You had a streetball / Hip Hop show on an Ivy league jazz radio station. That's not really a question, more of an observation.
And a good one. I had the world’s first-ever talk radio program discussing playground basketball on WKCR 89.9FM. It was called On the Fence, and came on earlier in the evening every Thursday before me and Stretch Armstrong’s hip hop show. I also wrote the first article on sneaker culture in media history, titled "Confessions of a Sneaker Addict.” It ran in Source magazine in 1991. I also hosted the first TV series ever dedicated to sneaker culture, called It’s the Shoes, which ran for two seasons on ESPN. I could go on but I’ll stop there!

What kicks do you have on permanent ice?
There is no pair on permanent ice in my closet -- everything gets worn at some point! There are definitely joints that only come out on special occasion when they’ll be a good amount of heads that will understand what’s on the feet and can appreciate it.

What clubs offer that bars and lounges generally don’t is sound and DJs. There are a few guys at the top of the heap in the sound world, and Daniel Agne is one of those guys. If the sound is crisp and clear, chances are that the club owner spent a great deal of cash to make that happen. As a designer, sound considerations are a day-one thing. The open entrance to the mezzanine level at Marquee with no apparent break to stop the bleed from the main floor was a major design move. The padded ceiling and columns and front of the bar at Home overcame the tremendous bounce from the hardwood floors, brick walls, and concrete ceilings. Joe Lodi hid bass speakers behind banquettes and added a scoop that pushed the sound where it needed to be. The club world is never as easy as people think, and I hope this interview with Daniel gives you insight on the process of sound installation

Gamal Hennessy is writing a book about all the good things nightlife brings to New York City’s bottom line. Very few people work very hard to ensure that the city that never sleeps is not turned into a bedroom community by real estate interests and their special friends. The New York Nightlife Association meets regularly to help keep the world I write about open and vibrant. There are very few others fighting the good fight. Without such efforts, this town could easily become a Boston, with bars shuttered by 2 a.m. Gamal is a regular contributor to comment sections of blogs; he always makes insightful comments and asks great questions, and I’m happy to ask him a few as he starts to promote his book, Seize The Night.

About damn time.

Friday
1. 1Oak (Chelsea) - Cool rules the door at this lavish new hot spot.
2. Ella (East Village) - Deco blacks and whites glamming up lower Avenue A.
3. GoldBar (Nolita) - Gold is the new black.