Bob Gibson co-wrote this trenchant song with Phil Ochs. Here he is singing it at the memorial service for Phil in 1976 at the Felt Forum. I was there, and so was the story goes, Abbie Hoffman, in disguise, incognito, on the run from the feds.
The house above, not far from my home, was standing in 1766, and up until a few years ago, was a prime example of Dutch Colonial architecture. During the Revolutionary War, Hessian soldiers were quartered in the house, and two of the soldiers etched their names in the windowpanes, which again, up until recently, could be seen.
Now it is an abandoned place of broken and boarded up windows and doors.
Here’s the thing: if you look at this closeup of the plaque in front of the house, you’ll see that in 1977 it had been designated as a National Historic Landmark:
(Click to enlarge)
If this is a National Historic Landmark, then how could it be allowed to fall into such disrepair? What does the designation mean if it can go to ruins? What’s even the point if it’s not protected?
Worse, according to Wikipedia, On October 14, 2021, the entire property was sold for $2.4 million dollars to “22nd Street Investors” according to City records.
If the original owners were allowed to sell, why didn’t the federal govt or the city offer to buy it?
So the National Historic Landmark designation is a complete farce and meaningless.
I fully expect to see another condo on the site soon.
Here’s what it used to look like only a few years ago:
We’ve featured the work of the revolutionary fiction writer Manuel Tiago on Arts Express several times with dramatic readings from some of his short stories. Those stories are a part of an eight book cycle about the 40 year fight against the Portuguese fascists from the 1930s to the 70s. That series has recently come to completion with the publication of the last book to be translated into English, titled Until Tomorrow, Comrades. I was happy to speak with Eric Gordon, the translator of the series.
Click on the gray triangle or mp3 link above to hear the interview as broadcast on the Arts Express radio program heard on WBAI FM NYC and Pacifica affiliates across the nation.
Our dear friend, Connie Norgren, died Monday. She was a wonderful, caring woman who spent her life making her community better. She was a committed public school teacher for decades, as well as a political activist, fighting against military recruitment in the schools. Her love and passion was poetry–she was an award winning poet. We were fortunate to have had her as a guest on Arts Express several times to read her poetry and talk about her writing. Here’s an interview and poetry reading featuring Connie. If you put her name into the blog’s search bar, you’ll find more:
Tip Top Beatles. Remember the 45 with “If I Fell” on the flip side? It might have been the first single where there was no A and B side because both songs were hits
Robin Williams’ first appearance on Johnny Carson has to be one of the great leaps into space of improvisitory comedy ever. Carson, to his credit, lets Williams run and run and run with the ball.
Wherein we review Jim Feast’s mash-up historical murder mystery novel that features Karl and Eleanor Marx, in league with a 16 year old Sherlock Holmes!
Click on the triangle or mp3 link above to hear the review as broadcast on the Arts Express radio program today, heard on WBAI-FM and Pacifica affiliates across the nation.
