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January 31, 2005
Creamsicles in Your Coffee?
Yo, yo, yo. In case you missed Friday's serving of the Creamsicles Maitre d'ed by Jonny, here's some of the flavor captured on video.
Posted by Jonny at 10:35 PM | Comments (2)
January 30, 2005
Erzsi and Jonny Show Takes It Into Fourth Gear
My comedy co-host Erzsi Pongo is back from Hungary just in time to take our open-mic extravaganza into fourth gear for our fourth consecutive Erzsi and Jonny Show.
When it is: 6:30 to 8:15 this Monday, January 31.
What it is: A comedy open mic co-hosted by Erzsi and Jonny, where YOU are the show.
How it works: Sign up at 6:30. 1 drink gets you 6 minutes on the mic. Or just sit back and enjoy the show. The perfect way to get your week off to a giggly start.
Where it is: Nikita Bar and Restauarant, 102 MacDougal (Corner of MacDougal and Bleeker, 2 blocks south of Washington Square Park.
Posted by Jonny at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2005
Ant is the Ant-swer
ANT lets you subscribe to video content on the web. It is a simple, wonderful little application for Mac OS 10.3. for now, and Windows in the near future. Developed by Daniel Salber, Jay Dedman, and Josh Kinberg. And it don't cost a thin dime. With it, you'll be able to subscribe to video feeds from around the globe. In fact, you will be able to subscribe to my video feed as well. That means you will be able to view any of my videos, without even going to my blog to find them. They will come to ANT. Download it here.
Posted by Jonny at 12:19 AM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2005
Heeeeere's Jonny
Hi.
Posted by Jonny at 01:06 AM | Comments (5)
January 26, 2005
Tuesday Night Train Wreck
Went to the legendary Tuesday Night Train Wreck open mic at the Parkside Lounge tonight. Great emcees, mostly good comics. One really drunk guy. Some cringeworthy real life stories. I delivered a the kind set that makes it all worth it, all this time and effort. I can learn a lot from these emcees. I'll be back.
Posted by Jonny at 01:54 AM | Comments (2)
January 25, 2005
Erzsi and Jonny Show Take 3
Jonny Goldstein Superfan, Tali Padan
Did my third Erzsi and Jonny Show tonight at Nikita in the Village. I was all on my own hosting it, as my co-host is in Hungary for the week. It's getting easier. I'm getting better. Turnout was decent considering the recent blizzard. Three lovely and brilliant friends of mine came to the show--Limor Garcia, Ilona Parkansky, and superfan, my favorite, Tali Padan. Thanks kids! Heard some comedy on the themes of physics, one horned Jews, and Be Mean to People Day. See ya next week when our Hungarian adventurer and cohost will be back making dirty faces at me when I push the envelope just a little too far.
Posted by Jonny at 12:48 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2005
Vloggercon-tentment
Chuck Olsen sums up Vloggercon 2005 with this closing video.
I was vlogcon-tent with the first ever Video Blogger convention. Around 80 people came out and soaked up the five sessions. This was a technical, artistic, business, and social networking feast. I stuck my head deep in the trough and inhaled.
People from both coasts and parts in between, Europe, and Latin America came. Collegehumor.com was there, represented by Jakob Lodwick, the youngest videoblogger in the world, Dillon Verdi, was there with her dad, Michael, my friend Yury (Magic Bike) Gitman was there. Documentarians Jeff Galusha, and Chuck (Blogumentary) Olsen were there. Shawn (Interactive Telejournalism) Van Every was there, "Bionic Dan" Melinger was there, Rocketboom.com was there, Ephrat (The Bit Goes on) Seidenberg was there, my former Rabbi's nephew, Josh Kinberg, was there, Jay Dedman of MNN was there, as were a bunch of community television folks from Lowell, Massechussetts. Then there was the youth politician guy from Norway. Representing the Bay Area tech heads were guys from feedster.com and yahoo. A woman from Time Out New York was busy taking notes and chatting people up. And these are just a few of the folks I met or saw in action. Of course, the heart and soul of the convention were the many people from the Yahoo Vlogging group who showed snippets of their work and were heavily represented by panels.
Those not able to be there in person were able to log onto the stream, which had around 60 viewers at one point. The sessions included talking about the technical tools and challenges of vlogging, the financial aspects of vlogging, and the artistic possibilities of the medium. I loved all the bits that were screened, from Steve Garfield's reality clip of him eating oatmeal with his wife (sounds ho-hum but was was touching and funny), to the remixed Sesame Street video in which three women spliced in clips of themselves to rhythmically accompany the soundtrack. All awesome.
Jay Dedman ran the conference with authority, forcing everyone to stick to the schedule and take breaks. Thank you. Tons of people pitched in to help with food, technical stuff, and general conventioneering.
Afterwards, I helped pack up tech gear and headed out into the blizzard to eat and absorb old media (words) at Barnes and Noble. Once they kicked us out of there we trundled down to the Collegehumor.com pleasure dome in Tribeca where Jakob hosted a relaxed but fun after party. Played some pool, had a few drinks, and got my schmooze on. I screwed up my courage and shook hands with Dillon Verdi mumbling that I liked her blog. Somehow that intimidated me more than when I introduced myself to Ed Koch a few weeks ago. All these people who only knew each other through video blogging were saying things like: "You're so big," or "That guy is so much shorter than he looks on his vlog." Very funny.
Anyway, I feel honored to have been a speck of sand on the beach of this event. I learned tons, met a bunch of cool cats, and saw some old friends and comrades. Congratulations to the Vlogging group that made this event happen. Take a bow. You deserve it.
Posted by Jonny at 05:21 PM | Comments (31)
January 21, 2005
Maui Tacos
I just went to the Maui Tacos open mic for the first time. Although the venue is kinda weird, the comedians and emcee were super solid. I'll be back. And tomorrow is the video blogging conference. Better get some sleeeeeep.
Posted by Jonny at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2005
Come to Our Open Mic!
This will be the third Erzsi and Jonny Show ever. Come be part of the comical madness, complete with crazy sound effects, cozy ambience, and good times. This next show is this coming Monday, Jan 24, 6:30 to 8:30. Open sign up, buy 1 drink and get 6 minutes on the mic, or just watch. So far it's been a laugh fest of the highest (and lowest) order. Hope to see you there. It's at a great little place called Nikita at 102 MacDougal in the Village. Here's a map to help you get there:
Posted by Jonny at 12:35 AM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2005
Choice Gum Find
I was delighted to find this fresh gum wad on a Hell's Kitchen subway platform. Gum tends to blacken quickly on the pedestrian surfaces of New York City, so I felt lucky to find this pink and green blob in it's still pastel tinted state. Below is a more typical blackened gum splatter.
I have been fascinated by gum splotches in this metropolis for years now. They form a kind of Jackson Pollockish record of our passing.
Posted by Jonny at 11:30 PM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2005
Rock and Rooooooooll, Jonny Style
A true spectacle of rock and roll destruction, captured as I opened for The Creamsicles at the Grand Central Bar in Williamsburg. I saved the ukelele fragments.
After my uke meltdown, birthday boy John Sully and the rest of The Creamsicles entranced the horde.
The Creamsicles bassist, Craig Gottlieb, sported the fur as he schmoozed in the courtyard.
Arturo Adair, director, flaunted his sexy beard.
Up and coming photographer Jordan proved photographers can be photogenic themselves.
Loki Kevorkian and Erica said hi and went back to drinking.
Doctor Mojo created eyote (that's visual peyote) from his self constructed high tech lair.
Mutual fans, John Sully of The Creamsicles, and Esther Deva, of downtown sensation, Deva, say hi.
Oleg Braud, famous theater director from the Ukraine, Evalina Dann, beloved Swiss choreographer keep it backstage. Thanks to everyone who came out. And keep on rockin' it, babies.
Posted by Jonny at 02:02 PM | Comments (1)
January 13, 2005
Jonny & Friends Rock Williamsburg
Tonight, Thursday, I'm gonna rock the stage at Grand Central Bar at 10:30 PM before my friends The Creamsicles serenade all comers with their gypsadelic stylings awash in projected endorphins created by light-smith Doctor Mojo. It's gonna be $3 beers, free barbecue chicken, comedy, and liltingly wicked musical nectar. And no freakin' cover.
Directions: Grand Central Bar
659 Grand St. (Leonard St. and Manhattan Ave.) in Williamsburg. Go West 3 blocks from the Grand Avenue stop on the L train. Phone: 718 387 5515
Here's the Map
See ya there.
Posted by Jonny at 12:04 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2005
Breaking News
Everything's breaking. I broke my glasses yesterday playing soccer in a playground. The day before, my digital camera decided to stop working. The week before, my dentist told me my old fillings are breaking up and I need 3 grand worth of dental work. Break, break, break, equals broke, broke, broke, equals bitch, bitch, bitch.
Posted by Jonny at 11:44 PM | Comments (2)
January 10, 2005
The First Erzsi and Jonny Show
Co-hosted the first Erzsi and Jonny show tonight. It was great. We had four non-performing audience members, one videographer, five comics, Erzsi, and myself. The sound was good, we got a little crowd interaction w/the people at the bar, which was fun. And my Dad came, which was nice. Thanks for everyone for participating, and especially Matt Culliford who recorded this sure to be historic evening on video.
Posted by Jonny at 11:30 PM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2005
Vloggercon 2005
Vlogs are video blogs, blogs which have links to (usually self produced) video. You may have seen the thing on ABC News about them, or you may have gone to vlogs to see tsunami footage on vlogs. The first ever Vlog conference will happen in NYC on Saturday, Jan 22. Anyway, I'm going, and you should too if you can get to town. My friends Shawn Van Every and Dan Melinger will be there, along with Chuck "Blogumentary," Olson, Jay "Momentshowing" Dedman, and lots of other cool video blogging cats. There's a few sign up slots left as of right now so grab a spot while you've got a shot. Yo that rhymes!
Posted by Jonny at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2005
Jonny Goldstein Year Kickoff
Jonny Goldstein Fortnight was such a blast, I've decided to make 2005 the Official Year of Jonny Goldstein. Come celebrate Jonny Goldstein year with me at one of these fine Jonny Goldstein events this week.
The Erzsi and Jonny Show: Where You Are the Show. Erzsi pongo and I will host this comedy open mic at Nikita, 102 MacDougal Street in the Village, every Monday night from 6:30-8:30. Come to perform your schtick. Buy one drink, get six minutes on the mic, or just hang out and watch. This will be Jonathan's Throbbing Boil style, with the 808 and everything. Don't miss the historic first show this coming Monday, January 10.
Erzsi and Jonny have a power meeting.
Or if Williamsburg, cheap beer, barbecue, and rock and roll is more your style, this Thursday at Grand Central Bar, I will open for my good friends The Creamsicles at 10:30.
Craig, Sully, and I invite you to the Grand Central courtyard for a preshow barbecue. Free chicken while it lasts, or bring your own favorite grillable.
And rock out to the deliciously sweet stylings of The Creamsicles after I introduce them in my own Jonalicious way. (Grand Ave stop, L train, 659 Grand Ave).
Posted by Jonny at 11:06 PM | Comments (1)
January 05, 2005
Artist, teacher, businessman, writer, pioneer dies.
Will Eisner died. Saw it in the Times today. I never met him, but was one of the scads of people who read his pioneering books on sequential art--That's comics to you: The original multimedia. He took sequential visual art accompanied by words seriously, creating some of the most emotionally rich comics of the twentieth century. He taught in many ways, via books, instructional comics, entertainments, and more serious comics. He coined the term graphic novel and wrote ones that inspired the best creators today. He wrote and drew his work. He created his own businesses rather than be exploited by the mainstream comics publishers who treated their talent like dirt. If you are not inspired by his life, you don't know enough about him.
Posted by Jonny at 07:17 PM | Comments (0)
January 04, 2005
Adventures With Beaver(s).
Went up to New Hampshire where the beavers beavulate pro bono.
Thought about how fractal it all was.
The scenic beauty of Maine helped me spiritually reground myself.
Connected with old friends in Boston. David, 'Pocumentry' Alpert, Beantown rock icon and creative director at Popstick who graciously made time in his hectic schedule to skip work, where his lovable, dorky, tool of a boss Danny Kastner is waiting for his own starring performance in 3d Season of The Apprentice which starts in a couple of days. Why the ascots, Dan? Why? Will the ascots work for Danny? Tune in to find out starting January 15.
Connected with the grassroots, which, adorned with flecks of drool, are the backbone of this country.
Have a connected kind of grassroots year, people. This year is about you and and your special relationships.
Posted by Jonny at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)