“Jamire Williams,” wroteThe New York Times, “is yet another smart drummer conversant in jazz and much else besides, though his approach skews more insistently contemporary than most.”
His band, ERIMAJ, is set to release its full‐length debut later this year; meanwhile the album’s title track, “Conflict of a Man,” has been released on iTunes. You can listen to ERIMAJ’s song “Conflict of a Man” at http://erimaj.bandcamp.com. Hear more from ERIMAJ when he plays 92YTribeca on December 2.
Josh Freed is a filmmaker who turns the camera on his own love life in his latest film, Five Weddings and a Felony, as he grapples with his fear of commitment while surrounded by friends growing up and getting married. We’re screening the film at 92YTribeca on November 30 and Freed will be present for a post-screening Q&A.
Today, Freed is also the subject of the 92Y Culture Klatsch Q&A.
Where do you go for news when you start your day? NYTimes.com
How much do you use Twitter and Facebook (or other social networking services)?
A lot. After years of hard work I’ve mastered the wasting time part of social networking. Still working on the successfully-promoting-myself/my work-through-them part. Follow me @Jishky.
Daytime: Cookie Decorating 101 with Rachel Schifter Thebault: Just in time for the holidays, join Tribeca Treats founder and confectioner extraordinaire Rachel Schifter Thebault for a hands-on cookie decorating workshop.
Film: Report Back from Reel Food Residency: Reel Food is a unique convening that brings together nonfiction media-makers telling powerful stories about food and agriculture with non-profit organizations and foundations working for healthy, just and sustainable communities.
Film: Meet The Lady: Miscast!: For this special screening party, host Tom Blunt has invited an enormous rotating panel of past “Meet The Lady” guest stars to participate in a merry evening of inconsolable griping.
Music: Etienne Charles: A night of Afro-Trinidadian infused jazz by an acclaimed young trumpeter
We’ve had some big names answer our Culture Klatsch questionnaire, but for the latest installment, we may have gotten the biggest name conceivable: God Himself. God is doing the rounds to promote his new book, The Last Testament: A Memoir, co-authored with David Javerbaum (former head writer and exec producer of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart")
God’s co-author David Javerbaum will be at 92YTribeca on November 17 to discuss this new “telleth-all” tome with This American Life’s Ira Glass. Here are God’s answers to the Culture Klatsch:
Where do you go for news when you start your day?
I wake up knowing the location and activity of every sentient being and atom in the universe. But I do like Hoda and Kathie Lee. They’re a hoot!
What are your favorite websites?
Easily my favorite is menwholooklikekennyrogers.com. I could be anybody on that site.
How much do you use Twitter and Facebook (or other social networking services)?
Facebook, never; I have grave privacy concerns. But I tweet (@TheTweetOfGod) all the time. It is My new favorite way to communicate with human beings. My Son, on the other hand, still prefers showing up on pancakes.
What book are you currently reading (or the last one you read)? Print or digital?
I read all three of the Stieg Larsson novels. They are horribly-written nonsensical tripe. Yet I could put them down not.
“To say that Warren Wolf’s Mack Avenue [Records] debut is auspicious would be an understatement,” wrote the The Daily News. “No doubt,” they continued, “this is one of the best of the year in jazz.” Listen for yourself on Amazon.
Warren Wolf plays The Checkout: Live From 92YTribecaon November 16. And today he’s our next Culture Klatsch subject. Spoiler alert: Where does he go get away? “Sit on Federal Hill in Downtown Baltimore overlooking the city skyline.”
Read the full Q&A below:
Where do you go for news when you start your day?
Usually I’ll try to look at my local news stations. But the majority of the time you’ll see me watching CNN.
Made in India is a feature length documentary from filmmakers Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha. The film explores the human experiences behind the phenomena of “outsourcing” surrogate mothers to India.
In a review of the film, Varietywrote: “Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha’s engrossing feature follows a working-class U.S. couple proceeding with a last-resort hope for having a child genetically their own: paying a young Mumbai woman to carry their implanted embryos in her womb.”
In the United States, surrogacy can cost up to $100,000. For Lisa and Brian Switzer, the subjects in the film who have exhausted natural options at childbirth, those costs are prohibitive. They look to India, where the cost of surrogacy is reported at roughly $25,000. “In the US, if you’re struggling to have a child, you have to be a lawyer or a doctor to afford this,” they said. “It’s not fair.” When accused of exploitation, Lisa responds: “Walk a mile in my shoes before you judge me.”
The award-winning film screens at 92YTribeca on November 9. Both filmmakers will be in attendance to discuss issues of sex, sexism and colonial legacy.
Theater: Story Pirates After Dark: Story Pirates don’t dress as pirates or make anybody walk the plank, but they do steal: they take their inspiration from kids themselves, creating an entire show adapted from stories penned by authors under the age of 12.
Film: Made In India: A feature-length documentary film about the human experiences behind the phenomena of “outsourcing” surrogate mothers to India. Both filmmakers will be in attendance to discuss issues of sex, sexism and colonial legacy.
Comedy: Political Subversities: a darkly funny cabaret that finds the humorous, the stupid and the downright absurd in today’s social and political landscape.
Daytime: Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark. Hear the story of this remarkable, controversial woman whose aggressive writing style was an odd fit at the stately New Yorker, with Brian Kellow, Polly Frost and Ray Sawhill.
Film: Love Letters: Not available on DVD and out of print for many years, this is one of Jennifer Jones’ best performances and one of her least-seen films.
Film: Bell Book and Candle: The same year Vertigo was released, Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart also made this Greenwich Village beatnik-witches love story that is a cult favorite of fans of great design, the underrated Richard Quine and sexy witches.
Film: Naomi. Ilan Ben Natan, a 58-year-old astrophysics professor, is obsessively in love with his young wife, Naomi. When Ilan discovers that his deepest fears have come true—Naomi has a lover—he is unable to control himself. He confronts the lover and commits a horrible act, the consequences of which weigh heavily on his conscience.
Film: The Lie. Based on the story by T.C. Boyle, The Lie is the story of young parents Lonnie (Joshua Leonard) and Clover (Jess Weixler). With director/actor Joshua Leonard in person for post-screening Q&A.
In the book, you talk a lot about the Austria’s café culture. Why do you think we don’t see that here in America as much?
It’s all about history. We didn’t know about coffee before the Turks came to Vienna in 1600. When the Turks came, we fought them back and then they left us the coffee. And it took time for us to figure out what do with it and so we invented the coffeehouse. In the 1800s and 1900s, all the artists used to work out of the coffeehouses so they became a meeting point for interaction and to hang out and work together. It became this culture of sitting in a café all day long and you have snacks and coffee and cakes. It’s a very Central European mentality that you also see in Budapest and around Eastern Europe.
Kurt Gutenbrunner, Harvey Sachs and the Ensemble for the Romantic Century will all be at 92YTribeca on November 13 for Eat, Drink & Think Like...Beethoven. This will be an in-depth look into Beethoven and his world. Listen and watch as musicians and actors from the Ensemble for the Romantic Century bring his story to life. Learn about Viennese Kaffeehaus culture as you taste historically accurate pastries and drinks.
Whether you’re seeking a literary conversation, stimulating analysis of current events or an evening of sing-alongs, this 137-year-old organization has you covered. Offerings at the 92nd Street Y’s younger sibling, 92YTribeca, are typically quirkier and cheaper and often include a beer. Three cheers for uptown and downtown culture.
Time Out New York‘s “Best of NYC 2011” is on newsstands now. See it all here!
Bergson was gracious enough to answer our Culture Klatsch Q&A that pries deep into our subjects, looking at their culture and media diets. Spolier alert: he prefers reading physical copies of books.
Where do you go for news when you start your day? The New York Times online.
How much do you use Twitter and Facebook (or other social networking services)?
I use both a fair amount although like many people, I’m not a big fan of Facebook’s new layout with the ticker in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Sometimes you miss stuff when you don’t go on there. It’s a funny sign of the times that I learned of both the birth of my best friend’s daughter this year and the breakup of a couple I’m friends with on Facebook. Sometimes I wonder if there’s going to be a privacy backlash down the road!
New New York: What Buildings Are Changing The New York City’s Skyline?
Jake Rajs photography focuses on new buildings that are changing the New York City’s skyline. Do you know what building is in the photo above?
See more exquisite images and hear insightful commentary capturing the indomitable spirit of NYC on November 30 at 92YTribeca as photographer Jake Rajs celebrates the city’s newest landmarks—Time Warner Center, Hudson River Park, MoMA sculpture garden and more—placing them in the context of famous highlights such as Rockefeller Center, the Brooklyn Bridge, Lincoln Center and Times Square.
Daytime: Roy Lichtenstein in His Studio: Join Roy Lichtenstein’s studio assistant for an intimate portrait of the Pop Art founder and his bold, colorful work.
Film: Mur Murs: A Visitor (Juliet Berto) explores street life in early ‘80s Los Angeles, looking at music, subcultures and where murals interact with graffiti, in this little-seen Varda documentary, one of several of her documents of California life.
The Mechanic: This November, Not Coming to a Theater Near You celebrates the 90th birthday of one of cinema’s most badass action actors—Charles Bronson.
Film: Mr. Majestyk: This November, Not Coming to a Theater Near You celebrates the 90th birthday of one of cinema’s most badass action actors—Charles Bronson.
Pop quiz: Aside from making great music, what do David Bowie, TV On The Radio and Massive Attack all have in common? Answer: the oh-so-awesome indie band Dragons of Zynth. Bowie’s a fan of theirs, and they’ve worked with TV On The Radio and Massive Attack.
In this installment of Culture Klatsch, we hear from the band’s drummer j.Bernard, who let us know that his show on October 29 at 92YTribeca is particularly special to him – it marks his five-year anniversary with the band.
Where do you go for news when you start your day?
I start with the news, then find out what the world is thinking, then get to work. I generally start with MSNBC and the BBC.
How much do you use Twitter and Facebook (or other social networking services)?
I tweet therefore I am. Facebook is a dying star in the universe of human connection. I read an amazing tweet the other day that said, “Twitter makes me fall in love with strangers that I may never meet. Facebook makes me hate the “friends” I already know.” That pretty much sums it up.
Two years in the making, New York Night Train will unveil its latest and most ambitious party, the Land of 1000 Dances—both a new kind of party and a new kind of dance class, at 92YTribeca tomorrow evening.
The brain child of DJ Jonathan Toubin, he’s been researching the dance crazes of the 1960s and trying to figure out a way to bring them to a contemporary club culture. And we’ve been researching his media and culture consumption, by way of the 92Y Culture Klatsch Q&A. Read the interview below.
Where do you go for news when you start your day?
I run out to Gimme Coffee and listen to neighborhood gossip. Then I go home where I have NPR and The New York Times on my email home page.
What are your favorite websites?
I don’t really look at websites very frequently unless its for work or other pragmatic purposes so my list is quite boring: Facebook, Ebay, Weather.com, Priceline, Google, Wikipedia, etc…
How much do you use Twitter and Facebook (or other social networking services)?
I try and make sure to tweet for every gig I have and make a Facebook page for each of my events so people know what’s happening. I also try and check my Facebook every day to respond to comments people make, detag pictures, accept friends, and generally participate. After doing what I need to do, I’m not on Facebook and Twitter very frequently except at airports – where it makes me feel close to people far away…
“To say that Warren Wolf’s Mack Avenue [Records] debut is auspicious would be an understatement,” 
