December 31 is the final rental day and after that, off those thousands of movies go to a town called Salemi, an ancient village undergoing renovation after a tragic earthquake, thanks to the efforts of Mayor Vittorio Sgarbi, called "one of the oddest and most colourful figures in contemporary Italy" during his "celebrity coup." It's because of this tragedy and the resulting "Progetto Terremoto," in English "Project Earthquake," that Salemi has been able to take on the collection of films.
According to the extensive informational poster on display in Mondo Kim's on St. Marks, "The town of Salemi is planning to launch the Neverending Festival, a non-stop public projection of Kim's Video Collection DVDs in their new home."
Wow.
In addition, "For paid-up Kim's members, access to the collection will always be free of charge. Furthermore, Salemi will provide accommodations to both Kim's members and students who want to have access to the collection at minimum charge."
Hear that? Let's go to Sicily and watch Teenage Devil Dolls and Delinquent Daughters!
But we better go soon, because it sounds like this little town is undergoing the dreaded "Soho Effect." According to Wikipedia, it's going to look very familiar, very soon: "the mayor is hoping to turn Salemi into a popular vacation destination for the wealthy, the affluent, celebrities, and others who have the extra capital to expend on a real estate project."
More on Kim's:
Great coverage!
ReplyDeleteSeveral friends spent the holidays in NYC. Like me, they lived there for a long time; then came the Didionesque moment when they said: Goodbye to all that. I asked for their impressions. I detected a uniform sadness as they spoke of neighborhood stores now gone, of favorite restaurants now closed and replaced by chains, of glass boxes littering the cityscape. They were stunned by a city erasing its history, its vitality. Since mainstream media avoid reality and truth, they were overwhelmed by this. I've suggested they read your blog.
ReplyDeletethanks ray and anon. the saddest, most perplexing and enraging part is that many residents of this city believe this mass erasure is a glorious thing.
ReplyDeleteI've lived in NY for over 30 years. I've recently spent 7 months out of the city. Just got back and am looking at the city with fresh eyes. The suburbanzation of Manhattan is just shocking.
ReplyDeleteStumbled across your blog through Daily News story...We are an underground blog of our own "www.HOWLSCOWL.com", with similar sounding sentiments...The "Urban Blade" page of Howlscowl relates to these topics...Good to see others see what we see....keep the "beats" alive..........d22
ReplyDeletecant beat the ole nostalgia
ReplyDeleteThere are times that I am so overwhelmed, saddened, and frankly terrified (of eviction, unaffordable housing, having to move to the outskirts of Bensonhurst or Staten Island) by what the city has become I want to just burst onto tears (or burn things). Thanks for this blog.
ReplyDeletenice review
ReplyDeletei just found your blog and like it! as far as NYC goes, it is TRAGIC what the old neighborhoods are becoming. It's the homoginization of the world and it stinks.
ReplyDeleteMy 92 year old grandmother, who still lives on the Lower East Side where she grew up, has been complaining for years of the sanitization of the city. Of all the old stores gone, of the high priced garbage that fools purchase. She talks about the ugly new buildings, the lack of 'neighborhood' and how foolish the young are to pay the prices that are asked for apartments. When will it all end?
When Robert Moses was permitted to cleave the Bronx in twain, when "they" were again permitted to demolish the lower west side, the result was fractured neighborhoods, fractured families and fractured economic support for neighborhood stores owned by neighbors.
I tell you, it's a crying shame.
As sorry as I am to see the way Manhattan has changed, I can't say I'm sorry to see Kim's video go. Nusraty's Imports having to close was like saying goodbye to a piece of my teen years. How many pairs of earrings did I buy in there, and how often did I admire the plump cats? Kim's--no, a thousand times no. There are few places were the sales staffs' attitude made me leave and never come back. Kim's was one of those places. Not sorry to see it go, but I'm sure I will be sorry to see whatever dreck they put in its' place.
ReplyDeleteI was in Salemi, Sicily this spring of 2010 and noticed that yes, they do advertise public projection of these films. I knew nothing about Kim's. I WONDERED why they had so many American pop films. None were being projected while I was there, alas. I had gone for the Mafia museum. They wouldn't let me into that either. Interesting to find out about this project from the U.S. side of things.
ReplyDelete