The Park Bench

Join us Friday as we go behind the scenes and reflect on Hustlers.

Photo by Luke Rafferty

Every Friday, we discuss, debate and dissect the week’s themes and stories here, on The Park Bench. It’s a place where we take you behind the scenes with our journalists and subjects; where we curate the comments that you post on the site, as well as your longer reflections that you send to us via email. 

IT ALL STARTED WITH A GUY NAMED ROGER

Vinnie Rotondaro expands on the colorful cast of characters he met over his two years researching former Red Hook pizzeria owner Roger Dean Fischer.

Writing about Roger Fischer wasn’t easy. He was and is a complex character, a man of many angles.

There was a cocky, waggish side to him. In reviewing my notes and interviews, I was struck by the sheer number of priceless things he said, lines that sometimes reminded me of the comedian Danny McBride. For instance, in talking about “getting out” of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, he once remarked: “There was a couple who got out, but they’re not really doing anything. They’re just n…