Special Edition: Nico Muhly

Dear Everyone:

          Three years ago I became obsessed with an album called Speaks Volumes by a young musical artist named Nico Muhly.  He was only 25 years old at the time and his track record was already really, really astonishing (he'd had a seemingly fantastical, musical child and teenhood supported by some of the art world's greatest like Isaac Mizrahi, assisted the brilliant Philip Glass, and even collaborated with the truly terrific Maira Kalman).  Since then he's released another album along with the few film scores he's composed, and my obsession continues.  His well-written, thought-provoking, intelligent and also genuinely humorous blog pushed me to wonder: what is Nico Muhly the guy, rather than the composer, really like?  Here are his answers to my 16 questions.

What do you do?  (Your career)

            I am a composer.

What do you DO? (Everything else of importance)

            I cook and I take short runs in between composing music.

 

How would you describe your music?

            Twitchy, ritualistic, and obsessive.

 

Give us a brief history of your musical career.  Humorous mini timeline allowed.

Bad pianist, decent chorister turned into good pianist, good composer.  Conservatory fermented some and expanded others and now am very happy in New York.   

 

What is your home like?

My apartment is a 1k sq. ft. loft in Chinatown.  I can see the arch of the Manhattan bridge, the Empire State Building & the Chrysler Building. I used to have a roommate but she moved with her man to Brooklyn, so now I have the largest closet of anybody I know. 

 

How do you entertain guests at home?

The most recent time: I made a cocktail with ginger + hot pepper syrup + tequila, then made mussels with coconut milk, galangal & holy basil (this is an important staple dish in my house.  very easy to make and feeds a crowd and costs like $.05 if you source everything from south of Canal), and then a roasted pork loin with rosemary & ginger (cheated and went to Whole Foods for the pork), with jerusalem artichokes and these delicious dandelion greens from the Essex Street Market.  We drank & ate and then my friend A— made a poppyseed lemon cake and I made a cardamom syrup and then we went out dancing at Home Sweet Home b/c I'm scurred to have people dance in my house.

 

Where do you go for a night out with friends in the city?

It's kind of the same thing as being at home.  But: Fuleen Seafood on Division Street.

 

What's the best thing to do on a rainy day off?  On a sunny day off?

Mildly Rainy Day: go to the Central Park Zoo (nobody will be there).  Sunny day go to the Bronx Zoo, and everybody will be there but it's still awesome.  Take the Skyfari.  Seriously rainy day like yesterday: call your friends in England and commiserate, order Seamless Web Pho and clean up mp3 metatags (classical music is hard)

 

Who is/are your favorite musician(s)?

            William Byrd, Prince, Owen Pallett, Olivier Messiaen.

 

What's your favorite meal to make at home?

Most Favorite & Easy: Pasta with broccoli rabe & sausage, a big green salad with mustardy dressing, cheese.  Most Favorite & Hard: Pork belly with lentils, pigs' feet with prunes, arugula salad, hot chocolate cake.

 

Where is your favorite place to eat in the city?

            Lupa, or Fuleen Seafood.

 

Most terrific area in the city?

            Chinatown, specifically Southeast Chinatown under the manhattan bridge.

 

Favorite shop/store?

Atelier on Hudson Street for clothes, the supermarket under the Manhattan bridge for food, and I weirdly adore B&H for electronics.

 

Favorite park?

            Central!  Old Fashioned.

 

If you had to take a visiting friend to ONE PLACE in the city, where would it be?

I like taking people to Great New York Noodletown on the Bowery at Bayard, and then making them walk halfway across the Manhattan bridge so you can see on the Brooklyn Bridge.  

 

Any fantastic ghost stories?

Every time I go to the West Village and I see a man with a bald head and oversized Japanese clothes I think it's the late Tibor Kalman and I get very emotional.  

Best, Jordan