Volume 75, Number 30 | December 14 – 20, 2005
The A – List
Night Moves Their music may be a bit scenster and singer Brandon Reilly may be aping Morrissey for all he’s worth, but there’s really no escaping New York rock band Nightmare of You’s new wave, Smiths-tinged songs. With Reilly pulling a complete 180 from former pop-punk outfit the Movielife, NOY combines sweet, hooky melodies with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and song titles like “Dear Scene, I Wish I Was Deaf,” from their recent, self-titled debut. Live, they’re even cheekier, with Reilly and crew charging out riffs that make you want to shun your hipster status and dance. 7 PM, Tuesday, December 20 at Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street (212-533-2111; boweryballroom.com).—Emily Zemler. Courtesy of Stunt Company.
Roller Divas If you haven’t braced yourself for a media maelstrom surrounding Roller Derby, be forewarned. In January, the cable channel A & E will premier “Rollergirls,” a reality show about the TXRD Austin Lonestars, the team who brought this sexy 1970s sport back to life. To promote its first season, five Texan team members (Punky Bruiser, Cha Cha, Lux, Chola and La Muerta) are touring with girl band The Donnas, whose song, “Play My Game,” is the league’s anthem. There won’t be room for a bout inside Irving Plaza, but they will have their skates on. Doors open at 8 PM, Thursday, December 15 at Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place (212-777-6800; irvingplaza.com).
Giftacular Get your holidays on this weekend at two unique shopping extravaganzas. Starting Friday, December 17, Cooper Union will host an auction for its students’ artwork, priced from $20 to $200, which continues through Sunday. (Visit cooperartsale.org for more info.) Across the East River, the folks at BUST magazine are hosting their first-ever Craftacular from noon to midnight at The Warsaw in Williamsburg. Shop for handmade gifts from over 80 crafters while you drink and dance to music spun by an eclectic mix of DJs. (See bust.com for details.) Print by Cooper Union student Rachel Sophrin
Homeless Wishes When Danish artist Hanne Lise Thomsen first visited New York in the spring, she was struck by our haves and haves nots. “[It was] sad seeing people sleeping in the street in a rich town like New York City,” says Thomsen. Her response was to return last month and photograph the 40 homeless men and women whose portraits will be projected on the corner of Broadway and Howard this Tuesday, along with the message: “The Homeless of New York City Wish You All a Happy Holiday.” “I met a lot of wonderful people, people who feel they are ignored. Working in a public space gives you the possibility to get in contact with many people,” says Thomsen, who compensated each of her subjects $15 for their help. See them all this Tuesday, December 20, from 5 PM till midnight, as you contemplate your own good fortune.
Model Life Seven years ago, in a Harper’s magazine essay titled “Scent of a Woman’s Ink,” Francine Prose examined the bias among male writers and reviewers that kept female authors all but absent from year-end, best of book lists and nominations for the National Book Award. She then quoted a few exceptions to the sentimental woman writer stereotype, including Mary Gaitskill, whose latest book “Veronica” was (ahem) nominated for the National Book Award and made the New York Times’ Top Ten Books of 2005 list. Times, indeed, have changed. Gaitskill reads from her book about an ex-model Sunday, December 18, 7 PM at KGB, 85 E. 4th St. (212-505-3360; kgbbar.com).
