Hi ho.
I'm Colin Robinson, and I am here to welcome everyone
to tonight's festivities.
Welcome to tonight's festivities.
I wish I could be there in person with you all.
I'd love to have a big ol' slice of Garbage Pie down at Deninos,
and then take a leisurely walk down Highland
Boulevard on my way to a moonlit ride
on the Staten Island Ferry.
And from there, I would--
shuzbut.
I had the whole Staten Island Wikipedia page here,
but yeah, my printer ran out of ink.
OK.
I guess we'll just wing it.
You know, Staten Island has given the world
so many talented artists.
The list is quite long.
But just to name a few, we have the RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty
Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God,
Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Masta
Killa, Cappadonna, and, of course,
character actor Robert Loggia.
I'd like to give you a brief history
of this beautiful venue, Snug Harbor.
This will only take three to four hours
and then we'll start the screening.
Snug Harbor was originally founded
in 1801 after the death of Captain Robert Richard Randall.
What would he die of?
Having too many first names?
[LAUGHTER]
Captain Randall once said he wanted
Snug Harbor to be a place for aged,
decrepit, and worn-out seaman.
Actually, let's cut that last bit because it's a bit raunchy.
Over the years, Snug Harbor grew to include
26 buildings, including a chapel and a sailor cemetery.
Now, do we have any sailors ghosts in the house tonight?
Oh, well hey, thank you for your service
and sorry you got eaten by a whale
or drank yourself to death or whatever it is that you--
you guys.
And speaking of whales, one of Snug Harbor's most famous
luminaries is none other than Herman Melville's
brother, Thomas Melville.
You know, most people prefer Herman,
but I've always been more of a Thomas guy.
I mean, game does recognize game but that book is a snooze fest.
It's quite boring.
I highly recommend not reading it.
Now, in the 1970s, the city of New York bought Snug Harbor
and designated it a national landmark site, no thanks to me.
I was actually working in the mayor's office at that time
doing everything in my power to make
all governmental processes move as slowly
and painstakingly as possible.
Now, if you come on the right day,
you might even find me posing as a tour
guide at the noble Maritime Collection,
draining unsuspecting visitors and trying
to make kids hate school field trips
for the rest of their lives.
Well, anyway, that's all for me.
I sense that my little tour through the history of Snug
Harbor has made you all feel uncomfortable,
upset, and generally confused-- which for me, is delicious.
Enjoy the show.