Author Don LePan Says an "Ethical Impairment" Inspired His Novel

Don LePan during his reading at KGB Bar in the East Village.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

Author Don LePan, reading excerpts from his latest fiction work at KGB Bar in the East Village over the weekend, said the inspiration from his tome came from a passion to stop factory farming.

"It was an ethical impairment, really," LePan told NiteSide. 

"I'd been really upset about factory farming and I thought surely I can write something to make some kind of contribution to the effort to stop factory farming. The moment I had that thought, within 30 seconds, the story line for it came together in my mind."

LePan read from his book "Animals" Sunday night at the venerated watering hole, which hosts Sunday Night Fiction where emerging writers come to reveal their work. Though the scribe said he felt reaction to the book has been positive, he hopes to reach more people. 

"I only feel it would be a success if the numbers (of people reached) were far, far larger," LePan said. "'Black Beauty' had a huge impact on the treatment of horses in the Western world and it would be great to have an impact like that."

While he does feel passionate about the issues he addresses in this book, LePan is shifting gears for his next novel, entitled "1940."

"It is a romance novel based on my parents situation," LePan said. "Its' a very different sort of novel."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Author Matthew Pitt: "It's Like I Make a Mold and Then Immediately Break It"

Matthew Pitt at his book reading at KGB Bar.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

Author Matthew Pitt moved from New York City three years ago but returned last night to read an excerpt from his book at the KGB Bar in the East Village. He told NiteSide last night that the greatest challenge he faced in putting together his new book was his own style of writing. 

"I tend to put myself in a corner because the stories never seem the same from one to the next, so they're often wildly different in subject matter, tone and the type of character that I'm investing into that particular story," Pitt said. "It's like I make a mold and then immediately break it, which is exciting for me. I like that restlessness."

"Attention Please Now" is a collection of stories, which Pitt said was a long time in the making. 

"It's been ten years since I wrote the first story," Pitt said. "But after doing ten drafts or so, I got to a point where I was proud of it."

While he says the plots of his stories don't have a common theme, his characters do have one thing in common.

"They're all living a moment where they look around and they're on a high wire and there's no net beneath them," Pitt said. "They're at that point in their live where they have to decide, 'am I going to make it all the way across or am I going to jump or what's going to happen?' It kind of captures them at moments of crisis."

Pitt said he draws off his theater background to create characters but sometimes wishes he could draw off his own adventures. 

"I am really envious of friends that can take pieces from their own experiences and craft them into stories," Pitt said. "I am not able to plagiarize my own life."

Author Behind New Robert Pattinson Flick Says She Was Stunned by Set

Sara Gruen signed books after her reading at Barnes and Noble in Union Square.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
The animal-loving author behind the film "Water for Elephants" starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson said being on set of the silver-screen adaptation of her book was surreal. 

"When we came down off the hill and looked onto the set, it took my breath away," New York Times bestselling author Sara Gruen said during a reading at Barnes & Noble last night. "Five years ago it was in my head, and now it is real."

Gruen, reading from her latest tome, "Ape House,"said she and some family members have cameo roles in the film, which is due out next Spring. The idea for the second tome came while she was preparing to go on tour for her first book. 

She was fascinated by communicating with chimps "in our language or in theirs" and eventually joined forces with the Great Ape Trust to interact with bonobo apes in Iowa, she said. 

"I brought (the apes) fleece blanket, Mr. Potato Head, Slinkie's, Rubik's Cubes and anything I thought they would like," Gruen said. "But I think the key is M&M's. They love M&M's."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Green Day Front Man: "American Idiot" Was Inspired by 9/11

Billie Joe Armstrong (third from the left) on stage for "Idiot University" on Friday.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong said the mega-hit "American Idiot" -- which led to the creation of a Broadway musical of the same name -- was inspired by the terror attacks of Sept. 11.

"I remember seeing those planes smashing into the World Trade Center live. Right there," Armstrong said during his appearance on the Broadway stage Friday night with "American Idiot" director Michael Mayer for a talkback session dubbed "Idiot University."

"I don't think we ever really, as a society, we had never seen anything that implicit. It was just chaos. I was so confused. I felt paralyzed. So the song 'American Idiot' was the first thing that came to mind."

Select audience members of five performances last week had the opportunity to attend the talkbacks after the show, which also included four cast members and a few members of the creative team. 

Armstrong, whose "American Idiot" album focused on American society in the early part of the decade, said watching the band's music performed on stage is a different experience from listening to the record in a traditional setting.

"With me, Mike (Dirnt) and Tre (Cool), we are the three pieces, and it's like we're fighting," Armstrong said. "And that's been the main argument with the band is us fighting to hear ourselves. [In] the show (on Broadway) the music is pulled back and the vocals up front, it adds a whole new dimension to it - a whole new dynamic."

He said many of his songs sound better when coming from different voices -- especially female vocalists.

He added, "A lot of them sound better than I do. ... They're just beautiful singers all around. They could sing the freakin' dictionary. It's amazing."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Inside the Boss Models Fashion Week Bash at the Maritime Hotel

Mike Stylezz and Carly Nikole outside at the Mario Moya after party.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

It is Fall Fashion Week in New York City and I went to the after party for the Mario Moya show. It was at the Cabana at the Maritime Hotel, which has a partially open rooftop area. Check out my photo gallery from this event.

NitePics: Inside the Boss Models Fashion Week Bash at the Maritime Hotel

Jonathan Franzen: Being Named Great American Novelist Felt "Validating"

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Author Jonathan Franzen, lavished with praise for his most recent tome "Freedom," revealed last night why he wasn't surprised when Time magazine named him the Great American Novelist last month.

"I sat with the photographer three weeks earlier so it was not a total shock," Franzen said Wednesday night during a reading at Barnes and Noble in Union Square, "but it was validating and nice to hear."

Franzen's latest work is his fourth full-length novel and follows the path of a couple from their first meeting through their marriage and their reflections on family.

"I really have no opinions about the American family," Franzen said. "I only know one and that's filtered through an emotional underworld. I'm dubious on even my reliability on my expertise with my own family. But I do know there will always be parents. There may not always be siblings, but there will always be kids and parents."

The author's last novel -- "The Corrections" -- was selected by Oprah for her Book Club but was later dropped when Franzen said he thought the talk show queen's seal on his work would turn off men. He declined to comment about whether he's spoken to Oprah since the 2001 incident.

After a book tour, Franzen says he will be taking some time before penning his next novel.

"It takes me a long time to write a book because I need to feel like I have something new to say," Franzen said.

After the book tour, Franzen said he may do more reporting on wildlife akin to the piece he wrote in July for The New Yorker about the savage hunting of birds.

"I was literally stepping out of my novelist practice and into being a journalist," Franzen said. "It's a big problem to get people interested in our environment, but that's as far as I'm going to step out of being a novelist for now."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Author Taylor Plimpton Details Nightlife Dalliances in New Tome

Author Taylor Plimpton at McNally Jackson Bookstore

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Author Taylor Plimpton, son of former renowned Paris Review editor George Plimpton, detailed on Monday his dilliances in New York nightlife, stories that are chronicled in his new tome.

The 33-year-old, who spent long nights in Manhattan clubs to research his book, discussed his zest for nightlife and read from his part-memoir, part-guidebook "Notes From the Night: A Life After Dark" -- his first tome -- Monday night at McNally Jackson Bookstore in SoHo.

"When I go out I feel that excitement in the pit of my stomach and that hint of possibility of what the night holds," Plimpton said last night. "When I go out I don't want to go home. If I'm out, I want to see the whole night through until dawn when there's nothing left to find."

"I really like to get every last bit of it."

Plimpton, whose father was considered a literary tour de force, said it took him six years to research and write his book, during which time he would venture into clubs to observe people and document the scene. Citing Avenue as one of his favorite hot spots, Plimpton said the club scene is a tough industry to crack.

"Generally, it's a vicious circle," he said. "Either you know someone at the door or you don't -- and if you don't, you're out of that loop. And sometimes they'll say you need girls to get in, but we need to get in to get girls so it's a circle."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

"American Idiot" Co-Stars Take to the Stage as Hip Hop Duo Fran Sancisco

Me with the guys from Fran Sancisco at the D-Lounge.

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

"American Idiot" co-stars Brian Charles Johnson and Chase Peacock, accustomed to sharing a Broadway stage, made a different kind of debut in New York over the weekend. 

The actors, who met in San Francisco as they were working on the Green Day-inspired rock musical, took to the stage as hip-hop group Fran Sancisco Saturday at the D-Lounge in Manhattan. 

"We liked this hip-hop and R&B vibe, and I had a real hankering for an outlet," Peacock told NiteSide.

The project began as a handful of songs and collection of inside jokes between "American Idiot" cast members. 

"We got this amazing response that we weren't prepared for," Johnson said. 

The duo also received a blessing from "American Idiot" director Michael Mayer, who told the pair, "Hey, you guys do not stop making this music," according to Peacock.

"So that was huge for us," he added. 

Johnson and Peacock, who are now working on their first album, said playing music on stage is far different from performing on the Great White Way.

"On stage [for 'American Idiot'] we have choreography and places to be," said Peacock, "and when we're doing our own thing it's just two guys on stage with microphones."

Johnson said he finds up-and-coming artists like Kid Cudi inspiring, and Peacock said he considers Chris Brown to be one of his role models.

"I got obsessed with Chris Brown and would watch all of his videos and would dance in my mirror to the music videos," said Peacock.

And, of course, both cite Green Day as having been influential in their careers. 

"Knowing Green Day for so long and watching them as a kid and seeing them on TV and now I'm hanging out at their house and they're asking me if I want anything to eat," said Peacock. "It's just an amazing thing." 

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

O.A.R. Bass Guitaris Benj Gershman Wants to Relay Messages With His Photos

me and O.A.R. guitarist Benj Gershman at the Morrison Hotel Gallery.

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
O.A.R. bass guitarist Benj Gershman is also involved in photography and he told NiteSide that besides snapping pictures of people and bands, he wants to use his photography to relay messages to the world.

"I want to have a whole other side of photography that is just social messaging," Gershman said. "I'll have a lot of them revolve around my passion for our environment and a lot of them with my view on America and telling the story about the world we live in right now."

Gershman premiered his "Rock Cause (O.A.R.)" photography exhibit last night at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in Manhattan. This exhibit profiled experiences of O.A.R., and he said there are other types of bands he would like to create a similar project about.

"What intrigues me is a lot of the bands that look like they're from the 70s and the people that have that style that they're not in this modern era, like Kings of Leon or Edward Sharp and the Magnificent Zeros," Gershman said. "Those kinds of bands have such a magnificent style."

Gershman, who has shot a Dave Matthews concert, said photography started out as a hobby for him but eventually became a passion.

"I just sort of found it and fell in love with it," he said.

Gershman got his first camera from his father about a year after leaving college. He experimented with it while he was on tour with the band and realized photography wasn't as easy as he expected.

"I wasn't good at it at first and that pissed me off," Gershman said. "I had to really work at it and figure it out. I can't tell you how frustrating it is for me as a person to not get something right. Mistakes for me are hard to swallow."

He kept taking photos, not only to get better at it but also just to capture what he and the other band members were experiencing during that time in their lives.

"I realized that our band was going through things that wouldn't last forever," Gershman said. "We were changing and our music was changing. I wanted to capture it and savor it a little bit."

After developing a better understanding of photography, Gershman says it comes more naturally for him than it used to.

"When I look at things now, I don't just see the whole thing," Gershman said. "I'm looking at tones and I'm looking at the back lighting. Those things happen much more instinctually than they did early on."

Gershman says that his band mates used to tease him about always having a camera with him, but always encouraged him and even later asked for his advice.

"They've gotten some cool cameras and I've been fortunate enough to lend some tips their way," Gershman said. "They're the most supportive guys in the world and I'm lucky to have them get it like that."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Songwriter Brendan James: My Must-Have For Making Music

Singer-songwriter Brendan James at the VH1 Save the Music fundraiser.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Singer-songwriter Brendan James, who is releasing his self-titled album in September, told NiteSide he can't write a song without sitting at a piano. 

"When [the song] hits me, I have to find a piano quickly and get as much creativity out in that time span and then it leaves me," James said Thursday at the VH1 Save the Music benefit at Bowlmor Lanes in Gramercy. "I can find inspiration anywhere, but I have to be at a piano to write."

The Los Angeles- based crooner will have his music featured on the trailer for the upcoming Reese Witherspoon and Jack Nicholson flick "How Do You Know?".

"I'm really happy about it," the up-and-comer said. 

James, who said he has been compared to Ryan Adams and Elton John, isn't sure how to classify his music but hope it resonates with fans. 

"I don't know how to classify my own music," James said. "I guess it's pop music with hopefully some meaning. That's the goal."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

The Plain White T's: Next Album Will Not Be All "Boy-Girl Lovey-Dovey"

Me and Tom Higgenson from The Plain White T's

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Rockers The Plain White T's, best known for their Grammy-nominated love ballad "Hey There Delilah," revealed to NiteSide last night that their new album may stun fans.

"You'll be surprised by this album," lead-singer Tom Higgenson said Wednesday night during a VH1 Save the Music benefit at Bowlmor Lanes in Gramercy. "It's a little different for us, but still very honest and sincere and catchy. We wanted to explore some different themes."

"Not all the songs are boy-girl lovey-dovey. We went a little bit deeper."

The band performed acoustic versions of "Boomerang" and "Rhythm of Love" -- two songs from their new album -- Wednesday night at the Manhattan bowling bash. Singer Higgenson said the latest album, "The Wonders of the Younger," is a bit more reflective than records past.

"The more life you live, the older you get, the more you kind of lose that innocence and that wonder that you have when you're young," said Higgenson. "Not that you want a bunch of 40-year-olds running around acting like kids, but to hang on to a little bit of that wonder I think is important. Hopefully, this record will help people reconnect with that a little bit."

And although the Plain White T's have topped the charts with "Hey There Delilah," which they also performed last night, the group is attempting to reach the top several more times in their careers.

"The Beatles had 27 No. 1 songs, so we want to have 28," said Higgenson. "So yeah, we have pressure to live up to those songs. Our song '1, 2, 3, 4' didn't quite crack number one, so we're still 27 away."

Guitarist Tim Lopez, who wrote their current single "Rhythm of Love" about an ex-girlfriend, said achieving this goal all depends on the fans: "It's not us who decides how big [the songs] get," said Lopez. "We write them, we pen them, and then it's out of our hands."

Added Higgenson: "We just try to make the best music that we can that we feel passionate about and whatever else happens, happens."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.


Personal note: Talk about an amazing group of guys. Hanging out with the Plain White T's at Bowlmor Lanes last night was an absolute blast. They are really kind people and very, very talented.

Inside the Bowling Bash at Bowlmor With the Plain White T's

The Plain White T's performed on a stage right over the bowling lanes.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

VH1 held a bowling fundraiser at Bowlmor Lanes in Manhattan to benefit the Save the Music foundation with a special guest acoustic performance by The Plain White T's.

NitePics: Inside the Bowling Bash at Bowlmor With the Plain White T's

A Night With East Village Radio DJ's Two for Tennis

Tim Lee, me, and Messenie from "Two for Tennis" at East Village Radio.

check them out online at www.eastvillageradio.com

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

Radio hosts Tim "Love" Lee and "Coach MP" Mike Messenie, the pair who make up DJ duo Two for Tennis, spend Tuesday evenings spinning at the streetside East Village Radio studio -- but the real show is often outside. 

"We get a lot of strange looks, but I give a lot of strange looks," said Messenie, as a group of tourists stopped to snap photos outside the small, glass-front, mirror-walled space that serves as the station's studio on 1st Avenue and 1st Street in Manhattan. 

"One of the greatest things about New York is to people watch, and we are sitting in front of a gigantic window on the corner of 1st and 1st -- the nexus of the universe -- just observing people walk by. Everybody is represented on this corner -- a guy walks by, crying, drinking a 22-ounce Budweiser and then a lawyer will walk by."

"We see everything."

Two for Tennis -- which lists Steely Dan and Gentle Giant among their musical favorites and boasts listeners from the UK, Australia, and Asia -- has watched as confused passerby walk into the studio, mistaking it for a bar or club or some sort of dance party.

"Because of the mirrors, we have people wandering in thinking they're walking into this happening joint and it's just me and Mike in here," Lee said. "But sometimes people stay and we've ended up with nine or ten people all crammed into this little room. Several times it will turn into a mini night club back here just by people coming in by accident."

Lee and Meesenie said the spontaneity of the show adds to the experience and is even reflected in the music they play. The DJs pride themselves in not having a set list of songs and say it's part of what adds character to the show. 

"There's always a solution to not having a plan," Messenie said. "If you can't think of one thing to play, play five things."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Inside Showbiz Boss Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland

Arianna performed her song acapella last night at "Cast Party."

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

NitePics: Inside Showbiz Boss Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland

Co-Anchoring the Live "NYU Tonight" News Broadcast

I co-anchored NYU Tonight's live weekly night news broadcast on March 25, 2010.

I've had requests to see it, so here's the video.