What are you selling when you’re selling a notoriously unreliable, unpredictable vehicle? In 2007 we had the conversation: We need a vehicle that we can live in while we tour for a year with my film Seeing through the Fence and our band Beloved Binge. Something we can take into the city but also camp in. What better than a classic VW camper van? We, like many we’ve come to meet over the years, were fascinated with the Westfalia. The top “pops”! The kitchen cooks! The chair swivels for the mustachioed man! Room for our gear in … Keep goin’
Stranger Xenos (Greek: ξένος) “stranger;” or “guest friend.” Will you permit me (as a proud 1/2 Greek) the stereotypical Greek-splaining of the meaning of a word with Greek roots? (As in, “Psychology — that’s a Greek word! Psy-cho-logia, get it? Weren’t the Greeks great?”) The word “xenos” translated as “stranger” in Greek embodies a range of meanings from possible enemy to a most welcoming “guest friend” and “one entitled to hospitality” supported by the well-known Greek hospitality. I’m not saying that Greeks aren’t capable of xenophobia, but they fear a good God or two; at least that is the tale … Keep goin’
Back in 2016 we released and toured with our first #Comments: MayoGate. This sketch commenty is the first in our #Comments series, where online comments are acted out verbatim as characters — here, acted comments are from three articles about vegan mayo. Act I expresses a range of emotion about Veganaise. Acts II and III closely follow a lawsuit against Just Mayo by Hellman’s. Actors: Rob Beloved and Eleni Binge A new commenty (#Comments: Fake Control — exploring our dialogue on what’s real and what’s fake — and how we control our diets and guns) is forthcoming. We’re happy to … Keep goin’
About eight years ago, according to a good friend, Rob and I started talking about moving to NYC. Just for a year, to try it out. But as I told friends before moving, I could picture myself with my grocery-cart walker strolling around town as a well-advanced Senior citizen, so we were thinking long term. I loved the idea of anonymity but also adventure — a city that never slept, just like me! Well, I sleep, but not great. I imagined that we could become better activists and artists in a city full of events, people, and culture. Sort of … Keep goin’
Every year I spend a lot of time re-looking up all the holiday favorites when the temperatures dip to scarf level. And so, here, a roundup of holiday besties — heck, any time of year — presented to you. These are some of my faves. Keep these guys close, like thermal undies. The classic: Jack Daniels Roast Since this year’s Thanksgiving in NYC only required cooking for Rob and I, there was no need to create something the size of the traditional beast for the holiday. Not wanting to miss out, I made a mini-me (1/5 the size) from the … Keep goin’
Last week, after living in Harlem for nine months, Rob and I finally took a Harlem walking tour to learn more about the stories around us. Based on our tour guide’s informative presentation, I’d say that Harlem, with a history of displacement and replacement, could be considered the grandparent of gentrification here in the USA (even Rome gentrified, according to Wikipedia). Originally home to the native tribe the Manhattans, Harlem was later colonized by the Dutch (“Haarlem”) and has since seen a number of cultures and people, including a dizzying number of Africans and African-Americans forced in and pushed within … Keep goin’
This week I had the good fortune to attend the Games for Change festival at the New School’s Parsons School of Design. The festival opened with two statistics: over half of the presenters were women, and there was more diversity among presenters than ever before. Games, many said, are at the center of the tech universe, making up a $90 billion + market. And we are just at the start of the game revolution. Over two days at the festival, I was able to catch a variety of presenters, from an Italian protest artist to a virtual reality demo involving … Keep goin’