The author event at the Free Library was great. Ed Conlon and Joe Pistone both told some stories from their colorful pasts which continue on into their colorful futures. I knew both of them were NYers, but had only heard Pistone speak before. Conlon is a Bronx native, but spoke more like a Brooklynite. How'd a kid with that accent get into the hallowed halls of Hhhhhhavahd?
Conlon read some passages from his book. Stories of an alleged crazed "Jewish" cat in a lady's apartment; sitting in a dead man's apartment waiting for the medical examiner to show up and an insurance salesman calls trying to sell insurance first to the dead guy and then to Conlon; and a murder suspect who tries to set Conlon up with a nurse while in the hospital. He reads his work very well, not something all writers can do. Lady, who read Blue Blood, was very interested in hearing his voice after reading his book.
Pistone walked to the podium and went right into telling some stories from his F.B.I. days. Many stories from Donnie Brasco and lots of littler side stories. He was pretty graphic in his language, something I don't think the usual Free Library attendees were used to. Talk of whacking this guy or cutting another guy up with a chainsaw [not a hacksaw]. He also spoke of the Italian-American mob and how they differed from the Jamaicans, Russians, Albanians and Sicilians. The mob here won't go after a person's family he said. He said that someone ratted his family out after the Feds told the mob about his past. Someone Pistone grew up with told the mob bosses where his family lived, but the mob said that their beef was with Joe Pistone and Joe Pistone only. He also said that the mob is at about 50% of what it was when he was undercover. The mob will never be what it once was because of drugs. Don Corleone was right!
But the funniest story of the night came after the talk. As Lady and I walked outside to the car [which was right in front of the library in a primo spot] and I started the car, it wouldn't start. Luckily, there were tons of cops there so I flagged one down [from the Philly CSU] and asked him for a jump. Two of his partners stayed in their Expedition while we connected the cables. And as I'm connecting the black cable, one of them honks the horn. Me and the cop outside both jumped. And we all started laughing. It was pretty shocking and hilarious. I was just standing there laughing at myself and the two in the car were yukking it up for a good five minutes. They're probably telling their buddies right now.
The shots above were taken by me and from pretty far back in the auditorium @70mm; f/4.5, 1/90 sec; ISO-1600. Not the ideal conditions, but whatevs. I wish I was up close with a 50mm f/1.8 but hey. We got there a little late because of issues at the parking garage, they took about 20 minutes to get the car. Arg.
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