Brendan Toller, director of the upcoming Danny Says, did a great interview on Dave the Spazz's show last week, and was featured in the Village Voice blog a few days ago. Just now when I went to get the link for that, I noticed the V.V. blog also did a recent piece on John Joseph's Lower East Side walking tours.
Get dishpan hands at the Norton Records Wash-a-Thon tonight if you can --or if you're not local, drop a few Paypal'ed bucks into their Superstorm Sandy recovery fund.
Via the Bomp List Bookshelf Facebook group, I was hipped to this vintage piece on Lou Reed by Bruce Pollock, and learned that memoirs from Marty Thau and Richard Hell are due to be published soon. And speaking of those fellas--while browsing at Sonic Boom the other day I chanced upon a DVD entitled Punk Revolution NYC, which I couldn't recall hearing about before. (Indeed, even after I bought it on impulse, I could find only two reviews for it on the entire internet.) I've only watched the first disc so far (it's a two-disc, three-hour-tour production), but it's quite a thorough documentary, covering the NYC punk scene from its proto- to prime eras. The film has a pretty straightforward format--i.e., interview segment/performance clip/interview segment/archival photo display/interview segment--but all the clips are well-chosen and they talk to many of the right people. (I didn't see any Talking Heads among the talking heads though. Have I made that dumbass joke before in regard to another vintage punk documentary? Probably.) Here's an excerpt from it, about the NYC scene's influence on the U.K.
I devoured the new Peppermint Twist book in a matter of hours. It's more of a mob story than a music book (in fact, I think Chapters and Indigo are shelving it under True Crime), and it also seems to focus more on the Miami Peppermint Lounge than the New York original. That was O.K. by me, as it put me in the right frame of mind to watch the episodes of Magic City that my great buddy Flipped Out loaned to us....but still, as much as I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes tough stuff, I would have preferred a bit more emphasis on the hip-swiveling happenings within both clubs. (As is my wont, I've also gotta nitpick on a factual error I noticed very early on in the text--Vernon and Irene Castle were husband and wife, not "a popular brother-sister dance team"!)
Coincidentally, and further to that picture of the Action House included in my last post, here's a quote from Chris Dreja which I saw in Light and Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page: "The people who ran the promotions, especially in America, were mainly mafia. I remember playing Vanilla Fudge's club in Long Island and being introduced to truly menacing people who were eight feet tall, with chewed up ears and smashed-in faces, and had names like Vinnie."
Showing posts with label Peppermint Lounge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peppermint Lounge. Show all posts
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Colonize your mind
I have been lazy and uninspired as all get out, but I thought I'd round up some random bits of "news" that I've taken note of over the last couple of months.
You've surely heard about the imminent closure of the Colony by now. If not, check out JVNY, the Post, the News, the Times, Gothamist, and WQXR.
Speaking of record store closings, the Capital New York site presented a half-hour documentary about Bleecker Bob`s last month, entitled For the Records. (The site also had a post about the Colony a couple days ago.)
And while we're on the subject of bygone eras in NYC record shopping, this ain't news, but it was new info to me. A couple of weeks ago, Norton co-honcho/A-Bones lead shouter Billy Miller told a great story about Second Avenue-centric rekkid retail on his FB page. I'd never heard about this before, but in the early '70s, one of the best and most economical places to score records was situated right across the street from the Fillmore East. And it wasn't really a record store in the traditional sense, though at the time the neighborhood was chock full of them--Billy mentioned such shops as Free Being, Hall Place Music, and Gramophone, and noted that most secondhand bookshops in the area sold records too. But this joint was different, and was way more wallet-friendly than most. It was a drop off center/thrift shop type of place run by Guru Maharaj Ji's Divine Light Mission. Apparently, new converts to the Mission were obliged to shed all their worldly possessions when they joined, and those cast-off material goods wound up here, priced to move. LPs, even double albums, sold for a dime. Surprisingly, Billy didn't mention the cost of 45s, but I imagine they went for pennies. And the demographics of the devotees must've been ideal. At a time when he was just discovering the wylder side of '50s and '60s rock and roll, Billy purchased several hundred primo platters there on the super-cheap--and anything he didn't dig could be re-sold to unsuspecting school pals at a tidy profit. Anybody know a mantra that could reincarnate such a divoon record nirvana today?
On a near-weekly basis since June, the Times' Local East Village blog has been hosting excellent posts by the Nightclubbing ladies, Emily Armstrong and Pat Ivers.
When you've had your fill of Nightclubbing's late '70s punk video, you can listen to Ira Robbins discuss the '77 NYC scene with Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, on last week's episode of WBEZ-Chicago's Sound Opinions. You may also want to hear the previous week's installment, which featured Jon Savage discussing '77-era London.
Lastly, Peppermint Twist: The Mob, the Music, and the Most Famous Dance Club of the '60s, by John Johnson Jr. and Joel Selvin with Dick Cami, is due in November.
You've surely heard about the imminent closure of the Colony by now. If not, check out JVNY, the Post, the News, the Times, Gothamist, and WQXR.
Speaking of record store closings, the Capital New York site presented a half-hour documentary about Bleecker Bob`s last month, entitled For the Records. (The site also had a post about the Colony a couple days ago.)
And while we're on the subject of bygone eras in NYC record shopping, this ain't news, but it was new info to me. A couple of weeks ago, Norton co-honcho/A-Bones lead shouter Billy Miller told a great story about Second Avenue-centric rekkid retail on his FB page. I'd never heard about this before, but in the early '70s, one of the best and most economical places to score records was situated right across the street from the Fillmore East. And it wasn't really a record store in the traditional sense, though at the time the neighborhood was chock full of them--Billy mentioned such shops as Free Being, Hall Place Music, and Gramophone, and noted that most secondhand bookshops in the area sold records too. But this joint was different, and was way more wallet-friendly than most. It was a drop off center/thrift shop type of place run by Guru Maharaj Ji's Divine Light Mission. Apparently, new converts to the Mission were obliged to shed all their worldly possessions when they joined, and those cast-off material goods wound up here, priced to move. LPs, even double albums, sold for a dime. Surprisingly, Billy didn't mention the cost of 45s, but I imagine they went for pennies. And the demographics of the devotees must've been ideal. At a time when he was just discovering the wylder side of '50s and '60s rock and roll, Billy purchased several hundred primo platters there on the super-cheap--and anything he didn't dig could be re-sold to unsuspecting school pals at a tidy profit. Anybody know a mantra that could reincarnate such a divoon record nirvana today?
On a near-weekly basis since June, the Times' Local East Village blog has been hosting excellent posts by the Nightclubbing ladies, Emily Armstrong and Pat Ivers.
When you've had your fill of Nightclubbing's late '70s punk video, you can listen to Ira Robbins discuss the '77 NYC scene with Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, on last week's episode of WBEZ-Chicago's Sound Opinions. You may also want to hear the previous week's installment, which featured Jon Savage discussing '77-era London.
Lastly, Peppermint Twist: The Mob, the Music, and the Most Famous Dance Club of the '60s, by John Johnson Jr. and Joel Selvin with Dick Cami, is due in November.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Recent Referrals
Some good stuff has been coming through the pipeline lately...only I'm usually not the one that's been finding it all.
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
And use soft hygienic Weetabix to dry my tears
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| Via, but most likely scanned from This Ain't No Disco: The Story of CBGB. |
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| Via. |
Currently blasting X-Ray Spex live at CBGBs, courtesy of Dangerous Minds. It's all I can do. She and her band (Rudi's/Lora's hilariously caterwauling sax is just as crucial as Poly's lyrics and voice) warped my mind for the better like nobody else before or since, and I'm eternally grateful for it.
In other linkage, Peter Moruzzi's America After Dark did a short post about the Peppermint Lounge. And you can peruse a "Rock and Roll Map of Manhattan" (pointing out the locations of geographical song lyrics, not venues) at Flaming Pablum.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
K paso redux
I am shocked not only that this piece of footage exists, but that I had no knowledge of it prior to today...dig Murray the K dancing with John and Ringo at the Peppermint Lounge!!!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Welllllllll, meet me, baby, down on 45th Street...
Bup-shoo-buh, bup-a-bup-a-shoo-buh...
(Thanks to my hip tipster Flipped Out Phil! Despite the Jackie K. cover I hadn't even perused this month's VF table of contents at the grocery checkout like I usually do!)
(Thanks to my hip tipster Flipped Out Phil! Despite the Jackie K. cover I hadn't even perused this month's VF table of contents at the grocery checkout like I usually do!)
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