Hey, it's Van Halen!

NYPL-Performing Arts Branch

Instead of going to the Performing Arts Library on Wednesday Brandon, Zina and I decided to go this Monday, May 12. Let me just note that it was a really bad day, with light rain and strong gushes of wind. But it got better by the time we reached Manhattan. When we finally got to Lincoln Center, we struggle a little to find where the actual library is. At first we were heading to the theater, but we found our way eventually; that place looks like a small labyrinth now.

As soon as we walked in we headed straight to the DVD section. The first title that called my attention was the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi. It was a VHS copy actually, but soon after I spotted the 75^th anniversary edition in DVD. I also found a few Alfred Hitchcock films like: The Birds, Saboteur and Sabotage. I was looking for a specific film by Roman Polanski called The Fearless Vampire Killers, but had no luck. I decided to move on to the CD section, and tried to find albums from Pink Floyd and The Beatles, also to find nothing.

We went to the second floor and spent a whole lot of time there. At first I got an intensive lesson on James Bond from Brandon. I never had any interest in those movies but I changed my mind, although I still think the titles are really corny! After, I was taking a look at a book about the best of Horror films. Just looking at the movie stills made me happy. I went on to find more books on old Horror movies (I keep trying to find stills from Nosferatu, I just love them!); a Charlie Chaplin book filled with photographs; a book on Alfred Hitchcock; a Tim Burton biography, containing a few of his drawings; and last but not least Brandon brought me the library’s treasure: a book on Vincent Price and his works. Ever since I saw House of Wax I fell in love with Price.

We had the opportunity to check out the third floor, but I didn’t really get into it. I went back to the first floor and tried to find more interesting movies at the DVD section, while I waited for my group. It didn’t take long before they came downstairs. We decided to leave after that.

I really liked the Performing Arts library, but I need to go there with more time and patience. Going to the library is always the same for me, I feel like I kid in a candy store. I don’t know what to grab first!

One-two-three-faw

4:00 Pm. I grabbed the paper and sat to have a cup of tea. I burned my tongue and spit the liquid when I read the headline for Wednesday, November 9: “Marty Peccaluna DEAD in Car Crash”. I turned on the radio and the station was playing an old interview of his; “When I’m sixty-four I’ll be doing the garden and digging the weeds” said the poor bastard. How sad that he had to die at twenty-four and lose forty years. I didn’t know him personally, but had his poster on the wall. It was getting hard to breath and I decided to leave. On the streets everyone looked lonely, as if they had just lost a best friend, “Just look at them!” I thought. I decided to make a turn in Psych Street and bumped into a man wearing bright purple; “Excuse me while I kiss the sky” he told me. There was something very odd about him; the smoke of his cigarette was getting mixed with the color of his shirt, and it looked like as if he was in a purple haze. I continued walking and a guy with crazy curly hair holding a harmonica said he had seen what happened. He told me he knew the purple man and that he lived in the neighborhood: “No reason to get excited. I know the man. He smoked my eyelids an' punched my cigarette." I smiled back and as I was walking past him I overheard a conversation between two teens: “The teacher is teachin’ the golden rule. American history and practical math, we have to study hard and hope to pass. I’m workin’ my fingers right down to the bone, and that guy behind me won’t leave me alone.” said one of them to the other. It’s very easy to get lost when your journey has no destination. I must have made a wrong turn, and ended up in a dark street corner. There was a man in black telling of a hole in the sky. Women gasped as they walked past him. Across the street, in a store, I could hear the sound of piano playing. The piano man was quite a character, with his blond hair do. The owner of the store was about to kick him out when he set the instrument on fire. Oh, what a scene that was! I ran like hell, and when I stopped to catch my breath I realized I was in somewhere familiar. It was building 98 covered in graffiti, a little place I call home. “I have seen enough for a day” I thought. I went into the building, and up the stairs where I found Jeremy Hillary leaning on my door. He told me he had nowhere to go and asked if he could live with me. “You’re a real nowhere man!” I said “You’re lucky I’m such a sentimental. Come in!” I closed door number 9 behind me, sat on the chair and started telling all about my trip to my dearest friends Dr. Eggman and Mr. Walrus.


In this text there are references to The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Jerry Lee Lewis, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Can you identify all of them?