Living with Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog

Hotel Chelsea Clubland International

If you find yourself home sick for the Hotel Chelsea while in Toyoko or Copenhagen you have options.  Not to be outdone by Toyoko, which already hosts the Chelsea Hotel club, Copenhagen has recently launched a Hotel Chelsea nightclub.

Nothing to Criticize Here at Living with Legends

A while ago, Vaspers the Grate (Former Hotel Chelsea resident Steven Streight) announced his 7 blogs in 7 days project.  In real life, Steven Streight is a web usability expert, so I was slightly nervous when Steven announced that Living with Legends was on his 7 blogs list.  Steven just posted his results and I can breathe a sigh of relief. Here is part of what he had to say about Legends: "Doesn't it just figure that the hippest spot in the visible universe also has a perfect New Super Blog, already carving out its niche in the grand and glorious Blogosphere 4.0?

There is nothing to criticize in this blog. And believe me, out of love and respect, I tried my damnedest. I shook this blog, threw it up in the air, stomped on it, kicked it around, dumped a pail of cold creek water on it. Nothing happened. It remained intact, warm, and friendly. It's invincible.

You think you'd like to jump in and start your own blog, you should have a few blogs that you like and are also high quality. Good writing, smart thinking, nice design, right intentions, usable functions, memorable title, meaningful tagline, correct methodology, comments-enabled, web-friendly text, and relevant topics.

You'll find all this and more at Living With Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog. This art/historic/lifestyle blog does what basically all blogs, from teen diary to CEO blogs, should do."

Glass Houses

There was a bum raving in front of the hotel: “these fuckin’ rich people are living in glass houses!  Can’t be throwing no fuckin’ stones!  You see what I’m saying!?  One more terrorist attack and they’ll be out of here!  Out of this fuckin’ city!  Runnin’ scared!  Glass houses, I tell you!  There’s one over on the West side Highway!  And another on the Lower East Side!  They even got one going up on the Bowery!!!”
     It was funny how the man’s metaphor suddenly became literal, as if he hadn’t quite understood it in the first place, or as if his brain was not firing on all its cylinders.  On the other hand, what with all poor people being priced out of their homes in the recent real-estate boom, it seemed also strangely apropos. (Copyright Ed Hamilton 2006)
(Photo: NYCEnvirons blogspot)

All Tomorrow's Parties -- Nov 28 - Dec 4

Monday, Nov. 28 5:30 & 7:30 p.m.
Seamless, the latest feature documentary by fashion photographer/filmmaker Douglas Keeve ("Unzipped") revolves around competition for an award established by Vogue and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to help up and coming young designers. Resident Hotel Chelsea fashionista Sally Singer plays herself.
Cinema Village

Monday, Nov. 28, 7:00 p.m.
The Half King reading series will feature defense attorney M. Chris Fabricant.  Fabricant's book
BUSTED! Drug War Survival Skills, contains illustrations by former Hotel Chelsea resident R. Crumb.
The Half King, 502 West 23rd St., NY NY

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 8:00 p.m.
Andrea Geyer: Thoughts on Spiral Land.  A projection, a work-in-progress.
Hotel Chelsea, Grand Ball Room -- FREE

Tuesday, Nov. 29,  7:00 PM
Clayton Presents will be showing mid 80's Pyramid Club- Drag nights and Whispers. Dressing Room, Eichelberger, Ethyl (1945-1990), International Crysis (1951-1990), Hapi Phase, Adora Van Davonport, Tabboo, Wendy Wild (R.I.P.), Olympia, and others. 
Pioneer Theater, 155 East 3rd Street, NY NY

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 9:00 p.m.
Discoteca Flaming Star & special guest Mahalchick. Glamour and glitter, anxiety and depression. Berlin-based DFS mix it up in a new performance for the people of NYC.  And Mahalchick reinvents music’s avant-garde, like, every time he performs.
Hotel Chelsea, Grand Ball Room -- Free

Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 30 & Dec. 1
The legendary Patti Smith will perform a rare complete version of Horses.
Brooklyn Academy of Music

Thursday, Dec. 1, 9:00
Norman's Big Night Out presents "A Naughty Night on The Continent."  The evening promises all of the guilty pleasures of the past and present with a saucy all-European flavor!
Scenic, 25 Ave.B (btw. 2nd & 3rd) $10.00




Yves Klein (creator of the Chelsea Hotel Manifesto in 1961) is currently the focus of two exhibits. A museum-quality painting survey at the L & M Arts Gallery ( "Yves Klein: A Career Survey;" 45 East 78th Street, to December 10) and seven late fire paintings made of torched cardboard at Michael Werner (4 East 77th Street, to December 23)

If you have a relevant event that you would like featured in "All Tomorrow's Parties," please e-mail the information to [email protected]

Chelsea Hotel Newsmakers

First they wanted your clothes, now they want your cars.  The makers of "Factory Girl," a movie about Andy Warhol starring Guy Pearce, are seeking cars made between 1960 and 1966. They must be running and in good condition.  The film will begin shooting locally (New Orleans) in December. Call Bill Pitts at (318) 635-3130 for more information.

William Ivy Long recalls living on a shoe string at the Chelsea.

Former resident Rufus Wainwright announces the release of a double album, Want. He covers Leonard Cohen's Chelsea Hotel No 2.

The Guardian Unlimited critiques the Chelsea Girls film poster.

Arthur C. Clarke discusses communication.

An exhibition of artwork by Warhol star Brigid Berlin opened last week.
(Photo: Ultra Violet, John Waters, and Brigid Berlin)

Finally, the headline from the New York Post that nearly made me have a heart attack: Famed Hotel Faces Co-Op Fate.  Fortunately for us, they were referring to the Sherry-Netherland.

Yesterday's Parties

Nicky and Wallace the pug. Halloween 2005




Flawless Sabrina and Dean. November 10, 2005

Wallace the Pug's birthday party. November 12, 2005




Jeremy Mercer's Book Party, November 4, 2005
Sparkle Hayter and Victor Navasky.



PAPER's first annual Nightlife Awards, November 6, 2005
Susanne Bartsch and David Barton

Save Your E-mail Correspondence from the Mental Hospital

Because everybody will want to read it someday. That is, if you're a famous poet. A new anthology of former Hotel Chelsea resident/poet James Schuyler's letters is now available, Just The Thing: The Selected Letters of James Schuyler -- 1951-1991.  Below is an excerpt from the book. (Photo: Schuyler at his Chelsea apt.)

‘I am well. How are you? It is wonderful here,’ the first letter in this selection begins, and goes on: ‘I love it here; real mad fun. Especially the evening game of gin rummy before beddy-by (9.30); the 8 p.m. cup of cocoa.’ The letter was written on 15 November 1951, a few days after James Schuyler had been admitted to Bloomingdale Hospital, a mental institution in White Plains, New York. Schuyler still gets his semi-colons right, and his appetite for gossip is undiminished: ‘Is it still Connecticut, the dear deer, the steady lay, the unprivate walls?’ His correspondent, John Hohnsbeen, an art-dealer friend, was having an affair with the architect Philip Johnson, and the ‘unprivate walls’ are those of Johnson’s famous Glass House

A Protest Song From The Chelsea

Earlier this week, singer/songwriter Devendra Banhard released his new single, "Heard Somebody Say."  The song is a touching war protest anthem.  The video was filmed at Coney Island and in the Chelsea Hotel.
Click here to play the video

Beyond Human Comprehension: Chatting with Andy Warhol

On November 10, the Grand Ballroom of the Chelsea Hotel was a setting reminiscent of The Factory.  Thirty-nine new mattresses were artfully stacked around the room and covered with tattered shawls and afghans.  The event curator, Dean, clad in a leather skirt, drug bottles of beer from the bar to the beds.  On a stage littered with roses and empty bottles of Jack Daniels, Jack Doroshow (Flawless Sabrina), rang up Andy Warhol, whom I assume is comfortably situated somewhere in the Grand Ballroom of the Beyond.   Flawless brought Andy up to speed on what’s been going on:
JD:  Hello Andy, I’m in the Chelsea Hotel.

JD:  Yes Andy, the Chelsea is still standing.  I know, it’s beyond human comprehension.

JD:  No, Andy, it’s not a Shining Palace on a Dark Street No More, its bright sign has been eclipsed by all of these monstrosities.

JD:  Gawd Andy remember all of the fun we used to have in the lobby.  You don’t? Well I do!

JD:  Yes Andy, I know that Valerie Solanas used to live here in the Chelsea, but I didn’t want to bring that up.

Flawless Sabrina also had a lot to say to Andy about the current president.  However, Sabrina's look brought to mind a former president and his mother.  I think Sabrina's wig owes a debt to Ma Clinton's reverse skunk look.

Dormority of the Deranged Continued

Part III: The Elvis Altar

Out in the hall beside the trash bin, I found a big, white, wooden pedestal, maybe three feet high, like the kind of thing they would set a sculpture on in a museum.  I think it even had a number on it, so you could check the price of the sculpture to see how badly you couldn’t afford it.  I knew I should hold onto this, though I caught a lot of grief from my girlfriend, who accused me, predictably enough, of junking up our already cramped apartment.  Luckily, later that week I found a bunch of those big hurricane candles in the recycling bin, the ones with pictures of religious icons on them.  More junk to pile up on top of the record player—which I haven’t been able to get to in years.  Though I didn’t at once grasp the totality of the piece, I knew they somehow belonged with the pedestal.

It was a good thing I remembered the Elvis Poster.  On one of the lower floors, someone has mounted a framed poster of Elvis, from the Vegas period, doing one of his famous dance moves.  Why this is there, in the midst of all the original paintings, I have no idea.  We seem to have had a slackening of artistic standards at the hotel lately—my own work is ample testament to this truth—and apparently one of our deranged dorm-denizens reverences Elvis to a fanatical degree.  But I guess I can see that: he is the King, after all.  I have an idea who the culprit is: there’s this guy with long black hair who goes around in jeans and a black leather jacket, an old rocker.  I never have spoken with him, as he keeps odd hours, but one time an elderly lady told me he drove her crazy with a 24 hour marathon of Elvis Music on the 20^th anniversary of his—Elvis’s--death.  “Jailhouse Rock”, “I’m All Shook Up”, “I want To Be Your Teddy Bear”, “Blue Suede Shoes”: the nightmare begins to take form.  Though the lady who told me about the infamous “Heartbreak Hotel” music marathon is notoriously prone to exaggeration, I figure anyway it’s got to be him.

I lugged the pedestal down the few flights of stairs and placed it in front of the Elvis poster, then ran back up and got three candles.  These I arranged atop the pedestal, in a fitting memorial to the man who sang “In The Ghetto”.  It was my most ambitious work to date, and I was quite pleased with myself.  Though the effect would certainly have been heightened had I lit the candles, it seemed like it would have been dangerous to go off and leave them burning in the halls.  But after all, perhaps I should have lit them, perhaps that might have warned off the infidels, for my Elvis altar (though not the Elvis poster!) was ripped down and carted away before the night was done, and by the morning not a trace of it remained.  They didn’t even bother to check the price in the catalog.  It was going cheap too, I can assure you of that.  I believe art should be for everyone, and I’m sure that accounts for some of the hostility toward my work.  The snobs and elites in the art world—they who would strangle the soul of true art--are just not ready for this kind of challenge to their illegitimate hegemony.

The Bastards.  Everybody always puts up their art on the walls of the Chelsea—most of it good, but some quite atrocious--so I figured, why shouldn’t I put mine up too?  I expected my medium, garbage art, to be respected here, if nowhere else.  But genius is just not appreciated in this world, even, apparently, in the Chelsea Hotel.  Maybe they think I’m making fun of the vaunted creative spirit of the Chelsea—which I am, but so what?  Pretension should be mocked.  Let’s not take our art, or ourselves, so seriously.  My “art” is an ironic commentary on the art we find throughout the hotel, and perhaps also some sort of critique of our throwaway society.  But let’s not think too hard about it, because actually I think I just drag things out of the trash for the hell of it, because I have nothing better to do.  On the other hand, this may not be that far off from the reason why many people, including probably many great artists, create art.

But now, to get back to the pink ducks: finally, one of my creations is allowed to stand.  At first someone kept knocking them down, but I kept putting them back up.  This went on for more than a week.  Originally I had them turned to face one another atop the transom, but finally I turned them in the same direction, and this apparently satisfied my critic’s aesthetic standards, for the vandalism stopped, and they’ve been up for about a year now.  It feels good to finally have the fruits of my labors recognized—though I’m sure my poor little ducks will be knocked down and stuffed deep into the bowels of the trash from whence they came as soon as anybody from the hotel reads this. (Copyright Ed Hamilton 2006)

(Next Week: No More Garbage Art)

All Tomorrow's Parties Nov 21 - 27

Monday, Nov. 21, 9:30 a.m.
Poems written by Bob Dylan at college and a gilt medallion worn by Jimi Hendrix at his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival are to be auctioned by Christie's . The Ray Ban sunglasses worn by Dylan in the 60's are priced right at $1,000 - $1,500. Or, perhaps you can buy some of Dylan's letters from Leonard Cohen.
Christie's, 20 Rockefeller Plaza, NY NY

Monday, Nov. 21, 6:00 p.m.
If you're in the mood to protest head over to the Public Meeting of Community Board 4.  The Community Board will be discussing the General Theological Seminary's plans to build a 17 story building in the heart of the Chelsea Historic District.  Clement C. Moore gave the block between 20th & 21 Sts. and Ninth and Tenth Avenues rent free to the Protestant Episcopal Church. The Seminary was established in 1825 a few years before the Chelsea Hotel was built.
Fulton Center, 119 Ninth Ave., (Between 17th and 18th st.)

Tuesday, Nov. 22, 8:00 p.m. 
Ulrike Mueller / Anna Blume:  Looking for (S)He Blume and Mueller work together through a night of words, shapes and shadows.  Their solitary productions share common illuminations.  Come feel the inklings.
Hotel Chelsea, 222 West 23rd., (Room 600) NY NY

Tuesday, Nov 22, 10:30 p.m.
Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny present Happy Valley Tuesday. Michael Musto calls Kenny Kenny, the best doorperson promoter in NYC nightlife.
14 East 27th Street between 5th & Madison

Saturday, November 26
Celebrate Virgil Thomson's birthday. Stay home and cook chicken.  Here's Virgil's recipe courtesy of Gerald Busby.
Cut up the chicken into eights.
Braise chicken with a rendering of beef suet.
Add a cup of shallots and a cup of your best Burgundy.
Simmer until done.
Serve with the rest of the Burgundy.

Sunday, November 27
Celebrate the anniversary of the death of filmmaker Harry Smith. Smith died in 1991 while he was living in a room on the third floor here at the Hotel Chelsea. His film, Mahagonny, was filmed here at the Chelsea. Black and White photo at left is of Smith packing books at Allan Gingsberg's apartment.  Image of Patti Smith is from Mahagonny.

November 20, 1983 -- Where's the Video?

Nelson Sullivan, famous for documenting 1980s club culture started his career here at the Chelsea according to Dick Richard, "One of Nelson's first videos was of the 75th (?) anniversary celebration at the Chelsea on November 20, 1983 - so I imagine the most famous and favorite person he rode on the elevator with was the actress Sylvia Miles.  They were very best friends and attended the event together.

I wasn't able to find the Chelsea video online, but here is a link to another Nelson Sullivan video, Christina at the Chelsea.   Christina was an artist/punk/transvestite and a celebrity of sorts in the Downtown NYC scene of the 1980s.  She was portrayed by Marilyn Manson in the recent Hollywood film "Party Monster."  http://www.gaytona.com/fabulousfriends/christinajaynepreview.mov
Unfortunately, Nelson Sullivan died of a heart attack on July 4th, 1989, only a few weeks after Christina died mysteriously in her room at The Chelsea.

Our Readers Demand More Answers

Readers from Canada and Tennessee want to know: Is there anywhere I can look to find out which rooms were inhabited by various celebrated Chelsea residents?

A few histories written about the Hotel contain references to who has inhabited particular rooms, but I’m not aware of a comprehensive directory.  Perhaps this is a project the Bards could undertake and add to the Chelsea Hotel website.    Or, maybe the guy who is updating the wiki Chelsea Hotel site could take that project on.  Last but not least, if you want to add your collective wisdom to the comment section here, feel free to do so.

Cool Links from Readers

A reader from Washington D.C. thought we would like to see Keren Ann's "Chelsea Burns," music video.  He is right!  Go to www.kerenann.com and click the video tab and you'll see the listing for "Chelsea Burns."  "Chelsea Burns," tells the story of Alice, a homeless woman accused of starting a fire in the hotel.

A reader from Australia writes -- your readers might be interested by this: I squealed when I found a DVD of Chelsea Girls- I'm guessing others might also? [there's other Warhol stuff there also- bits of Edie, Brigid etc]  Not only did did we squeal, we cancelled our Netflix subscription. 
http://www.different-movies-dvd.com/index.php?productID=177

While we are on the subject, here are a few other Legend related videos:
Second Run DVD now has Shirley Clarke's Portrait of Jason available.
Designer Zaldy's Fall 2005 Fashion Show
A personal favorite, Nelson Sullivan's Christina at the Chelsea.

Daniel Reich -- We Have A Room For You

Daniel Reich is the man responsible for turning the Hotel Chelsea's Grand Ballroom into an artists salon.  Each week, Daniel and curator Dean Daderko, play host to some of the city's edgiest art events.  And, best of all, the events are free.

What Do You Do?
I have a young gallery on Twenty-Third Street between 10th and 11th.  The website is: www.danielreichgallery.com.  Its been doing quite well.  There should also be lots of junk about us if you google Daniel Reich Gallery.
How Long Have You Lived At The Chelsea?
I’ve lived in Chelsea since 2000 I think.  I like it, but I got a bit bored of it and the Hotel Chelsea was a more interesting mix.
What Inspired You To Move Into The Chelsea?
Well, I wanted to move because I’d been mugged in my other apartment and I walked in and Stanley said come right up I know your gallery we have a room for you.  A lot of stuff works out fatefully in my life I guess and by luck.  I’m a sagittarius which is supposed to be the sign of luck.  Strangely my parents met outside the Chelsea.
Do You Think That There Is A Creative Energy In The Chelsea?
Yes definitely.  It's much more fun than the rest of Chelsea and everything is more unpredictable.  There are always surprises.
How Has Living In The Chelsea Affected Your Creative Development?
Well, I think it’s been good.  I like the people who work here.  It takes me about two years to settle into a place so I still need to get a bed.  I have lots of books by my bed to read, but it’s always hard for an art dealer to read.
Have Other Creative People at the Chelsea Or Elsewhere Influenced Your Creative Development? Well, I’m not sure, but I like the memories and ghosts of people here.  Supposedly Larry Rivers used to live in my apt so there is green paint all over the tub.  Also the hotel in the sixties is a big influence and I like having all the art around.  I like having Renee around talking about stuff.  It’s always funny to look into other apts and see what bits of  Stanley everyone ended up with.
Who Is The Most Famous Person You've Ever Ridden With In The Elevator?
Well I guess maybe Ethan Hawke.
What Is The Best/Worst Thing That Has Ever Happened To You At The Chelsea?
Well I like it when my lights go out.  It’s kind of a morning drama when the person next door is using the hair dryer and my lights go out and I go downstairs in my pajamas to complain and everyone at the desk is mad.  I kind of like disasters of any sort.
Has Anyone Famous Lived In Your Room?
Well someone said Bryan Adams and Larry Rivers, but I’m not sure.

Another Best Seller Written at the Chelsea

And here I thought that this blog was the Chelsea's foray into the digital world.  According to a recent article in AdBUMb, "F'd Companies: Spectacular Dot-Com Flameouts," was written by Philip Kaplan while he stayed here at the Chelsea.  F'd Companies started out as a website tracking dot com failures. This just goes to show you, anything written over the course of three months here at the Chelsea will be a bestseller. 

During these glory years, Kaplan parlayed F***edCompany’s success into a bestselling spinoff novel: 2002’s F’d Companies: Spectacular Dot-Com Flameouts, written during a frenzied three-month stay at the famed Chelsea Hotel. “The reason why I did that was so that every morning when I woke up, I’d remember why I was there,” he explains. “I would roll out of bed, write the book for twelve hours, and roll back into bed.”

The result of his hotel labor? F’d Companies landed on bestseller lists from Amazon.com to the LA Times.

Dormority of the Deranged Continued

Part II: The Dysfunctional Sink

Another time there was a design show in the hotel, with small companies selling furniture and wallpaper and bedspreads--what have you--setting up shop in various rooms throughout the hotel.  One of the companies rented the room next to mine and set up a huge sink in the little corridor outside my door—right between my room and the bathroom.  The sink, a huge, solid affair, consisted of a slab of black granite set atop a granite pedestal which stood upon a rectangular base topped with gravel.  The funny thing about this sink was that it had no basin: the water came out of a tall, curved spout and ran across the flat granite slab, then down the outside of the pedestal, into a drain set into the base. That, anyway, was the concept: the sink wasn’t connected to a water supply, so you just had to imagine.  There were a couple of salesmen hanging out who would help you to imagine.

            I kind of liked the sink, since, despite its size, it was sleek and minimalist, and I struck up a conversation with one of the salesmen, a big blond guy named Olaf.  “It costs $15,000,” Olaf said.  Olaf was very proud of the sink.  He spoke with a German accent, though he said he was from Switzerland.
        “Wow,” I said, “that’s a lot of money.  But I guess it’s worth it if you’ve got a fancy restaurant or something.”

“Ja, it makes a big impression.”

“But one thing I was wondering is, won’t the water just slop out all over the floor when you try to wash your hands in it?

Olaf rolled his eyes and said condescendingly, “You must not wash your hands in it.  It’s more for the aesthetic experience: watching the water cascade over the sides.  You should just use it to get a drink, or to let a small amount of water trickle over your fingertips.”

Though Olaf was nice enough, I decided that the sink was ridiculous. 

It annoyed all the residents: a gigantic sink sitting right in the middle of everything.  With the base it set on, the sink was nearly as wide as the little corridor, and you had to squeeze past it every time you wanted to go to the bathroom.  It became a symbol for the real annoyance, which was the crowds of people streaming through the halls day and night to see this and other exhibits around the hotel.  Olaf was giving away free beer from a cooler, and that made his room especially popular: potential “customers”--in actuality mainly young hipsters who just wanted to tour the hotel--spilled into the hall, clustering around the sink, drinking and talking.  John,  a guy from the other wing of our floor, a poet, somewhat of a crank, was driven to distraction and taped up a sign saying: Please Be Respectful Of The Rights Of The Permanent Residents.  (John didn’t even live near the sink, and I’m sure I got blamed for the sign, since the next day Olaf was especially friendly and gave me free T-shirt.)  Carla, a girl from down the hall, had to squeeze past the revelers in her bathrobe every time she wanted to take a shower, enduring off-color remarks.  And at one point, when the noise became especially bad, my next door neighbor, Nancy, a dancer who slept during the day, popped out of her room and screamed at them hysterically: “Get the fuck away from my door you fucking assholes!”

Anyway, to get back to the theme of garbage art: after a week the design show packed up and moved out.  In a pile of fliers and other materials that Olaf had thrown out into the hallway beside the trash bin, I discovered a big mounted poster depicting the sink, and detailing it’s many virtues.  To commemorate the design show, and also to remind us of the finer things in life to which we might aspire, I taped up the poster in our bathroom: a high-end, luxury sink to contrast with our retro-chic, 50s flophouse fixtures.  Where the artistic element came in was in the juxtaposition, of course.  A Chelsea Hotel bathroom seemed to be where the fancy yet dysfunctional sink naturally belonged, serving humans of it’s kind, and I was quite pleased with myself.  It stayed up a few days, and then someone took it down and threw it back into trash bin from whence it had come.  Well, people can’t just desecrate my art, now can they?  It was lucky that I found it before the trash man showed up.  I got it out of the trash and taped it back up in the bathroom, and it stayed up maybe one more day.  This time, someone tore it into tiny pieces and stuffed them into the bathroom trash can.
Ed Hamilton  (Next Week: Still More Garbage Art) (Click here to read Part I: Dormority of the Deranged)

All Tomorrow's Parties - Nov 14 - 20

Monday, Nov 14, 6:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
A beautiful, sensual, healthy message party. Clothes check encouraged.
Serena Bar & Lounge, Under the Historic Chelsea Hotel, 222 W. 23rd. St. NY NY

Monday, Nov 14, 8:00 p.m.
"Tell Your Friends!" If you're into comedy then this is the place to be tonight: featuring Mike Britt, Anthony DeVito, Todd Levin, Liam McEneaney and Victor Varnado.
The Lolita Bar, 266 Broome St., off of Allen St. -- FREE

Thursday, Nov 16, 6 - 8 p.m. and Fri., Sat., & Sun., 17 -19, 11- 6 p.m.

Chris Verene: The Self Esteem Salon.  Chris and his staff of Art World Celebrity Group Facilitators succeed in the self-esteem of visitors through cognitive and touch therapy, and photography.  Something like a day spa for your soul! Sponsored by Daniel Reich Gallery.
Hotel Chelsea, 222 West 23rd, (Room 600) NY NY -- FREE

Thursday, Nov 17, 8:00 p.m.
Join host Todd Zuniga as he rolls out one of the finest .reading lineups to date, including Dave Itzkoff, Michelle Orange, a short film based on Donald Barthelme's amazing story, The School, and one by John Leary featuring kung-fu kittens, and special guest CJ Kershner, along with a mystery giveaway!
Happy Ending Lounge 302 Broome St. @ Forsyth NY NY -- FREE

Saturday, November 19, 10:00 a.m.
The Art of Andy Warhol recreates, in part, Warhol's 1983 Zurich exhibition, "Paintings for Children" that was designed specifically for children. The exhibition will feature 18 original Warhol paintings depicting animals and tin toys, as well as 6 screen prints from Warhol's Myth Series including Uncle Sam, the Wicked Witch of the West and Howdy Doody.  The exhibition will give children the opportunity to:
• Make a real silkscreen print using pop Warhol images
• Dress up in costumes based on the Myth Series and take home a photo of themselves in costume
• Have a family photo taken to include in a unique photo album along with their drawings, poems or special thoughts.
The Children's Museum of Manhattan, 212 West 83rd St., NY NY

Sunday, Nov 20, 3:00 p.m.
An evening of Sam Shepherd Shorts including "Cowboy Mouth," which was written with Patti Smith at the Hotel Chelsea.
Ohio State University, Mount Hall Studio Theatre on Carmack Road

If you have a relevant event that you would like featured in "All Tomorrow's Parties," please e-mail the information to [email protected]

Is He Holed Up in the Chelsea?

The hunt continues for accused rapist Peter Braunstein. Now a conspiracy theorist suggests that Peter has checked into the Chelsea because the ghost of Edie Sedgwick made him do it.

Patti, Kris & Janis Make Music at the Chelsea

Blogger Scatter o Light reports that Patti Smith mentioned the Chelsea Hotel during her performance at Tower Records on Tuesday, November 8.

"...and then she told a story about being in the chelsea hotel when kris kristofferson first played a song called me and bobby mcgee for janis joplin. she did a pitch perfect imitation of janis saying, "hey i like that, maybe i'll record it..."

They Dream of Being Rich Enough to Move Into The Chelsea

Blogger Arrested Development fondly recalls staying at the Hotel Chelsea in 1992.  And he's saving his pennies so he can move in one day.  My dad and I went to NYC back in '92 or so and spent a week at the Hotel Chelsea. It is certainly a place I would love to live. Seemingly rundown, but home to so many artists of so many walks of life over the decades. I wish I still had the pic my dad took of me sitting in the window overlooking West 23rd Street. The elevator seemed to have a mind of its own. It would rarely go to the right floor. Sometimes I would just try it until it got within a floor or two of mine and walk the difference. In some hotels, you might complain. But here, you just figure it's the ghost of Sid Vicious or Dylan Thomas fucking with you. And that somehow makes it cool.

If I ever make it rich, I will live there for as long as it makes sense to. And if I never make it rich, I promise that I will at least hang out in its lobby one more time before I die.

Blogger WhiskeyTown's Downtown has the same dream. ..."When I went to NYC to see TT and NJChick, the first thing...the only thing, even over the friggen Statue of Liberty, that I HAD to see was the Chelsea Hotel. I wanted to see this place where artists created and had done so for 50 years.

I have dreams that I wish to fulfill after my first 7.5 Mil dollar win. One is to go to Ireland for awhile and study celtic music. the Irish fiddle, flute, arrangements, stuff like that. And another one is to spend a few months at the Chelsea Hotel, trying to make some mark as an artist."

I'm confused, I thought the dream was to be an artist, or a musician, or a writer and move into the Chelsea.

Edgar Lee Masters - The Hotel Chelsea

This post is for the person(s) who continues to vist this blog because they are googling the phrase "Edgar Lee Masters Poem About the Demise of the Hotel Chelsea."  Here is a copy of the poem as printed in Florence Turner's book, At The Chelsea.  I'm not certain of the date the poem was written, but it does forecast a sad future for the Last Outpost of Bohemia.

The Hotel Chelsea

Edgar Lee Masters

Anita! Soon this Chelsea Hotel
Will vanish before the city’s merchant greed,

Wreckers will wreck it, and in its stead

More lofty walls will swell

This old street’s populace.  Then who will know

About its ancient grandeur, marble stairs,

Its paintings, onyx-mantels, courts, the heirs

Of a time now long ago?

Who will then know that Mark Twain used to stroll

In the gorgeous dining-room, that princesses,

Poets and celebrated actresses

Lived here and made its soul;

In after years, so often made and unmade

By the changing generations, until today

It stands a tomb of happiness passed away,

Of an era long overlaid?

What loves were lived here, what despairs endured,

What children born here, and what mourners went

Out of its doors, what peace and what lament

These rooms knew, long obscured

Will be more lost when fifty years from hence

The place thereof will have no memory,

When men must hunt its picture, so to see

What it looked like amid this turbulence!

Few now remember even the noted names

That loved its hospitality in past years.

Who will remember me when wrecking shears

Clip like a leaf this room of troubled aims,

And make this window one with the sky’s space,

By which I sat looking into the court?

This table that I write on will not report

My dreams, gone by without a trace.

There will not be a seat for any ghost,

No room left for a musing ghost to smile

On kisses, vows, regrets, that for a while

Made life, and then were lost.

The blue-eyed woman who went out and in

The entrance door, time and the tooth thereof

Will take her, take the man who gave her love,

Both will be lost ere twenty years begin.

With purest love this woman was beloved;

With pain her lover looked upon her grief,

Her past, and strove to give her heart relief,

Himself by Life so moved.

All this will be but currents of the air

Veering and lost.  Tell me how souls can be

Such flames of suffering and of ecstasy,

Then fare as the winds fare?

Tell me how love that fills the human heart

With a sense of things eternal must submit

To what is eyeless, and is infinite,

And hears so soon the word ‘depart/”

Anita! You can perpetuate by thought

What we have lived, when this hotel is gone.

Passing its site remember I was one

Who sought for peace and found it not.

Remember that I loved you, scarce could bear

My helplessness to give your spirit thrift –

Remember this as with the tide you drift,

Others will not remember, nor even care.

Performance Art At The Chelsea

Daniel Reich Gallery has opened a Temporary Space in room 600 (Chelsea Hotel's Grand Ballroom). The events are curated by Dean Daderko who chose the Chelsea because, Where else is so perfect for luminaries to come together?  It works for us too.  We hardly have to the leave the building for anything these days.  We just wait for the entertainment to come to us.

Thu., Nov. 10, 9:30 PM            The Flawless Sabrina
Hot on the high heels of her last performance – Reading the Beads - at Gavin Brown’s Passerby, mother La Flawless wows us with her one-of-a-kind spoken words.  Scintillating!  And did you see her outfit?

Sun., Nov. 13, 2 PM          Nao Bustamente’s Performance for Video Brunch
Performance for Video isn’t performance documentation, but Performances for the Camera.  We will be screening works by universally recognized practitioners; plus Nao’s famous macaroni and cheese!

Literary Lights Burn Bright in Former Hawke's Nest

Former Hotel Chelsea resident Sparkle Hayter recently played host to Paris in the Chelsea, a party to celebrate the release of Jeremy Mercer's book Time Was Soft There.  A good time was had by all.  One unexpected highlight of the party for a few Chelsea dwellers was the opportunity to check out the Hawke's Nest now that it has been vacated.  The one memorable feature was a mural on the ceiling of what is now a bedroom. The mural depicts Jesus Christ and one of his disciples. JC holds a knife in his hand and the disciple has either a bong or a keg tapper in his hand. Don't ask me.

The hostess in red chats with Victor Navasky, former editor of The Nation. Navasky seemed to enjoy himself despite the recent announcement about his job change.
Ed chugs a budweiser in the background.


Hotel Chelsea Dwellers Caroline Hansberry and David Remfry.





Joan Morris, Maggie Paley and Bill Bolcom. Joan and Bill are former Hotel Chelsea Dwellers




Colin Asky and Jeremy Mercer.  Jeremy is great.  He donated a signed copy of his book to the 8th floor library.

Colin has a film showing Friday, Nov. 11


Ed and Thad Rutkowski
Thad has a book launch party Friday, Nov. 11




Syd Straw




For more photos, visit Sparkle's Flickr group.

Dormority of the Deranged

Part I:  Garbage Art
Recently, someone came and took a picture of my art work and posted it on the web—the world wide web, that is.  In a transom in the hallway—where there was once a stained glass window (a few examples still remain scattered throughout the Chelsea)—I have mounted two pink, plastic ducks, shampoo bottles that can apparently also be used as coin banks once the shampoo runs out.  I found them in the garbage, and this is my art.  I’m a garbage artist, a practitioner of a little known genre of fine art that generally goes unappreciated, even persecuted, in this philistine world of ours, even here in the Chelsea, where you’d think people would know better.  Garbage art is related to found art, but it’s a more specific sub-genre: found-in-the-garbage art.

I can give you a few other notable examples.  For instance, one time I found a duck mask in the trash.  This was apparently thrown out by a rich yuppie family with two small children.  The mask was red and yellow, and composed of some kind of heavy rubbery material, rather than the cheap plastic most Halloween masks are made out of, and that’s what attracted me to it.  (It’s just a coincidence, I think, that it was a duck, though of course this species may indeed hold a deeper psychosexual meaning to my unconscious mind.  There was another mask I could have chosen: a pirate, I believe.  It was thrown out in a whole pile of perfectly good toys.)  It may not have even been a duck, come to think of it, but rather some other sort of bird, maybe a hawk, as it had a hooked beak—but it still looked more like a duck than anything. I climbed up on a chair and stuck it high up on a little knob that jutted out from the wall, slightly above and to the right of the family’s door.  It would be like a totem, watching over our hallway, stern and foreboding, ever vigilant—and yet cartoonish, and therefore strangely apropos, expressive of the playful, tricksterish spirit of Chelsea art as I conceive it.  It looked great up there, and I figured the yuppies would appreciate the fact that their cast off toys had been put to good use in the service of art.  The mask remained up for a couple of weeks, and then someone climbed up and ripped it down roughly, maybe jumping from their perch to do so, leaving behind a small scrap of yellow duck flesh that remains to this day. Copyright 2006 Ed Hamilton  (Next Week: More Garbage Art)

A Tribute - Arnold Weinstein

The memorial service for long time Chelsea Hotel resident Arnold Weinstein  (6/10/27 - 9/4/05) has concluded. This is a quick snapshot of the program.

Bob Dishy and Peter Stadlen -- "The Wind in the Willows"

Paul Sills

Alice Playten and Scott Griffin
"The Wake Up Song" from Schlemiel The First

Robert Brustein -- Spoke of his and Arnold's time together at Yale.

Mary Testa and Laurence Rosenthal
"Central Park Goodbye" from The Party

Charles Prince -- Spoke of the spiritual bond he and Arnold shared.

Estelle Parsons, Andre de Shields and William Bolcom
"I've Got a Lot of Lawn to Mow" from A Wedding

John Guare -- Was Arnold the Last Bohemian?

William Bolcom and Joan Morris
"I'll Be By" from Casino Paradise
"Bright Red Singing" from The Party
"George" from Cabaret Songs

Bob Dishy and Peter Stadlen -- Red Eye of Love
"Don't you see, Wilmer, life isn't everything."  (Exit)  Red Eye of Love, Grove Press, 1962

William Bolcom played as those who had gathered to pay tribute to Arnold left the Walter Kerr.  In attendance:

Many Hotel Chelsea Dwellers
Our esteemed proprietor, Stanley Bard
Editor, The Nation, Victor Navasky
Writer, Sparkle Hayter

All Tomorrow's Parties - Nov 7 - 13

Monday, November 7, 12:00
Public Memorial Service for Arnold Weinstein, long time resident of the Hotel Chelsea.
Walter Kerr Theater, 219 West 48th Street, NY NY

William Bolcom Remembers Arnold
45 years Arnold and I worked together. Our Cabaret Songs were written expressly for Joan and are done now by all kinds of singers from cabaret to classical -- not at the Chelsea though -- but our operas took form at the hotel, and so much else. Long may the Hotel Chelsea endure - it's an oasis in an increasingly cruel and uncaring world, for not only the arts but the human race. Wm Bolcom (Photo: William, Arnold & Arthur Miller)
Sparkle Hayter Remembers Arnold
As far as the Chelsea Hotel goes, Arnold was the sage godfather of the hotel and all its sweet little freaks and geniuses. Having been there a long time, he had seen every aspect of humanity in the raw. Little could surprise him, and though he had a bemused cynicism, he was never jaded and rarely judgmental of the people around him. (Political leaders were another matter.)

Monday, November 7, 9:00 p.m.
The Eliza Battle will be playing at the Pussycat Lounge. Joining them on drums will be Lisa from the 8th floor. It's their first public gig. 
Pussycat Lounge, 96 Greenwich St., 2nd floor, NY NY

Wednesday, November 9, 5:30 p.m.
Dylan Thomas will be brought back to life on the anniversary of his death. He will read his poem, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night."  His ghost has been spotted several places recently including at the White Horse Tavern and in Austin, Texas.  The director of a film about Dylan's ghost, Binda Singh, answered a few questions for the blog.
1.  What inspired you to make a film about Dylan Thomas' ghost?
I was raised in Swansea and still live here. I felt that Dylans's work was being overlooked by youngsters and felt that a story which might bring him to their attention would help new readers discover him. Hence the decision to use a 'ghost' Dylan in a contemporary setting.
2.  Have you ever visited the Chelsea Hotel?
No I haven't, but would obviously love to..one day.
3. Did you consider filming at the Chelsea?
No I haven't. The thought didn't enter my head until...you mentioned it on your web site. In the movie Dylan haunts the Uni in Swansea....
Dylan Thomas Centre, South Wales

Thursday, November 10
Jeremy Blake: Sodium Pop can be viewed at the Feigen Contemporary Gallery until November 12. Read the reviews in Time Out: New York and Paper or read about Jeremy's 1995 visit to the Hotel Chelsea.
Feigen Contemporary, 535 W. 20th St., NY NY

Friday, November 11, 10 p.m.
Book launch party for Tetched, a Novel in Fractals by Thad Rutkowski. Wine and refreshments served.  Guests Hal Sirowitz, Janice Eidus, Cheryl B., Tsaurah Litzky, and Amy Ouzoonian. AHCB#2 highly recommends Tetched.  Thad has a minimalist style somewhat reminiscent of the old Bard of the Bar Room (Bukowski), and, more importantly, he seems to drink like him.  Thad’s funny, compelling, and strangely addictive little stories have a logic all their own and will have you questioning your own place in the universe.  But remember, “You have a choice.  You can wring your hands and become a fairy.  Or you can do what I did.  I found an Asian woman.”  Or anyway, that’s what the main character’s father tells him in Thad’s new book, Tetched, which is out now on Behler Publications of California.  The book reminded me in particular of Bukowski’s Ham on Rhy, especially as concerns the father character, and I highly recommend it.
St. Mark’s Poetry Project, 131 East 10th Street (at Second Avenue). $8

Saturday, November 12, 6:00 p.m.
Wallace the pug's birthday party.  This annual event held in the lobby of the Hotel Chelsea is not to be missed. Don't ask how old he is, it's not polite.  If it's anything like last year's party the Veuve Clique will be flowing.  For the humans, not for the dogs.
Hotel Chelsea, 222 W. 23rd St., NY NY

If you have a relevant event that you would like featured in "All Tomorrow's Parties," please e-mail the information to [email protected]

Today's Party

UPCOMING:
PANTS DOWN AT THE HOTEL CHELSEA
We proudly present LTTR #4
"Do you wish to direct me?"
Sunday November 6, 2005 4-7 PM

Daniel Reich Gallery (Temporary Space)
Programmed by Dean Daderko
at THE HOTEL CHELSEA, 222 W. 23rd St.
Room 600 (ground floor)

LTTR #4 is finally here and definitely OUT! Come by and lay your hands on this hot new issue this coming Sunday at the Chelsea Hotel. Fondle 80 pages of queer content and poke your nose into the crack of your new favorite book. Celebrate with us!

Another Satisfied Tourist

From blogger Peter Me's Brief New York Stories.
12. Hotel Chelsea - definitely grows on you. I'm quite enjoying it here.   Big surprise, everybody who stays here enjoy's the Chelsea. I wish blogger Peter Me would tell us more.

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