Check it – Will Janowitz was Meadow Soprano’s boyfriend on that Sopranos show. NYCTACO doesn’t have cable but we hear he was kickin’ it. We did see him in that commercial, though, when he was that guy who did that thing.

What up Will. Did you ever try to kiss Meadow Soprano for real?

Never tried to kiss her- however i did attempt to read her mind once and found that she’s planning to lead a revolution of individuals who are pro- shrinking farm animals for use as household pets.

Did Tony/Mr. Gandolfini ever take you aside on the set and go, “Ay, if you ever touch my baby girl I’m gonna break your f-in melon, capiche?”

Never did he shake me down for realsy. However, when I couldn’t stop laughing in a scene once he grabbed my nose and told me he’d rip it off and shove it up my ass if I didn’t quit it. It worked and I believe added a realness to the scene that wasn’t there before.

What the strangest thing you’ve ever acted in?

Hmm… probably the Kahlua comercial I just shot on top of a mountain. There were extras dressed as (make believe) Mayan warriors and I and a pretty girl had been transported there from a party… The Mayan leader invites us to party with them and take part of their Kahlua inspired festivities… I also did a soft core porn.

Is it hard to find work in this crazy town?

You have to be creative and make your own opportunities- but it can be… actors must always take risks.

What can we see Will Janowitz in, in the future?

You can see me in GNOME bitches www.gnomeshow.com. Before the strike i was in the process of selling my own show about a half human, half gnome who comes out of a 30 yr hiatus from Central Park to navigate the materialistic world of NYC today. LOL!!! And a project called BOXMAN a feature being written by Joshua Soloman (author of Black Like Me; Revisited.)

Where is your favorite place to get a taco?

Hands down!! La Superica!! It’s in Santa Barbara, CA and it’s so freakin good and worth the drive from LA every time i’m there. Holler!!!

Fuerza Bruta officially trumps the Aerosmith laser light show down at the Planetarium as the official Trippiest Show to Watch When You’re Shrooming With Eight Friends.

The Buenos Aires gang that created De La Guarda is back again at the Daryl Roth Theatre at Union Square, and NYCTACO was blown away. Guests walk into an empty room with nothing to see and nowhere to turn. For the next 70 minutes, you are attacked by treadmills, rotating machines, and a massive transparent pool that descends on the audience, low enough to touch, filled with writhing bathing beauties. (you can touch them too.)

NYCTACO got a chance to ask Michael Hollick, one of the show’s performers, just what the h is going on…

Hey, Michael, what’s up. Your show blew my mind. How did you audition for such a unique show? No Tom Stoppard monologues, I take it.

The audition was intense. We ran a lot on the treadmill, which is a major element of the show. We also did a lot of dancing. Obviously, performers in the show need to have stamina and athleticism, and the audition reflected this. No Stoppard monologues were required, but strong actors are required. Performers must have an enormous capacity for emotional expression. Real, raw emotion is what makes the show compelling. Without that it would be just a bunch of tricks.

I don’t care how many times night after night you get up there – that would scare anyone sh*tless. What do you do pre-show to relax and get into the right mental mindframe?

Focus and concentration are paramount. We arrive 2 hours before show time. We have a “track meeting” in which we learn what roles we will each be performing that night (roles are rotated on a nightly basis). After the track meeting we have a 45 minute group warmup. This is an opportunity for us to get ready physically and mentally, but more importantly it is a chance for us to come together as a group. The show is potentially dangerous if the cast and crew do not function as a team.

The cast seems real tight, in a tribal, scuzzy, magic bus type of way. Do you guys take peyote in Central Park or any sh*t like that?

We are a very close-knit group. Most of us have been working together for years. You have to trust that your fellow performer has your back during the show. We have our share of drum circles, but no magic bus….. I think someone in the cast has a magic Camry.

Sources say you’re working on some multi-chapter sci-fi fantasy opus. What’s that all about?

Wow. I’m not sure if I’m capable of an “opus”. Basically, I’m experimenting with telling one story in many different ways. Using different character perspectives, genres and styles, even different mediums. I’m fascinated by how a story becomes an enduring story or myth. I think it might have something to do with varying and diverse interpretations that allow the story to speak to a wider audience.

Wow. You’re talking like a riddle wrapped inside an enigma right there. What is in your future after Fuerza Bruta?

I’m looking forward to taking what I’ve learned from this amazing experience and applying it toward my own personal creative exploits, including my “opus”. I would love to do more film work. I make a lot of music with my scuzzy tribe and will always keep up with that. But what I really want is a garden with tomatoes, strawberries, vegetables and, yes, flowers.

Where is your favorite place to get a taco?

La Paloma in Hell’s Kitchen – 45th street and 9th ave. Cheap, fresh and delicious!

www.fuerzabruta.net

Manhattan ~ NY 

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Punjabi Grocery Deli~ 114 E. 1st St. New York, NY  10009 ~ (212) 533-9048

I’ve eaten my way through a big part of New York’s cheap and fine dining establishments, and if I was gonna have my last meal catered by anyone in the Manzana Grande, I’d pick Punjabi. It is my favorite spot in New York and I love it, mostly as Mr. Cooke put it, “for sentimental reasons.”

I’ve been coming to this small North Indian deli/takeout restaurant/cassette tape dispensary/taxi driver hangout for at least eleven years (the dreads introduced me) and stood by its side through staff changes, price adjustments, and even 9/11, wherein NYC TACO stood firmly against the challenges of U.S. ignorance colliding with the normal haberdashery of our brave Sikh brothers, of which this particular Punjabi crew belongs.

This homie has been here for years now. He is awesome, though one time, back in the days when he was sorta new, he sneaked a minute pepper in my food that nearly killed me. He’s behind a slew of Indian snack foods and in front of the numerous, multi-colored covers of mix-tapes sung in Punjabi, Marathi, Urdu and Hindi and whatnot. Below him are a picture-shy assortment of curries that change daily and are served with basmati and nuked for your convenience. There are usually about 6 curries and breads and samosas available. The curries taste homemade and are very good. The chai is also really sweet and a nice treat on them freezing Gotham days.

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