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If you're like us, you may have had trouble sleeping during the lockdown, even with looming prospect of NYC finally opening up. And it has been nerve-racking: Spiraling cases (now, thankfully slowing down), job losses, social distancing measures and the closure of museums, restaurants, bars and theaters—not to mention noisy neighbors and cars speeding down the street. We could all use a good night's rest, and luckily the New Museum of Contemporary Art is here to help with their recently launched online series, "Bedtime Stories."
The project comprises audio tracks of tales meant to lull you to dreamland, with a twist: They're read by famous artists and musicians—among them, Iggy Pop, David Byrne and Jeff Koons.
The program is the brainchild of bad-boy artist and art-world provocateur, Maurizio Cattelan, who was also behind the solid gold toilet that was installed at the Guggenheim.
Contributors include British artist Tacita Dean reciting a Thomas Hardy poem and Iggy reading a love letter to his dearly departed dog—which manages to be both sweetly sentimental and slightly sickening. In a soft gravelly voice, he recounts how he found the mutt on a street in Mexico, and decided to adopt it when the pooch jumped into the punk icon's truck and infested him with fleas. It was love at first sniff, and as the story moves to NYC, we learn the dog's favorite pastime was eating garbage in the gutter—where he was run over one day by a car.
Ok, so that one might give you nightmares, but it's still worth listening to. Meanwhile, "Bedtime Stories"—find it here—is posting new tracks daily (look for David Byrne on May 18). Nighty night.
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