Final Times for Coney Island’s Astroland
Source: story links: final times for coney island’s astroland, music by kris

story links: final times for coney island’s astroland, music by kris


81 On-site Responses:
  1. leron says:

    I’m not a huge fan of the montage effect but the report stirred me nonetheless. I think I was 5 when I went to Astroland for the first time. It has not changed much.

    I will do what I can to go back before it shuts its doors forever in September. Anyone who has never been there should consider doing so too. It’s like walking back in time to an era when garish paint and a rumbling wood coaster, right near the ocean on the fringe of that spectacular city, made magic. Toss in a couple of Nathan’s hot dogs (mustard and kraut) and you’re damn near standing at the gates of heaven.

    When the greedheads start ripping it down in the fall, we will never see the likes of it again.

      • leron says:

        I hear you.

        Nothing last forever. But we are really closing a chapter this time.

        Kam, meet me on the boardwalk this summer and I\’ll spring for lunch. And cotton candy too. That\’ll pretty much make up for the $900 airfare, huh?

        Same offer applies to Joanne, Drew et al. Cotton candy for all. It tastes 10 times as good with an ocean breeze behind it. Savor its sweetness while you can.

  2. Awesome creativity! I loved the montage effect! Great show. It ranks right up there with the ‘backwards in time’ episode. And Joanne is so svelte she doesn’t even cast a shadow or leave footprints in the sand ;)

    We’ll be down at the end of June. I think the kids will skip the zoo this time and we’ll take them to Coney Island before another landmark is forever erased.

    Thanx RB!

  3. B-man says:

    Is that your morning ritual Joanne? Lovely!
    Now I see why you’re so perky behind the desk each day.

    “By simply observing a form, we influence it. We in turn are influenced by
    others. This challenges us to be more aware of the quality of our being and
    the vibrations we transmit.”

    “There is no reality in the absence of observation.”

    —somebody in Copenhagen

  4. alangr46 says:

    Coney Island lovers should get a DVD of the 1953 Indie film “Little Fugitive.” Haunting. Of course I saw it when I was 7, which may be why it made such a strong impression.

  5. Carl says:

    I liked elements of it, but for the most part it reminded me of the famous collage in The Knitting Factory in NYC. Don’t get me wrong it’s great as a backdrop to to something else. I just don’t know what it is other than distracting at best.

    Have a happy Friday!

  6. Rob P says:

    Fantastic video affects made even more powerful by that amazing music. The only possible improvement that I see is to have me dancing with Joanne instead of her by herself. This way she doesn’t have to lead.

  7. Tiil says:

    C’est Chouette! This Casual Friday will be remembered…
    That’s what is lacking in the video blog, the possibility to be more creative with the format. That’s why I decided to continue to use Flash on a traditional web site to show videos. Even Flash is not the best tool and is limiting the potential for experiment.
    In Flash in order to be creative I have to embed the video on the page, making the page to long to download.
    Here is an example of something I did for a musician but you have to wait to download 15MB to see it…
    http://tiilnet.tiil.us/videos/jorrit-2.html Click on the squares to bring unlimited interactivity! and the musician playing alone is Great!

  8. Ellie says:

    Once again, Kris and Kenyatta made something unique and different than any other show we’ve done before. Great job guys! It’s beautiful.

  9. Lara says:

    Walter’s post is gone. love your freedom of speech ways. i think somebody got a feeling hurt. must be true, huh?

  10. sami says:

    what happened to that walter guy’s comment? I wanted to re-read it… I love dark horses. Oh well. I didnt know fascism was rocketboom’s current trend.

    “they’re not nazis walter they’re nihilists”

    “Nihilists! Jesus”

    “Say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos”

  11. sami says:

    “I told those fucks at the league office i dont roll on shabbas” seems too me lara, that walter was eliminated from the first round-robin

  12. JackH says:

    I liked it. And as all of the above, I’d like to learn how it’s done.

    Do you know the “all new honda landra, a car we can feel all good about”-commercial?
    I think, comedycentral’s motherload presented it to me like hundreds of times. The effect reminds me of this one. (or actually it’s the other way round, I’d already wanted to be learn how to do something like the honda-commercial.)

    Have a nice weekend, Jack

  13. leron says:

    When you go to Coney Island you are always aware where you are in relation to the Parachute Drop. In wikipedia they call it the Parachute Jump but in Bensonhurst it was always the drop. Many things you see in New York border on the surreal. The Parachute Drop remains in a league by itself.

    It closed down when I was a kid and I always thought it would open again but no. I just couldn’t believe they’d abandon anything so big. I figured they had shut it down because someone got killed. Actually no one ever got hurt on it. It was killed by the death of simpler times.

    Three men — and they were always men — had to guide each chute to the ground.

    I guess we’re fortunate Astroland lasted as long as it did.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_Jump

      • Cowdozer says:

        Hey, it turns out that they actually made a Java version of it a while ago, so you can try this one (although it\’s not quite as neat as the one I linked to before).

        http://phototour.cs.washington.edu/

        PS: I\’m wondering why my last post was rated so badly… :( I don\’t think I said anything negative, and I thought people would like to see something very technically impressive and related to the episode.

  14. beagle says:

    Beautiful development on Hockney – what a great little piece.

    Although I don’t get the spinning Joanne; unless it’s to simulate the feeling you have once you come off the rollercoaster.

  15. jordoboom says:

    Aphrodite is right! Always a pleasure. Big fan. Every day is better thanks to you. Respect from Alaska. – Jordan

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