[FIPS WAS THERE...] 'LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS' AT THE GALLERY PLAYERS

From Left: Audrey II, Philip Jackson Smith (Seymour) and Emily McNamara (Audrey). | Photo by Bella Muccari

We here at FIPS spend a hell of a lot of time out and about in Brooklyn, attending outdoor concerts, comedy shows and various other events. So [FIPS Was There...] is where we're gonna' talk about all this shit.

When it comes to cult classic Halloween movie-musicals, The Rocky Horror Picture Show pretty much has the market cornered. But as much as I enjoy Tim Curry playing a sweet transvestite, I’ve always had a thing for the 1986 flop Little Shop of Horrors. The film, based on the 1982 off-Broadway musical by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman (which itself was a based on the 1960 dark comedy starring a young Jack Nicholson), has always hooked me. I don’t know if it’s Rick Moranis’s doughy performance, or Ellen Greene’s gloriously odd vocals or even Steve Martin’s creepy ridiculousness that brings me back time and time again. But for some reason, that kooky gang and their people-eating plant just makes me happy.

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Thank you for not choking

IMAGE VIA NINEDAVES

A few friends came in from D.C. to visit this past week, and I took them around on a tour de Park Slope nightlife. Restaurants, bars, a late night pizza place here and there. You know -- typical stuff. Along the way, I tried to point out the things that made Park Slope unique. The tree-lined streets. The friendly people. The dog shit left behind for everyone to step in. All the things that make Park Slope so great. 

But they didn't pick up on any of that. The only thing they kept mentioning were all the damn first aid choking signs hanging inside every business. Apparently they don't have those in D.C.? And apparently, we have a lot. There was one in the Village Market bodega on 7th Ave and 11th Street. One in Union Hall. One in Excelsior. One in Culture. One in Juventino. And the one picture above, which I snapped at Blueprint. I guess I just never noticed them! 

Luckily, someone else was paying attention. Because that poster totally saved someone's life! 

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The Latin Kings Totally Love Park Slope

If you're not up with your gang info, the Latin Kings are said to be the largest and most organized Hispanic street gangs in the country, dating back to 1940's Chicago. The New York branch formed in the late 80's, and is said to be far more dangerous and superior to their Chicago originators. Members are identified by their Black and Gold colored clothing and beads.

Oh, and guess what? They're taking over Park Slope! Specifically, the handball courts behind Junior High School 51 in Washington Park, near 4th Ave and 3rd Street. Yay! 

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Brooklyn Public Library waiving overdue fines for you damn kids

When I was a kid, I dreaded the moments my mom told me I had mail. Usually, it meant that the library was sending me a late fee. I was always getting in trouble by the library: taking out books and forgetting to return them until weeks past the due date. I'm kinda' surprised they never took away my membership. Or that my mom never found out. I mean, I basically spent all of my allowance on late fees. Didn't she wonder where that money went?

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We give a shit: The Prospect Park Litter Mob

Photos by Marie Viljoen

Empty beer and liquor bottles. Used condoms and their wrappers. Drained containers of lube. Plastic bags. Discarded dildos. Crushed cigarette boxes. A gold belt. A T-shirt. Some paper towels. Gum wrappers. Just a few of the things you’ll find scattered among the leaves and trees of Prospect Park.

It’s not usually out in the open, of course. This isn’t the type of stuff you’d see on the Great Lawn, or by the Picnic House. But spend some time hiking through the woods, and you’ll spot them. Over broken fences. Down by the lake. In the seemingly untouched areas of the forest.  One man’s treasure is a place for another man’s trash.

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