BRIAN J. BEATRICE

In my 10 year tenure in downtown NYC, we regularly commented about the eccentricities of our landlord, William Gottlieb. He was a man who owned, at the time, an estimated $400 million in real estate in downtown, yet drove around in a beat up station wagon with smashed out windows. He passed away in 1999 and our future lay uncertain as his, now estimated over $1 billion, estate lay in jeopardy. The New York Times Magazine ran an interesting, albeit lengthy, article last Sunday, April 6, 2006, about him, his estate, and the perils of living and dying without a written will. On a personal note, both of my apartment buildings are pictured on the front page of the article.

link

After a slow beginning, the Gnaw project is finally moving along. Conceived last spring by Alan Dubin and Carter Thornton, of Khanate and Enos Slaughter respectively, we are now putting the finishing touches on several pieces of music and crazed soundscapes. We expect to have an album completed by late spring ’08 and are shooting for a summer release. The “band”, also featuring Jamie Sykes of Burning Witch and Jun Mizumachi of Ike Yard, is devised of manipulated instruments, samples and drum recordings. As the last link in this bizarre creative chain, it’s my responsibility to make sense of the madness. Look for it soon on your favorite label.

http://www.myspace.com/gnaw666

Part 2 of this series, “What Males Will Do”, premieres this evening, Sunday April 13, on at 8 WNET, Thirteen in the New York area. The series was produced by Pangolin Pictures and Nature for the Nature series and I mixed/sound designed them in 5.1 surround sound at Bionic in January and February 2008. Visit Nature online at PBS.org.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/males/