Before the pandemic, he liked to be the host. Every winter since 1978, he convened a series of salons on Wednesday nights, inviting curators, collectors, artists and art lovers to gather in his apartment. “The conversations that take place around midnight are incredible,” he said.
His last night out was on March 9, 2020, when he went with friends to Petterino’s Monday Night Live, a cabaret showcase. “It was all accelerated,” he said, “as if everyone knew the blockade was coming.”
A few days later, he got ready and boarded the bus to watch the symphony “Rhapsody in blue” and “Boléro”. He arrived, found that the performance had been canceled and returned home. That was on March 12th.
Afternoon for Binge Watching
Minieka never really liked television. For years he had a black and white used to watch the Oscars and the elections, but when the tubes started to leak, he threw it away. At the beginning of the pandemic, a friend offered him his old TV – it was updating – and he decided it was time to connect cable and discover streaming.
He’s a “Downton Abbey”, “The Crown” and “Brideshead Revisited” spree. He watches an occasional movie. But he has no patience for digital theater. “I just don’t like it,” he says. “I was at the real store.”
Now he has taken both doses of the vaccine and plans to celebrate by seeing an Monet exhibition at the Art Institute. But will he be back for the live performance? He’s not sure.
“I kind of got used to sitting at home, without paying for tickets, or spending a few cents to get things broadcast,” he said. “And it used to be you had an 8-hour curtain, and if I wasn’t there they would close the doors. Now I can start whenever I want and I don’t need to wear a matching tuxedo. “