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Photo story

The Brooklynites Spike Lee, Paul Auster and a full cast of Brooklyn characters.
January 2006

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The Brooklynites

Photographer Seth Kushner and writer Anthony LaSala get under the skin of the real Brooklyn, NYC.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SETH KUSHNER

Spike Lee
Seth Kushner: I had photographed Spike once before, for a magazine. Although he has the reputation of being difficult, I found him friendly and easygoing. Based on my past experience, I expected him to be an easy subject. However, upon meeting him at his 40 Acres and a Mule production office in Fort Greene, we realized Spike was having a hard day and was not in the best of moods. I didn't know what kind of photo of him I would get. We did the shoot on the street outside his office. I worked quickly, not wanting to take too much of his time, and left feeling not entirely confident that I had got something good. Later, I discovered Spike's mood had translated into a look of Brooklyn attitude. Perfect.

Dmitriy Salita
Anthony LaSala: We are lucky to be working on this project while a number of champions and top boxers are residing in Brooklyn. This photo was taken in Gleason's Gym, an institution in the world of sport, where dozens of past title holders have trained, including Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe. Walking into Gleason's, you literally stroll into a cloud of sweat. You're surrounded by a swarm of hopefuls trying to punch their way out of obscurity. This photograph of the undefeated Orthodox Jewish boxer Dmitriy Salita is a great representation of not only the countless hours of work that a boxer must endure, but also of the gritty soul of Gleason's itself.

Since June 2004, photographer Seth Kushner and writer Anthony LaSala have been photographing and interviewing the people of Brooklyn for a long-term project, ?The Brooklynites.? ?We approach people in the street who are intriguing, people whose work and lives we admire, people who are known to be proud Brooklynites,? says LaSala. ?We wanted to get behind the façade, the name and the reputation of the place where we grew up. We wanted to find out who the people were and what they loved, hated and added to this historic locale.?

In the course of this ongoing project, Kushner and LaSala have photographed and interviewed prominent Brooklynites such as Spike Lee, Rosie Perez, Steve Buscemi and Terence Winter (writer and producer of ?The Sopranos?), Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, authors Jonathan Lethem, Rick Moody, Jonathan Ames, Amy Sohn and Paul Auster, as well as world welterweight champion Zab Judah and musician Casey Spooner of the band Fischerspooner.
For more information, visit www.sethkushner.com


Danny Simmons
Kushner: Danny is the brother of hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and rap superstar Reverend Run, from Run-DMC. Not to be outdone by his famous siblings, he is an artist in his own right and the founder of the Corridor Gallery in Fort Greene. Upon entering Danny's house for the shoot, we were overwhelmed. His living room was like a museum, covered in incredible art from all over the world. In the photo, Danny is posing in front of one of his own works. I love his expression and pose. His strength, wit and kindness are evident in the picture.

Yana
LaSala: This is one of my favorite images from the project. The neighborhood of Brighton Beach, otherwise known as ?Little Odessa,? is the destination for many of the Russian immigrants who enter New York Harbor each year. The boardwalk that runs through Brighton and continues into Coney Island is a meeting place of sky and sea, man and nature. We've also found some of our most visually arresting subjects here. This image of a young Russian girl named Yana, who emigrated here as a young child, perfectly harnesses all of these elements.

 

Paul Auster
LaSala: When we first conceived of this endeavor, there were a few names that immediately popped into our minds as ?must-haves.? Author Paul Auster, the unofficial wordsmith of Brooklyn, was one of them. After being rejected a number of times by Auster due to his busy schedule (I even tried tracking him down at a book signing?he said no to the project, but did sign my book) he finally agreed to participate. Meeting Auster and his wife, author Siri Hustved, in their beautiful Park Slope home was a highlight for Seth and me. The photograph of him seated in his parlor reveals the interior of one of Brooklyn's most famous brownstones, and captures the intense gaze of one of America's most revered writers.

Marty Markowitz
Kushner: To many, Marty (as he is referred to by almost everyone) is Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Borough President is a shameless promoter for the borough and is famous for putting up signs at the bridges and tunnels that say things like ?Leaving Brooklyn?Fuhgeddaboudit?. Our subjects are always asked to choose a location that means something to them in which to be photographed. Marty chose Junior's, home of world-famous cheesecake (as seen in the photo). Although his recent diet was well chronicled in the press, it was obvious Marty was no stranger to this eatery. He knew everyone in the place. When we later sent the photo to Marty's chief of staff, I was told his reaction to it was??Oy gevalt, caught with the evidence!?

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