When my Notes from a Polite New Yorker column ran on GetUnderground.com, the most popular column of mine was the one about the Upper Decker.
For those that do not know what an Upper Decker is, kindly read the column, which is now archived on Kotori Magazine’s Web site. I am proud that this piece is again available to the public.
For many years, the first listing on Google if you searched “upper decker” was my column. One or two people who had executed Upper Deckers even sent me cell phone photos of their work. It was by far my most widely read columns and I like to think that I have helped popularize it.
If ever questioned, I would of course deny any knowledge of an individual Upper Decker. The brave legion of souls who carry out these actions must, like the French Resistance, operate in the shadows and let their anonymous work speak for itself.
If you have not read it before, kindly take the time to read my Upper Decker column now. Thank you.
The independent wrestling shows in New York (and Philadelphia also) will be notable for several reasons. One of them is the level of audience participation. At the show I went to, the crowd was at times both cruel and appreciative. For example, when the ring announcer paged an audience member, “Will Alex Johnson please report to the front ticket table,” the audience took up the chant of “Alex sucks! Alex sucks!” Later, the ring announcer had to page a man named Charles Seaman, and more hilarity ensued.
One of the reasons I made sure to attend the show was to see the Necro Butcher in action. You may know him from his performance in ‘The Wrestler’ in a very bloody match with Mickey Rourke. The Necro Butcher is famous for bloody and over-the-top hardcore wresting matches. His match was not that bloody, but it was good.
I have made it a point to try to make it to more independent wrestling shows. You should too.
I spent this past weekend in Connecticut with friends. We mostly observed the Fourth of July holiday by drinking copious amount of freedom-loving beer and eating large amounts of delicious food.
We also set off some fireworks. Early in the day on July 4, my friend Luke and I visited Uncle Guido’s Fantastic Fireworks in Guilford, Conn. There we found many enticing fireworks, including some very impressively packaged items promising thrilling displays of firepower.
The large party was held at a friend’s house in a town near where we attended high school. As evening descended, we prepared for our display. Another friend was able to travel to some Southern states and bring back fireworks that are illegal here in the Northeast. Luke and I were essentially the opening act for these larger fireworks.
We embraced our role with gusto. Luke is very adept at quickly lighting several fireworks at once, making for a more thrilling spectacle. Many of the party attendees were married people with children, and the kids were impressed with the fireworks both big and small. I even helped light sparklers for the children. As this wound down, our friend with the illegal fireworks lit off his large ordnance, and big colorful blooms filled the night sky above my friend’s yard.
I have heard many people portray the fireworks tradition of the Fourth of July as excessively juvenile and a grotesque abuse of our Revolutionary heritage. I disagree.
The use of fireworks, especially the use of fireworks that are illicit in regions with strict laws and regulations of fireworks and firearms, is very American. The Revolutionary War was fought by people who were not about to let the government dictate how they lived their lives. The first shots fired in New England were against soldiers coming to confiscate arms.
Our country exists because people were willing to break the law and light things that went BOOM. Celebrate accordingly.
As luck would have it, I was able to attend a performance of the New York Classical Theatre’s production of ‘King Lear’ in Battery Park last evening. It so happens that my uncle’s partner Andrew was playing the part of The Fool, so the incentive to see this production was greater than normal.
The New York Classical Theater performs classic plays for free, outdoors in New York parks. The company performs in Central Park and Battery Park. The audience must move with the actors and the plays are staged in several different areas of the parks.
Seeing Shakespeare in the park is a great experience, especially the way it is done by the NYCT. The audience moves frequently at the cues given by actors that are incorporated into the dialogue of the play. Sometimes the action will move directly behind the audience, and people in the back row find themselves in the front row and must quickly sit down or scramble out of the way.
The Bard’s great poetic words are a joy any time or place, and Andrew was outstanding as The Fool. If you do not see some free Shakespeare this summer in New York, you are missing out.
My latest column is now online on Kotori Magazine’s Web site. It documents a fine evening several weeks ago when a friend and I organized a group to drink in Hell’s Kitchen’s finest dives.
The victor of the night was most definitely The Holland Bar. There were some bars we didn’t make it to. Rudy’s is a great bar but it was way too crowded. Collins Bar was not on our itinerary but I’ve been there and it is indeed a fine place. Siberia was shuttered.
Hell’s Kitchen is a very interesting neighborhood and I’ve always been fascinated by its dive bars. They, like quality dive bars everywhere, are a dying breed. Support them at every opportunity.
Let me know if you disagree with any of my assessments here or if there are any glaring omissions.
I write a column called 'Notes from a Polite New Yorker' as well as short stories and poems. My writing has appeared in Ask A New Yorker, GetUnderground.com, Knot Magazine, The Black Table, Too Square, and other web sites and print publications.
