was neither too crowded nor too loud. It was interesting to meet people 'IRL' whose blogs I've followed and admired, and there were some great moments of sit-com hilarity, such as when I gave my phone to Meg with a thought to text the absent Jennie to find out where she was, but ended up accidentally sending the text to Norman, who was sitting two feet from us. Meg (who had never met Jennie IRL) then recomposed the text (a work-intensive process in a dark bar after a drink or two) and sent the following: 'You should come here because I am her. It's me, Meg,' which (i.e., the typo 'her' for 'here') led to many more laffs).
True, I felt a bit old at times (because I was definitely pushing that end of the spectrum; most of the ppl there were in their 20s, if I had to guess), but I didn't mind. The city was crowded and spinning, and for a few hours it felt good to be a part of it.
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10/24/2010
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A RADICAL NEW MYTH ABOUT SEX, FAITH, AND THOSE OF US WHO WILL NEVER DIE
A young boy wanders into the woods of Harlem and witnesses the abduction of his sister by a glowing creature. Forty years later, now working as a New York City homicide detective, Gus is assigned to a case in which he unexpectedly succumbs to a vision that Helen is still alive. To find her, he embarks on an uorthodox investigation that leads to an ancient civilization of gods and the people determined to bring them back.
In this colossal new novel from the author of The Metropolis Case, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice collides with a new religion founded by three corporate office workers, creating something beautiful, illogical, and overwhelming. Part sex manifesto, part religious text, part Manhattan noir—with a dose of deadly serious, internet inspired satire—#gods is a sprawling inquest into the nature of faith and resistance in the modern world. With each turn of the page, #gods will leave you increasingly reborn.
Praise for #gods
“#gods is a mystery, an excavation of myths, an index of modern life, a gay coming-of-age story, an office satire, a lyrical fever dream, a conspiracy. One of the most ambitious novels in recent memory—and a wild, possibly transformative addition to the canon of gay literature—it contains multitudes, and seethes with brilliance.” —Mark Doten, author of The Infernal
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-- The New York Times
Music: Death Culture at Sea and Saturnine
Listen or download songs and records from my indie-rock past with Saturnine here and Death Culture at Sea here.
Music Video: Remembrance of Things Past
Watch the rock opera Remembrance of Things Past written and performed by Saturnine and Frances Gibson, starring Bennett Madison and Sheila McClear.
Video: The Chaos Detective
The Chaos Detective is a series about a man searching for 'identity' as he completes assignments from a mysterious organization. Watch the first episode (five parts) on YouTube.
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