Sting: Shabbos Goy

(Nevertheless, we add parenthetically…The following artists are NOT in the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame:  Roxy Music, the New York Dolls, the Smiths, the Carpenters, Cheap Trick, the B52s, Joe Cocker, ELO, Joy Division, the Monkees, Sonic Youth, the MC5, and most horrifically – in my opinion – Kraftwerk, who ARE ONLY THE SECOND MOST INFLUENTIAL BAND OF ALL TIME. Let me also gurgle that in 2015, the Hall is presenting Ringo Starr with the Award for Musical Excellence – THAT’S NOT A TYPO.  Presenting Ringo Starr with an Award for Musical Excellence is a little like presenting Dave Grohl with an Award for Public Reclusiveness.)

But rather than CONTINUE the dialogue regarding how truly ridiculous and corrupt the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame is, instead I would like to suggest A CALL TO ACTION.  This is pretty straightforward:

FIRST.  I call on all my acquaintances/associates who are voting members of the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame to resign, and do so publicly.

I’ll be honest – I don’t know WHICH of my friends are voters, but I am goddamn sure I know a few.  This isn’t like the Student Council at Great Neck South, where you earnestly convince yourself that your Voice of Dissent will surely make a difference.  Friends, your intelligence, perception, and knowledge of musical history mean NOTHING within the overall context of the CLOWN COLLEGE that is the Hall of Fame.  This is a BULLSHIT organization and YOU KNOW IT, and WHOEVER YOU ARE, I GUARANTEE, I mean I one-hundred perfuckingcent GURANFUCKINGTEE that the STATEMENT YOU WILL MAKE BY RESIGNING AS A VOTING MEMBER WILL MAKE MORE OF A DIFFERENCE THAN WHATEVER IMPACT YOU CAN MAKE BY STAYING. Let me repeat (because I LOVE repeating myself, even more than I love those donuts they used to have at Stan’s Donuts in Westwood that had an entire peanut butter cup INSIDE the donut):  The MC5, the Dolls, Sonic Youth, and Kraftwerk are NOT in the fucking Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame.  How can you LEGITIMIZE being part of such an asinine group?

Stan’s Donuts in Westwood. Proof of God, both merciful and cruel.

Secondly, I call on people I know of intelligence, taste, and influence to band together to form a RIVAL Hall of Fame that can TRULY honor the creative innovators, business pioneers, and commercial dynamos of pop and rock history. Of course, you don’t have to CALL it the Hall of Fame, we’ll think of another suitable name.

This time, I will name names, and suggest some people of influence and intelligence, all of whom are well aware of the intricacies, magical achievements, and beautiful dark alleys of rock and pop history, and who would be ideal to start this thing:  Danny Goldberg, Chris Morris, Steve Hochman, Tim Page, Michael Alago, Nik Cohn, Hugo Burnham, Ira Robbins, Merle Ginsberg, Evan Davies, Martin Atkins, Steve Wynn, Steve Lillywhite, Doug Herzog, John Rubelli, Karen Glauber, Jim Testa, Seth Swirsky, Leyla Turkan, Sally Timms,  Paul Sanchez, Perry Watts-Russell, Janet Billig,  Mitch Easter, Ben Sandmel,  Binky Phillips, Karen Schoemer, Jack Rabid, Carol Kaye, Moby, Martha Quinn, Matthew Kaplan, Roy Traikin, THIS IS ALL JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, but DAMN, wouldn’t you trust THESE PEOPLE to help honor the great men and women who helped make rock’n’roll the defining meme of our generation?

And I sincerely doubt ANY of these people would sit around making up awards for the E Street Band or putting Hall & Oates in the Hall of Fame BEFORE the MC5 or the Dolls.   Rock’n’Pop is a beautiful and meaningful story with powerful repercussions in so many aspects of our lives; the people who built this business and made this art form deserve to be commemorated in a legitimate way.

So do something, people, or stop fucking complaining.

A slice at Benny Tudino’s in Hoboken. Quite honestly, the only food worth dying for.

Godfather of Slocore OUT.  

This week, Dom posted on Facebook that he met Bourdain:

Many blame him for the original start of the long lines. I had the fortunate pleasure of meeting him in person this weekend. Also sat in on a live interview he did and I was so impressed with his story but what impressed me most was his heart.

Vice’s Munchies blog took a trip to Di Fara’s in honor of their 50th anniversary in the abeetza biz:

Inside, Di Fara looked just as described in profiles I’d read the days prior: like a standard pizzeria. Linoleum floors, a few tables with chairs, walls covered in accolades and glowing write-ups. Domenico was busy creating the first few pies of the day, spreading sauce, drizzling prepared pies with olive oil and putting fresh basil on finished ones. The smell of fresh baked bread with three cheeses (two types of mozzarella!) and San Marzano tomato sauce at this place is definitely not like the pizza joint on the corner. There’s the lighter, round pie and the heavier, twice-baked cheesy square pie that a few regulars mentioned is the one to get. When you consider that Domenico is the only person who makes all the pies in this place (which follows his philosophy about how a pizzeria should be run), it makes a little more sense that slices are five dollars a piece. The place is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so the old man can rest.

YouTube user “bapfu” uploaded this video of the master in action:

Photo: “Di Fara Pizza’s Pizza” by Psychocadet – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The totally wack full list may be found here.

In the meantime our pals at CBS New York are asking folks where they think the best pizza is in NYC — Brooklyn is currently in the lead. Of course we have NAKED PIZZA WAITRESSES.

Which naturally brings us back to ask… where is your favorite place for pizza in Brooklyn?

WCBS-FM personality “Brooklyn’s Own” Joe Causi is looking for New York’s best pizzeria to celebrate National Pizza Month. Brooklyn Heights’ Grimaldi’s (or Fulton Ferry Landing Historic District’s or DUMBO’s depending on your spin) is in the running. You can vote for your favorite abeetz at the CBS-FM website. The winning pizza parlor will get a visit from Causi and the CBS-FM gang. Watch Joe’s pitch after the jump.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49325

Brooklyn Heights’ newest pizza parlor, Dellarocco’s of Brooklyn, will begin serving lunch on September 4. No word yet on when the eatery will begin its delivery service. Right now, orders are available for eat-in or pick up.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/46849

Anyone who is even remotely from New York knows that’s as far from the truth as you can get.  The statement sent pizza aficionados into a tizzy – most notably  The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart.   The comic also noted that Trump had double stacked his slices and ate with a fork — something the Trumpster defended  to pizza blog Slice as a weight loss tactic.

In Stewart’s rant he mentions several of NYC’s best pizzerias including many in Brooklyn.

We all know the obvious go-to pizza places here:

• Grimaldi’s Pizza DUMBO (Fulton Ferry Landing District for you sticklers)
• Di Fara Pizza Midwood
• L&B Spumoni Gardens Bensonhurst
• Totonno’s Pizza  Coney Island
• Lucali’s Carroll Gardens

But aside from these “Joe DiMaggio/Mickey Mantles” of abeetz we’re pretty sure there are some unsung heroes in Brooklyn.  For us, it’s My Little Pizzeria on Court Street in Brooklyn Heights or Sal’s Pizzeria in Cobble Hill.  Neither are the coal oven Nirvana that some of Brooklyn’s superstars are but they are solid above average go-to places.

What pizzerias would you put on an “undiscovered” list?  Comment away!