yeah so I was listening to the doors, so sue me.

I just thought I’d comment on how weird the weather is. it is practically autumnal. it is overcast, damp and cool. i like it. i’ve been seeing a lot of the young folks wearing Nirvana t-shirts. i’ve been dreaming of seattle.

as i mentioned in a previous post, i was working two jobs, one in the day and one in the night. it took a lot out of me. the upside is that i now know that if i ever have to flee the country and land in a foreign world where I must hold several jobs to support my immigrant family, I will be able. the downside is that work is hard!

I’ve been trying to raise money for Culturebot for a long, long time. I’ve had these dreams that it would become a truly national site, a content aggregator for the various institutional arts blogs around the country and that I would raise the level of the discussion on here. I’ve tried to raise money to add more video, to develop more multimedia, to pay myself, to perhaps hire some staff. As you can see, it hasn’t happened. I’m not complaining, just remarking. I started blogging back in 2000 with my personal site and I guess on some level I’m trapped in that era – the blithely confessional style of writing, a very informal approach even towards formal material. Without upgrading the commentary its a little hard to justify someone plunking down $20K on a redesign and “what the site could be.”

it feels like fall, it feels like seattle, it feels like my own personal early 90’s all over again. at least my own personal economy is not unlike the U.S.’s back then. I hear that the economy is actually pretty strong, but you wouldn’t know it from my perspective. you wouldn’t know it from most people’s perspectives. I was talking to a friend of mine who was trying to put on a show and she was saying that everyone she talks to – from institutions to donors to venues – is crying poverty. So somebody somewhere’s making money – maybe on Wall Street or something – but it ain’t making it to artists.

there is a good article in this month’s Harper’s magazine: “A Fate Worse Than Bush: Why You Should Fear President Giuliani.” It makes for good reading, check it out. It talks a lot about the changing of the city, the idea of “quality of life” and what Giuliani’s real legacy for NYC has been.

I have no point to this little essay, more I’m just flexing my fingers and trying to get back into the habit of writing again. I’m going to try and cover more stuff so keep inviting me, let me know if you’re performing and I’ll try and see it.

Also, don’t forget that your humble editor is co-curating this year’s PRELUDE festival, info available at www.preludenyc.org. it is still subject to change but one way or another we think it will be a great snapshot of the theatrical moment here in NYC. a great chance to see what some of your peers are up to this season and beyond.