[lit-ideas] Re: Rent
- From: Eric Yost <mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:21:28 -0500
>>I can't wait now to hear what you think.
Though I haven't seen "Rent," I have dined in the Life Cafe and seen two
riots at Tompkins Square Park. I've been to rent parties at artist
squats (so many Euro artist refugees back then!) east of Avenue C (even
in candlelight you could see the holes in the floor). It was something
to do.
If I remember correctly, by the time "Rent" came out, the circumstances
and events it celebrates were largely eliminated from the East Village.
The artist squatters were evicted by massive police actions involving
huge light-mobiles, helicopters, and dogs. Tompkins Square Park was
redesigned to prevent large crowds from gathering, prettied up, and
gentrification of the north side of the Park had begun. By mid-90s, the
new center for the "creative and alienated" crowd was Williamsburg
Brooklyn up to Greenpoint -- the first couple stops on the other side of
the East River on the L-train.
As for bohemia ... and "Rent" being the "Hair" of Gen-X ... how sad. In
my opinion, the attraction of so-called bohemia is living in an
environment that offers an alternative to commercial activity, i.e.,
that puts commerce side-by-side with non-commerce.
First consider what constitutes the antithesis of bohemia, the so-called
middle class. Robert Reich said (way back in oblivious Clintontime) that
"middle-class" had become more a demographic term than an economic one.
In other words, middle class equals suburban.
In that sense, most of NYC is bohemian. By that I mean, you can
undertake a wide variety of activities whose primary purpose is not
economic. One can walk in NYC any time of day, without a destination,
simply for purposes of walking, have a great time, and not spend
anything. (Like Appalachian Trail hiking without trails.)
In suburbia, you go to places to buy things, take them back to your
place, and use them. The places you travel to, and the goods or services
you buy, will be soothingly generic and the stores will offer a
relatively safe and sanitized environment.
In NYC, you may see tall people dressed in pigeon costumes dancing
around an old lady who had been feeding the pigeons. She will get very
upset at the the fake giant pigeons and try to scold them into leaving.
The giant pigeons will eventually take their leave of her, their jumbo
heads peacefully bobbing as they scatter real pigeons before them.
In suburbia you will see a limited range of acceptable behaviors and
costumes. Car culture is enforced. If you walk very far, especially late
at night, you may be stopped and questioned by bored policemen. "Present
your identification. Why are you walking? What is your reason for being
out so late?"
Years ago, John McCreery (I think it was he) offered a discussion of
certain metropolitan centers as attractors of creative people ... the
young, bright, and talented. I think the attraction in these attractors
is that of noncommercial activity on a grand scale (more than weekly
church or driving to a tiny park or tennis club can offer).
Always up on my rent,
Eric
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