Mad About the Men: Wee Small Hours

Spoiler Alert. Season 3, Episode 9:

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”
- MLK Jr.


The American Dream was front and center of this ninth installment of the season, the most fractured and in many ways most frustrating episode so far.

The grainy radio broadcast of Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech (dating us on or around August 28 1963 - three months away from Roger’s daughter’s wedding and the assassination of JFK) hissed through Don’s car as he took a drive in those wee small hours and once again (yawn) sought to exert his influence over Miss Farrell. He loves her because she’s different! But really, she’s not that different at all. Watching Don move in the same tired old circles is becoming somewhat tedious and I can only hope that the writers will take us somewhere unexpected with this storyline.

But yes, the American Dream – free spirited Miss Farrell running (sans sports bra) through the pre-dawn streets; dreamy, lonely Conrad Hilton musing on the greatness of a hotel chain that will literally allow you to be BE IN AMERICA wherever in the world you happen to be, and lovely Sal, working his way up from Art Director to commercial director, directing a burly man with a knapsack on his back, a Lucky Strike in his mouth and a faraway look in his eye. The symbolism is almost too much to bear.

America.

I wish I’d been counting the number of times they said the word throughout the episode. It was a lot.

But this is a dream curdling like a bottle of milk on Don and Betty’s breakfast table - think of the sheer number of dream sequences we’ve seen this season. Connie Hilton is alone and unsatisfied, rightfully so - his grand-daughter will turn out to be Paris Hilton. Miss Farrell may be either ‘Pure or dumb,’ but she’s still just another woman who falls for Don’s charms. And Sal, with all the undertones of racial discrimination permeating the episode, Sal was the greatest victim of all. Don’s almost-whispered line of ‘You people,’ was cruel, cold and unexpected, much more shocking than Betty’s admission that the nation may just not be ready for a civil rights movement. We expect that from Betty – trapped so helplessly as she is by her desire for revolution and her paralyzing fear of change. We expect more from Don whose god-like patina continues to slowly tarnish as the season proceeds.

Betty’s stalled attempts at an affair showed the paradox that exists between what we dream of (the opening dream sequence of Henry seducing her on that damned fainting couch) and what we get in reality – thrown cash boxes, broken promises and ‘tawdry’ liaisons in locked, messy offices. Her dream was born and crushed by reality, just as her dream ended so rapidly last week when she returned home from Rome.

The overbearing and increasingly stifling feeling that something terrible is about to happen continues to haunt me as the season persists. Thank God for last night’s brief moment of comic relief – coming as always from Pete Campbell trying a cigarette and enduring a five minute coughing fit. It was a great piece of physical comedy, as was his flapping run out of the door after the vile Lucky Strike client. A thing like that.

Quote of the week: Don to the Art Director: “Now that I can finally understand you, I’m less impressed with what you have to say.”
Next Week: A party for Cooper

Diligently construed by E. Nolan
Photo by Carin Baer

The Momofuku Empire

David Chang has a curious way of knowing exactly what we want to eat. From a Berkshire pork bun to something sweet aptly named "Crack Pie." Uh, yeah. Although we haven't been able to type fast enough to get our online-only reservations to Momofuku Ko, we can at least sate our appetites on the rest of his East Village dominion: Noodle Bar, Ssam Bar and Milk Bar (our fave dessert pick-me-up). This season we'll definitely be warming up once again with his ramen noodles.

Momofuku Noodle Bar
Milk Bar Neon Sign
Berkshire pork bun from Momofuku Noodle Bar

The Momofukus
Noodle Bar: 171 1st Ave, NYC
Ssam Bar: 207 2nd Ave, NYC
Ko: 163 1st Ave, NYC
Milk Bar: 207 2nd Ave, NYC

Mixtape: Girls

They have an irreverent sense of humor. You know the kind of humor where the name of the LP is Album, they list more than ten people as members of their duo, their self-described sound is tropical/trash/goth, and their main influence was discovered in the rhyming dictionary (under "Girls"). Those are some of the few things we were able to dig up on this San Francisco band, behind our song of the moment "Lust for Life." There are quite a lot of different opinions on their sound, some of our favorites being that watching them live is like seeing a "David Lynch movie"; and their songs are "nostalgic for doo-wop," "gritty," and reminiscent of the "seductive glow of pharmaceutical counters." 


Not sure those descriptions do it for us. We thought they reminded us of something from our youth, back when shoe-gazing was cool, when Sofia Coppola still had long hair and was dating the guy from Red Kross, back when the Brit-pop sound held some stature on the American stages before Yankee grunge swept the airwaves clean of reverbed vocals and melodic pop sensibility. But we're oversimplifying way too much. They just can't be pigeon-holed. Have a listen and you'll figure it out.

Girls
November 6, 2009
@ Bowery Ballroom, NYC

Mad About the Men: Souvenir

Spoiler Alert. Season 3, Episode 8:


Ahh there’s nothing like those hazy, lazy, crazy dog days of summer to give one permission to, well, act like a dog… but more of Pete Campbell later.


Again, Betty was very much the focus of this episode, in a season that continues to elevate her to new heights of significance (it reminds me a lot of what happened with the character of Claire Fisher in Six Feet Under). Yes, she kissed Henry Francis in a move so predictable as to be almost unworthy of mention. Whatever. I don’t really care. What I DO care about is her little Roman holiday.


I’m not sure how I feel about the repressed female experience of the era becoming so central to the show – at the cost of the actual business of making ads - I haven’t made my decision yet. But throughout this season we continue to learn more about Betty’s untapped, festering accomplishments. Yes she was an anthropology major and yes, she can speak pretty damn good Italian. I loved that line in the kitchen last night, ‘When you don’t have any power, you have to delay things.’ Ouch.


Betty and Don’s trip was a fantastic little device, reminiscent of his trippy sojourn to California last season, it liberated them both from reality, hey there was even a fabulous bit of role-playing in the restaurant scene (let’s take a minute to give thanks for the marvel that was Betty’s hairstyle) It was a literal and metaphorical re-lighting of the flame – note the repeated images of cigarettes being lit this episode.


But God it was sad and for once I actually felt genuine sympathy for Betty, who knew as soon as she stepped foot back in that house, reality would came crashing back down. Her last line of the show was utterly devastating, when Don gave her the Hilton gift shop trinket and she said to him, ‘Then you can have something to look at when I tell the story about the time we went to Rome.’ It was a tear-your-heart-out moment. For Betty it was back to life, back to the kids, back to being partially ignored by her husband, back to motherhood. Glitzy, pointless souvenirs are all that remain when the fun is over. Her speech to Sally about the first kiss only served to reinforce this pathos, ‘it’s where you go from being a stranger to knowing someone.’ And you can’t help but self-complete that thought with something along the lines of, ‘and after that it’s all downhill from there.’


Pete Campbell had himself a little European adventure of his own this week, treading that well worn path to the bedroom of the au pair. I don’t know about you but there is always something so profoundly creepy about Pete Campbell putting on the moves with a woman, slithering through the bedroom door like Gollum.


He gets several bonus points this week though, first for the way he took his shirt off like a four year old when he got home, second for watching cartoons alone, third for offering the au pair a selection of choice German beverages such as ‘Beer, Riesling and Schnapps’ and finally for dropping what is becoming his catchphrase, ‘A thing like that!’ LOVE it. I want to make it into a t-shirt.


But wow, I was blindsided by the way that story arc turned out, Pete in what appeared to be genuine tears on Trudie’s return, begging her not to go away without him again. I’ve always been a strong supporter of Pete, I want to see his character redeemed, and this week he was like a little boy lost begging his mother not to leave him again.


I’ll sign off with a nod to the delightful appearance of Joan. Ah Joan, how we miss thee already. Points also to Pete for not making her feel bad about being in another job as the ‘manager of the republic of dresses,’ he equipped himself well. Joan’s new hairstyle was almost worth tuning in for all by itself.


Line of the week: (mentioned already but worth reiterating) Betty to Don: “Then you can have something to look at when I tell the story about the time we went to Rome.”
Next Week: Let’s get back to the office for some ad fun.


Diligently construed by E. Nolan
Photo by Carin Baer

Fall List for Women

It's our favorite season for most things,
including shopping. The below
is on our short list for girls. 

Boyfriend Jeans, Current Elliott

Cropped Toggle Coat, Boy by Band of Outsiders

Khyber scarf, A Peace Treaty

Heddy Shirt, Steven Alan

June Lace-Up Bootie, Loeffler Randall

Russian Army-Style Jacket, A.P.C.

Glittens, Steven Alan

Red Boat Shoes, LL Bean

Weekend Docket: Feeling Vintage

FSC loves Autumn and so do we. They've just announced their new Fall line, newly arrived in their store. New peacoats, cords (on the short list), along with the machinest shirts made from 100% short-loomed Japanese cotton and Italian mother of pearl buttons and the 3-piece English Donegal suit by Brooklyn's Martin Greenfield, their revered master craftman. Freemans Sporting Club : 8 Rivington Street, NYC

Williamsburg's Rye speaks to our love for all things vintage and quintessentially [old] NY. As their website states, there was no new construction done to this space, just a "labor of love" for restoring what was once a factory into a restaurant, taking us back to a different time and atmosphere (thanks to the dim lighting absorbed by the darkly-painted pressed tin ceiling). The oak bar they brought in to the front of the restaurant is 100 years old and looks like it'd always been there. We could go on and on about the space and all it evokes, but truly, it's the comfort food- braised short rib, tamarind glazed ribs, baked mascarpone mac and cheese, and the veggie wild mushroom lasagna- that won our hearts (and stomachs). Our favorite cocktail was the Southside, ubiquitous on our short list as of late. Rye : 247 South 1st Street, Brooklyn, NY

We rekindled our fondness for pisco sours last February in Buenos Aires then recently noticed the large number of Prohibition-era egg white drinks on our vintage cocktail menus. Below are some recipes we found from some of our favorite bars and restaurants that are a little more comforting on a cool night.


Sour Cherry Fizz (Clover Club, Brooklyn, NY)
1 1/2 oz single malt scotch
¾ oz Sour Cherry Puree
¾ oz Lemon juice
1 egg white
Shake and strain over fresh ice in a collins glass
Top with Cherry Soda (clear)


Early Grey Marteani (Pegu Club, NYC)
2 oz Earl Grey infused gin
1 oz simple syrup
3/4 oz lemon juice
1 egg white
For Earl Grey-infused gin simply add 1/4 cup Earl Grey tea to 1 liter of high-proof gin. Shake the bottle well, and let steep for 2 hours at room temperature. Then strain out the tea with a fine strainer or filter, rinse out the bottle (to get rid of any remaining loose tea) and add the infusion back to the bottle.
Add all four ingredients to a shaker, fill with ice, seal up the shaker, and shake hard at least 10-15 minutes. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist.


Class Act (Range, San Francisco, CA)
1/2 oz lime juice
2 oz Miller's gin
3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
4 dashes orange flower water
1/4 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz egg whites
1/4 oz tonic water
1" wide orange twist, for garnish
Add lime juice, gin, bitters, orange flower water and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Add egg whites along with the spring coil removed from a Hawthorne cocktail strainer. Replace cap and shake until drink begins to foam, about 20 times. Add ice to the shaker, replace cap and shake until drink is cold. Top with tonic water and pour into a Champagne flute. Roll up the orange twist and place on the rim.

Morning Glory Fizz (Milk and Honey)
1 1/2 oz Scotch
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz absinthe
1 large egg white
Ice
2 oz seltzer water, chilled
Place all ingredients except ice and seltzer water in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker halfway with ice and shake well for 20 to 30 seconds to get a good foam from the egg. Strain into a highball glass and top with seltzer.


Pisco Sour (Slanted Door, San Francisco, CA)
2 oz pisco
1 oz lime juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
1/2 egg white
1 dash Angostura bitters

Interview with Michael Haneke

We're fascinated by the darker side of things, having digested films like Michael Haneke’s Funny Games for months. His latest film Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon) won the Palm d’Or last May at Cannes. ‘Nuff said. Now this week the New Yorker interview with the director notes this is “Haneke’s most approachable film, though you approach it at your peril, as you would a hot stove. It is also his longest, his most beautiful—the only one in black-and-white—and his best.”


Das Weisse Band shows at the upcoming New York Film Festival on October 7th and 8th. then releases in December.