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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 pseudo philosophy and visual impairment. Where exactly is the art? And what's the message? Graffiti can be, or at least once was, an expedient way of inserting social, political, and cultural comment into public view. Full story

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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

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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 a… Full story

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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

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

Last month I took a cab out to JFK for a nonstop flight to Salt Lake City. I was taking this trip to Mormon country for a few reasons. Primarily, I wanted to visit Robert Smithson's 'Spiral Jetty,' a massive sculpture of black rock, salt crystals, and earth I had waited 25 years Full story

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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? When you consider that the director of Cosmopolis is not without his fans and defenders the question is even more perplexing. Or maybe not. The quote that kicks o… Full story

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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

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Royal Trux Ruined My Life

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

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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

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Why Won't Jeff Koons Leave Us Alone?

Now he wants to hang a 250-ton train above a park. Full story