Tony on Charlie Rose

Charlie Rose interviewed Tony some three weeks before his death. The interview aired on Monday night, and is available online here.

He Did Words

Tony passed away yesterday, on Friday August 6th, at his home in New York City. You can see here my eulogy for him in tomorrow’s edition of The Observer.


His family (and Tony) request that any donations be directed to the Move For ALS campaign. Donations can be made by clicking the “Make A Donation” link on the right of your screen, or by visiting the Donations page on the website.

Tomorrow's Grand Finale – Route Amendment and Instructions

For all those planning to join us for the Finale tomorrow, please note that for reasons of safety we have amended the cycling route through the city slightly. The difference affects the people planning to meet us at Meeting Point C – the final stop before arriving in Brighton Beach. Instead of stopping in front of the Fontbonne Hall on Shore Road, we are instead going to stop at Bensonhurt Park at approximately 3pm. The exact meeting point will be on the corner of Bay Parkway and Shore Parkway South, just in front of Wendy’s. The address is 1602 Shore Parkway. Or see here on Google Maps.


Bensonhurt Park is about 3.5 miles out of the final destination meeting point on the boardwalk at Brighton Beach – ideal for runners. The nearest subway to Bensonhurst Park is Bay Parkway on the D train.


Also note that the nearest subway to the Brighton Beach final destination point is Brighton Beach on the B train or Ocean Parkway on the Q train. From either of these stations you walk towards the sea front; when you get to the boardwalk you should take a right if coming from Brighton Beach station, or a left if coming from Ocean Parkway. There is a tall concrete arch (or gazebo) on the boardwalk in between Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Avenue, just in front of Volna and Tatiana Grill restaurants and opposite a parking lot on the corner of Brightwater and Brighton 4th. The arch is large and you should see people congregating underneath it.


We advise people planning to come to Brighton Beach to arrive there around 3.30pm. There are plenty of sea-front restaurants and Russian delights to savour. We plan to arrive at or shortly after 4pm, dismount our bikes and run into the sea. G-d knows, I could do with a swim.


The champagne is on ice and Louis XIV is back up on his feet. Join the army. Move For ALS. Tomorrow, Brighton Beach, 4pm.


Saulx

For full information on the plans tomorrow, click here.

The Countdown Begins: 3 Days to Brighton Beach

3 days to Brighton Beach. Here are the plans for Sunday. Please join us and tell your friends!


On Sunday come out and show your support for Project A.L.S. and Tony Judt, the inspirational NYU Professor and Historian. America has Moved For ALS: now it’s over to you, New York!


(July 22nd, 2010) On Sunday July 25th, Saul Goldberg and Augustin Quancard will complete a 2-month long, coast-to-coast cycle ride across the United States. The ride forms part of Move For ALS, a global ALS-awareness and fundraising campaign inspired by historian, author and Goldberg’s former professor, Tony Judt. To date, Move For ALS has raised nearly $70,000 for Project A.L.S., the non-profit organization that funds and conducts cutting-edge scientific research seeking a cure for ALS, the fatal neurodegenerative disease.


Beginning the ride in the Pacific coastal town of Astoria, Oregon on May 25th, Goldberg and Quancard have ridden over mountains, across lakes and through deserts. On the road they have brought hope to individuals and families affected by ALS. They have been joined by cyclists and hosted by spirited people all across the country – and now they are coming home. America has Moved For ALS: now it’s over to New York.


To bring the curtain down and to show support for the campaign and for Tony Judt, Goldberg and Quancard invite people to join them as they pedal through New York City and on to Brighton Beach on Sunday, July 25th. Cyclists, long-distance runners, disabled athletes and former students of Judt’s are especially welcome.


On the Sunday there will be three meeting points where participants may meet Goldberg and Quancard on their way through New York City. The precise locations, times and distances are listed below. Please be sure to bring adequate supplies of water and food!


Meeting Point A: Project A.L.S. laboratory, 11.30am
Project A.L.S. stem cell research laboratory
3960 Broadway, Manhattan
Nearest Subway: 168th Street (1, A and C trains)
Approximately 30 miles from Brighton Beach


Meeting Point B: Underneath the Williamsburg Bridge, 2pm
Underneath the Williamsburg Bridge
Kent Avenue, Brooklyn
Nearest Subway: Marcy Avenue (J, M and Z trains)
Approx. 15 miles from Brighton Beach


Meeting Point C: In Front of The Fontbonne Hall, 3pm
In Front of The Fontbonne Hall
Shore Road, Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn
Nearest Subway: 95th Street – Bay Ridge (R train)
Approx. 5 miles away from Brighton Beach


Atlantic Coast Arrival: Brighton Beach, 4pm
Brighton Beach Boardwalk in between Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Avenue
On the boardwalk there is a large concrete arch just in front of the “Volna” and “Tatiana Grill” restaurants. The arch is opposite a parking lot located on the corner of Brightwater and Brighton 4th. The easiest approach is via Ocean Parkway or Coney Island Avenue. The concrete arch is on the boardwalk in between these two access points.


For more information on Move For ALS, and to make a donation, please visit: www.MoveForALS.com, or contact Saul Goldberg at saul@moveforals.com


[Disclaimer:  Anyone joining the "Move For ALS - Grand Finale" event does so at their own risk and agrees to hold harmless Move For ALS and its affiliate Project A.L.S. for any accident, injury or harm to their person or property resulting from participating in this event. Move For ALS and its affiliate Project A.L.S. take no responsibility for any injury, illness or harm to person or property resulting from participating in this event. All participants should have medical clearance from their physicians and be healthy and able to participate in such a vigorous undertaking. Move For ALS and its affiliate Project A.L.S. take no responsibility for the safety and well-being of any participants in this event.]

Move For ALS: The Documentary – Trailer

Charlie and Alex Scharfman flew out to meet us in Idaho and traveled with us for a week as we pedaled through the Idaho desert, over the Teton pass and on to the Wyoming cowboy country. They shot hundreds of hours of footage for a documentary they are making on the Move For ALS campaign. Here is the trailer: a great and lasting tribute to this cause. Thank you very much, Charlie and Alex, for donating your services, and thanks too to my other old friend, Charlie Fink, for allowing us to use his song as the soundtrack. Please share this!

Move For ALS – The Grand Finale: Sunday July 25th, New York City

Come out and show your support for Project A.L.S. and Tony Judt, the inspirational NYU Professor and Historian. America has Moved For ALS: now it’s over to you, New York!


(July 9th, 2010) On Sunday July 25th, Saul Goldberg and Augustin Quancard will complete a 2-month long, coast-to-coast cycle ride across the United States. The ride forms part of Move For ALS, a global ALS-awareness and fundraising campaign inspired by historian, author and Goldberg’s former professor, Tony Judt. To date, Move For ALS has raised nearly $70,000 for Project A.L.S., the non-profit organization that funds and conducts cutting-edge scientific research seeking a cure for ALS, the fatal neurodegenerative disease.


Beginning the ride in the Pacific coastal town of Astoria, Oregon on May 25th, Goldberg and Quancard have ridden over mountains, across lakes and through deserts. On the road they have brought hope to individuals and families affected by ALS; they have been joined by cyclists and hosted by spirited people all across the country – and now they are coming home. America has Moved For ALS: now it’s over to New York.


To bring the curtain down and to show support for the campaign and for Tony Judt, Goldberg and Quancard invite people to join them as they pedal through New York City and on to Brighton Beach on Sunday, July 25th. Cyclists, long-distance runners, disabled athletes and former students of Judt’s are especially welcome.


On the Sunday there will be three meeting points where participants may meet Goldberg and Quancard on their way through New York City. The precise locations, times and distances are listed below. Please be sure to bring adequate supplies of water and food!


Meeting Point A: Project A.L.S. laboratory, 11.30am
Project A.L.S. stem cell research laboratory
3960 Broadway, Manhattan
Nearest Subway: 168th Street (1, A and C trains)
Approximately 30 miles from Brighton Beach


Meeting Point B: Underneath the Williamsburg Bridge, 2pm
Underneath the Williamsburg Bridge
Kent Avenue, Brooklyn
Nearest Subway: Marcy Avenue (J, M and Z trains)
Approx. 15 miles from Brighton Beach


Meeting Point C: In Front of The Fontbonne Hall, 3pm
In Front of The Fontbonne Hall
Shore Road, Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn
Nearest Subway: 95th Street – Bay Ridge (R train)
Approx. 5 miles away from Brighton Beach


Brighton Beach Arrival: 4pm
Precise location TBD


For more information on Move For ALS, and to make a donation, please visit: www.MoveForALS.com, or contact Saul Goldberg at saul@moveforals.com


[Disclaimer:  Anyone joining the "Move For ALS - Grand Finale" event does so at their own risk and agrees to hold harmless Move For ALS and its affiliate Project A.L.S. for any accident, injury or harm to their person or property resulting from participating in this event. Move For ALS and its affiliate Project A.L.S. take no responsibility for any injury, illness or harm to person or property resulting from participating in this event. All participants should have medical clearance from their physicians and be healthy and able to participate in such a vigorous undertaking. Move For ALS and its affiliate Project A.L.S. take no responsibility for the safety and well-being of any participants in this event.]

The Daily Astorian

The Snowball Effect: Tim Britt and The Power of One Idea

Last week we were invited as special guests to Flux Studios for the launch of the Rebel Spirit group, the young artist collective who kindly offered to host the party in our name and donate all profits to Move For ALS. (You can see our interview and Saul’s speech on our YouTube channel.) There were some very talented artists who gave knockout performances, with all of them coming together for a grand finale at the end. They even invited us on stage to sing as well! It was an incredible atmosphere and people gave generously throughout the night.
 

That evening we had the idea of asking one of the artists to write and record a theme song for the campaign. We approached Tim Britt, a young singer/songwriter from Buffalo, New York who Saul had seen perform in a small underground venue in February and been hugely impressed.
 

Before we could even get our words out Tim was sold on the idea. The only issue was that we were leaving in one week (this was last Friday) and we needed the song ready for recording by Monday. But we need not have worried: no more than 48 hours later Tim had the song written and memorized, and was ready to record.
 

The next question was the studio. Again we turned to Flux Studios, who generously allowed us all to come in and record Tim’s song. Flux is a fine recording studio with a rich history and exciting future (they have just built a new rooftop terrace for live events this summer.) It is one of the few independent “art house” studios left here in New York: The Rolling Stones have recorded there, and it is easy to imagine Lou Reed sitting on the sofa in the back room, figuring out the world one note at a time. The Studios were in the process of construction that week, but the engineers still made time for us to come in and record – and a big thank you to Chris Sipes and Meredith McCandless for their time and effort, as well as Sam Teichman, who donated his services to film the recording and edit this fine video.
 

As you can see, Tim got right into it. He had us all rocking in the mixing room: everyone was loving it. They did four takes altogether, and it was impossible to choose between them, such is Tim’s consistency and quality. (He only graduated college a week before! Have a look at his MySpace page.)
 

So here’s the video. You can also listen here to the mixed and polished recording. The song is called “Attention: Love Spreads.” We hope you like it.


Once again, it demonstrates the snowball effect of this campaign: the power of a single, simple idea. Everyone can make a difference.


Enjoy!


Auggie and Saul x

Move For ALS in The Chronicle of Higher Education

See the recent piece in The Chronicle of Higher Education on Move For ALS – and stay tuned for more press in the next few days before the ride begins…

Tony Judt in Newsweek

See Tony Judt’s latest interview in Newsweek