Articles by Bob Nickas

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Nic Refn and Ryan Gosling Driven… to Distraction

This is one messed-up movie. There's no other way to say it, really. As fans of director Nicolas Refn and his alter ego Ryan Gosling have surely heard by now, their follow-up to Drive was pretty badly received at the Cannes Film Festival last month. Full story

2013 Jun 12 Bob Nickas Film

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Why. I Hate. Graffiti

Have you noticed how lame graffiti in New York has become in 2013? Especially the one-liners you see more and more of, with their pseudophilosophy and visual impairment. Where exactly is the art? And what's the message? Full story

2013 Mar 21 Bob Nickas Stuff

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It's After the End of the World

Most people wouldn't expect to find Sun Ra and Billy Pilgrim in the same room, but Bob Nickas got the two of them together to talk about the end of the world and why some people are upset the apocalypse hasn't come. Full story

2013 Feb 7 Bob Nickas Stuff

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Long May Neil Young

On the occasion of Neil Young's recent resurgence—two new back-to-back albums with Crazy Horse, for which they are currently on tour, and his autobiography, 'Waging Heavy Peace,' marking his 67th birthday—I’d like to take a moment to consider one of our most accomplished and comp… Full story

2012 Dec 14 Bob Nickas Music

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Giving Up the Ghost:
Andy Warhol Visits the Warhol Show at the Met

'Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years,' an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, recently opened to some very negative reviews. The show is such a colossal disaster that another critical thrashing seems entirely pointless. The only person who might have anything o… Full story

2012 Nov 8 Bob Nickas Stuff

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A Tour of the Monuments of Salt Lake City:
Robert Smithson, the Melvins, and the Mormons

I went out to Salt Lake City to see Robert Smithson's 'Spiral Jetty,' give a talk at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and surprise my friends the Melvins at one of their shows. Full story

2012 Oct 11 Bob Nickas Travel

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"The Logical Extension of Business Is Murder"
David Cronenberg's 'Cosmopolis'

Why has one of the best movies of the year gotten so many bad and iffy reviews, registering from lukewarm to hostile? Full story

2012 Sep 6 Bob Nickas Film

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A Date With Death on the Golden Gate Bridge

It was 75 years ago, today, that Harold Wobber stopped at about the midpoint of the bridge, took off his jacket and vest, reportedly said, "This is where I get off," and hopped from the railing. Since then approximately 1,558 people have jumped from the bridge to their deaths. Full story

2012 Aug 7 Bob Nickas Stuff

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Royal Trux Ruined My Life

Where creative couples are concerned, breaking up is hard to do. Full story

2012 Jun 25 Bob Nickas Music

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If You Build It, They Will Come.
If You Tear It Down, Will They Go?

A candid conversation on the horrendous state of new construction in New York, with the crankiest of architecture critics, Ivana Force-Majeure, and our own Bob Nickas. Full story

2012 May 17 Bob Nickas Stuff

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Bob Nickas