Buzz
Underground comic Deitch talks ‘Reincarnation’
BY GABE HERMAN
Kim Deitch’s career goes back to
the 1960s, but the underground
comics legend continues publishing
work — and his latest book has
gotten critical acclaim.
“Reincarnation Stories,” released in
fall 2019, combines stories that range
from the surreal to autobiographical,
and with musings on reincarnation. It
has received good reviews, including
being named one of the best comics of
2019 by The New York Times.
“I’m thrilled,” Deitch said of the good
reviews, days before he would be appearing
at a Jan. 15 event at the Museum
of the City of New York on the Upper
East Side, at 1220 Fifth Ave., where he
will talk with jazz critic and historian
Gary Giddins about his book.
Deitch noted that reviews for “Reincarnation
Stories” seemed to be unusually
good. “I felt inspired,” he said
of creating the work. “I felt like something
was leading me along by the nose
from story to story.” The comics in the
book even continue after the appendix.
“I was having too good a time,” he said.
“I didn’t want to stop.”
The cover of “Reincarnation Stories,” and a photo of Kim Deitch.
Deitch got his start in New York City
in the underground newspaper the East
Village Other. He started making comic
strips for the paper in 1967, and two
years later became the editor of its underground
comics section. He has won
several awards over the years for his
work, and his 2002 book “Boulevard of
Broken Dreams” was named one of the
100 best graphic novels ever by Time.
Deitch, now 75, says he was lucky to
(MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK/KIM DEITCH)
get his chance in the East Village as a
young man. “It was great, that was a
wonderful break for me,” he said. He
added that he was wild back then, and
“Used to be the biggest bum in town.”
But over the years, Deitch developed
discipline and now commits himself
to working 40 hours every week. If he
misses some work time in a day, such
as having to be interviewed by a journalist,
he’s always sure to make up the
time. And he understands that interviews
and giving talks are part of the
job. “I want people to pay attention, so
you gotta get the word out,” he said.
“And I generally enjoy myself once it
starts.”
Up until the 1990s, Deitch was still
living out of a suitcase, but he’s since
married and settled down, and has
now lived on East 86th Street for over
20 years. His wife Pam is included in
“Reincarnation Stories”, as they go on a
trip to the Museum of Natural History
and Deitch ponders how the exhibit of
stuffed monkeys hasn’t changed over
time, and brings him back to a field trip
there as a child. “There’s something
timeless about those stuffed animal dioramas,”
Deitch said, explaining how it
inspired the story in his book.
Deitch said he’s grateful that he’s still
creative and working after so many
years. “I’m kind of in shock about it.
Supposedly I should be slowing down,
but I’m not slowing down at all. It was
as much fun as it ever was.”
And he intends to keep going. “I still
feel like I have things to say,” Deitch
said, “And thank heavens for that.”
Wogies moves Philly taste closer to our world
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Opening up a Philly bar in the
heart of New York was an ambitious
move for Aaron Hoffman.
The Philadelphia native and his wife,
who’s a born a bred New Yorker, have
operated Wogies for 15 years — and,
just like Rocky Balboa, they’ve grown
their business into a champion.
After first opening shop in the West
Village in 2004, Wogies expanded to
a second location in the Financial District
some years later. Today, they wear
the crown as one of New York City’s
best places for Philadelphia cheesesteaks
and chicken wings.
But there’s so much more than just a
staple food in Hoffman’s oven — an industrial,
German-imported baking one,
to be exact.
“We’re the only ones that bake like
this in house,” Hoffman explained,
mentioning the amount of experimentation
that’s been done in his one-of-akind,
basement bakery that produces
the bread for Wogies cheesesteaks,
along with pretzels and so many more
leavened treats that marry
Philly and New York tastes
together.
That constant, fun experimentation
has led to a
new, collaborative menu
item between Wogies and
this reporter — one that
also combines two flavors
destined to be together.
Our version of the
cheesesteak merges some
chopped up steak with Buffalo
style chicken, plus an
array of other goodies.
Wogies originated as inspiration
from nearby Corner
Bistro, where Hoffman
Wogies Owner Aaron Hoffman and bartender John with
an in house, fresh baked pretzel basket.
and friends would spend
many nights while he was
working as a bartender for swanky hotel
bars in the early 2000s.
“We thought, ‘Let’s be Corner Bistro,
but with Philly stuff,” and like that it
came to be,” Hoffman explained.
After finding a corner property on
the avenue, one that had turned over
frequently from failed restaurants, Wogies
finally became a literal downtown
cornerstone.
So, how did Hoffman settle on the
name Wogies?
“It was my dad’s nickname in high
school, although none of my family, not
even my mother, knows why,” he said.
It was rumored to be after
an Eagles player in the
1950s, though that wasn’t
confirmed.
“I was flipping through his
old year book and a $100 bill
fell out underneath his nickname,
so I took that a sign of
faith,” Hoffman said.
Special orders, like custom
cheesesteaks, don’t upset
the staff at Wogies.
“If a customer wants it,
we’ll make it,” Hoffman said
— though he conceded that
custom orders have to be
within reason.
Hoffman, who encourages
creativity to the fullest, has
taken a truly down-to-earth
approach to running his bar.
From letting regulars make custom
cocktails to impress a date, or offering
half-off deals to NYPD and FDNY personnel,
Wogies has made customer satisfaction
a secret to success over their
15 years in operation.
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