Hi everyone! Merry Merry & Happy everything else that you celebrate out there above ground :)Last night, Christmas Eve, I busked 59th St and the vibe was nothing short of magical. People returning from shopping, headed out to holiday parties, all smiling and wishing me a Merry Christmas. Such a joyous underground 🙂 I also had a gift of some good new this week. I had not see Danny, (the ‘Underground Pavorotti of Soul’ as I call him) in a long while and his phone was out & for the past 4-5 days I’d been worried sick about him. I looked everywhere for him underground but could not see or hear him anywhere. And the thing is Danny never misses a day – ever. He sings the trains 7 days a week 1-4 hrs a day 365 days a year. So, yeah, I was definitely worried.

Finally, last night after I packed up, right before I hopped on the train, I asked a couple who were playing the Downtown side of 59th if they had seen him. “Oh, yeah, Danny, I seen him yesterday. Yeah – he’s good. His phone’s all messed up though. He’s just been movin’ ’round ‘some cause of the cold” omg – you have no idea what a relief getting that news was. I had been so worried I’d been imagining a life w/out seeing or hearing Danny and it felt more than crushing to me. I will definitely be grabbing his address and contact info for his band so I’ll never have to worry needlessly again.

Big sigh of relief! Thank God he’s alright. To hear he’s just fine was the best Xmas gift ever.

Below are a few shots of my friends Juan Carlos and Duane spending Xmas afternoon @ Rockefeller Center gawking at the tree and lights 🙂 Marry Christmas!

Xmas @ Rockefeller Center!

Rockefeller Center Xmas Tree

Me playin' w/ the stars-n-stuff 🙂

Twinkle Twinkle NYC Style 🙂

Playin' w/ Angels 🙂

Duane, the Nutcracker & I :

Juan Carlos & I

The Tree!

Cool, random stuff happens in life if you keep your eyes open  – here are a few of those wonderful  ‘randomnicities’ 🙂

http://www.dstrippedmagazine.com/dstripped/article/heidi-kole

http://www.elmolinoonline.com

http://indiatube.apnicommunity.com/list.php?q=Subway+Heidi+Kole&filter=on

One & I had an awesome Jam Underground this week, he on drums, me on vox & guitar…& here he is in all his glory – messin’ around, per usual 🙂

'One' 🙂

His 'closeup' 🙂

Buskers joining in with our jam!

Me – “Hey Danny, a  cop just  passed  by”

Danny – “Really? Where?”

Me – “Over there. But don’t worry, it’s a female  cop. The female cops don’t really bother you”

Danny – “Oh yeah they will. They’ll  bother you. They’ll  bother you if they ain’t got no lovin’ the night before. Yes they will. They  get  themselves  some  lovin’  then they’ll  leave you alone.”

…..Ah Danny…We love you.  You always say it like it  is : )

Oh – and these signs are some of my favourite in the subways. The MTA has been cutting so much service that riders are completely confused these days what’s runnin’ & what’s not. So the MTA has now made it a practice to post ‘signage’ everywhere telling riders kinda sorta what’s running & what’s not…you know… basically, will you or will you not get to work, meetings, interviews…

An enterprising group has, throughout these cancellations & delays posted ‘counter’ signs mocking the whole situation. I love thee things!

Peace 🙂

Politics & Prose Founder and Co-owner Carla Cohen, 74, passes. Tributes and memories can be shared here: http://tinyurl.com/26lwcr

My most favourite  bookstore. Carla, thank you for sharing your vision with the world. I’m honoured to have been accepted as part of your family. You will be greatly missed.

• “Yes I had to get off the train when i heard you sing=)” Ricardo Luss Nigaglioni – rap artist who hopped off the “C” train when he heard me on  the platform & ended up jamming w/ me for 3 hrs….magic!



Author, Gary Shteyngart did a reading @ Politics  & Prose in DC, where I  recently payed a visit to sign copies of The  Subway Diaries. It’s not directly a “Subway” quote but  close enough through association  w/P&P & it resonated  so I thought I’d  share it  w/ you all:

“Each year with the iPhone, I loose about 6% of my humanity. In 18 years, I’ll be more app than man.”- Author, Gary Shteyngart

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkWZp5AC7Kc[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JqEV6aqRqc[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7F7aU1GtWU[/youtube]