Gowanus Lounge: Serving Brooklyn

Holiday Cheer: Music on Fifth Ave. in Sunset Park Doesn’t Uplift Everyone

December 9th, 2008 · 7 Comments

Yesterday, the one-and-only Brian Lehrer had Renee Giordano, executive director of the Sunset Park Business Improvement District, on his WNYC radio show. Giordano talked about how the neighborhood is trying to boost holiday shopping, including playing holiday music. Per an email from Dave Buckszpan at the radio station: “As usual, they’ve hung speakers from the lampposts that blast Christmas cheer—much to the joy, and dismay, of many shoppers. One particularly vexed caller asks if it’s even constitutional to play Christmas music. Renee replies that she’d be happy to play any kind of music the caller would like: Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist…? When the caller replies that she’s atheist, host Brian Lehrer suggests—what else—atheist holiday music.”

Tags: Holidays · Sunset Park

7 responses so far ↓

  • 1 mag // Dec 9, 2008 at 8:46 am

    for goodness sake, with this economy and so many people in the dumps, all the business district is trying to do is lift people’s spirits, and hopefullyencourage shopping. i would love to hear holiday music celebrating a diverse mirad of cultures. anyone who finds this offensive should lighten up.

  • 2 The War on Bing Crosby Continues - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com // Dec 9, 2008 at 12:58 pm

    […] Neighborhood officials in Sunset Park have been playing Christmas music in the streets to boost spir…, though one local scrooge complains that being forced to listen violates her constitutional rights. [Gowanus Lounge] […]

  • 3 Michael // Dec 9, 2008 at 1:13 pm

    It’s one thing for a business or resident to play holiday or christmas or seasonal music of some kind for fun. It’s something altogether different for it to be piped into the streets to encourage shopping. That’s creepy and it would annoy me too.

  • 4 Siouxie // Dec 9, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    Yes, I do live in Sunset Park and, yes, I do resent the live and obnoxious music played. Some of it is religious in nature, and we have a significant Muslim population here. There are quite a few apartments above the stores – must they listen to this all day?

  • 5 David // Dec 9, 2008 at 3:03 pm

    I live in the Sunset Park BID area, and even as a (secular) Jew I have to say I don’t mind the music.
    The old-school bullhorn loudspeakers strung along the poles every block or two on this busy stretch of 5th Ave. make for a weirdly delightful soundscape. Haunting reverberations occur as the sound hits the buildings, and as you are walking up or down 5th the sounds from one loudspeaker diminish as you get closer to another, creating a sort of latency echo.
    Were I John Cage I would put my money on a 3rd- or 4th-floor corner apartment with a window out towards 5th Ave. However I am decidedly not John Cage so am happy to be closer to 4th.
    I’ll note that the music I heard blaring this past weekend did not seem to be Christmas music but non-descript generic “holiday” music. Not that I would have minded either way.

  • 6 ex-NYC // Dec 9, 2008 at 6:21 pm

    This reminds me why I moved out of the city. It seems no one will be happy unless someone, somewhere in the 5 boros, is bitching about something.

  • 7 DONNA DEMARTINO // Oct 6, 2009 at 3:50 pm

    I USED TO LIVE IN THE SUNSET PARK AREA BUT MOVED MORE THEN 30 YEARS AGO – BROOKLYN IS NOT THE SAME ANYMORE BUT I THINK ITS WONDERFUL THAT THEY PLAY CHRISTMAS MUSIC ON 5TH AVE., KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS. WHATEVER YOUR BELIEFS ARE – ITS STILL A RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY AND THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD.