Artist Steve Keene Painting Live on BPL Plaza All Summer

Image via tractor-beam.comIn case you’ve been in or around the Grand Army Plaza on recent weekends, you may have noticed a man in front of the Brooklyn Public Library painting three different scenes at a time on sextuple surfaces. No, it’s not Bert from Mary Poppins or any other public art-executing loony, it’s Steve Keene, the BPL’s very own Bob Ross and artist in residence! Didn’t know the BPL had an artist in residence did you? Philistine!

Greenpoint-based Steve’s actually a fairly well-known contemporary artist as it turns out (Steve Chang of Momofuku is a fan – if you’ve been to Ma Peche you’ve seen his work). His rather unique way of thinking is that he believes art should be hand-painted, but in massive quantities. To date he estimates his total output as more than 140,000 works, and his method is to lay out boards on a wall and add identical elements to each surface in rapid succession. According to Steve:

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Roller Disco Is Another Retro Thing To Do in Prospect Park

Image via dremlandrollerrink.comProving there is no end to the voracious appetite for quirky, retro, low-impact activities in Brooklyn, make way for “Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Disco” in Prospect Park. “I like to create this other-worldly kind of vibe where you feel transported outside of New York City and into dreamland,” said Dianna Carlin (aka Lola Star) about the parties she’ll be organizing Friday nights this summer. Expect a mix of classic 80s tunes and throwback fashions ‘cause you know everyone going to this thing has vintage, or at least fake-vintage, clothes for such an occasion--including accessories; I bet someone shows up with a snap bracelet and is a total tool about it.

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Car Service Shakedown at Atlantic Center

A friend o'FIPS wrote in to vent frustration after a recent trip to Target and back via car service:

A few weeks ago, I took a car service from 2nd Street and 7th Avenue to Target to do some shopping. The cost of that trip was $7 (before tip). I did my shopping and ended up with two large bags of stuff to shlep home, so I hopped in one of the cars lined up on the Target side of the street, assuming I would pay the same to get back home, or, at the very least, close to the same. I was completely shocked when we reached 2nd and 7th and the driver said I owed him $21.00. WTF?! I asked the driver how it could be possible that the reverse trip cost me a third of that price, and he claimed that in order to wait on that line, he (and I guess the other drivers) have to pay $600/month. Even so, I felt totally taken. Has anyone else had this experience, or am I a total schmuck?

Hmmmm...anyone out there have this happen to them? Seems pretty shady to us.

Andray Blatche loves Brooklyn. Really, he does.

Soon to be former Brooklyn Net, Andray Blatche, gave our favorite borough the middle finger via Instagram on Saturday night. For the sake of accuracy/attorneys: He didn't literally post a middle finger; He literally posted "Fuck Brooklyn". The sentiment was quickly retracted and/or dismissed via a statement on Twitter, claiming that Blatche's Instagram account had been hacked. His explanation seems fully plausible to me. I have personally discovered myself to be the victim of social media hacking on countless occasions, upon sobering up.

While it could be inferred that Blatche may have been upset with the Brooklyn Nets due to the likely ouster of player favorite Head Coach Jason Kidd, or his own negotiations with the team, Brooklynites know that the real reason for his "Fuck Brooklyn" post is probably one of the following:

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BBQ? NIMBY!

Aghast at the "prospect" that common folk (like those without yards, money, etc) might want to participate in the Great American Pastime ™ of BBQ'ing, a select group of nearby residents and others have come together to try and ban all cooking in Prospect Park, assuming you're cooking on a BBQ.

A 50 year-old leads a band of 50 with a Change.org petition asking liberal do-gooder Mayor DeBlasio to exert his powers of evil on banning the illegal smokeouts. The illegal fires in non-approved areas are serving up such delicious treats as steaks, burgers, corn, grilled kale, and possibly meth, all while ruining the grass when illegal coals are dumped on the grass. The anti-charcoal activist also considers the approved fire pits a hazard and want them shut down, as well.

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