Paul Smalera

I wrote a story in The Big Money today talking about this idea of a “Lost Decade.” If you’ve noticed this meme in the news, you’ll know it comes from the idea that Japan, who had their own credit and housing crisis in the early 90s, so mismanaged their response that they suffered from a lost decade of economic stagnation.


Everywhere I turn today, people are talking about staving off an American lost decade. But, if you just look at the end result of the past ten years, didn’t we already have one? And might it not help our own bailout efforts to acknowledge this fact? I think so:


Lost Decade? We Just Had One | The Big Money.

Last week at the WNYC studios in Soho I talked with Bob Garfield, host of NPR’s On the Media about my Boxee/Hulu story for The Big Money. Bob wanted to know what the future holds for a tiny company like Boxee going up against behemoths like NBC, FOX and Comcast. The answer is, it’s going to be a long road, but possibly a fruitful one, depending on how Boxee plays the game. Comcast is new to defending its turf from dot-com upstarts, unlike the music and movie industries. Boxee, at its heart is a classic startup, used to playing the role of disrupter. That sets the stage, but I still can’t tell you what’s going to happen. Click to listen!

On The Media: Transcript of “Boxed In” (February 27, 2009).

Throwing Voodoo at Hulu | The Big Money.

My first piece for The Big Money, part of the Slate family of websites. It’s about a
tiny startup company named Boxee that scared the bejesus out of NBC,
FOX, and probably Comcast and Time Warner too.

The reason? They found a slick, legal way to put Hulu on the
television, totally upending the industry’s business and distribution
models. So big media responded as they know how– they tried to kill
Boxee. Needless to say, the attempt has been as futile as it is tone
deaf. Enjoy!

Roland W.?

• Took Senate appointment from corrupt governor with Elvis haircut.
• Despite warnings far and wide that he would not be seated, acted his part in the political kabuki of being turned away from the Senate swearing-in ceremony.
• Called himself a Senator in the media even before flying to Washington, DC, not a Senator-Elect or even Senator-Designee.
• Last won an Illinois election in 1995. Has lost several since then.
• Has been endorsed for the seat by Bobby Rush, the Black Panther who beat Obama in his first Congressional Race.
• Told the throng of reporters today that he “wasn’t looking for drama,” as a phalanx of Capitol Police cleared a path for him to have his credentials denied.

Pretty rewarding to see a piece I wrote for Condé Nast Portfolio end up on digg, where it’s quite popular. Illustrated by the talented John Grimwade. Enjoy!read more | digg story

One of the first things I wanted to write about when I made the leap was a little country/bluesy rock and roll band that a friend of mine introduced me to by taking me to see them in a dark, weird basement under a pizzeria in Soho.

When I met them there, I introduced myself as a writer, which is something I did once before, long ago, when I had hardly written anything. After that embarrassing moment, you’d think I’d have learned my lesson, but this time, I had dropped my entire old life and moved to a new city to BE a writer. And even if I wasn’t yet, damnit, I was at least gunning to be one, which was a definite improvement.

So, I talked to this red-haired larger-than-life, lead-singer-of-a-man names Sean, and told him I wanted to write about them. And I desperately wanted to, because they played a kind of music that I felt like I had been missing all my life. So I pitched a story about them relentlessly.

And

nothing

happened.

Fast forward two years. I have learned a ton about this business, and it seems Hoots and Hellmouth have learned a ton about theirs, having signed a record deal and released a professionally produced album, which is excellent. The fact that both of us made alot of progress in a relatively short time (which feels extremely long, I’m sure, to both of us), let me finally write a story about them for the New York Press. It was an extremely rewarding story to write, and I hope you’ll take a minute to listen to them, or maybe even buy the CD (also available here).

Congratulations boys! It was an honor to be able to write about you, and your month-long residency at Pete’s Candy Store. I caught their last show there last night, and they sounded and seemed better than ever. Keep spreading the good word.

A very brief review of a man and his sausage. Verdict: It’s pretty good!

New York Press - PAUL SMALERA - Cheap Eats

As much as I want to leave my New York Times clip up there until I have another, I wrote a review of the Campbell Apartment, a swank little bar in Grand Central, for the Press recently. Reading it will give you a window into my daily battle with tourists in Times Square. Enjoy!

New York Press - PAUL SMALERA - Old-School Class

photo by wendy ploger

I’m happy to link to a story I wrote in today’s New York Times: Havens North Tucson. Havens is the second homes column, so this is a story about people who live there and why they chose to buy a second home in Tucson. The southwest is a beautiful area, and I really felt thrilled to be able to cover it and say things like:

If, like Buck Clippard, you fly but have trouble finding airplane parking, you might consider requesting permission to land at La Cholla Airpark, a community 20 miles north of downtown Tucson. The Clippards have a second home there — and a two-plane hangar on a taxiway (or, as the earthbound might call it, a road), right off the airpark’s main drag, a 4,500-foot landing strip.

Anyway, please give it a read and enjoy. If you’re interested in reading more about the foothills, one of the real estate agents I spoke with, John Schneider, writes frequently about the area on his aptly named blog, The Tucson Foothills.

Also, thanks to Rob Ploger who, after all, moved to Tucson (not in the foothills though) and gave Wendy, his sister, my girlfriend, a reason to bring me out West and see what all the fuss was about. Now I know!

Well, I don’t know what’s happening to the East Village. Since I moved across the island, comes word that Kurowycky Meat Products has closed its doors after 50 years of fatty service. This was the Polish deli of my childhood dreams, complete with slabs of greasy bacon back (boczek pronounced bo-check) sitting right out on the counter, totally safe to eat because they had been cured to within an inch of their lives. The kielbasa, sadly, had to be put in refrigeration several years ago thanks to overzealous DOHers. Salty, fatty meat products are the staples of Polish winter cuisine. I didn’t shop here often enough. It will be sorely missed.

As if this blow wasn’t enough, Teresa’s Polish restaurant, also on First Ave., like, I think the same BLOCK of First Ave, has closed too, according to Gothamist. This was just a simple diner, with cheap and quite good food. No elegies (except this one) will likely be written about it, but I’ve always liked “Fanfare for the Common Man” and this restaurant shared that same space in my heart: just a simple place to get simple food, prepared from scratch and with some heart and love. Too many of these places in New York seem to be going out of business. I wonder what will take their places.

In other news, I reviewed an old favorite for The New York Press this week, the Italian restaurant named Max. And then Eater promptly published a rumor that it was going out business too, though this is still just a rumor for now. What is going on?

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