Hipsters wage war on Duane Reade

The New York Times featured a story Friday about the scourge permeating the hipster neighborhoods of Brooklyn: Duane Reade.

Apparently, a second version of this chain establishment is opening in their artist enclave/former-crack epidemic crime zone. And this is just too much for the trustafarians to bear.

The Times lays it down:

For many residents it signaled that dreaded chain stores — symbols of all things corporate and uninspired — were about to breach the industrial neighborhood turned bastion of the young, do-it-yourself and arty.

Arty? That's a word, I guess. Odd how these 'residents' will happily take the L Train to Manhattan everyday, where there are - i dunno - maybe just a few Duane Reades. Also, what is there position on Starbucks? Tell me these kids like bodega coffee. I'm sure their anti-corporate crusades stop at the point of Cappuccino convenience.

Hipsters spar over Katy Perry

Every so often we travel over the bridge to that Disneyland for 20-somethings known as Williamsburg.

When the inevitable question of where we live comes up, the transplant scoffs derisively. Funny, we were born here, you just moved in from some podunk town in Western Pennsylvania.

So it's moments like these that give some reprieve. A passive-aggressive note left in an apartment hallway - actually more than a note, like a short story. An extremely anal retentive one.

Notice the different font sizes, four full paragraphs of specificity, and most predictably the peanut gallery scribbling of fellow Williamsburgers.

Thankfully, we don't live next to, or above, any of these people.

Lincoln Restler and the hipsters take over Brooklyn politics

After a lengthy lingering count from last week's primary, upstart young Allen Ginsberg look-a-like Lincoln Restler won an election for some political committee thing in Williamsburg and Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

"This is a tremendous victory for the reform movement in Brooklyn," Restler told the Brooklyn Paper.

Why is this important? Well, Restler took on the Democratic machine and the big fat political boss Vito Lopez. Restler had support from the blogs (do they hold the future of political fortunes?) and he pulled out the newbie residents, young professionals, and trustafarians who live in Williamsburg.

And Restler is just part of the New Kings Democrats coalition.

It's nice to see a neighborhood rally around young idealists who are concerned with fringe causes like the 'environment,' 'public health,' and 'issues of development.'

Will the North Shore of Staten Island ever start throwing some young progressives in the political ring? Or, will everyone keep moving away when they find enlightenment in the outer reaches of Colorado and Jersey City?

The Glory of the 'Ghost Hole'

Where'd you spend your Labor Day weekend?

We went over the Verrazano to visit a place that makes the Jersey Shore look classy.

In Coney Island you can drink with a no-armed midget, get served alcohol by underage girls in bikinis, ride an 80-year-old roller coaster, and eat just about anything that fits in a fryer.

But nothing's more debasing than the spectacle of the 'Ghost Hole,' a place that makes you want to take a shower - twice.

The actual ride is $6 and probably the worst haunted house you can take a mechanical cart through. But the real attraction is the 'water fountain' out front.

No words can do it justice, so we took a picture instead:

A Confession

We have a confession to make.

This won't be easy.

Last weekend, we had a few drinks, one thing led to another and before we knew it..... exhale.... we were in Brooklyn.

We know, but it all happened so fast.

There we were. The entire staff: the copy desk, photographers, graphic designers, even our personal chef. We went to see the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, which was great. Can't wait until those guys come play Cargo Cafe.

Anyway, we went to this bar after. It was one of those shitholes on the crap side of Williamsburg that nobody knows about but in, like, six months will be huuuge.

Things were going swell. drinks. dancin'. drugs. mgmt. gaga's 'bad romance.' pretty much the best time eva -- until.

A member of our entourage may have had a few too many and they accidentally mentioned that we were from Staten Island.

All hell broke loose.

The music stopped. People were throwin bottles. One of us got a black eye. They told us we didn't belong and that we should go back to our own borough.

This will not stand. This aggression will not stand, man.

Who do these so-called 'brooklynites' think they are anyway? They only moved here, like, six months ago and they probably haven't even been to Staten Island.

These assholes actually think they can rip on us because they watched a few episodes of the Jersey Shore... fuck outta here.

Eat it Brooklyn.

Can Staten Island win WNYC's Battle of the Boroughs?

The AWE's Ben Johnson has posted a helpful and informative blog about WNYC's upcoming Battle of the Boroughs.

"Whether or not you feel that Staten Island should draw the glance of those who don't live here, it is undeniable that putting yourselves out there results in a higher form of play."

It seems like a great opportunity for a no-name Island group to make some waves beyond the local 'scene.' Sure, maybe a little doucey but, what isn't in the music biz these days?

So what are we gonna do Staten? Let's take a few guesses:

1. nothing
   
   
2. gripe about williamsburg
   
   
3. book another show at Martini Red
   
   
4. learn how to play a set of Arcade Fire tunes
   
   
5. score some blow
   
   
6. make trivial observations about my grammar

If anyone does actually decided to join the fracas, it would be apropo to stop by his blog and drop a note. After all, he does spend most of his time hyping your mediocre band. Something like "hey man, thanks for the info. this is the greatest idea eva" -- or, "this contest is wack, our band is way above this high school nonsense."

See, you could just copy (ctrl+c) and paste (ctrl + v) -- we made it THAT easy for you.

Now, we know the locals would rather have someone we "know" like all-star blogger Paul Bruno running shit at the Advance. But, how many times can we argue over which Angry Samoans record is their greatest?

Dang-It, Go See Les Vinyl

Pete's Candy Store is a great music venue on the north side of Williamsburg that specializes in homegrown roots-y music, showcasing local acts such as jug outfit O'Death. The place manages to be small and intimate without the pretenses of some of the other neighborhood hot spots.

Wednesday night the Island's Les Vinyl will be visiting the Store, playing an 11 p.m. show closing for weekly house band The Dang-It Bobbys. It seems a good fit for the band and a great chance to see a local group perform outside their natural habitat.

We just wanted to mention the show, and fully support the ride across the Bridge. It's worth it. Hey, who knows, if enough people show up maybe they'll book more of you a-holes.

The Dang-It Bobbys - Sad Sack (Live at Pete's Candy Store)