For Anyone in NYC This Weekend

PHOTO CREDIT: Hélène Binet

If you are in the Columbus Circle area this Saturday and Sunday (27th & 28th), I highly recommend going to The Museum of Arts and Design's grand opening. This is the first time the general public can visit the new building and admission is free (it will be $15 after this weekend).

I was lucky enough to tour the new museum today for it’s premiere and the shows are amazing and the new structure exciting. The best exhibit is on the fifth floor called Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary featuring work by 50 artists from five continents who create objects comprised of ordinary and everyday articles, like combs and buttons.


Portrait of a Textile Worker
Therese Agnew, 2005
This 10-ft “painting” is really a large quilt made from tens of thousands of fashion labels.


Spoons
Jill Townsley, 2008
This pyramid was created with ten thousand plastic spoons held together with only rubber bands which slowly loosen, allowing the structure to eventually collapse.

The address is 2 Columbus Circle (and that's the subway stop as well). The hours are 10am to 5pm on both days (and expect long lines). Have a great time!

I was granted permission by MAD for use of the photos.

The Party's Over

Quote of the Week

"If someone could tell me now what to do with Facebook, I would be really happy." – Chris Davey.

Runner-up; "So here we all are on Facebook. Now what????" – Elan Fleisher

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

John J Savo is a young talented writer and auctioneer from Pennsylvania who just self-published an epic fantasy tome called Lux War: CORONATION, one of a series. I’ve known John for years, initially meeting at his family’s auction gallery (Rebecca's Auction) which I frequented until my house was crammed to the rafters with stuff I had bought. At most auctions the players are dealers planning to resell their crap but I would show up for the entertainment value as much as anything else. John’s very funny and theatrical and this charisma comes out on his popular blog, The Authoring Auctioneer. (Full disclosure, John can be an intimidating figure (he looks like a good-looking Penn of & Teller) Often I would bid on something just because I was scared of him.)

Painting by Carlo Savo

Freelancer’s Lament: I would probably show up more to your auctions if I didn’t feel you would break my legs if I didn’t bid on everything.
John J Savo: Really? Because I'm not much of a leg-breaking kind of guy, even though I am Italian. I'm more of a ball-breaker. I'd much rather smash someone with my wit than with my fists. For me, there's much more satisfaction in making someone feel terrible on the inside than on the outside, like bacterial infection of the stomach lining. Besides, one can't be charged with aggravated assault for a well-executed insult. So I may pick on you if you come to one of my auctions and not buy anything, but let's face it: You can never NOT buy something.

FL: I love the brashness of your blog. You told one reader who wanted to wash your mouth out with soap to go to hell. What’s the worst thing you’ve said or done to someone at your auction?
JJS: I've never really had to do anything terrible to someone during my auctions. I've had to kick a few people out for being unruly or obstinate, but that only happens once in a blue moon when a customer thinks he runs my business, not my family and I. Nine of out ten people are good. It's that 10% that raises my blood pressure. Like the moron that left that comment because he or she had to read the f-word on my blog. "Boo-hoo-hoo.”

FL: Friends whose job it is to perform in front of people for a living always tell me they hate people. We have both said the same to each other, but I think you’re lying. How do you REALLY feel about people, as a group?
JJS: Again, I think most people are just trying to survive. Most people are good, I think. (I still hope, anyway.) The problem is, the assholes get all the attention and so are always on the forefront of society's news coverage. I guess that's a theme of my blog: Point out the absurdity that humanity sometimes displays and make fun of it in the funniest and angriest way I can.

FL: Would you like to continue auctioneering?
JJS: I feel that the auction business is something I was born to do. After all, I grew up in it. But my goal is to constantly improve it. We've come a long way in the past few years. Our quality of merchandise and buyers is getting better with each sale. We're starting to gain some national recognition. So yes, I would like to continue as long as it keeps growing and maturing and remains a challenge. Of course, that falls on me, my brother, and my father. We put a lot of effort and creativity into each of our auctions and more and more people are starting to notice.

FL: What's the worst part of auctioneering?
JJS: The second worst part is of the auction business is the manual labor involved. I don't have a team of lackeys to move the merchandise out of the estates and into my gallery. That duty, all duties, fall on me, my brother, and my father. It's grunt work that involves fighting elements, dirt, and adverse architecture. I can't stand it, but it's a necessary evil. The WORST, top most thing I hate about the auction business? The people who think that we, the Savo Auctioneers, are only at our gallery or at work on auction day. Some think that all the inventory magically appears and sets itself up into neat little rows and vignettes, and that all we have to do is show up and "talk fast."

FL: The best?
JJS: We don't buy the merchandise we sell. We're an auction company. We provide a service. Therefore, we sell on a commission basis. So the best part of the business is when I'm able to sell something for someone and shock the hell out of them. For example, a couple of months ago, we sold a vintage beer can collection for a gentleman. He had no idea the value. The collection consisted of about 250 cans, ranging in age from the late 1930s to the last few years. It was sold as a group. After taking bids from seven people from all over the country, the collection achieved a final selling price of $4,250. The guy who owned the cans almost fell over with joy and amazement after we told him. That's a good feeling, to be able to make someone's day because we did a good job.

FL: Cool story? Can you share another?
JJS: Well, there's always something in an estate that can surprise people. Years ago, we removed the contents of a doctor's estate. Like usual, the executors thought we were crazy, because sometimes gold looks like garbage and garbage looks like gold. People who don't sell in the auction/antique trade are often boggled by the things we take and the things we don't take out of a home. In this particular doctor's house, the surviving family members believed us to be super insane when we took a cadaver's skull and then asked if the rest of the skeleton was somewhere. (You know, it was from one of those skeletons you see propped up in a physician's office all the time.) Unfortunately, only the skull remained. We offered it up for bidding and it brought somewhere around $350.

FL: John, do you have any theatrical background?
JJS: I have a degree in theatre and public speaking, but I haven't been in a play since 2001. It was at that time I found out I have an allergy to divas and primadonnas. So, for health reasons, I had to give it up.

FL: Let’s talk about your new book. In Lux War: CORONATION you create a whole new world— you even provide a glossary s a guide for readers.
JJS: Lux War is a fantasy, but it is a story about the human condition more than it is about magic and armor. It explores the consequences of political greed, genocide, revenge, and love. Yes, love has consequences. The setting—the fantasy part of it—becomes a harmony to the characters. The plot is larger than life, and so the world in which it happens had to be equally large and unique. The characters affect the setting as much as the setting affects the characters. Lux War isn't really about good versus evil. It's more like real life, where all of the players are bad, but a few have some redeeming qualities. Still, the characters draw you in, much like being unable to look away from a really bad car crash.

FL: What type of readers are you hoping to attract?
JJS: My novel is not for children. It is gruesome at times and intelligent in the rest. It was written for adults who enjoy the genre but need some smart drama at the same time.

FL: Did you set goals for yourself as to what the book would or could accomplish?
JJS: I honestly didn't know what to expect with my first one, but I've learned there's a lot of competition out there and it's very difficult to get agents or publishers to look your way. I can empathize though. As an auctioneer, I'm constantly told by people how good their stuff is. However, 8 out of 10 times, it's the same crap that everybody else has. But I'm not one of those 8. I know my novel is like the 2 out of 10 people who actually have something wonderful to sell.

FL: Who were you thinking of (writers-wise) when you wrote the book?
JJS: Well, naturally, I was thinking of Tolkein and all that he accomplished with Lord of the Rings. I didn't look to him for style, but for inspiration. It's funny that I wrote a fantasy, because the three writers that have influenced me the most are Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Woody Allen.

FL: Let's mention you do a radio show called "Cash or Trash." You guys are funny together. It’s gotta be a thrill to be doing a radio show with your family. [Sundays, from 3PM to 4PM streamed on www.WILKNEWSRADIO.com] How's that going?
JJS: Great. My father, my brother, and I (the Savo Auctioneers) host the show. We discuss life, humanity, and the auction world (the tagline of AuthoringAuctioneer.com). We do our best to entertain while educating people about the auction business. It's one of the things that has helped improve our business. We've gotten some great merchandise and have met some great people because of it.

FL: Desert Island. What five books are you taking with you?
JJS: Oh, Christ... Umm...
1. The Great Gatsby
2. A Moveable Feast
3. The Seven Percent Solution
4. Hound of the Baskervilles
5. The Lord of the Rings

FL: 5 people you’re bringing with you?
JJS: My wife (or fiancee, whatever you want to say), naturally. I have to pick four more people? I guess it wouldn't matter, because I'd probably just end up killing those other four for their meat.

FL: What’s your life-story in a fortune cookie message?
JJS: "You love ice cream but despise ignorance."

To buy Lux War: CORONATION. For details on Rebecca’s Auction. Enjoy John’s blog.

Appreciating the Small Things in Life

Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

Sometimes being creative means compromising. Career and life guru Lee Silber recently shared his list of forty items to remember (we'll get back to that list soon with info on his new book). Meanwhile this was #39;

"Find Work You Love So Much You’d (Almost) Do It For Free. Most of my fan mail comes from creative people who hate their day jobs. They are also trapped in those same dreaded jobs because they must make a certain amount to survive. I have found that the freedom of finding work you love—and being able to pursue it—can come from cutting back and living on less. Not having to make as much money means you may be able to do what you truly desire, even if it doesn’t pay top dollar."

Being a freelancer seems to go hand-and-hand now with living smaller and living more green. And it's now in style! That said, here's an amazing slide-show in The New York Times by Bethany Little, please click the above photo. And here's the story she wrote. There was just another grest story in The Times by on tiny homes by Steven Kurutz.

4 Recommendations to Accommodate Your Senses

Dear Freelancers,
Need to be inspired? Let me recommend going to these four places;

1) The Grady Alexis Gallery will be showing Manhatitlan Codex a collection of artist Felipe Galindo a.k.a. Feggo. The paintings were inspired by Mexican immigration to the U.S. The Meet the Artist Reception is Friday, September 12th, 6 to 9 pm. The show goes on until October 18th. To learn more about Feggo read Freelancer's Lament interview with the man.


2) Spoken word artist, Joe Frank is a genius. "I came upon Joe Frank's work by accident a number of years ago while driving to my home in the Napa Valley late at night. I couldn't believe the originality and sheer brilliance of what I was hearing. From that moment on I became a dedicated Joe Frank fan." – Francis Ford Coppola. He can be heard on the following or free downloads on iTunes by typing in Joe Frank or becoming a member on his website where his past programs are available;

California	KPFA 94.1 FM / KPFB 89.3	Berkeley	Sundays at 9:00 PM
	KDVS 90.3 FM	Davis	Saturdays at 11:00 PM
Colorado	KDUR 91.9 / 93.9 FM	Durango	Sundays at 10:00 PM
	KHEN 106.9 FM	Salida	Tuesdays at 11:00 PM
Illinois	WBEZ 91.5 FM	Chicago	Sundays at 11:00 PM
Massachusetts	WMUA 91.1 FM	Amherst	Tuesdays at 10:00 PM on "Strange Bedfellows"
Montana	KGLT 91.9 FM	Bozeman	Sundays at 9:00 PM
New York	WNYC 820 AM	New York, NY	Sundays at 11:00 PM
Satellite	XM Satellite	Channel 163	Thursdays 11:00 PM (Eastern) 8:00 PM (Pacific)

3) This website has high-quality short stories by new and/or established writers. "Filmmakers, musicians, and other artists are already exploring innovative alternatives to the traditional, top-down models of publication. Now Fictionaut brings the possibilities of the social web to literary writing. Part self-selecting magazine, part community network, Fictionaut is a way for readers to discover new voices and for writers to share their art, gain recognition, and connect with their audience and each other." – Fictionaut


4) For those who want to be more interactive and dive right into the action let me recommend Open Salon. I have some posts there myself; some new and a couple which have appeared here before. I'll be happy to answer any questions about this site as I've been involved there for a while.


So there you go. Here's a photo from Brimfield, Massuchusetts where I was last week. I did a book signing but, fortunately, ran out during the first day...(yeah!)

Report from the US Open

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. – There were two hot tickets this month – maybe the only one who attended both the Democratic Convention AND US Open is the band Earth, Wind & Fire, the opening entertainment for both.

For the past 30 years I have watched the Open grow up since it moved in 1978 from the grassy courts of Forest Hills to the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. I spent part of my childhood there before the move–my parents brought me there as a kid as a break from our Bronx apartment beginning as a baby going to the ’69 World’s Fair. It must have been just as crowded then as now. This week the grounds turn into a human traffic jam by noon. I have no idea what it was like in Denver but the wait to stand in front of an empty urinal in Flushing is close to 20 minutes.

Every year it’s my routine to reserve the last weeks of August for the Open to see friends who I will not see any other part of the year. Many have Open relationships – friendships which only exist during this three week period (for real fans the Open begins with the week of qualifying rounds). The court with most memories and drama for me is the food-court. It’s a strip mall at the hub with all human tributaries of the event spilling into it’s plaza. I have bumped into high school teachers, old friends, and enemies of mine. I have fallen in love here, ended relationships here…even got fired here (last year when arguing with my new week-old editor and ex-boss of TimeOut.). It is here that highlights are coupled with low points. In 1980 my closest friend from high school was escorted off the grounds for pinching Chris Evert’s ass when she was signing autographs in the food-court. It was at the food-court that I sat down at an empty table with tennis great Illie Nastase after I saw my hero disgrace himself and get defaulted for taking his shorts off during a dispute with an umpire (“It was an entertaining match, no?”). It was the food-court where I was consoled after I was shellacked in the semis of my last NCAAs (but it was my biggest tennis thrill, playing in Louis Armstrong Stadium). I know this place like the back of my hand–in ‘04 I created the US Open map for Tennis magazine, now run by Chris Evert. My favorite story happened when I was sitting on the top row in a neighboring court. I asked my friend if he knew who was sitting next to him and then explained, “That’s Stan Smith.” My friend got so nervous that he turned to the tennis great and said “I’m a big fan of your sneakers” and then knocked his knapsack off the bleachers, sending it banging down the support beams. I called the move “smooth,” getting a chuckle out of Smith and then we all watched my friend climb down to find his bag.

As usual, I have been spending the past two weeks catching up with old friends, listening to old stories of matches long over but never forgotten. As one friend reminisces of what could have been if he stayed on one more year on the pro tour (careers end with either injury or in his case, an exhaustion of funds), some are still going strong (Terry just won the Bronze in the Senior Olympics at 73). And some just starting out. My neighbor, a 15-yr Russian girl, is a top prospect and is playing here in the juniors).

But the food-court is where the real action is and filled with fresh faces ready to talk tennis;

Tara and Vanessa of Tom’s River, Davis Cup trophy “managers”

Is it true that you never let the trophy out of your sight?

Tara: "I was hired to sleep with the cup!"

The moment I said, “Hey, look , Kathy Griffin!” Tracy Austin’s assistant grabbed my camera away from me.

Jeff owns oil rigs (“a mess of ‘em”) and came to the Open with his bride for their honeymoon.

What do you think about [tennis player] Ashley Harkleroad posing for Playboy?

Jeff: "WHO DID THAT?! SHE HERE?!?"

I regret not sporting Stadium Pal, an eternal catheter that I, ironically and jokingly, endorsed in ’98 as a sports writer.

Everett, CBS

How would you improve the US Open?

“Turn all the cement on the grounds into grass. Tickets would be free but all fans must take of their shoes and have them checked at the door (for a large fee).”

Closure. Everett last year was unwillingly sprayed by an Evian “spritzer.” But as one can see, we can all laugh now over the misunderstanding.

^{(Visitors are not allowed to enter the Open with water bottles that say everything other than Evian.)}

Michael is a professional spritzer by day…off-Broadway director by night.

Gretchen came to root for her friend and swim teammate John from the University of Georgia. John Isner is the 6’9” sensation whose doubles match was the highlight of the day.

What should be done to improve USTA’s youth program?

Polo spokesmodels: "Yes, definitely!"

Polo Ralph Lauren is holding a contest to benefit cancer–$3,000 spending spree if you correctly guess how many balls are in the container.

One of the sideshows of the plaza is the Continental Airlines booth where you can “book” a flight in these airline seats which face the food-court for one-hour intervals.

Below is an informal assessment of the food selections with the help of my friend and guide Ali, a scientist and accomplished 4.5 player who learned tennis and cooking as a boy in Southern France. Selections based on value, price and quality.