Handsome Dick Manitoba on Jimmy Fallon, 1/10/2012. HDM started a tumblr not too long ago as well. (ISTR a late-'90s Dictators show, either at CB's or Coney Island High, where he went on an anti-computer rant and swore he'd never buy one.)
I can't say I'm a fan of the "comedy stylings" of Opie and Anthony or Colin Quinn, but I did dig their discussion about '80s Long Island clubs on YT (starts around the 24 minute mark through to 45). Thanks Tommy! Naturally, there are at least two FB groups on this topic and era.
Stupefaction and Flaming Pablum both recently featured an episode of a wacky '80s public access cable dance show called New York Dance Stand, which was shot at Danceteria and Trash and Vaudeville. There's even a bit of garage action within--keep your eyes peeled for a glimpse of Wendy Wild and Dino Sorbello of the Mad Violets during the dance contest segment, starting at 17:50. I was a mere tyke and more into mainstream rock and roll at this point, but I used to relish reading about places like this in the gossip columns of the Post and Daily News. So many of these songs permeated the very air of Louis Armstrong Middle School back then--and jeez, who knew the singers of "A-E-I-O-U, I sometimes cry" were British and male??? A shorter portion of the show as broadcast on Night Flight, including some commercials ("brought to you by Sergio Valente"), is also on YT. Danceteria has a couple of FB groups devoted to it, as does Trash and Vaudeville. And Nile Rodgers discusses Danceteria in his fantastic memoir (and essential addition to your NYC rock and roll reading list) Le Freak...but he preferred Area at the time.
Not long after I watched this, Bryan of This Ain't the Summer of Love posted a link on FB to Robert Carrithers' most recent blog entry, featuring newly unearthed phots he'd taken at Danceteria and Club 57--including a couple of shots of the aforementioned Wendy Wild.
Speaking of FB, if you're not on the NY Rocks, Fillmore East, or Steve Paul's the Scene groups, you oughta be. I'm particularly digging the reminiscences on Nobody's that the Scene group has been abuzz with lately. There's a group for the '80s Peppermint Lounge too--seems I've been on it for a while, though I have no recollections of ever joining it. I'm sure if I looked up every NYC club/venue of note on FB I'd eventually find a page for each one...I wonder how the action for such things is on Google+.
A bit of coverage on Ed Sanders' Fug You, which still hasn't made its way up here to local bookshops yet: NY Times review (and EV blog interview from last month), Interview magazine conversation, Dangerous Minds review.
Patti Smith/Chelsea Hotel controversy. [ETA 1/13/2012: She ended up canceling.]
Lastly, here are some nice ads sent in by reader Barry. The Gaslight ones date from 1968, and the Folk City ones are from May 1970.
