Destroy Your Icons?

Someone doesn't want East Villagers to have any icons!

Behold, as seen on East 2nd Street:

What's that?

That's kind of hard to read. Here's a close-up:

Close-up.

I'm not sure what they're selling, but they're not going to have much luck getting someone famous to endorse them with this message!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #posters #destroyyouricons

Shmadvertising

Construction fences in the East Village are always changing — advertising one day, shmadvertising the next.

On this fence, on St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue, on this day, it was shmadvertising:

Shmadvertising.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It's interesting and all, but what is it selling?

#eastvillage #constructionfences #stmarksplace #secondavenue #posters

Mango vs. The Misfits

Speaking of The Misfits, according to a poster I saw on the side of the building on East 5th Street and Avenue A, they're playing on May 19 in Newark.

The one in New Jersey.

The Misfits poster.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It wasn't up for very long though.

A week later, I walked by again and saw this:

Mango.

East Villagers care more about clothes than they do devil-worshipping bands from the 80s that they would have to go all the way to New Jersey to see!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #avenuea #mango #newjersey #posters #themisfits

Eric Clapton

I was walking up Avenue A when I saw these Eric Clapton posters:

Eric Clapton Chase.

Did you ever notice how every picture of Eric Clapton holding a guitar looks the same?

On the other hand, only in the East Village would you see him beside an anarchist A!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #anarchista #avenuea #ericclapton #posters

Art Imitates East Village Today

People sometimes ask me, they say: Hey East Village Today, is your photo blog really influential?

To which I can only reply with a resounding: Yes!

Here is an example of recent posters, on Avenue A, using photography that mimics my phone camera:

Blurry photos.

In case you're thinking that the posters are actually in focus, take a look at the graffiti and the Krypton poster.

#eastvillage #posters #avenuea #selfpromotion #blurry #photography #krypton #graffiti

John Giorno

Remember when I told you about the posters on Second Avenue below St. Mark's Place that indicated they were above St. Mark's Place? Well…

If I had looked at the bottom left of the poster, it would have all made sense!

John Giorno.

John Giorno is a poet, founder of Giorno Poetry Systems!

The line "You're walking down 2nd Avenue coming to St. Mark's Place" is from his poem "Eating The Sky". You can listen to it at UbuWeb.

"Eating The Sky" reminded me a lot of "Big Ego", a poem of his that he wrote about seven years later, that you can also listen to on UbuWeb.

If you're going to listen to these, I recommend listening to "Big Ego" first, so if you don't like it, at least you'll have heard the better of the two! "Big Ego" draws a lot from "Eating The Sky", so you'll sort of hear "Eating The Sky" anyway.

I'm glad that's cleared up!

#eastvillage #bigego #eatingthesky #giornopoetrysystems #johngiorno #posters #secondavenue #stmarksplace

You're Walking Down 2nd Avenue

I was walking up Second Avenue this morning, coming to St. Mark's Place, when I passed this very large array of posters, telling me that I was walking down Second Avenue, coming to St. Mark's Place:

Very large array.

New York Magazine should know better!

East Villagers won't be confused (unless they're high on drugs), but what about the tourists? They'll be mighty confused, indeed!

#eastvillage #secondavenue #stmarksplace #posters #newyorkmagazine

Vegan Club

Rule #1 of Vegan Club: Don't talk about Vegan Club!

I guess that doesn't include posters, specifically these, seen on East 6th Street, eleven days ago:

Vegan Club posters.

Seriously though, half of veganism is talking about it!

#eastvillage #posters #6thstreet #veganism #veganclub

Pants Heads

I almost made this a part of No Parking, but I decided it deserved a story of its own!

This is a close-up of the posters on the construction wall on St. Mark's Place, just in from Second Avenue:

Pants heads.

Pants heads!

I guarantee that within the next couple of weeks, stylish East Villagers will be walking around with pants on their heads — I know I will!

#eastvillage #stmarksplace #garbagecans #2x4s #posters #advertising #booktables

East Village Yesterday

Writing a blog about the East Village today sometimes means that you have to write about the East Village — not just yesterday, but — decades ago.

Decades!

Such is the case with last night's gallery opening at the beloved Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, on Avenue C.

The show was titled: "Taking It To The Streets! The Art + Design of Posters and Flyers on the Lower East Side in the 80s + 90s".

I got there just in time to be the first — and for a while, the only — person in the room!

At least I was able to get pictures of the posters:

Posters on the wall.

…stencil paintings on the floor:

Stencils painted on the floor.

…signs on the back wall:

Signs on the back wall.

…and a cardboard tank, which I think is part of the permanent exhibit:

Part of the permanent exhibit.

I stayed for about twenty minutes, thinking more people would show up, but no one did, so I went outside and sat on the bench and read the show's Playbill.

Fortunately I ate at home before attending, because there was no food — not even beer!

How do you reminisce about the bad old days without beer?!

#eastvillage #artgalleries #avenuec #flyers #morus #museumofreclaimedurbanspace #posters #signs