Crazytown

AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN (AND WOMEN): PART 3

The third in a series of how not to be an asshole for the rest of 2016.
By Jennifer Anderson (Actor/Singer/Setting fire to the last remaining garbage pile of 2016)

Happy December, Crazytown. I think you'll agree with me when I say that I'm happy to see 2016, a year full of trials and tribulations, finally draw to a close.

But 2016 isn't done yet. We still have a full 31 days left, and leave it up to this crazy year to let even more shit hit the fan before it finally dies with a colossal void of its bowels. Despite what the rest of 2016 has in store for us, there is one thing we still have control over: ourselves. So let's all agree to allow the generous and joyful spirit of the holidays to influence our actions for this next month, if not the entirety of 2017.

Today's topic: Keep on a-movin'

 

AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN (AND WOMEN): PART 2

The second in a series of how not to be an asshole for the rest of 2016.
By Jennifer Anderson (Actor/Singer/Setting fire to the last remaining garbage pile of 2016)

Happy December, Crazytown. I think you'll agree with me when I say that I'm happy to see 2016, a year full of trials and tribulations, finally draw to a close.

But 2016 isn't done yet. We still have a full 31 days left, and leave it up to this crazy year to let even more shit hit the fan before it finally dies with a colossal void of its bowels. Despite what the rest of 2016 has in store for us, there is one thing we still have control over: ourselves. So let's all agree to allow the generous and joyful spirit of the holidays to influence our actions for this next month, if not the entirety of 2017.

Today's topic: Subway Physics

 

AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN (AND WOMEN): PART 1

The first in a series of how not to be an asshole for the rest of 2016.
By Jennifer Anderson (Actor/Singer/Setting fire to the last remaining garbage pile month of this year)

Happy December, Crazytown. I think you'll agree with me when I say that I'm happy to see 2016, a year full of trials and tribulations, finally draw to a close.

But 2016 isn't done yet. We still have a full 31 days left, and leave it up to this crazy year to let even more shit hit the fan before it finally dies with a colossal void of its bowels. Despite what the rest of 2016 has in store for us, there is one thing we still have control over: ourselves. So let's all agree to allow the generous and joyful spirit of the holidays to influence our actions for this next month, if not the entirety of 2017.

Today's topic: Only you can prevent Gate Lice

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS...ON THANKSGIVING

How an unconventional Thanksgiving became one of my favorites thus far.
by Alex Syiek (Writer/Performer)

I'm writing currently thanks to the free WiFi at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France. As I await my flight back to the States, I reflect on what a wonderful Thanksgiving week I had as an American in Paris. Thanks to my wonderful host and sister, Joanna Syiek, I was able to experience the city in style.

I had an international Friendsgiving...

Pictured: Two Americans and a German.

I explored some bomb-diggity Christmas markets...

Hot wine. Yum.

Made a new friend. He was surprised.

And another new friend. He surprised me.

Took in a revival of one of my favorite French musicals...

Il est venu le temps des cathedrales.

And an American one at that!

Tap dancing might be the best creation of everything.

And, of course, absorbed tons of art...and champagne.

Tres cool.

So, all in all, my French Thanksgiving was killer. However, I am excited to get back to the New York subway. Paris Metro is confusing as hell, yo.

RUNNING AWAY, LET'S DO IT.

Where Did You Have in Mind?
By Sam Perwin

I write this post from a sunny patio at The Ritz-Carlton in Naples, FL. We're here for a wedding and spending the week in Florida - my husband's parents live nearby on Sanibel Island, so we're visiting with them for a few days then driving to Miami to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Coming to Florida this time of year is nothing new for me, but coming to Naples, to the Ritz, especially right now, feels a little off. As I look around this hotel, I'm overwhelmed by privilege: by my own for having the means to fly down here and spend two nights at this hotel (even at the reduced wedding rate, it's not cheap), the flexibility in my schedule that allows me to work remotely if I have to, and the fact that the protests, action, and outrage going on back in NYC feel so very far away.

Something like that...

More alarmingly, I'm shocked by the whiteness here. The only people of color I've seen anywhere are working behind desks or cleaning hotel rooms. This feels like the surprising part of America that voted for Trump: white, educated, affluent, and unaware of what life looks like outside of manicured lawns, golf courses, and beachfront properties. Indeed, a little quick googling informed me that 61% of Collier Country, where Naples is, voted for Trump. Part of me feels a slightly uneasy sitting here in public view with a Hillary sticker pasted on my laptop. We'll see if I suddenly become a victim of the harassment that's become all-too-common in this strange and weird political environment. 

A few days ago, my husband said he was looking forward to this week away from everything. He's still in denial - staying off all social media and turning off news alerts on his phone. He doesn't want to know about the white supremacists that are being appointed to top positions in the white house, about the conflicts of interest running wild throughout the transition process, about the misdirection from the fact that the president-elect just settled a Fraud lawsuit to the tune of $25 Million. So here we are, burying our heads in the Florida sand. I understand his reaction - even this far away from the results. We all grieve and cope with tragedy differently. I'm writing, organizing, plotting, planning, donating, but right now I'm along for the distraction ride. At least insofar as it involves sunshine and a pool. 

There is, of course, a grave danger in keeping these blinders on, and we've talked about what we can and will do to fight the normalization of bigotry and misogyny in this country. I think a lot of it will start with a recalibration of how we view and digest media, continue with an understanding of what drove so many people to ignore fascist rhetoric (not to mention common decency and behavior) and vote for this ridiculous excuse for a man, and end (in the recent future anyway) with a decisive victory in the 2018 midterm elections. There's work to be done.

 

SAM PERWIN Actor. Singer. Writer. Tall. www.samperwin.com
EMAIL HIM |  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | OTHER POSTS BY THIS AUTHOR

PARIS, HERE I COME!

Going halfway across the world to see one of my favorite musicals...why not?
by Alex Syiek (Writer/Performer)

I'm heading to Paris, France to visit my sister (and fellow Crazytown writer) Joanna Syiek this week! And the thing I am most excited for is seeing Notre Dame de Paris. NDdP is an amazing Italian/French musical (that may have been translated into English and played in Vegas - don't look it up, it's awful) adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was recorded and filmed during its original French run back in 1999. Joanna and I watched the crap out of it while we were in high school. Well, it is currently receiving a revival, and we're going to see it - live! Woot! Anyway, packing last minute! I'll leave you with this wonderful clip from the show:

Show me a more beautiful trio. Vocally and physically.

I RODE ALEXANDER HAMILTON?

A trip to a little island can give you a lot of brainfood.
by Alex Syiek (Writer/Performer)

Yesterday I took a ferry (wonderfully named the Alexander Hamilton) to Governor's Island, a 172 acre island just south of Manhattan. The island was used as a military headquarters for the U.S. Army until the mid 1990s, when the island was sold back to the state of New York. Currently, it is undergoing development to further the recreational and artistic possibilities the island affords.

I had never been to the island before. Even though it's so close to the southern tip of Manhattan, that I could probably actually swim there (maybe...haven't exercised my Junior Lifeguards training in quite a few years). But one of my professors at NYU, Robert Lee, strongly suggested we should go before it closes for the season (it closed yesterday...sorry y'all). He sings the island's praises all the time. And so, like the wonderful always obedient student I am, I journeyed off down the R train to the Battery Maritime Building to the ferry before finally stepping onto the historic island.

Small, but since when did size matter?

Looking at the handy map they had on display...they had a fort. I love forts. I rushed to the fort. Fort is love, fort is life. But really, Fort Jay has high walls, underground arms storage rooms, simple barracks halls. It was super cool. So, after storming Fort Jay, I wanted to see what else the island had to offer.

It's an adorable deadly cannon-laden star.

As I walked along one of the main paths, I passed various houses, that, while they sorely need some renovation, were all filled with different art or performance exhibits. I walked into the middle of an immersive play on accident, I admired a wood-block carving of Kanye West, and I watched a group of about 100 people playing bocce ball. Not sure if that was an art exhibit or not, but it was thought-provoking. Why bocce ball?

I gorged myself on food truck goodness shortly after, of which there were at least 20 different options in one area. Spoil me rotten. However, word of warning, living in the city, I had forgotten that bees existed as an animal. Well, they are everywhere on the island. I flailed my arms a bit, I did.

I ended my day on the island by gazing across the water to Manhattan. A beautiful sight, and one that gave me perspective, and inspiration for the piece I am currently writing. I joked to my companion for the day (pictured below) that I wanted to hide out in one of the abandoned buildings when they made everyone get back on the ferries so I could admire the city from afar. Really is beautiful. But alas, I had to jump back on board the Alexander Hamilton and return to the city.

Ain't it just jaw-dropping?

So, my day on Governor's Island was great. And when it reopens, y'all should go as well! It is only getting more and more developed, and my advice is to check it out sooner than later. And in general, just get out for a day. Wherever you live. Take a ferry, a drive, a walk up a mountain, and look back at where you came from. Perspective is helpful and humbling and so beautiful.

IN THE BUFF

A Trip to Gunnison Beach
By Sam Perwin

Directly south of New York harbor in New Jersey lie the Sandy Hook beaches. They're a very popular stretch of beaches for New Yorkers, given their proximity and a convenient high-speed ferry that will get you there from midtown in a mere 45 minutes. In the middle of this stretch lies Gunnison Beach, the only legal nude beach in the north east. This past weekend, my husband and I were invited by another couple, Jim and Nick  - Gunnison veterans - to attend a friendly birthday gathering there for Nick.

I'd say it's pretty much a sure thing...

We discussed. This is a couple we run into frequently - they live in the neighborhood, and Jim used to attend MFF with us. We've also run into them a few times at the Farmer's market in Union Square. They share our passion for cooking with fresh ingredients. Jim works in theater and Nick's in fashion and art. We're always saying we'd like to spend more time with them, and this seemed like as good an opportunity as any. On the other hand, we were trepidatious: both of us relaxed a bit in our healthy eating and fitness regiments after the wedding. I'd venture to say neither of us is in the best shape of our lives, and it's no fun to be naked and surrounded by a group of judgey gays when you're not feeling great about your body.

Then, the night before, after a few glasses of wine, we said "fuck it" and decided to go. Both of us wanted a beach day, and we decided we could always keep our suits on if we weren't feeling the spirit. The only other time I'd been to a nude beach was on Fire Island, and my younger self definitely didn't have the guts to go au naturale. The ferry dropped us off across the bay and we boarded the shuttle to Gunnison, trekked down the path to the beach and found our party - all of whom were happily sunning themselves completely naked. We looked around; the vast majority of beach goers were completely naked as well. And while there was plenty of eye candy, there was also a wonderfully comforting variety of body-types and ages. Off came our suits, on slathered the sunscreen, and we proceeded to have a wonderful day with a wonderfully welcoming group of naked gay men.

JESUS BE A RAINDROP

"Hot enough for ya??" said the 787th person I encountered on Saturday.
By Jennifer Anderson (Actor/Singer/melted)

Crazytown, this week I'm coming to you from sunny Florida, where it is exactly the same temperature as it was this past Saturday (97,653 degrees with 567% humidity).

When I tell people I'm from Florida and then make commentary about the summers of New York City, the response I usually get is "aren't you used to this type of weather? Isn't it always this hot where you're from?"

Okay. Here are 2 very crucial factors that separate the kind of heat we experience in Florida to the type of heat we experience in NYC:

1. In Florida, there is central A/C everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Even in the port-a-potties. I'd never seen a window unit until I moved here at 25.
2. You drive everywhere. EVERYWHERE. There is no waiting 30 minutes for a train in the 9th circle of hell known as the 36th street station in Brooklyn, where you get on a packed train and are forced to share sweat with a dude who looks like he's run a marathon through Death Valley. There's taking a 30 second walk from your air conditioned home to your air conditioned car that takes you to your air conditioned destination.

So the next time you New Yorkers encounter a southerner who looks like they might keel over into a lane of traffic, remember: the heat is different where we're from. Take pity on us poor souls who grew up in ice boxes from March until November.

To celebrate the heat, I present to you my favorite summertime video. Enjoy!

 

JENNIFER ANDERSON is an actor and singer living in Brooklyn. If you've never had to wait for a train at 36th Street, consider yourself lucky. www.jenniferjanderson.com
EMAIL HIM/HER |  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | OTHER POSTS BY THIS AUTHOR

AWAY MESSAGE ON

Traveling for two weeks of adventure is great until you try to write about it while it's still happening.
By Owen Panettieri (Playwright, Lyricist)

Dear Friends!. After a very intense 6 months of work, I've been on a great adventure n Europe for almost two weeks. It's been an unforgettable experience going from France to Austria to Germany to England for the second half of July. While we're almost done with our trip, we've still got about 2 days to go. I've been taking notes as it's been going along, but I'm not quite able to finish all my thoughts about it before it's over. Funny thing, that! But one thing i do know is that it's been a particularly insane two weeks for the entire world. Every day seems to bring a new tragedy. Still this trip has reminded me that there is so much beauty in the world. So much struggle. So much of people just trying to go about their lives peacefully and getting smacked down for no good reason. We have to keep ourselves open to the struggles of people who seem different than us. People we may not personally know. People we may not interact with on a daily basis. We can not simply put an away message on and take an ongoing vacation from learning about what other people are facing. We need to find our way through these difficult times together.

 More to come soon!

OWEN PANETTIERI is the author of the awarding-winning plays Vestments of the Gods and The Timing of a Day. Member of Playwrights Gallery in NYC. Summer's Here and the time is right for dancing in the streets!! www.owenpanettieri.com

EMAIL HIM |  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | <a