That’s right, people. 423Smith’s favorite show at the venereal UCB Theater, “Nights of Our Lives,” returns from their holiday hiatus tonight. It’s $5 to hear a bunch of goofballs telling true(ish) and usually very strange stories about their lives. If you enjoy the laffs, check it out.

Details, details, details:
The Nights of Our Lives
9:30 pm
Upright Citizens Brigade Theater
307 W. 26th Street and 8th Avenue
call for reservations: 212-366-9176

Wanted to to show you just how frightening the inside of Wiggum’s mouth can be. No wonder we are alla bit scared of him.

(caught him mid yawn)

Presenting the King of the Box tag team challenge.

Dear Misunderstood Marcel,
I wanted to let you know that I don’t believe a word of the negative hype around you. You seem like a good egg. Normally I can see where the TV producers and other show participants are coming from when they push a “bad guy” of a show (i.e: Puck, Santino, etc) but this time I’m not falling for it. I see no evidence. In fact, you seem like a good ‘old nerd! A food Nerd, and that’s cool. Someone breaking a bottle over your head cause they didn’t like your “character” on a reality show, that’s not cool!

And I also must commend you at not stooping to the level of you show-mates who acted like jealous petty teenage school girls, poking fun at you, trying to shave your head, calling you names. Even when Elia (shame on you!) and Ilan (the biggest brat of them all) implied that you cheated, you were very upfront about it and didn’t sling the mud back at them. All in all you are an extremely good sport and you deserve some credit for putting up with all the crap on the show.

How this all started and you got pegged as the bad guy - I’m not sure. My hunch is that these guys just couldn’t deal with your confidence, your skills and well, they couldn’t deal with your hair. You have got some crazy good anime hair and it was just too much for them.

Here is a bit about how intimidating your hair is: (Laws of Anime #33)

Law of Follicular Permanence
Hair in anime is pretty much indestructible, and can resist any amount of meteorological conditions, energy emissions, physical abuse, or explosive effects and still look perfect. The only way to hurt some-one’s hair is the same way you deal with demons… with bladed weapons!

So keep rocking the hair and the gastronomic mad-science! We are wishing you the best of luck in the finale! Kick Ilan’s ass (he deserves a good wholloping!). And, if you are ever in Brooklyn, we’ll treat your right and make you a cake.
-Tammy

Here is the deal, I’m thinking of getting an ipod, but i also need to get a new phone. But along with my digital camera I’ll have like 100 pieces of random technology to drag around with me everywhere. I mean, if they all fit into this hulk utility belt that would be one thing, but instead they clank around in my bag and remain perpetually uncharged. Combined with the husband’s electronics we’ll have like 8 different chargers plugged in at the house - that is ALL of our outlets.

Anyway, I know the iphone is coming out - but it is mucho cabbage and hmmm… i’ve got issues with trendy mac products. (sue me)

So what I’d like to know is, does anybody have a good phone/mp3 player combo that they would recommend? I’d even do a phone, mp3player, email combo if you have a good one. Oh, and while we are at it - do you like your cell phone service? Do they charge you out the nozzle?

My tv watching, Wikipedia searching and bloggin just came full circle, and I thought I’d share. Here’s how it starts: the husband and I have been watching classic Soul Train. This week’s disco-rific episode featured the Sugar Hill Gang and a performance by Shabadoo - a street-dancer-turned-Soul-Train-regular-turned-professional-dancer. We turned to the good ‘ol answer box for more on Shabadoo and learned that he worked on the “Breakin’” movies, and was considered a major player in late 70s early 80s street dance. We found a modern dance teacher’s write-up online that listed Shabadoo along with Poppin Taco as influences.

Who is Poppin Taco we asked ourselves and YouTube. A quick search turned up a huge list of his performances - including a featured spot in Klymaxx’s video “Meeting in the Boys Room,” one of my fav one hit wonders of the 80s that was listed last week on the blog. Small small world of random 80sness at 423smith!

Soul Train can be seen on WPIX
Channel 11 - Saturday’s at 1:00pm

Poppin Taco on You Tube

A bit about A Poppin Taco (sometimes written PopNTaco)

The Legendary PoppinTaco or Bruno Falcon practicing in the studio in the early 80’s. Has danced with Mysterious Poppers, Electric Boogaloos, Choreogrpahed Michael Jackson for over 10 years. Pioneer of Poppin and Wavin, Snakin, and Animation.

Pinapple Dance Studio
(which I think should really read Pineazzle - per their website banner)

Of course - this refers to a Goes Cube show.

Tonight (Saturday) at the Mercury Lounge (217 E Houston Ave):
THE GIRAFFES - 11:30pm
GOES CUBE - 10:30pm
ARBOURETUM - 9:30pm
ENDLESS BOOGIE - 8:30pm

A company will be filming and recording the show for some kind of a video release. Help them pack the Mercury Lounge so that it looks like people actually come to the shows - propaganda style, YEAH!

and if you need more convincing (and you really shouldn’t) - here is a bit about their new album Beckon the Dagger God from Matt at Earfarm

Not since I first heard Tool have I be so interested in the music I was hearing as it actively damaged my ears. If I were to offer one simple complaint it’d be that this isn’t a twelve song album of Goes Cube goodness.

Get the Album at Insound

Little Girl has found a new favorite spot.

It’ll all be gone in an hour, but it was exciting to wake up to.
A few pictures from our roof.

So I tried to watch the Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show last night and it just wasn’t funny to me. I wanted to give these guys the benefit of the doubt as The Naked Trucker played one of my favorite characters in Freaks and Geeks (Mr. Rosso), but I just couldn’t get in to it. Perhaps it was too self aware, maybe it is the “hey-haw” live audience setting..or maybe it just wasn’t funny. Seriously, did anybody think this was good? I miss something?

A district has emerged at Smith and 9th Street (long known as a sort of no man’s land between Park Slope, Red Hook, and Carroll Gardens): Smith and 9th Street, I dub thee THE NOTARY DISTRICT.

In Manhattan, it takes blocks upon blocks of business all doing the same thing in order for it be even considered a district. But in Brooklyn - where one man can make a difference - well, one man has made a difference: His last name is Russo (presumably - I don’t really like doing research), and his business (one of them, anyway) is being a Notary (again, research would be able to verify this, but I’ve got a cough and, well, you know how it goes).

With a little can-do spirit, some red paint, some scraps of - what is that? Old linoleum? Russo has created with his bare hands the NOTARY DISTRICT. Already, properties are sky-rocketing as all of today’s hottest celebrities race to buy a penthouse that overlooks this glamorous area! Why all over the country, children and adults are tuning in on their radios and television sets so they can be regaled with tales of the exciting and exotic Notary District.

This means big money! Advertising space in the Notary District is estimated at over 70 times the cost of a 15 second spot during the Super Bowl! As such, advertisers such as the company with the giant sign that only has an “R” on it, are stripping down their advertisements from Times Square, as well as the nations highways and bi-ways, so they can erect billboards in the Notary District. However, these ads can’t compete with Russo’s advertising, which are at once breathtaking, heartbreaking, obscene, and downright genius.

Ladies and gentleman, enough talk; actions speak louder! A TOUR OF THE NOTARY DISTRICT IS BELOW FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE!

This post is dedicated to Smitty, who introduced me to the Notary District. Or maybe his name is McCaffrey. I can never remember.

The Carroll Gardens area is known for many things; for instance, its brownstones, French bulldogs, and lard bread. But one thing this area doesn’t get recognition for is its burgeoning and bustling scene of closed-up video shops as well as video shops who clearly have to do way more than rent videos in order to stay in business.

Let me take you on a tour of the neighborhood so I can show you what I’m talking about.

Pictured above: VHS Tapes available for rent at a store that sells and offers 7,000,000 other goods and services, most of which you’d come to the store for long before you thought about renting a video.

First stop: The Video Corner (Nelson and Court)

Funny, huh? Looks like a bunch of bikes, right? Well that’s because The Video Corner quietly closed a couple months back, and now it’s a bike shop. That’s a shame, really because I thought it was a good little Charlie Brown Christmas tree-type place. It didn’t have much of a selection and I kind of think it stopped getting new releases back in ’95, but it just had that charm to it. Now they sell Huffys.

Second stop: Blockbuster (Degraw and Court)

Just the water stains of the now-removed marquee remain. I know, I know: death to chain stores. Hey, I know what you mean. You think I like having a Starbucks on Court Street? But I will say, they had two floors worth of movies, and they had that whole return-it-as-late-as-you-want policy, which works with my lifestyle.

Third Stop: Pegasus Video (Union and Hicks)

I just hope they keep the tattered awning up there. I’m kind of upset this place closed. They weren’t friendly (like me), but they had a lot of obscure films. I also like winged, mythical creatures.

The good news? A liquor store is opening in its place.

Fourth Stop: Lido Bar (Columbia and Sackett)

Speaking of liquor, it’s time for a bloody mary. (No video rentals here, I was just thirsty.)

All right, now let’s move on to the places that are open and check in with them:

Fifth stop: The Hole In The Wall (1st and Court).

It’s still open. But, I don’t know how. Truthfully, I’ve been thinking this place’s days have been numbered for about 3 years now. Their selection is half-decent, but they miss some of the essentials, if you ask me. There’s rarely anyone in the place, and if you look at the picture below, they’re apparently even less familiar with the Internet than I am:

Notice how they made a giant printout of their homepage. I just feel like that’s defeating the purpose: Like putting a jar of Prego on Caputo’s homemade fettuccine: It just doesn’t feel right.

Sixth Stop: Video Free Brooklyn (Smith and Kane)

I’m sorry, we don’t rent “movies.” We rent films.

Hey, Blockbuster: FUCK YOU, MAN! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!

Seventh Stop: Cobble Hill Variety Store (Henry and Degraw)

This is it. This is the place of my dreams. You need a shirt? They’ve got it. Need to mail something? They’ll do it. Need an audio adapter that was made sometime in the early 80’s? They’ve got it. A coffee mug? Perfume? Ribbon? Religious figurines? 4th of July decorations? Got it, got it, got it, got it, got it.



That new movie directed by what’s his name? Don’t got it.

And that’s awesome.

Fat cat burglar: Caught in doggie door: see video