Back in the late 90's I had a weekly DJ gig at Niagara in the East Village at 7th St and Avenue A. One of my favorite guys to work with there, Ethan Minsker, has gone on to follow his muse with the Antagonist Art Movement which, so far, encompasses an impressive collection of film and books. I've asked Ethan to to give us some background on his projects as I think its well worth spreading the word. Here is the first of a two part series, by Ethan, about Antagonist:
Movies of Ethan H. Minsker and the Antagonist Art Movement
The Antagonist Art Movement attempts to foster and promote unknown artists through a variety of events. These films reflect those values. Whether its women of Lower East Side punk rock bands in the early ’90s such as in the documentary “Anything Boys Can Do…” or “The Soft Hustle,” a narrative film of the Lower East Side bar scene in 2003 featuring cameos such as Jesse Malin, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Howie Pyro and many more. We have tried to make films that would appeal to the young and struggling artists, not for those who are only interested in the already successful artists. (There are enough films about those rich and famous artists.) Each film we have made available on Amazon for $1.99—cheap!—so it lets broke artists watch them all. All the money goes back into helping make more films and host more art events. “The Dolls of Lisbon” just came out on iTunes and looks the best from them. With the new digital distribution it's possible to reach a large audience quickly; that is if they know about us. That said, don't be shy about letting your artist friends know. Below is a quick run down of each film along with a trailer. We hope our work inspires you to make your own.
The Dolls of Lisbon: A movie about struggling artists making work on the other side of the world. A DIY eyeball-busting bonanza about 100 handmade dolls. Find it on Amazon, iTunes and on DVD. Local book store: Saint Marks Book Shop on 9th St & 3rd Ave.
This is Berlin, Not New York DVD and Amazon Instant download. See what trouble the Antagonists can get in when they make art in abandoned buildings in Berlin.
The Soft Hustle: The story of a Lower East Side lowlife who makes a bet for $1,000, which he promptly loses. After getting kicked out of the apartment of his girlfriend, he finds himself going home with cheap barflies, robbing East Village stores and pathetically pretending he is gay just to have a place to sleep. This film is an extra on The Dolls of Lisbon DVD or can be downloaded from Amazon Instant Video.
Anything Boys Can Do…: The underground music world has been characteristically male-dominated, in both the bands and the audiences. With the upsurge of women involved in the scene, female bands and musicians are all too often regarded as novelty acts, regularly shrugged off as militant feminist or cutely entertaining. Overwhelmed by the numbers of male bands, female bands of the scene are lumped together in one category "girl group," regardless of style, talent or musical content. Anything Boys Can Do... investigates and reveals the issues affecting women in general and as individual performers.
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