1 post tagged “new york culture”

My resolution for 2007: To record, in some way, every cultural event I attend -- plays, concerts, lectures, exhibits, conferences -- for the next year. This is, of course, a huge part of my life, which informs my work and feeds my soul ... I think I attend around 150 events each year (depending on how you count them): I belong to six museums; I try to see all the TED speakers before they come to Monterey; I'm a regular at Joe's Pub; for a long time, I'd seen all but three shows on Broadway. These are my New York years, after all. I may not ski, hike or mountain bike anymore, but boy do I take in the cultcha...

The problem, though, is that I don't take the time to document it all. I keep playbills and programs; I sporadically keep notes in journals; I post here every so often. But still, details start escaping me over time.... Who was that funny guy from Brooklyn who does the hip-hop comedy? (Danny Hochs) What was that stunning piece Alvin Ailey performs -- the one with the strobe light and the male dancer leaping his heart out? ("Caught"). What was my problem with "Light in the Piazza"? (Beautiful score, awful songs).

So partially for your benefit, but mostly (let's face it) for mine, I'm committing to record it all... not in great detail, but in illuminating snippets. For the next year, at least, my cultural life is an open book...