Chasing Ron

In about 2010, I was in Whole Foods and saw Howard Stern on the checkout line! Or so I thought. It actually was a Howard Stern lookalike named Ron Brawer, and much to my annoyance I did not have my camera. I wanted some pics of him because a Ron Brawer sighting is quite the photo op!

Well, the next time I saw him in Whole Foods was in 2011, and again I did not have my camera. I approached him and we began a conversation. He told me he lives in my neighborhood, so I took a bold step! I asked him if he would meet me on another day so I could take a few photos of him for this blog. He gave me his E-mail address and later that day I sent him an E-mail... to which he promptly replied: "I'm swamped with work/family right now..." I was disappointed, but did not pursue it.

Cut to July 2014: I saw him again early last week in Whole Foods. And again I had no camera. I asked him if he would meet me on another day for the same purpose of taking a few photos for my blogs. This time, he cheerfully agreed. I gave him my contact information and he reliably sent me an E-mail in which he said, "If I recall correctly, I was reluctant to do any photos last time we met... because I wasn't promoting anything at the time. I'm still not. Or, at least, not one single thing... But if you just want a photo or three of a NYC local "character" -- I could take a bit of time on Wednesday afternoon or over the weekend." I answered and said Wednesday worked and I gathered my "stuff" so everything would be good to go.

On that Wednesday, he sent me an E-mail and canceled due to work related assignments. He suggested I contact him at the beginning of the following week for a Thursday "shoot." I thought: okie dokie.

We exchanged a few more E-mails and today we met in front of Whole Foods where he graciously posed for a few photos. We even had a brief conversation about the NYC schools and the pursuit of creative endeavors. Ron has written a screenplay called, "Becoming Howard." He described it to me and it does sound exciting!

I am glad he showed up. If he stood me up or canceled... I was thinking of hanging out on the block and morphing into a wild "paparazzi." "Chasing Ron" is now history and well... what for years seemed so difficult actually today was quite a pleasant (although brief) experience.

Ron Brawer on IMDb

The Dead Howard Show

Here are the photos I took today of Ron Brawer. (I am visible taking the first photo. I am on the lower left corner in the reflection of the store's glass window).

"A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby," photos by Bee Kaye

Kara Walker's "A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby" was at Brooklyn's legendary Domino Sugar Factory.

Here are some photos Bee Kaye took of this exhibit, the full title of which is: "an Homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World on the Occasion of the demolition of the Domino Sugar Refining Plant."

Sugar Baby and the Blackamoors