A Love Note to Moe, from Shemp

Found on the southeast corner of 81st Street and 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, June 28, 2008

More Statues of Liberty Spotted!

Melanie spotted the Kansas City Royals statue on the steps of One Liberty Plaza this morning.

Also, an Anonymous commenter posted that the Colorado Rockies statue is at 1 New York Plaza downtown.

And Peterpanic reports "White Sox is in front of the Walgreens on 4th ave and 14th street."

And aswang in the city reports "NY giants is inside toys r'us in times square, near the entrance."

Here's a map where you can find them all. I'd go around and take pictures, but I have a job.
There's also a fan photo gallery here.

Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden (Night 2)

I celebrated my birthday a week early with my fifth Pearl Jam concert. I just wanted to share a brief minute from one of the encores. Thank goodness for YouTube:



Here's the complete set list:

Set List: Release, World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand, Corduroy, All Night, Cropduster, Garden, Marker, I'm Open, Wishlist, State Of Love And Trust, Even Flow, Who You Are, Rats, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Go

Encore 1: Inside Job, W.M.A., Lukin, I Believe in Miracles with guest C.J. Ramone playing bass guitar, Better Man/Save It For Later, Rearviewmirror

Encore 2: No More, Last Kiss, Why Go, Black Diamond w/Matt Cameron & Mike McCready lead vocals with guest guitar player Ace Frehley, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter/Star Spangled Banner

The performance of the KISS classic Black Diamond, with legendary Ace Frehley on guitar was one of the most memorable parts of the evening.

Statues of Liberty on Parade: The New York Mets

In the spirit of The Cow Parade, New York City's upcoming hosting of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game next month has a publicity parade of its own. Although this occasion was discussed earlier this month in the media (New York Times article here), Wednesday morning revealed this New York Mets-themed statue in Penn Plaza, directly in front of the Borders store.


Of course, Mr. Met was relegated to the back of the statue:


When I see any of the other teams, I will post photos here.

Found on Third Avenue, Brooklyn: Random Post-It

Note to self: Next time, could you please be more specific?

George Carlin, 1937-2008

My kids will likely not know George Carlin for what he is best at (at 12 and 9, they're still a little too young for The Seven Words...), but they will recognize him from this autographed picture hanging in our bathroom (what better place?).

I don't know the Wayne to whom this inscribed, but I got it when an old production company was selling off all its old junk and I landed this framed, autographed picture.

I had the pleasure of meeting George briefly when he signed a copy of his first book Brain Droppings for me at Book Soup in West Hollywood, and then again in New York for Napalm and Silly Putty at the Rockefeller Center Barnes & Noble.

But I never got to see him perform live.

And now I never will.

Rest in Peace, George.

21 Questions for BillyBlog

I had so much fun with the Jamie Lynn Spears post (if you missed it, and are intrigued, it's here), that I couldn't resist this one as well. It's based on New York magazine's 21 Questions feature, when I originally stumbled on the one by book-jacket graphic designer extraordinaire, Chip
Kidd, here.

So here I go...

Name: Bill Cohen

Age: 40, but not for much longer.

Occupation: Lover of All Humankind

Neighborhood: Bay Ridge, Near Fort Hamilton

Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?

This was tougher than I expected, since the definition of "New Yorker" is so open to various interpretations. I will say John Lennon.


What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
Maybe after being here a year, the parents of a friend of ours, visiting from Houston, took us to Felidia. I don't remember what we ate, but I remember it was awesome. A close second is the River Cafe, in Brooklyn.

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
Put out fires and sulk.

Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
Me, yes. My family, no.

What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?
Spamalot. For my birthday the year it opened. Tim Curry is awesome.

Do you give money to panhandlers?
Generally, no.

What's your drink?
Black Russian.

How often do you prepare your own meals?
Generally it's a team effort. Maybe once or twice a week I make a killer salad.

What's your favorite medication?
Pearl Jam's eponymous album, also known as the Avocado Album. It has taken on new meaning for me as it has braced me for difficult days at the office.

What's hanging above your sofa?


A print of Francisco de Zurburan's Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose(1633).

How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
I spend $20, including tip, every six weeks or so. My hair is generally one of the things I care little about.

When's bedtime?
Usually much earlier than when I actually go to sleep. I have been hard-wired as a night owl, ever since my freshman year in college when I religiously watched Late Night with David Letterman on NBC from12:30 to 1:30AM each night.

Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
Having never really experienced the old Time Square, I'll go with the old, as it is shrouded in mystery and the displaced nostalgia of others.

What do you think of Donald Trump?
The fact that he can parlay a career in business and succeed in reality television is either admirable or despicable, I'm not sure which. Adspicirble?

What do you hate most about living in New York?
After 11 years here, I have yet to build the network of friends like the wonderful ones I have in L.A. Although that is more likely due to me being me, as opposed to New York's fault. One of my best friends, Jill, I met in L.A., and she is a New Yorker now, too.

Who is your mortal enemy?
People who clip their fingernails on the subway. Nothing brings me closer
to rage.

When's the last time you drove a car?
Someone asked me this the other day and I was stumped. I think last summer (2007) when my father-in-law was in town and he sprained his ankle. I had to retrieve his car for him to spare him a long walk to a remote parking spot.

Who should be the next president?
Dennis Haysbert. And not his character from 24. Pedro Cerrano from Major League.

Times, Post, or Daily News?
Times. I love the Post's silly headlines, but I am annoyed when their clearly conservative agenda is so thinly-veiled in the guise of news. A perfect example is when, several weeks back, Barack Obama left the church where Reverend Jeremiah Wright is pastor. The Post headline reported
"Obama Quits Church". Seemingly innocent headline, one might say, but others could falsely interpret it as Senator Obama forsaking religion. Clever, but despicable, and not in the Trumpian way.

Where do you go to be alone? The Laundromat. Sure, I'm not really alone, but I am in a bubble, oblivious to the world around me.

What makes someone a New Yorker?
Being able to get from point A to point B on foot, or by mass transit, with minimal confusion or panic.

A Brief Note

Whereas it has been quiet over here on BillyBlog, with relatively few posts, it's been one-a-day over at Tattoosday. Do check out today's post, which exemplifies why I do what I do. I'm not in it for the money and fame (both of which have eluded me), but I am in it for the human experience.

Personal History Quiz: Why Do I Look So Angry?

Why does this child look so upset?

A) The Detroit Tigers had high hopes of a stellar season, and were falling significantly below those expectations, playing sub-.500 ball.

B) The Prince Valiant hairstyle

C) Those crazy 1973 kiddie rock star pants.

D) The recent resignation of President Nixon.

E) All of the Above


The Answer: As tempting as "All of the Above" may be, this photo from August 1973 captured me in a foul mood for an unknown reason. But if I had to guess, it had to be the pants. The '73 Tigers finished 3rd in the American League East, so it wasn't that terrible a year.

I wore that hairstyle for another eleven years, which effectively spared me from dating in high school.

I didn't give a fig about Nixon. Although I still remember the day he resigned, and my father telling me as we watched the news coverage ending, "Remember this day, Billy, it is a day that will go down in history". Or something similar to that.

So, let's go with the pants.

Found on Seventh Avenue, Manhattan

It's the Eight of Cups. Read what it means here.

Tino Recommends..... (Metallica Edition)

My friend Tino was telling me via text messages how many cool things YouTube has to offer. "Agreed," I told him, "but what are you finding so awesome?" He rattled off a list of cool videos of rare hard rock/heavy metal performances that are truly remarkable.

"Ok," I told him, "send me the links, and I'll share them on BillyBlog."

The following clips were Tino's picks for the week, the Metallica edition.

An early Metallica demo of "Ride the Lightning" with original lead singer, Dave Mustaine on vocals (audio only):



"Creeping Death" - Demo Version (audio only):



Metallica's classic "Whiplash" covered by Anthrax in 2003:



Thanks to Tino for sharing these clips!

When You Run Out of Bandanas.....