Out and About in D.U.M.B.O.
by Deborah Au-Yeung

D.U.M.B.O. Archive

Interview with Richard Douglas

Read last week's GaleGates opening.

A new deli/burger joint is opening up in DUMBO and local artist/musician and all-around renaissance man Richard Douglas informs me that a Gristede's supermarket is in the works. Honestly, the supermarket sounds nice since as I noted in my last column, the closest deli doesn't sell beer and there isn't any place grab a quick six-pack and toilet paper after 9pm in the neighborhood.

Richard is a major source of info about what's happening in the neighborhood. I met him about 6 months ago. He had just moved back to DUMBO, where he had lived for 5 years prior to going to Knoxville, Tennessee in pursuit of a record deal that fell through. One afternoon, he heard my housemate Sebastian practicing his drums and came by to introduce himself. He was soon practicing 3x a week in my loft and "Audio Poolside" was born. The band is comprised of Richard (vocals and guitar), Sebastian Holzmeister (drums), and Matt Lindsey (bass guitar) with occasional appearances by Sean Swayze (guitar).   The beginning wasn't pretty and the walls of my loft are thin, but over the past 6 months, "Audio Poolside" has matured into a progressive/rock/pop band with an addictive sound fueled by Richard's great storytelling lyrics.

Originally an East Tennessee native, Richard moved to New York in 1986 to pursue a career in art after receiving his BFA in painting and drawing at the University of Georgia. After 10 years of successfully creating contemporary, surreal, expressionist paintings (he's also showed his works at the respected Allen Stone Gallery) Richard decided that he wanted to focus on his music. He was lured to Knoxville by the promise of a record deal, but when that didn't pan out he decided to try the Big Apple again and continue with his music.

Richard is the host of a weekly live music showcase, "Thirsty Thursdays," at the Between the Bridges Pub/Superfine (63 York Street 718-237-1977).

One Thursday night my girlfriend D. and my rumbling belly pushed me to head over to Between the Bridges/Superfine for burgers and beer.

It was only 8:30 and the show doesn't usually start until 9:30 or later, so I took the opportunity to do an impromptu interview with Richard.

DA: So you were doing fairly well as a painter, but now you've put in on the backburner. Is music your primary focus now?

RD: My priority is definitely music. The band's goals at the moment are to play local gigs, develop a following, get our demo together and get a booking agent.

DA: How long have you been playing guitar and writing music and lyrics?

RD: I've been playing since I was 11 and writing songs since I was 18. I've been seriously playing for the past 5 years and I've written about 150 songs. I hope for the band to know about 20 songs by this summer.
Did you know I come from a musical heritage? My grandfather was a famous Spanish opera tenor, Miguel Fleta and my mom was a pop star with her sister.

DA: Was this in the States?

RD: No, they were famous in Europe and South America--Paloma and Elia Fleta.

DA: So your mom met your dad...?

RD: In Spain, where he was DJ'ing at the time and married my mother and took her back to the mountains of Tennessee.

DA: Are you an only child?

RD: I have and older sister and a younger brother. He plays music as well.

DA: So what are Thirsty Thursdays at the Bridges about?

RD: I'm trying to get away from the "church" aspect of singer/songwriter venues. I want people to have fun and realize that it's just a barroom.

DA: Yeah, the Bridges is a union/blue-collar bar.

RD: It's only recently that the artists have been sitting alongside the blue-collar bridge workers. [The bar] has a history of really rowdy drinking and you can't transform it and make it what it's not. In other [singer/songwriter] venues, [the audience] is clinging to every word and that's really flattering, but I call this the Barroom Challenge. When you're playing for an audience that really doesn't care, or who's primary purpose for coming here is drinking, if I can get them into the music…it's pretty incredible. It's an informal way of having the singer/songwriter vibe and still have a drink and it's not so serious.

DA: So how long have you lived in DUMBO? What's your take on it?

RD: I've lived here for 5 years. It's a community of serious artists. Only in the past year has DUMBO changed. A rapid change different than Williamsburg which took a longer period to develop. It's an explosive metamorphosis. It's alarming.

DA: What do you think of David Walentas?  The bigwig in the burgeoning local real estate market.

RD: He's very much positioned himself strategically and no one can fault him for that. He really has no debt to the community so if he doesn't have it on his agenda to have a concern for the artists' neighborhood, it's not his fault. It's unfortunate. It's a wonderful neighborhood. We need a strong enough contingent of secure artists and musicians so the area can continue to be such and remain a cultural community. People have to have a respect for where the neighborhood came from and why it's here. There can't be a disregard for the people who sacrificed dollars for artistic expression. The artists make it
cool and then get pushed out. If the newcomers are supportive of the live music scene and are buying art from local artists, then it might offset the displacement of the bohemians.

DA: Any last words?

RD: God Bless Carlos Santana. Justice was served amidst the glitz and glam at the Grammies. It means that people care about the real deal.

Richard excuses himself from the table and slings on his guitar. I take a swig of beer and settle in for the real deal.

Deborah Au-Yeung dauyeung@yahoo.com spends the majority of her time hibernating in her D.U.M.B.O. loft, writing short fiction and jamming on her electric bass.  When she’s not wandering the waterfront on the cobblestone streets of the ‘hood, she can be found sitting at the counter of her favorite local eatery, Superfine.  Please Note: She likes her burgers medium-rare.

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