We spoke with Miss Coney Island 2011, LEFTY LUCY, before the start of the show. Looking as glittery and fabulous as ever, Lefty talked to us about what wearing the crown has been like this past year, what makes her burlesque acts unique, and what you can expect from Coney Island this fall – this fun doesn’t stop just because summer is over!

Lefty made her debut in the NYSB Showcase in January 2009 at the Slipper Room, and has been performing, kittening, and gogo dancing all over the East Coast ever since. She’s a founding member of Storybook Burlesque and original cast member of Epic Win Burlesque, and also co-produces Drive Thru Burlesque with Sizzle Dizzle.

Video interview by Audrey Leopard, shot/edited by Eric Whiptastic – check it out after the jump!

Be sure to check out Lefty on Facebook and Twitter, and stay tuned for our video interview with The Great Fredini and coverage of the Miss Coney Island Pageant 2012!

* photo by Eric Harvey Brown

what can you even say?! she still looks hot, still sounds amazing, and still sports that trademark mischievous smirk we all know and love. the band (feat. acey slade on bass!) was tight, and she was just stunning. they spiced the setlist with runaways tracks and mega hits, in addition to cuts from the 80s and more recent albums alike. opener (and blackheart records band) girl in a coma warmed up the crowd – personally i thought frontgirl/guitarist nina diaz’s voice was mesmerizing! rock on, girlie!

for your viewing and listening pleasure we took some videos, and made sure to film the jumbotron screen to get you in on the close-up action ;)

put another dime in the jukebox,

da leopard

photos by audrey leopard; videos by audrey leopard & eric whiptastic

The Fresh Prince of C.I.

Anyone who knows me knows I love are time travel and Coney Island. So apparently it must be the case that the writers of Men in Black 3 have tapped my dreams and laid them out as a plot line in the new Men in Black film. They’re not going back as far as I’d like (maybe 1920′s 30′s?) but apparently 1969, which is still pretty sweet. They’re also grabbing locals as extras (did people have pink hair in the 60′s?) .

Aside from rocking the time traveling, according to Amusing the Zillion, the crew of MIB3 are saving the ass of one of the oldest buildings in Coney, the Grashorn Building (dating to about the 1880′s). For the past 2 years the building has remained closed, adorned with a “THOR EQUITIES FOR LEASE” sign which might as well say CONDEMNED, if you follow developer Joe Shitt’s record.

Men in Black 3 is coming, hard.

-E

p.s. all this movie needs is a soundtrack by The Giraffes and I’ll Joe Shitt myself

UPDATE: 4/25/11 MIB 3 production pics

Again thanks to Amusing the Zillion for the update that MIB started setting up in Coney Island!

UPDATE: 5/3/11

More Pictures from the Men in Black 3 set in Coney Island!

UPDATE: 5/6/11

We got some shots of booths set up on the boardwalk looking a little more alive AND thanks to our SNT friend and contributor Sean Colón, we got a picture of Will Smith on set (it’s low res but still awesome).

coney island’s recent history has been filled with the kind of highs and lows that have always been a part of its legend – fun and exciting developments (like the new luna park and scream zone) sharply contrasted with tragedy (developer scum joe sitt’s demolition of three historic coney buildings before they were landmarked; see them all here – 3, 4 & 7 are gone) and drastic change (boardwalk stalwarts like ruby’s and cha cha’s nearly being evicted but kept on for one final season).

it’s been a tumultuous fall and winter, but now – it’s spring. the new season is upon us. the cyclone, deno’s wonder wheel, luna park, and scream zone are getting ready to open to the masses this coming weekend, and the good folks at coney island USA are still doing what they do best – bringing old coney back to new coney in original ways and keeping the true spirit of the people’s playground alive – and super-freaky.

coney island is and always has been meant to be a SPECTACLE. take for instance the congress of curious peoples. it kicked off last weekend and has been running all week with special lectures and shows on a myriad of topics (check out the full schedule here). it also included the colonnade of curiosities in the freak bar, located in the coney island USA building on surf ave.

what did we see this past weekend?

mini skeletal sculptures made of finger & toenails and tiny teddy bears made of bellybutton lint, from rachel betty case…

lush little terrarium worlds with curious figures and scenes inside, from twig…

an amazing melding of science, art, and graphic design through fascinating hyrtl simulacra portraits from jeanne kelly..

awesome coney handiwork from huckster fabrication, including scrapped boardwalk wood fashioned into authentic souvenirs like frames with vintage amusement tickets, a spaceman mouse (..made of a real mouse), and – our personal favorite – sideshow beds of nails, and an electric charge platform.. when you place your hand on it you can light a bulb if it’s touched to you, as eric & chris demonstrate below!

and MORE! we also picked up reel to reel copies of tom jones & frankie valli albums from the mayor of coney himself – because that’s just.. what we do.

in any case – we’re pretty much here to tell you to check. out. what. coney. has. to. offer. this weekend is going to rock because aside from the aforementioned amusements opening for the season, the colonnade will be back, in addition to alumni weekend at sideshows by the seashore AND a 2-day symposium of curious peoples!

what else are we excited about?! the great coney island spectacularium at the coney island museum, which “aims to explore, celebrate, and evoke turn of the 20th century coney island as the pinnacle of this kind of pre-cinematic immersive and spectacular amusement” - but that will have to wait till another post..! in the meantime check their PDF for more.

it just goes to show that even through its setbacks and hardships.. coney always prevails.

freaks unite!

- da leopard

*funny faces, parachute jump & eric getting lit up photos by audrey leopard; all others by their respective owners – they’re awesome, pay them a visit!

sugar -n- thunder is a HUGE fan of coney island’s own LOLA STAR!

we love her not only because of her amazing clothing designs and super fun stores on the boardwalk and stillwell ave subway station (featuring old coney & funny faces, mermaids, badass bunnies, unicorns, pinups & tattoos, roller derby, etc!), but certainly because of her dedication to true coney island activism. she had a wish come true and transformed the childs building on the boardwalk into a fabulous roller rink for some time, is always front and center in save coney rallies, fought hard to keep her business and support others on the boardwalk, and recently brought the magic to the city and opened a temporary pop-up store in soho!

to celebrate valentine’s day and decorate the windows of her soho store (and also to hear some AMAZING love stories), she popped this question to her fans: did you fall in love in coney island? stories of love, marriage, proposals, first dates, and summer romance in the people’s playground poured in, and we’re VERY happy to announce that a certain couple of sugar -n- thunder proprietors were included…!!!

click HERE to read the full texts of the chosen love stories and watch the fantastic video lola crafted below – it’s hard not to get sentimental! i could say it a thousand times but THANK YOU, THANK YOU miss lola for doing this!

Coney Island truly is for lovers! There is an intoxicating magic in the air that inspires great love! Scientists have studied this delightful phenomenon for centuries but no explanation can be found! Millions of lovers’ lives have been struck by Cupid’s gilttering arrow in Coney Island!  The Lola Star Souvenir Boutique on the Coney Island boardwalk asked her customers to share their Coney Island Love Stories! This is the magic they shared..

like lola on facebook & follow her on twitter! before you know it it’ll be time for another gorgeous spring and summer in coney island…

<3 !

- da leopard

the garage-like red front panel of the arcade had probably been blown in by the wind! the entire arcade was open and accessible from the sidewalk.. chunks of the ceiling had fallen in or were missing, other pieces were hanging dangerously by wires, swinging eerily in the wind. wood, metal, debris, cat food tins, and broken police barricades coated the floor, but signs of the past were still discernible.. i noticed what seemed like a few loose mint green and pink/red floor tiles, and of course the fantastic hand-painted murals on the side walls and strips in between that i truly hope someone (coney island museum?) salvages if playland goes the sad way of so many other historic buildings in the area. the way they are still somehow preserved is remarkable..

i wish we were able to take some more detail shots – the wind was outrageous, my fingers were burning from the cold, and then a certain ‘upstanding citizen’ decided to berate us for stepping in a little too far.. the amazing nathan kensinger did find his way in back in late january, and i definitely recommend checking out his shots. just so you can get a better idea of what it looked like – howling wind and swinging pieces of debris and all – we took a short video.

we’ll let you know if we hear of any playland updates, but keep a lookout for another upcoming photo post about coney island’s recent history.

- da leopard

ladies and gents, introducing nicole atkins & the sea. they’re playing a free show at the socrates sculpture park in LIC on june 17th, which is why i’ve been seeing her everywhere. i finally took the time to listen to the band this morning and loved the sound — after which, i was totally floored seeing them perform on david letterman awhile back. WATCH THIS. it sounds strange to say, but i literally got chills watching her sing. i think it was because her voice just soars on CD (or on the myspace tracks, rather), and then to just watch her belting it out and sounding just as great live.. just wow. and i LOVE the artwork she uses for her album, “neptune city” — it totally reminds me of old coney island. girlcrush much! more on nicole.

in other news, THE GIRAFFES ARE COMING.. !!! bowery ballroom june 12th, baby! AND.. the texas firehouse in LIC rocks. there’s really nothing like listening to live music on a ROOF and having no one bitch at you about it. in addition to humor, awesome art, and just an all around good vibe.. i even left my cell phone in the bathroom, panicked when i went back in and it wasn’t there and thought someone had definitely stolen it.. only to find the DJ had it. SWEET. more about this later ;D

oh and ps KEEP YOUR EYES ON LOLA STAAR! her dreamland roller rink NEEDS YOUR HELP and there are TWO benefits (june 13th and 15th) planned for NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!! they should be totally fun, and helping the dreamland roller rink reopen is a GREAT cause.. pps anyone notice the “reithoffer’s playland” that just went up in coney island in the space where the go carts and batting cages used to be?! awesome surprise the other night — good to see more amusements and less empty lots. fuck that shit!

rock steady!

- audrey

Lola Staar’s Dreamland Roller Rink will open March 22 in the Childs Restaurant Building!!!!

can you say.. AWESOME?!?!?!

from lola staar’s myspace:

“Lola’s Hot Pink Dreams Burst into Reality!!

Lola Staar’s owner, Dianna Carlin, has won an amazing contest sponsored by Glamour Magazine and Tommy Hilfiger!! In celebration of Tommy’s new fragrance, Dreaming, they hosted a contest to make someone’s ‘dream come true!!’ Dianna dreamt of transforming the enchanted, vacant, historical landmark building [...] into a magical Roller Rink full of color, life, energy, art and fun.

Along with Taconic Investment Partners, Glamour and Tommy Hilfiger are helping her to transform this dream into a reality and filming a fabulous documentary movie about her exciting journey.

On March 22nd, the spectacular Childs Building will become Lola’s magical roller skating Dreamland!”

there is a free opening party from 6:00 PM – 12:00 PM but you have to RSVP.. hopefully sugar n thunder will get to be there!!

in any case – congrats to lola staar, we love you guys!

– audrey

edit/

so it does seem that the roller rink is a temporary installation for the spring and summer right now – taconic investment owns the childs building and plans to use it for a restaurant and entertainment hall. that doesn’t sound bad BUT, this is a roller rink, people! maybe if the rink drums up enough support it can stay? i can’t wait to see it. speaking of which, check out this awesome pic of the childs building actually open!

we began with one of our favorite brooklyn bands, night kills the day, at the knitting factory, along with openers ghost front, a rant about people NOT MOVING at shows, and a little look into NKD history and why you should definitely check out their album, “the study of man… and the developed shadow.”

then we took a look at a remix of mindless self indulgence’s new single, “never wanted to dance,” the current state of MSI affairs, and the purple-electro-prettiness that is the birthday massacre (the band that remixed the single and will be on MSI’s upcoming tour).

next we had a recap of another of our favorite brooklyn bands, the giraffes, at the shitty excuse for a venue – rockwood music hall (which actually made for quite a memorable performance.. and a priceless post-show interview), and following that, a plug of the giraffes performing one of their newest songs, “smoke machine,” on fearless music tv.

last, we had the captain share with all of us a lovely little flash animation called SALAD FINGERS.. and after that no one could look at spoons.. or rust.. or rusty spoons.. the same – ever again.

THERE’S THE RECAP! .. on to MARCH!

some quick bits of news..

i just found out that the opening date for ASTROLAND and DENO’s WONDER WHEEL PARK this year will be SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2008!!!!!!!!! come out and support one of our most favorite places on earth, or if not this weekend, the next (or the next!!)…

next up – the band who loves to fornicate with emo kids.. i mean, mindless self indulgence (har har), very recently released the art and tracklisting for their newest album, “if.” there are 15 tracks including the previously heard/teased “mark david chapman” (i was wondering what happened to that song..), “due,” “mastermind,” and “never wanted to dance,” but also “animal,” “pay for it,” and “bomb this track” (sound familiar, MSI junkies?).

MSI is also all about the pre-orders, so, as they say, you can “pick your poison(s)” from the FOUR FORMATS of the album they will be releasing, all with different artwork (just to maximize the utmost financial potential.. but then again, i’d be pretty damn happy too stealing money from all those scene kids spawn).. you can choose from the standard, deluxe, clean/edited, or vinyl editions, and “if” will officially arrive in north america on april 29th. before then, their “never wanted to dance: the remixes” single cd will be out march 18th.. get ‘em while you still have money to blow on the growing media conglomerate that is MSI?!?! .. ahem, i really do appreciate the MSI finger puppets and, uh, “tentacle bees” in the artwork. seriously. SWEET.

in other news, our favorite fuckers of all, THE GIRAFFES, embarked on their nationwide tour on the 5th of this month. tonight they’re in nashville, tennessee, and will be making stops across the country including texas, colorado, california, missouri, wisconsin, and ohio, before wrapping up the tour on april 10th in boston.. although who knows if the boys will be adding dates along the way. after that, hopefully they will be back in NYC to release “prime motivator,” either independently or with the support of a label. in any case, you should be able to get your hands on it soon..

that’s it for now – in the coming days/weeks we will be posting some more about a lot of things we’ve had on the backburner up until now.. if all goes well, of course – oh yeah, and watch our nifty box.net music player thingy (thanx cap!) for new tracks from our favorites ;D

ROCK STEADY..

– audrey