Tonton Mayonnaise

Please listen to the instrumental version of this song while looking at the Santa jpegs below.  I'm also putting up the vocal version.  I don't know who Stéphane Collaro is, and I don't really want to know.  The jacket illustration is basically insane, obviously based on a photograph of Stéphane being in the middle of explaining something, while sitting in front of a giant pink radio. I don't know how graphic designers come up with this stuff.  

  

Santa Posse: An Ongoing Collection Of Holiday Mascots

From my ever-growing collection of Santa photographs, here are 5 outstanding examples of the Big Guy in the world of photography.

Santa with Twins.  A moment of perfect weirdness in the world.

You can pretty much tell that this Santa was into being Santa.

Full flown terror, and this Santa is laughing.  The girl's older brother is chilling though.

Detail of her hand reaching out, half her crying face, and half of Santa's laughing face.

This little girl might have lost it, but unlike the one upstairs, she's not struggling to get away.
It's more like sadness, over terror, but she's resigned herself to the tragedy.

This guy's just trying to remember what he wants for Christmas.

A little blind girl feels Santa's beard. 

He's a good Santa, with top-of-the-line stick-on eyebrows.  They don't wear those anymore.
Sometimes you catch them just wear the the beard AND moustache stuck under their chins.
Santas these days.

This girl seems a little older than the other screamers.

I just think it's great how going to see Santa, which is supposed to be a magical and fun thing,
turns into a nightmare for some kids.  And they really feel it.  They don't like it.
I think that this girl is more like, "What is this?  I don't get it."

I think his eyebrows are touched up with make-up.

I suppose they're at the Post Office, but getting stamps from Santa seems pretty weak.
That's probably why the girl is crying.

The Eggs

George, Me, and Jeff used to do a night of iPod deejaying as The Eggs

Lightning Trapped In Concrete

The lightning got trapped in this slab of concrete in Long Island City.  I made it into a GIF and have supplied you with a THUNDER soundtrack to go with it, in order to let it out.

Cracochon et Kangounet

Pretty excellent kids stuff here and the instrumental would be perfect for a walking-around montage in somebody's video.

Anne Sings the "Rangers Du Risque Theme Song"

In America, after the success of Duck Tales, that odd combination of all the Disney Ducks and a spark of the Indiana Jones franchise, Diz went at it again and put the chipmunk duo Chip and Dale in their own adventure cartoon with a bunch of other unknown chipmunks.  It was called "Rescue Rangers" and in it, Chip straight up wore Indiana Jones' outfit, hat and all.

If you're smart like I am, you probably know all that.

But while I was in Paris I picked up a stack of kids 45's and on the B-SIDE of this "Anne" record, I found the Rescue Rangers theme, done in French, like it was an old Jazz standard. Here it is.

Lady Skate Et Les Skateboard Kids

Basically bad late-70's skate-surf-oldies-rock-disco a la Bay City Rollers.  Still, I do like it.  A french rock-n-roll personage named Lady Skate is just meaningful to me.  I don't know what the meaning is, except that she was obviously crazy, and that's what I'm all about.

Just About The Best Name For A Store

That's Dave, the owner lurking back there.

Fence

New Collection: Fence Solutions

Golden Music on 74th Street

This is Gajanan.  He works at Golden Music, and manages several of the surrounding spaces,
like that office that's for rent to the right.

Detail of carpet that leads to the office.

Hyped in the window, India's much talked about superhero flick from 2011: RA One.
Directed by Anubhav Sinha and starring Shah Rukh Khan, Random Access One tells the story of
a video game developer's world that spirals out of control when his shape-shifting indestructible
virtual creation becomes all too real.

Me and Gajanan like to joke around about all sorts of things.  Community politics, Bollywood flicks,
30 Rock quotes, weather.  He's cold when I'm hot.  Gajanan has also hooked me up with some really good
Bollywood soundtracks and Indian music from the 60's.

They Scratched The Baker's Eyes Out

My Neighborhood: The Jackson 123 Movie Theatre

Jackson Heights, Queens.  They keep it old school.  The Cops are parked out front because of the shooting
at the Dark Knight premiere.  They were pretty much stationed at theatres all over the city that week.

The Jackson opened in 1924 as a single theatre, later split into 3, with two of the theaters being small 200 seaters.  The main jump-off still has 600-something seats and looks fairly original.
They now show American films with Spanish subtitles.

Lobby.   They have a ton of video games, a horsey ride, and stuffed animal crane, a Snapple machine,
plus lots of supplies and boxes lying around.  This is a community theatre and they're making it
work even though it can be hard.  The place is crazy on Fridays and Saturdays.

This is the hall that leads to the 3 theatres, still with it's 80's diagonal paint-job.
That's Satch, the guy that takes care of the place.  Great Guy.

Any theatre that tells you not to bring a radio into the theatre is in a neighborhood where there's still
a little insanity.  I mean this in a good way.  

Sad jpeg blow-up of the Dark Knight as seen through the doors to the main theatre.
There's Bruce Wayne, being all crippled and stuff.

Me with Officer Johnson out front.  Officer Johnson is something of a New York historian.
He told me about a bunch of old school spots in Queens and Brooklyn.

Officer Johnson's tattoos.  The End.

BONUS INTERNET PICS OF THE JACKSON IN THE OLDEN DAYS!!

George Samples Choward's Guava Flavor Tropical Candy

Choward's is best known for making Violets, a pale purple candy that tastes like violets.

George said that the Guava ones were, "Fine."

Detail of the a piece of Choward's Guava.

The Oldest VIM Jeans and Sneakers

V.I.M. - established in 1977.  Had a bet going on what it stands for.  I called the main hub in Jamaica,
they said it doesn't stand for anything.

Me and my boys have shopped here off and on for our whole lives.  There used to be a similar chain
called L.T.R.  that didn't make it out of the 80's and now there's also O.M.G.
You can get Levi's here and all the sneakers and Rocawear stuff.

Beno Picks Peaches

Here's Beno picking peaches before the season goes kaput.
He's got on a lovely pair of slacks and a fitted baseball cap in Mets royal blue.
He used to wear a proper Mets hat but, "Those guys let me down too many times," he said.
He still watches almost every game, unless it conflicts with his game show schedule.

Beno is one of those neighborhood guys you love to see.  He has a fairly sunny outlook on life,
but he's also got a ton of complaints about the other people in my neighborhood.
Sure he can be mean, but it's all in good fun.  When I asked how he keeps his teeth so clean he said,
"You mean my George Washington teeth?  I soak them in Efferdent every night."

Detail of Beno's red comb in his top pocket.  That's style, boy.

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

At the Mexican Bakery on 96th Street

Homemade Ices in 4 oz. Dixies with Popsicle Sticks

Look How COLD They Keep It!  Dry ICE!!

Good Color.