Having Julian Schnabel come to your defense is a double-edged sword, actor Ben Foster found when he hosted the Anthology Film Archives 40th-anniversary event at Hiro ballroom last night. The rustling and talking of the crowd during Foster’s introduction of acts — the Virgins, Sonic Youth, and Lou Reed, among others — so unnerved the Schnab that the artist was moved to jump onstage, grab the mike, and schold the audience: “I’m sorry, are we bothering you down here?” he bleated, addressing the upstairs balcony, where most of the noise was coming from. “Ben is down here saying some important and intelligent things,” he went on. “Why don’t you have some fucking respect? You people are making me sick.” Though the crowd was momentarily shocked into silence, it didn’t last, and as an eruption of boos from the audience started making things more awkward, Foster was forced to step onstage and assure the crowd that really, “I don’t care” if they listened to him or not, no doubt thinking: Thanks a lot, Schnabel. Thanks for schnothing.
