Q&A for New York Calling authors

Brian Berger and Marshall Berman

What was your goal in putting together this anthology?

To sometimes outline, sometimes detail the full range of history & culture in NYC from 1977 (or so) to the present. It could, not of course, be done, but we began with the idea it was crucial to try. That means: New York City is five boroughs, untold # of ethnicities, cultures & subcultures, all of which are potentially of interest. (There are practical problems that result from this but...)

How does New York Calling portray the city and what sets your portrait apart?

It portrays the city in as messy & I hope, inspired, fashion as the streets themselves. There are, to be sure, things missing but between the essays, introductions, the chonrology & the bibliography AND the photos & photo captions, we jammed as much as possible in there. Admittedly, this takes an active reading of the book as a whole but we felt compelled to do no less.

As for what sets our book apart, it's our all-city insistence, & the insistence of our writers. If any given reader recognizes some things but not many others.. we did our job. Likewise, even if some persons aesthetics or politics differ, we don't think it's possible to say we didn't try, didn't get out, didn't bring it-- & take back--from the people, many of whom are marginalized in both traditional mass media discourse & the equally self-selective world of local blogs.

Also, ours is the first known NYC book that puts Brooklyn in its rightful place with regard to population & dynamism, with the Bronx, Queens & Staten Island also of some importance. East New York & Canarsie are as real--maybe more--to us than the Upper East Side or so-called "Cobble Hill."

What do you think is the strongest message from the book?

Prosperity is a mixed blessing, & we should always ask prosperity for who, & how? The corruption & fatuous self-approbation of New York City government is pretty hard to take. That said, the city is just as exciting, if viewed as a whole, as it ever was. That things are spread throughout so many cultures/languages should be a challenge, & inspiration.

What do you think about the state of the city today?

Corporate suburbanization is a drag, as are the radical class schisms new money Brooklynites--who never had an interest in the borough before--try to occlude by obsessing on their property values. City wide, if you look, all the weirdness, life & sorrow is still there, even if many of the facades are less individual than before. The obsession with residential real estate also diminishes the reality of industrial NYC, which is still important & teeming in places.

What do you hope people will take away from the book?

Whatever our flaws & omissions (some by accident, some for more complicated reasons), we put in the work on the street & life is not a luxury condo. Most of what the media-- & that includes the internet--serves us as New York City is but a fraction of what's there... which is much more difficult, & exciting to us. This enthusiasm is especially important in the face of so many political & economic travails many people still face.