Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 509

I was walking down the sidewalk, listening to music, when I...

I was walking down the sidewalk, listening to music, when I noticed this man waving his arms at me. So I pulled out my earbuds, and said: “What’s up?”

He replied: “How are you not going to photograph New York’s number one homeless man?”

"People should do what they want, even if other people say...

"People should do what they want, even if other people say it’s crazy."
"What’s something you’ve done that other people said was crazy?"
"…. date him."

I received a polite, businesslike letter yesterday from somebody...

I received a polite, businesslike letter yesterday from somebody asking if they could “draw monsters on my photographs.” That’s like asking if I want to see a flying side kick.

Monsters of New York

"What’s the most frightened you’ve ever been?""When...

"What’s the most frightened you’ve ever been?"
"When my mom died."
"How old were you?"
"Sixteen."
"Where was your Dad?"
"Not around."
"How’d she die?"
"AIDS."
"What’d you do?"
"Dropped out of school. Hung out with friends. Drank a lot. In certain neighborhoods, the whole community would have a charity drive if your parents died. Not in my neighborhood. We were on our own. I’m a youth counselor now. Some of the kids I deal with try to tell me how tough they are because they’re from the ‘streets.’ I tell them: ‘You aren’t tough. You’re barking at the wrong tree. I grew up in hell.’"

"I like to read biographies of dead poets.""Aren’t those a...

"I like to read biographies of dead poets."
"Aren’t those a bit boring?"
"You kidding me? Shelley died on a boat, Byron fucked everything that walked, and Yeats talked to dead people."

"Do you want to see a flying side kick?""I absolutely do."

"Do you want to see a flying side kick?"
"I absolutely do."

"What’s your favorite thing about your mother?""This is my...

"What’s your favorite thing about your mother?"
"This is my godmother."
"What’s your favorite thing about your godmother?"
"She helps me scare my godfather."

“I’m an architect.”“Tell me something that you’ve learned...

“I’m an architect.”
“Tell me something that you’ve learned about architecture that also applies to life in general.”
“Details matter. Sometimes I look at people on the subway, and I wonder if they realize how all the small decisions they make affect the overall effect they are giving off. Things like posture, clothing, hygiene…”

"One time I was hitchhiking in California when this guy in a...

"One time I was hitchhiking in California when this guy in a truck pulled over and picked me up. The first thing he did was crack open a beer, then he handed me one. I don’t even drink, but I pretended to drink it. Then he reached into a compartment and pulled out a handful of weed and asked me if I wanted any. When I told him ‘no thanks,’ he just threw the handful of weed at me and said ‘I don’t even need it, I own four weed farms.’ At this point it was dark and I was getting pretty nervous. Then he said he had to pee, so he pulled off this side road and drove deep into into the woods. I was gripping my bottle, getting ready to hit him in the face with it."
"So, what happened?"
"Oh nothing. He was just peeing. Then he gave me $200 and bought me dinner."

"I normally spend all night exploring the city.""What’s...

"I normally spend all night exploring the city."
"What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever found?"
"Well, back when the MTA lengthened the size of the trains, a lot of subway stations became inoperable. Those ghost stations are really cool to see."
"How do you get there?"
"Just let your balls drop and watch out for the third rail."