We recently rediscovered Steven Siegel's amazing archive of photos from old New York, specifically from the 1980s, and decided to ask him for his thoughts and reflections about his work as well as the changes that have taken place in New York over the past thirty years. Below are his words, along with more of his photographs from the time. (Previously: 14 photos of an apocalyptic looking 1980s NYC, and Siegel's street portraits from that era. And you can click here for Siegel's archives on Flickr.)
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Results tagged “interview”
Steven Siegel Tells Us About His 1980s Photography Days, And A Changing NYC
Swords, Sandals And Lots Of Sex: Talking With Starz' New Spartacus Liam McIntyre
On Friday night the second season (or third, if you count the prequel) of Starz's gladiator drama Spartacus returns for Vengeance (though you can watch it online now). And this time the show—which we swear is just like Downton Abbey except everybody is naked and kills each other—is slightly different. After Andy Whitfield, the show's lead, passed away last year he was replaced by relative unknown Aussie Liam McIntyre—a man who is currently being thrust, abs first, into the world of celebrity. We caught up with him this week to talk about what his mother thinks of him running around in his underwear, seeing a giant billboard of yourself on your first trip to Times Square, what to expect this season and about just how hard it is to get tickets to see The Book of Mormon (hint: even stars can't get tickets).
Marshall Curry: Director, Oscar-Nominated Documentary If A Tree Falls
Marshall Curry has profiled NASCAR hopefuls and Newark Mayor Corey Booker (which earned him an Oscar nomination), and his latest, If A Tree Falls, follows the plight of Daniel McGowan, a former member of the Earth Liberation Front, a group that the F.B.I. once dubbed "America's #1 domestic terrorist threat." Curry traces McGowan's journey from his identity as the mild-mannered son of an NYPD officer to a radical environmental activist in the Pacific Northwest, carrying out arson in the name of the ELF, and back again. McGowan faces a life sentence plus 335 years for committing acts of terrorism, and his guilt is never in doubt. But the movie forces us to think about who a "terrorist" is, and how our society treats citizens who feel that they have no voice.
Chris Christie: Obama Is "A Very Dangerous Politician"
Oprah Winfrey has been trying to attract viewers to her new OWN show, Oprah's Next Chapter, and perhaps this weekend's politics-heavy episode will do the trick? The former talk show host with well-documented weight issues sat down with notoriously rotund New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for a discussion of everything from President Obama ("as good a politician as I’ve ever seen") to how he knew his wife was the one (she suggested they go steal some doughnuts) that airs Sunday night and they even talked about being the butt of fat jokes on national TV!
RedFarm's Ed Schoenfeld Talks Dumplings, History Of Chinese Food In NYC
Ed Schoenfeld may not be a household name, but to anyone who's paid attention to the city's dining scene over the past 40 years, he certainly is. "Eddie Glasses," as he's nicknamed, is one the city's (really, the country's) preeminent food experts, particularly in Chinese cuisine, and he's made a career for himself since the '70s as a restaurateur/host/consultant/food-world insider of formidable authority. Schoenfeld's first taste of fame was for running the front of the house at the four-starred Uncle Tais Hunan Yuan on the Upper East Side in 1973, and over the years he's been involved with everyplace from Shun Lee to Chinatown Brasserie. Years ago, Gourmet magazine dubbed him "the curator of Chinese food in America," and it still holds true today.
NYC's Sexiest Firefighter Tells Us He's Single And Ready To Mingle
A few weeks ago, we told you about your chance to mix and mingle with the "Nation's Bravest" (read: hottest) pinup firefighters at Babeland SoHo on December 14. Today, we're prepping you with some talking points if you're looking to connect with Mr. New York, the charming, Brooklyn-bred Philip Sylvester. We talked to the self-deprecating Sylvester about what life in the firehouse is like, what he's looking for in a date, and, of course, his workout routine.
Director David Cronenberg On A Dangerous Method, Dead Ringers The TV Show, And Working With Franchise Film Stars
We sat down with the director for a lengthy discussion on everything from filmmaking, his new Freudian flick (almost a Julia Roberts vehicle!) and his failed attempt to make a Dead Ringers TV show.
Whisky Expert Heather Greene: Women Should Drink More Scotch
Who says women don't like whisky? Certainly not Heather Greene, a petite whisky expert who travels the world extolling the virtues of single malt Scotch for Glenfiddich. Greene, who stumbled into her career in liquor while traveling through Scotland as a musician, recently launched a "Women & Whisky" campaign, a series of events and tastings designed to get discerning ladies to spread the good word about the brown stuff. Her next event, the so-called “Single Malt Speakeasy,” is tomorrow, November 16, at 8 p.m. 1534 bar in Soho. (RSVP here if you'd like to attend.) We sat down with Greene to talk about why women should love whisky and her favorite places to drink it in the city.
How To Cook The Best Turkey Ever, According To The Meat Hook
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if you're cooking instead of eating out on the big day, it's time to talk turkey. Who better to break the bird down than a professional butcher? We spoke to Brent Young at Williamsburg's The Meat Hook, which transforms into a one-stop Thanksgiving shop next week, to get the ultimate turkey tips. And if you're more of a visual learner, stop by the shop all day on November 19 and 20 for free Thanksgiving how-to demos on everything from turkey carving to pie making. Take it away, Brent!
Interviewing God, Author Of The Last Testament: A Memoir
Ever wonder what really goes on behind the scenes with the Creator of the Universe? You're in luck—God is about to release his telleth-all memoir “The Last Testament: A Memoir by God,” written with a little help from co-author (and former head writer and exec producer of The Daily Show) David Javerbaum. As his publisher puts it: "It's the ultimate celebrity biography, sure to appeal to not only hardcore God fans and 'worshipers,' but to anyone who’s ever had total omnipotence."
Dave Navarro Talks Jane's Addiction, Banksy, John Wayne Gacy
In a wide-ranging interview, Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro opens up about the distortions of fame, his art collection, his minimalist lifestyle, and, of course, Jane's Addiction's new album.
Lindsey Buckingham Talks Fleetwood Mac Reunion, Visiting Occupy Wall Street
Lindsey Buckingham is best known as the singer/guitarist of Fleetwood Mac, steering the band through the highs of the era-defining soft pop of "Rumours" and its more experimental, weirder sister album "Tusk" in the late '70s. Buckingham has also had a varied solo career, providing the theme "Holiday Road" to "National Lampoon's Vacation," and recording this year's "Seeds We Sow" entirely on his own. This Friday, Buckingham will speak at the 92nd Street Y about his long career—we spoke to him about his friendship with Brian Wilson, the legacy of Tusk, tinkering in the studio, his kids perception of him, and Fleetwood Mac's plans for next year.
Our Ten Minutes With Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson
In 1966, a 24-year-old Brian Wilson began work on the song "Good Vibrations." It took him over seven months to complete it, but it became one of the centerpieces of the Beach Boys would-be followup album to their landmark "Pet Sounds". Originally titled "Dumb Angel," the album that eventually became known as "Smile" was to be Wilson's "teenage symphony to God," and a grand survey of popular American music influenced conceptually by the work of George Gershwin. But between the challenging material, heavy drug use, and inter-band fighting, the project came to a screeching halt in an incomplete form, and left Wilson in a fractured and insecure mental state.
Bernard And Ruth Madoff Attempted Suicide, Ruth Claims
In a new interview with 60 Minutes airing this Sunday, Ruth Madoff claims that she and disgraced husband Bernie Madoff attempted to commit suicide together, shortly after his massive Ponzi scheme was revealed. In the first interview she has given about the Madoff crimes, Ruth told Morley Safer, "I don't know whose idea it was, but we decided to kill ourselves because it was so horrendous what was happening. We had terrible phone calls. Hate mail, just beyond anything and I said '...I just can't go on anymore.'"
Mitch Horowitz Talks The Occult And NYC's Mystic History
As the editor-in-chief of Tarcher—the mind/body/spirit publisher of the Penguin Group—and author of Occult America: White House Seances, Ouija Circles, Masons, and the Secret Mystic History of Our Nation, Mitch Horowitz knows a thing or two about the mystical realms. He also leads "Occult New York Walking Tours," which visits sites of the spiritual avant-garde movement that ultimately swept the nation in the early 19th century.
The Best Beer Bars In NYC, According To Beer Expert Joshua Bernstein
Like many New Yorkers, Joshua Bernstein drinks a lot of beer. But Bernstein doesn't just drink beer. He knows beer. He knows the history, the traditions, the technique, the brewers, and where to find the best pint. Bernstein has built what many consider a dream career for himself, as a beer journalist and occasional beer tour guide. He's also celebrating the release of his first book, "Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World's Craft Brewing Revolution," whose title is fairly self-explanatory. We sat down with Bernstein at one his favorite local haunts, Minor Arcana in Prospect Heights, to talk shop.
Colson Whitehead On Manhattan Being Destroyed By Zombies
Colson Whitehead grew up in Manhattan, now lives in Brooklyn, and has spent much of his career writing ambitious, award-winning novels set around New York or a place that feels very much like it. Now, he's gone and destroyed the whole city for his latest book, Zone One, a post-apocalyptic tale of a Manhattan crippled by a plague and overrun with zombies. But it's so much more than that! One, while ostensibly a horror story, transcends the genre by bringing in elements of some Whitehead favorites, like race, ambition, and societal fear in a post-9/11 world. Also, it's funny! Whitehead, who maintains a hilariously melancholy Twitter feed and is described by his publisher as "the most morose man in Brooklyn," has a delightfully twisted sense of humor that permeates the entire novel...and most of his conversations. We spoke to the author about surviving Comic Con, leaving Manhattan for dead, and go deep into some zombie mythology.
Alec Baldwin Open To More 30 Rock, Starting Interview Podcast Series
Between the Starbucks/NY Post battles, tweeting about his new girlfriend, and training to be our next mayor, one could say that Alec Baldwin has a bloated schedule—that's one of the major reasons he wants to slim down (his schedule) and leave 30 Rock. Baldwin has repeatedly said he wants to move on to different projects after the completion of the sixth season—such as a new podcast series for public radio. But yesterday, while discussing the podcast, Baldwin left the door open for more 30 Rock for the first time.
Monologist Mike Daisey On Apple's "Capitalistic Cowardice"
Typically seated at a desk with just a microphone, the gifted monologist Mike Daisey speaks to his audiences extemporaneously, leading them on surprisingly engrossing journeys across a wide range of topics—all filtered through the lens of his own personal experiences. His latest monologue is The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, which opens at The Public Theater on Tuesday. The show is described as a "harrowing tale of pride, beauty, lust, and industrial design" in which Daisey "illuminates how the CEO of Apple and his obsessions shape our lives, while sharing stories of his own travels to China to investigate the factories where millions toil to make iPhones and iPods." Days after Jobs's death, we spoke with Daisey about his latest project
Chuck Klosterman: In 5 Years, The New Twitter Will Be 10 Characters
Few writers are able to capture our collective obsession with pop culture with as much bite as Chuck Klosterman. The North Dakota native has sharpened his piercing wit with gigs at Spin, Esquire, and, more recently, Grantland, and he's the author of several non-fiction collections including Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural Nörth Daköta. He just published his second novel, The Visible Man, about a psychiatrist who becomes increasingly entangled with a patient who can't be seen. It's an interesting departure from his usual, non-fiction subject matter, and he'll be reading and discussing the book tomorrow night at a special event presented by WORD bookstore at Public Assembly. We spent a few minutes talking to Klosterman about his book, the future of journalism, and why he left Manhattan for Brooklyn.
Nirvana Producer Steve Albini Tells Us How He Really Feels About NYC
Steve Albini, out of his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago, has already worked with a long list of your favorites, including: The PIxies, PJ Harvey, and of course, Nirvana. And he's still at it.
Telling Jewish Stories With Larry Smith, Founder Of SMITH Magazine
"Found Jewish princess. Good-bye succulent pork." “One small Jew, one loud family." "Overstuffing is part of my aesthetic." Sound familiar? These six-words clippets are cute, but they're also very deliberate. The man responsible for them is Larry Smith, the founder of SMITH Magazine, home of the six-word memoir project, which cuts right to the highly concentrated heart of storytelling. While six-word memoirs can, and have, covered just about every topic on the planet, one very specific topic is coming to life tomorrow night at 92YTribeca: the Jewish experience. Dubbed "Oy! Only Six? Why Not More?", the event, presented in conjunction with Tablet and Reboot, features six-minute stories from author Walter Mosely, humorist Zev Borow and actor Nick Blaemirem, and many more. We spoke to founder/editor Larry Smith about how to tell a good story, the Internet, and strange Jewish foods.
Bon Chovie's Neill & Renae Holland On Making Anchovies Sexy
Summer may be all but over, but Smorgasburg, the outdoor food market on the East River in Williamsburg on Saturdays, is still going strong. Launched this summer, Smorgasburg boasts some of the tastiest food purveoyrs in town, including The Meat Hook, McClure's Pickles, Saltie, and Danny Macaroons, as well as an abundant Greenmarket.
Matthew Bate, Director: Shut Up, Little Man! An Audio Misadventure
Peter Haskett and Raymond Huffman were two violent, alcoholic roommates living in a run-down apartment complex in San Francisco in the late '80s. Their near-constant drunken arguments kept two recent college graduates next door from getting any sleep. So the two friends, "Eddie Lee Sausage" and "Mitchell D.," began recording what would later be referred to as the "Shut Up, Little Man" recordings, named after Haskett's constant, boozy retort to his roommate's profane protestations.
Talking Farms, Irene, And Eating Local With Just Food's Jacquie Berger
Despite its name, the nonprofit Just Food is about more than just food—it's a network of farmers, educators and volunteers and working together to get all New Yorkers access to locally grown food. With Tropical Storm Irene devastating many farms upstate, Just Food's work is particularly important now—they're working on providing relief funds for many local farms, and looking for all the help they can get. On a slightly happier note, Just Food is also preparing to host their annual Let Us Eat Local event, a giant dinner party featuring chefs from ABC Kitchen, Back Forty, Northern Spy Food Co. and more. LUEL honors local food heroes, like a high schooler raising chickens in the Bronx and a Harlem grandmother who teaches canning classes. We spoke to Just Food's executive director Jacquie Berger about the many ways that New Yorkers can get more involved with their local food system.
FDNY Battalion Chief Reflects On Responding To WTC Collapse, Today's 9/11 Politicization
FDNY Battalion Chief Tom McCarthy recounts his personal story of the haunting events of September 11th: "On that particular day it was just the worst catastrophe, but it was just one more while dealing with lots of catastrophes. The life it has taken on since has been distorted, or deformed."
Cynthia Von Buhler Tells Us About Recreating Her Grandfather's Murder In The Bronx
Artist Cynthia von Buhler has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a project she's already been working on for years, and is a lifetime in the making.
Tips On Fashion Week, From People More Fashionable Than Us: Part II
The fashion set is primed to take over parts of the city from September 8th through the 15th, with the main Fashion Week headquarters at Lincoln Center once again. Many of the shows and events will be harder to get in to than an Alexander McQueen exhibit, but here are some tips for us common folk who aren't sitting in the front row, from some people who are.
Tips On Fashion Week, From People More Fashionable Than Us: Part I
The fashion set is primed to take over parts of the city from September 8th through the 15th, with the main Fashion Week headquarters at Lincoln Center once again. Many of the shows and events will be harder to get in to than an Alexander McQueen exhibit, but here are some tips for us common folk who aren't sitting in the front row, from those who are.
What's Hotter Than Six Packs? Men With Cats!
Proof that the internet is indeed made of magic, here is your preview of the 6 Packs 9 Lives 2012 calendar, featuring, as the name implies, buff men with freaking adorable kitties. Take a moment. Are you done yet? Good.
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