About Eric Shapiro
Eric Shapiro
I am a lifelong New Yorker who spends a good portion of my time gorging on and regurgitating big meaty hunks of culture, musical and otherwise. I try my best to avoid the cliches that come along with wearing skinny jeans and flannel shirts in a cosmopolitan locale, but I'm writing for a website called Indie Shuffle, so it's probably useless. My life has its own personal soundtrack, but feel free to borrow a few tunes. Feedback is always welcome.
Best Tracks of 2012: Bob Mould’s “Star Machine”
January 14, 2013 | Eric ShapiroAfter reading Husker Du frontman Bob Mould’s tell-all tome, See a Little Light: the Trail of Rage and Melody, I got the impression of a man who had, at long last, cast aside the baggage of his early life and reached a basic level of contentment. The title of his latest album, Silver Age, does indeed seem to indicate that the notoriously angst-ridden songwriter has entered a new phase of his life and career. However, anyone looking for a mellower Mould to emerge on his new LP is in for a surprise.
Young Visionary Hatches Reading at Strand Bookstore feat. Ben Gibbard & Ron Currie, Jr.
January 11, 2013 | Eric ShapiroThe Strand Bookstore may be home to many old, musty works of literature, but walk inside and you’ll notice that it employs a whole lot of young people. Some of them are aspiring writers, while others simply relish the opportunity to work in one of New York City’s most eminent bookstores. Often, young people mean fresh ideas. Andrew Boye, currently a manager on the main floor, has worked at the Strand for three years. Recently, Andrew hatched the idea to host events combining book readings (a mainstay at the Strand for years) with other artistic mediums.
Boye’s idea came to fruition with last night’s event, featuring Ron Currie, Jr, the author of such acclaimed novels as God is Dead and Everything Matters and musician Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. Flatiron Hot! News had a chance to talk to Andrew a few minutes before the event began. He and his colleague, Emily Simpson, along with event coordinator and author Jessica Strand, hope Wednesday’s pioneering artistic venture will be the first in a series of events showcasing the ties between authors and their creative kin in other mediums.
Q&A Pt. 1: Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie & Ron Currie, Jr. at the Strand Bookstore
January 10, 2013 | Eric ShapiroMusician Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service) and Ron Currie, Jr, the author of such acclaimed novels as God is Dead and Everything Matters, took the stage at the Strand Bookstore on January 10th to showcase their work and highlight thematic similarities that transcend their respective mediums.
Review: Illuminating Traumas of Slavery, August Wilson’s “Piano Lesson” Strikes Core of American Identity
January 9, 2013 | Eric ShapiroAugust Wilson is often referred to as one of the greatest African American playwrights of the 20th century. He also happens to be one of the greatest playwrights, period. Last night, the Flatiron Hot! News critic saw the latest revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Piano Lesson” (premiered in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theater) at the Signature Theatre. The play is not only a poignant snapshot of the African American experience in the 1930s, but an overall sublime work of art relevant to Americans of all races.
New York Times’ Louis David Seidman Right to Oppose Constitutional Originalism, Wrong to Trash U.S. Constitution
January 7, 2013 | Eric ShapiroOn December 31st, The New York Times published an editorial titled: “Lets Give up on the Constitution.” The Flatiron Hot! Pundit respectfully disagrees. Whether you consider yourself an adherent of Constitutional Originalism or subscribe to the notion of a living Constitution, America’s founding document is a bedrock of U.S. politics that has done more good than harm over the course of nation’s history. The Founders, particularly Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and George Washington designed it to be highly adaptable, and it is this adaptability that has allowed it to keep pace with historical change.
Flatiron Hot! Review: Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained
January 4, 2013 | Eric ShapiroThere’s something to be said for an artist who is out to please only himself. But when the product of the ensuing creative narcissism is so arcane as to be unfathomable to those who do not share the artist’s fetishes, then it is deprived of a certain universal quality present in the greatest of art. It has long been said that Quentin Tarantino has abandoned making movies in the traditional sense and has instead taken up the postmodern indulgence of making movies about movies.
To an extent, this has been the case since Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino’s most critically acclaimed and greatest cinematic achievements possessed more than a few elements of pastiche. But beneath all the allusions and arcane stylistic flourishes, one could still discern a beating heart. With Death Proof, which Tarantino correctly deemed his creative low point, the director completely abandoned any pretense of traditional cinematic ambitions with breakneck style over substance.
Flatiron Hot! Pundit: Obama Fiscal Cliff Deal a Loss for Liberals, a Rout for G.O.P.
January 3, 2013 | Eric ShapiroA decisive election victory. An increased Democratic majority in one house of Congress and substantial gains in another. An automatic expiration of the Bush tax cuts. Leading up to the election, many expected Barack Obama to be a one-term president. But a mere few months later, he could hardly ask for better conditions to start out his second term (adjusted for the recession, of course).
The Stand Comedy Club and Restaurant Hosts New Years Bash feat. Judah Friedlander
December 29, 2012 | Eric ShapiroWhat better way to start off the New Year than with a hearty laugh, a good drink and a delicious meal? The Stand Restaurant and Comedy Club will provide all of that and more on New Years Eve. Come watch comedians Todd … Read More
Flatiron Hot! Pundit: Video Games Not to Blame for Sandy Hook Shooting
December 28, 2012 | Eric ShapiroGamers with any passing interest in politics were likely counting down the days (or, perhaps, hours) before pundits and politicians alike cited violent video games as a motivating factor behind the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 26 dead, including 20 young children. Why? Because the killer, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, was known to play violent video games.
Flatiron Hot! Pundit: Conservatives’ Reaction to Sandy Hook Elementary School Shootings
December 28, 2012 | Eric ShapiroThe right’s attempts to grapple with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that claimed the lives of over 20 people, mostly young children, would be comical if their implications were not so troubling. Suffice to say, you won’t find much in the way of meaningful suggestions or solutions to the problem of gun violence in the words of prominent movement conservatives.