What Happens When You Go to Tasteful Nudes...

This is what happens when you go to a June literary reading entitled “Tasteful Nudes“ at Housing Works in Soho with your New York City girlfriend. You don’t really expect to anyone to be nude, but then you don’t expect to be so entertained by Dave Hill, Michael Kupperman and Rebecca (aka Debbie Downer from Saturday Night Live) Dratch and readings from their new books—

You walk out in a great mood and see graffiti art on the construction in the front of the turn-of-the-century (19 to 20th, having now to be precise about what century) building. You cross the cobblestone street – and you see --

That flames are spitting out of the graffiti man’s mouth—

You take a picture thinking it’s cool downtown art—

You don’t think: FLAMES ARE SWIRLING OUT OF ITS MOUTH until two people stumble out of the building choking on the smoke. They call the super and someone pours a cup of water into his mouth as if he’s giving him a drink—

You and your friend quickly decide it’s time to go to dinner. You pick a not too expensive place nearby and order a white wine and a nicoise salad and watch fire trucks race by—

After dinner, you go back to that turn-of-the-century building because you parked your Honda CRV with the Junie B. Jones books piled in the backseat right in front (street parking available after 6 p.m.). This is what you find—

You and your friend agree: this was a night neither of you will ever forget. You get in your car and drive back to Long Island in awe.

Truly,

Author of LIE

A summer of 2012 must read.