The day before his Tuesday evening concert to celebrate the Chinese New Year with Lang(x2) and the NYPhil, Shanghai-born conductor Long Yu sucker-punched a ruffian on Columbus Avenue.
In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Mr. Yu, 48, said he was walking with a friend after dinner on Columbus at about 70th Street around 10:30 p.m. on Monday when a man approached and asked for a cigarette. Mr. Yu said he did not want to be bothered and waved him off. The man suddenly swung a fist and struck him in the eye, Mr. Yu said, and started to run. The conductor said he chased the man, grabbed him and swung back.
Year of the Dragon, indeed.
As a chinese myself, I so wanna say "We're proud of you, KUNG FU Maestro!!!" (But looking at this picture I have a stronger urge to photoshop a cigarette to his mouth...)
Posted by: Siris | January 26, 2012 at 07:38 AM
... really Happy New Year's story ;) ...
Posted by: Alexander | January 26, 2012 at 08:42 AM
And I want to photoshop a baseball bat into his hand.
Posted by: Rose-Mary Hyslop | January 26, 2012 at 09:59 AM
the maestro "...said he did not want to be bothered and waved him off..."
Not for a minute do I condone either the action or the reaction but the statement suggests a certain "air" shall we say on the maestro's part, which is probably not a great idea on the UWS. We also don't have a description of the man (at least not here) so we don't know if he (she?) was a bedraggled mental case or some kid in a goth t-shirt.
Just suggesting this incident may not be what it seems...
Posted by: alocksley | January 27, 2012 at 04:17 PM