Archive for March, 2008
In which The Gay Recluse takes pictures and displays ignorance. First, a note from our new friend and GreenCine film critic James Van Maanen, who writes (with regard to the below shot): Is that first picture of a hawk, maybe? (I ask, because we are getting a number of here out here in Jackson Heights […]
Filed under: Animals, GWB Project, Landscape, New York City, Obsession, Ruins, Science, Stereotypes, The Gay Recluse, Washington Heights | Leave a Comment
Tags: American Kestrel, Birds, Dykeman, George Washington Bridge, Hudson, Manhattan, Seagulls, Sunset, White-Breasted Nuthatch
In which The Gay Recluse holds a contest. Sort of. Today we present a submission from Seth Tisue, who sends in an entry from the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Let’s check it out, shall we? Hot or not…? Are you kidding!!? This is seriously gay and smokin’ hot. Nicely done, Philadelphia! You have not […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, Communism, Competitions, Gay, Government, Hot Gay Statues, Infrastructure, Resignation, Ruins, The Gay Recluse | 5 Comments
Tags: 30th Street Station, City of Brotherly Love, Gay Statuary, Gay Statues, Hot Gay Statues, Louise Bourgeois, Philadelphia
In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Paul Krugman/Taming the Beast The Short Version: We need financial reform. So far none of the candidates seem to have noticed. In his words: “But you don’t have to be an economic radical, or even a vocal reformer like Representative Barney Frank… to […]
Filed under: Drivel, Faith, Gentrification, Government, History, Language, Politicians, The Gay Recluse, The Times | Leave a Comment
Tags: Cohen, Death, Financial Markets, Kristol, Krugman, Obama, Race, Reform, The New York Times
In which The Gay Recluse celebrates Easter. It was not until eleventh grade — in Mrs. S____’s English class — that we began to appreciate the obsessive and illogical side of literature, which of course is to say we were reading Wuthering Heights. Do you remember Mrs. S____? How thin and small and severe she […]
Filed under: Dissonance, Dream, Landscape, Language, Literature, Memory, Obsession, The Gay Recluse, The Spring Garden, Washington Heights, Weather, Writers-British | 1 Comment
Tags: Catherine, Easter, Emily Bronte, Fort Tryon Park, Heathcliff, Heather, Sylvia Plath, The Moors, Wuthering Heights
In which The Gay Recluse does some investigative reporting and follows up with a complaint. As we’ve documented many times, thick black smoke — a function of improperly maintained or outdated boiler systems — is pretty much a constant of life in Washington Heights. (No coincidence, asthma rates are pretty much through the roof.) Although […]
Filed under: Animals, Architecture, Conspiracy, Disease, Government, GWB Project, Health, New York City, The Gay Recluse, Washington Heights | 10 Comments
Tags: 311, 671 West 162nd Street, Asthma, Boilers, Exhaust, Fire Department, Investigative Journalism, Lung Cancer, Rooftops, The Smiths, Tuberculosis
In which The Gay Recluse makes a clarification. Reader Gary Budlong (apparently new to The Gay Recluse) wrote the following comment in response to our most recent “mash-up” of the Modern Love column in The Times. dear pete, thank you. i’m 61, disabled, retired and gay. my partner has died 5 years ago. knew i […]
Filed under: Disaster Footage, Faith, Gay, Landscape, Language, Letters, Resignation, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Fashion & Style, Gay, Gay Modern Love, Gay Stereotypes, Gay Voice, Gay Writers, Homophobia, Lesbian, Modern Love, The New York Times
In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with The George Washington Bridge. Time and Date of morning photograph: March 21, 2008, 5:15pm-ish. Notes: This is the view of the George Washington Bridge from the north, in the remotest and most abandoned part of Manhattan. We see the pilings of an old pier and — […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, Communism, Decay, GWB Project, History, Infrastructure, Landscape, Photography, Ruins, Technology, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Carcass, Green, Hudson River, Nasty Algae, Pilings, Rust, Sidewalks, The George Washington Bridge
In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Gail Collins/A Catered Affair The Short Version: Paterson should have left his wife at home. In her words: “Everybody knows there’s only one revenge affair to a customer.” Score: A- (Amusing) We began this column a bit fearfully, but gradually succumbed to Collins’ […]
Filed under: Capitalism, Communism, Conspiracy, Government, Politicians, The Gay Recluse, The Times | Leave a Comment
Tags: Cannabalism, Cheney, David Paterson, Democrats, Donner Party, Eliot Spitzer, Gail Collins, Law Revue, The New York Times, Timothy Egan
In which The Gay Recluse updates his informal but rather telling quantitative analysis of Modern Love, the weekly Style Section (of The Times) column in which openly gay writers almost never appear, and even less frequently describe a romantic relationship. This week’s piece: Mom, It’s Me, Your Son, Finally Subject: A man in mid-life crisis […]
Filed under: Dissonance, Infrastructure, Pessimism, Resignation, Search, Stereotypes, The Gay Recluse, The Times | Leave a Comment
Tags: Daniel Jones, Fashion & Style, Gay Modern Love, Modern Love, Stereotypes, The New York Times
In which The Gay Recluse provides a gay alternative to this week’s Modern Love offering in The Times. Mom, It’s Me, Your Gay Son, Finally By PETE MacDONALD and THE GAY RECLUSE Published: March 22, 2008 A YEAR after my partner Alan left me, and on the day before my estranged mother would have turned […]
Filed under: Dissonance, Landscape, Language, Longing, Memory, Search, Sickness, Stereotypes, The Gay Recluse, The Times | 4 Comments
Tags: Anger, Daniel Jones, Drama Queens, Fashion & Style, Forgiveness, Gay Modern Love, Pete MacDonald, Psychology, Redemption, Stereotypes, The New York Times
In which The Gay Recluse photographs birds. Hmm…what kind of bird is this? (We need to do some homework.) Hi everyone! What kind of birds are you? You kind of look like seagulls. (Omg! Is that an insult!?) Sometimes you just want to be left alone.
Filed under: Animals, GWB Project, Infrastructure, Longing, Search, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Birds, George Washington Bridge, Homework, Seagulls
In which The Gay Recluse rather quickly gets lung cancer. Time and date of morning photograph: March 21, 2008, 7:54am. Time and date of evening photograph: March 21, 2008, 7:34pm The oily black smoke of 100-year-old boilers disperses daily across the rooftops in Washington Heights, heedless of those who suffer from pneumonia, asthma and tuberculosis. […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, Communism, Government, GWB Project, Health, Pessimism, Photography, Sickness, The Gay Recluse, Washington Heights | Leave a Comment
Tags: 311, Asthma, Boilers, Exhaust, Lung Cancer, Rooftops, Tuberculosis
In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with The George Washington Bridge. Time and date of photograph: March 21, 2008, 7:54am. Notes: The blue sky, almost completely windswept. “I, too am obsessed with the George Washington Bridge, and have been ever since as stoned youths me and my friends cavorted in the park on […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, GWB Project, Search, Technology, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: 2008, Blue, George Washington Bridge, March, Morning Light, Steve
In which The Gay Recluse promotes remembrance of things past. Today we received this letter from reader Steve in Manhattan: I, too am obsessed with the George Washington Bridge, and have been ever since as stoned youths me and my friends cavorted in the park on the New Jersey side that is directly below the […]
Filed under: Architecture, GWB Project, Infrastructure, Letters, Memory, Photography, Pleasure, The Gay Recluse | 3 Comments
Tags: Drugs, New Jersey, Parks, Paths, Picnics, Readers, Stoners, The Gay Recluse, The George Washington Bridge, Walks, Youth
In which The Gay Recluse watches the sunset, craves a gin-and-tonic and converses with a higher power. Time and Date of Photographs: 7:15ish, March 20, 2008 Notes: All sunset photos are inherently cheesy — obviously — but sometimes we have to get in touch with our inner tourist. God: Don’t let your youth go to […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, Conspiracy, Gentrification, New York City, Photography, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Birthdays, Gin and Tonic, God, Jonathan Richman, Middle Age, Netflix, New Jersey, Sunsets, Youth
In which The Gay Recluse rather quickly gets lung cancer. Time and Date of morning photograph: March 20, 2008, 6:54am. Notes: One benefit of living in Washington Heights is that it’s truly like the 19th century, not only in the architectural grandeur that splays across the rooftops, but the daily emissions of 100-year-old boilers in […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, Conspiracy, Decay, Government, GWB Project, New York City, Resignation, Sickness, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: 2007, Asthma, Boilers, George Washington Bridge, Gray, March, Morning Light, Pneumonia, Slumlords, The Gay Recluse, Tuberulosis, Twilight
In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with The George Washington Bridge. Time and Date of morning photograph: March 20, 2008, 6:54am. Notes: Seriously, don’t these clouds look a little “Poltergeisty”? Time and Date of evening photograph: March 20, 2008, 6:54pm. Notes: We appreciate the black smoke, which is so good for our asthma. […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, Communism, Decay, Disease, GWB Project, Resignation, Ruins, Sickness, The Gay Recluse, Washington Heights | Leave a Comment
Tags: 1947, George Washington Bridge, Gray, Le Corbusier, March, Morning Light, Poltergeist, Twilight
In which The Gay Recluse holds a contest. Sort of. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, Los Angeles is kind of like New York City except it’s in California, and instead of subways you have to drive everywhere! Crazy, right? But that said, like New York City, there are LOTS of gay […]
Filed under: Architecture, Competitions, Gay, Hot Gay Statues, Infrastructure, Landscape, Law, Letters, Longing, Obsession, Ruins, The Gay Recluse | 1 Comment
Tags: Gay Statues, Hot Gay Statues, Immigration, Los Angeles, The Getty Museum
The Gay Recluse 