Living with Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog

Once Again, No Stars at Star Lounge

The New York Press's blog reports on the premier party for "The Cake Eaters," which was held last night in the Star Lounge in the basement of the Chelsea Hotel.  By all accounts, it was just about as star filled as the premier party for "Factory Girl."   Perhaps this also explains all of the uneaten cupcakes that were left on the street outside of the hotel this morning!

Star Lounge in the Chelsea Hotel's basement. The party was a total bust: no real star power, lots of hangers-on (didn't realize that large, obnoxious floral prints was the choice of both the scenesters as well as the out of towners). We gorged on some of the cupcakes (get it? cake eaters?), tried to talk to Mary Stuart (Masterson) but were blocked by the over-protective publicist and, then, left.

All Tomorrow's Parties: April 30 - May 6, 2007

Monday, April 30, 1:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Since there's not enough art hanging on the wall's of the Chelsea Hotel you might want to venture down to Tribeca to check out the Toast art walk.  The studios of more than 100 artists are open to the public.  Yesterday we checked out Scotto Mycklebust's studio.  It was worth the climb up five flights of stairs.
TOAST ART WALK

Tuesday, May 1, 8:30 p.m.
In the '70s and '80s, the relationship between legendary curator Sam Wagstaff, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and musician/poet Patti Smith was at the epicenter of New York's revolutionary art scene. "Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe," features interviews with Smith and a bevy of art world luminaries including Dominick Dunne, Richard Tuttle, Eugenia Parry and Ralph Gibson.
Pace Shimmel Center, One Pace Plaza, NY NY

Wednesday, May 2, 8:00 p.m.
Poetry Reading and projections by Ira Cohen with music by Tony Conrad and Mahasiddhi. $12.00
Swiss Institute, 495 Broadway, NY NY

Wednesday, May 2, 8:00 p.m.
The Living Theatre presents Kenneth Brown's "The Brig." This is the first production in the Theatre's new space. "The Brig," was first presented at The Living Theatre at 14th St. and Sixth Avenue in 1963.  Wednesday is pay-what-you-can night.  No reservations.
The Living Theatre, 21 Clinton Street, NY NY   

Thursday, May 3, 10:30 p.m.
Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny say goodbye to Tuesday and hello to Thursday with Kino 41. Kino 41 starlets: Amanda Leopore, Lady Fag, Moondust, Furey and Andre J. Cine Sounds & Show:  TBD .  Life is Like a Movie. Stop by every Thursday for your close up.
135 West 41st, NY NY

Friday May 4, 12:30 a.m.
If you're a fan of zombie movies, and who isn't, don't miss "Mulberry Street." It's a debut film by Jim Mickle and it's part of the Tribeca Film Festival. (Disclosure: Director's step mom is a friend of the bloggers. She even contributed a post once upon a time.)
AMC Village IV, Theatre 2,

Saturday, May 5, Various Times
In 1979, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude proposed one of the largest public art installations in history: a “golden river” of 7,500 fabric-paneled gates in Central Park . Transcending controversy, it was finally completed in 2005. Antonio Ferrera and Albert Maysles’ film, "The Gates," chronicles the artists’ 26-year commitment to transform the winter darkness of the park into a garden of light and color.
Various Venues

Saturday, May 5, 3:00 p.m.
Talk on the Wild Side - Leee Black Childers and Tony Zanetta recalling Andy Warhol's play PORK, which opened 36 years ago tonight at La MaMa.  Leee Black Childers and Tony Zanetta recall Andy Warhol's play PORK which opened 36 years ago tonight at LaMaMa etc and how the Ridiculous Theatre Community of actors and "superstars" of the late 60's and early 70's effected the evolution of Glitter, Glam and Punk Rock. PORK was based on tape-recorded telephone conversations between Andy Warhol and Brigid Berlin about her family's private life. Her mother Honey Berlin, a Fifth Avenue socialite who included the Duke of Windsor amongst her close friends, was livid when she found out about the play by reading a review of it in the New York Times.  The play ran for two weeks.
La Mama, 74A East 4th St. NY, NY

Sunday, May 6, 10:00 a.m.
Property from the 1977 Andy Warhol movie, "Bad," will be sold at auction.  This includes the entire contents of the estate in Riverdale, N.Y. that served as the set for the film.
Stamford Auction, 24 Harbor View Avenue, Stamford, CT

Gerald Busby Shares His Secrets

UPDATE -- The date for the recital of Gerald's music has changed to Monday, May 7, 6:00 - 7:30.

Composer Gerald Busby reveals how he scored his apartment here at the Chelsea.  He had a personal recommendation from the great composer Virgil Thomson himself. How's that for a reference? Think you can top that? Come on over and tell Stanely Bard your story.  It is, afterall, harder to get into the Chelsea than into an Ivy league college -- which Gerald got into as well.  Play the video to learn why Robert Altman chose Gerald as the composer for his strange filmic masterpiece Three Women.  Don't miss the recital of Gerald's work on Sunday at 4:30 p.m., John Stevenson Gallery, 338 West 23rd St. NY NY.  If you can't make the recital, purchase Music of Gerald Busby at Amazon.

Merle Lister at the Spring Housing Forum

Earlier this week Merle Lister participated in the Spring Housing Forum sponsored by the Chelsea Tenant Action Committee.  Merle is encouraging everyone who is interested in housing rights to attend a couple of upcoming rallies. You can read more about the Forum at www.blogchelsea.com

One rally is on Wednesday, May 23 at Stuyvesant Town at 5:00 p.m. and another rally is on Saturday May 5, from 11:00 a.m – 1:00 p.m. at Middle Collegiate Church 50 E. 7^th St.  The rally is to:

1.Repeal rent destabilization & the Urstadt Law
2. Preserve Mitchell Lama and Section 8 Housing
3. Stop unfair rent increases and harassment
4. Ensure adequate state funding for NYCHA housing
5. Limit rental payments for people living with HIV/AIDS to 30% of income

Rufus Wainwright at Keno 41

Photographer Linda Troeller caught up with Rufus Wainwright last Thursday at Susanne Bartsch & Kenny Kenny's weekly dance party, Keno 41. According to Michael Musto, Wainwright made the crowd uncomfortable in a good way with his new single, "Going to a Town."  Keno 41 happens every Thrusday at 10:30 p.m. at 135 West 41st St., NY NY.  This week METRO POP MAGAZINE RELEASE PARTY (featuring fury).  Show by London based performance artist La JohnJoseph.

Patti Smith at the Bowery Ballroom

Photographer/gal about town Linda Troeller has done it again.  She caught Patti Smith's late show at the Bowery Ballroom Tuesday night. Patti's new album, Twelve, is now available.

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READING IN DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOOD—YIKES!

Sometimes life intervenes and we have to get to leave the Chelsea for a while.  Last week, we were in San Francisco.  Since we’re bookworms at heart we were able to hook up with some like minded folks Thursday night.  Coincidentally, Kemble Scott, editor of SoMA Literary Review, which published a story by Ed a few years ago, was reading to promote his new book, SoMa.  So we headed out to The Rickshaw Shop, a venue primarily known for punk shows.  On our way down Market Street—past all the homeless people and crack addicts (reminiscent of the bad ol’ days in New York)--we walked by a crowd of people waiting for tickets to see Iggy Pop & The Stooges.  We stopped and debated: should we try to get tickets or not?  But God only knows how much they would be—a lot, for sure.  Ultimately, we decided to go with the less expensive entertainment option. 

While we were trying to figure out which way to turn on Fell Street to get to the bar, we ran into a social worker originally from Philadelphia and she helped us out.  When we gave her the address she asked “Are you going to a punk show?”  “Do we look like people who go to punk shows?” “No, not really, she replied.”  She also warned us that we were not in a safe neighborhood and if the show went too late we should go directly to Market Street and get a cab.  Well, we’re from NYC and don’t scare easily.

Once we got to the bar we were surprised to run into Todd Zuniga, editor of Opium Magazine, whom we know from the New York literary scene.  Todd told us that he stayed at the Chelsea last fall and he and his friends shot a crazy video here.  It's somewhere in the bowels of youtube.com.  We also met a young woman, whose parents almost moved into the Chelsea in the mid-1980s, but decided that they could do better.  She remembers staying at the Chelsea briefly when she was 9 years old, in a rundown room with an old refrigerator and a hot plate.  She likened the experience to something out of “The Shining.” 

The readers that night represented an all star line up of the alternative literary scene.  Jennifer Blowdryer told about spending the day at the Crematorium, where, apparently, you can rent a little space to display your urn along with mementoes from your life.  In choosing a space one must be careful not to get stuck next to the spaces displaying tasteless tchokes (sp) such as porcelain pigs. 

Beth Lisick read a story from her book from Manic D Press: back in the 90s, when she lived in a warehouse in the mission district she arrived home from vacation to find that the pipes in the SRO above her had broken and sewage was spilling from above all over her possessions.  She freaked out thinking that all of that shit from was from the junkies, etc. living in the SRO—though really, it would have been bad enough if it was Vanderbilt or Whitney shit.

            Manuel Jimenez read a story about surfing and getting buffeted around by the waves.  To preface his reading he announced that he was the worst reader in the world—generally a mistake to say so even if it’s true—and then self-fulfilled his prophecy by chewing gum as he read, loudly smacking it in the microphone! 

Kemble Scott read a story from his book which was about a guy getting his body waxed and trimmed.  To illustrate the sound of hair ripping from a body he ripped a file folder in half.  Very effective sound effect!  We bought Scott’s book so we’d have something read on the plane back to New York.  It’s about life among the down and out in San Francisco’s infamous South of Market district, and should be of interest to anyone who is drawn to such sketchy places as the Chelsea Hotel.  I was flipping through it and came upon a cool part about a place called the Argent Hotel, with floor-to-ceiling windows to provide the ultimate in voyeuristic pleasure.  (Readers of this blog are of course aware of our fascination with the concept of the Peek-a-boo bath, but it seems in this regard the Argent may have us beat!  Has anybody else stayed there?  Let us know.)

Oh, by the way, as it ended up, we didn’t have to brave the bad neighborhood on the way back to our hotel, as Scott and his friends were nice enough to give us a ride—saving us from death, or a worse fate.  Thanks Scott.

Cream Cheese Sandwich:Comic Celebrates Her 60s Heritage

Rotund comic Stephanie Peters spotted a totally cool—no other way to describe it—gigantic psychedelic 3-D album cover of Cream’s immortal “Disraeli Gears” in the window of Dan’s Chelsea Guitars and just had to have it.  She was in town from Providence—I think that’s right—for the Last Comic Standing competition.

I was sitting up by the counter in Dan’s, interviewing him for the Chelsea Now article, and shooting the breeze with the regulars, when she walked in with her two-man entourage.  “So did you camp out overnight?” I asked.  There had been a gaggle of comics, clowns and funny men lounging up and down 23^rd street in the freezing cold weather since the afternoon before, hoping for a chance to showcase their tomfoolery for three minutes before a national TV audience.

“No, I had a private interview,” Stephanie said.  She was loud and brash—as a comic should be--but seemed like a genuinely nice person.

“How’d it go?” I asked.

“Not so well,” she said.  “One of my judges was the comic Ant, and after my first joke he butted in and said, ‘You’re not just going to tell a bunch of fat jokes, are you?’  Can you imagine the nerve of that guy?!  All he ever tells are gay jokes!”

“You should have started telling a bunch of really mean gay jokes yourself,” I said.

She ignored me.  “What a jerk!” she bellowed.  “And it was a good joke too!  You wanna hear the joke?”

We all said we did.

“OK, here it is: I’m always trying to lose weight.  I’ll try anything.  So when they came out with this new diet dog food, I figured why not, I’ll give it a shot.  So I ate the stuff for a week, and I didn’t lose any weight.  But I found myself really beginning to like the smell of ass!”

Everybody cracked up laughing.

“You see!?  Funny, right?!” Stephanie said.  “See what I mean?!”

The Disraeli Gears poster, by an artist known as 3-D Bob (a long-haired fellow who turned up the next day, wearing two ties, a black one knotted over a red one), was rather expensive, and Stephanie was undecided as to whether or not she should buy it.  Dan drug a bunch more of the 3-D works out of the back: an Allman Brothers “Eat a Peach,” a Miles Davis “Bitches Brew” and a smaller version of the Cream album, to name a few.  They were all great, but the Big Cream was by far the most spectacular.

While she was making up her mind, Stephanie entertained us with excerpts from her comedy act.  She said that one of the things she would often do on stage was to remark that she was hungry and then extract a cheese sandwich—smashed and heated, almost grilled--from her ample bosom and have a bite.  This always went over particularly well when someone from the audience would agree to share the sandwich with her!

Still undecided, Stephanie left the store to walk around for awhile, and then when she came back an hour later she had made up her mind: she would take the big one! -- Ed Hamilton

All Tomorrow's Parties: April 23 - 29, 2007

Monday, April 23,
Philip Glass, the Bill Frisell trio, the Clogs, and other perform while experimental gems -- including Harry Smith's "Abstractions" are screened. Jonas Mekas, one of the Film Maker's Cooperative's founders will accompany his own films on vocals and with the band Now We Are Here.
Angel Orensanz Center for the Arts, 172 Norfolk St., NY NY

Tuesday, April 24, 6:00, 8:30 & 10:30 
Patti Smith will perform three 30-minute concerts which will include acoustic music, spoken word performances, and in-concert surprise shows.
Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street, NY NY

Wednesday, April 25, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Shin-pei Tsay and Lisa Chamberlain invite one and all to raise a glass to Jane Jacobs on the first anniversary of her passing, April 25, at the White Horse. Darren Walker, VP of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Alex Washburn, the first ever Chief of Urban Design for NYC, will both talk for a few minutes.
White Horse Tavern, Hudson & West 11th St., NY NY

Wedneday, April 25, 7:00 p.m. (refreshments at 6:30 p.m.)
Chelsea Tenant Action Committee Bilingual Housing Forum. Learn how you can protect yourself from landlord harassment and more. Panelists include Benjamin Dulchin (Deputy Director for Neighborhood and Housing Development), Wassim Lone (from the Good Old Lower East Side) and Lauren George (from the Citizens Committee for New York City).  Daniel Peckham will also speak.
John Lovejoy Elliott Center, 441 West 26th St., NY NY

Thrusday, April 26, 10:30 p.m.
Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny say goodbye to Tuesday and hello to Thursday with Kino 41. Kino 41 starlets: Amanda Leopore, Lady Fag, Moondust, Furey and Andre J. Cine Sounds & Show:  TBD .  Life is Like a Movie. Stop by every Thursday for your close up.
135 West 41st, NY NY

Saturday, April 28, 8:00 - 10:00
Patti Smith and Sam Shepherd will take the stage along with spoken-word poet and musician Saul Williams, Nona Appleby (aka Victoria Roberts, cartoonist for The New Yorker), and one or two other surprise guests. Pull up a chair, grab a martini from the bar, sit back, and enjoy the show.
The Bowery Ball Room, 6 Delancey, NY NY

Sunday, April 29, 4:30 p.m. - FREE
Two compositions by Gerald Busby, The Beard Songs and Speak, a saxophone quartet, is being performed by an ensemble of students from the Manhattan School of Music. Gerald Busby is best known for his film score for Robert Altman’s "3 Women," which received international critical acclaim and was issued as a DVD in the Criterion Collection of classic films. His dance score for Paul Taylor’s "Runes" has had hundreds of performances since its premier in Paris and was featured on the PBS Great Performances series, Dance in America. It is now available on the Nonesuch label. With playwright Craig Lucas, Busby wrote the opera Orpheus in Love, which premiered in New York at the Circle Repertory Company.  Gerald also hosts a radio show, "Collaborations." (Photo of Gerald is by Mia Hanson)
John Stevenson Gallery, 338 West 23rd St., NY NY

If you have an event appropriate for "All Tomorrow's Parties" send an e-mail to [email protected]

Kate Meyer Celebrates the Life of Master Printer Robert Blackburn

Kate Marie Meyer, a student at the University of Kansas recently wrote a comprehensive paper on the life and career of long time Chelsea resident and printmaker Robert Blackburn.  This month marks the four year anniversary of Blackburn's death and Kate has allowed us to publish an excerpt from her work. (Photo: Robert Blackburn in his workshop.)

We asked Kate why she chose to write about Bob and she explains, "I was given the opportunity to discuss Blackburn as a way to demonstrate the interconnectedness of print culture and print history for my doctoral comprehensive exams.  I was given a few questions to pick from, but that option seemed by far the most exciting.  His career  connects the Harlem Renaissance, the Arts Students League, U.L.A.E., and the Printmaking Workshop, which, while amazing, is surprisingly typical of printmakers.  Their careers seem to cross quite a few paths.  I also find the concept of master printer as fellow artistic collaborator to be both significant and frequently overlooked in the consideration of prints from the last 50 years.  (Photo: Robert Blackburn, Man with Load, 1936)

I guess the short explanation is that if a person wants to write about why prints are neat and interesting, Bob Blackburn is a great person to talk about.  I actually enjoyed writing that essay, and comprehensive exams are usually not much of a picnic!"

Robert Blackbun grew up in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance and the economic hardship of the 1930s.  While studying at the Art Students League, Blackburn was frustrated by the division between printing and printmaking, and volunteered to assist his teacher Will Barnet so that he might learn the process of printing lithographs.  With this lithographic training, Blackburn emerged as an artist-printer and opened Bob Blackburn’s Printing Workshop in 1948.  At the Printmaking Workshop, Blackburn taught classes but also provided space for artists to work together and share ideas.  He catered neither to money nor the market, and the Workshop often struggled financially.  Regardless of limited commercial recognition, by 1957 Blackburn’s reputation earned him the opportunity to print for Tatyana Grosman as she entered the world of collaborative workshops with the establishment of ULAE.  After 1963, Blackburn returned to teaching and serving as the central figure at his Printmaking Workshop.  Blackburn’s artistic concerns drive the Workshop’s continued emphasis on teaching and collaboration rather than commercial gain. The Printmaking Workshop investigates printmaking as a medium rather than a commercial opportunity.  As a non-profit organization since 1971, the Workshop’s funding and distinctively non-elitist environment attracts a racially diverse audience, particularly younger artists.

Robert Blackburn died in 2003.  By 1997 the artist and his assistants had taken steps to secure the Workshop’s future, adapting it to become a program of the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts.   Additionally, Blackburn donated most of his extensive personal print collection to the Library of Congress, with smaller samplings also given to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Museo del Barrio.  The Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop’s mission today attests to its founder’s legacy, committing to “inspiring and fostering an artistic community of racial, ethnic and cultural diversity for the making of fine prints within an environment responsive to exploration, innovation and collaboration; and to promoting the global appreciation and understanding of the fine art print.”

Ron Adams, born 1934, Blackburn, 2002 color lithograph Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, Lawrence Lithography Workshop Archive, 2003.0010

Adams produced Blackburn, at the Lawrence Lithography Workshop under the guidance of master printer Michael Sims.  An artist and a printer, Adams trained under master printer Ken Tyler at Gemini G.E.L., worked at Editions Press in San Francisco, then founded his own press, Hand Graphics, Ltd., in New Mexico, which he operated until 1987 when he chose to devote himself to his own art. Blackburn can be seen as a tribute from one master printer to another, who happen to be the only two African American master printers in the country. -- Kate Meyer

Dan Bern's "Chelsea Hotel"

We've written before about how Leonard Cohen's "Chelsea Hotel #2" is the most covered song on You Tube.  However, I'm a big fan of musician Dan Bern and he recently released a new album with his "Chelsea Hotel," song, which has a bit in common with Leonard Cohen's song.  Finally, someone covered Dan's version.  What do you think? 

Norwegian Scholar Graces The Chelsea

  For our interview, Mikkel Astrup wears a futuristic black vinyl track suit.  He has two favorite art works in the lobby: the Chelsea Dogs, and Robert Lambert’s painting of the man feeding the chickens.  A Samuel Beckett scholar, when Mikkel discusses his discipline, most of what he says is rather hard to follow (which is probably inevitable given the notorious opacity of Beckett), much less transcribe, but I managed to get a bit of it down, hopefully without misrepresenting Mikkel’s thought too egregiously.

Where are you from and what do you do?

I’m from Oslo, Norway and I’m a research fellow at the University of Oslo. I’m working on my PhD. dissertation on Beckett and sickness.  My field may be described as Literary Theory, or Cultural Theory.  I work with doctors and psychoanalysts, discussing the relationship between literature and health, the arts and medicine.  I am also interested in Beckett’s relation to Abstract Expressionism.

Is this your first time at the Chelsea?

Yes.  I usually stay with friends when I come to New York, but I thought I’d try the Chelsea this time.  I had heard about the Chelsea from some people who had stayed here long ago, and I wanted to see if it was the same as they said it was, with all the creative people.  I found that this was still the case.  It is exciting, a good place to work, and very central.  I have been spending my days doing a lot of writing.

How would you describe the atmosphere of the Chelsea? There is an atmosphere of creative freedom which is permissive, yet discrete.  One is not stifled or oppressed here.  But at the same time I can blend in and do my work and not be distracted by the festivities.  In the lobby I feel like part of the furniture.  I can go there when I’m stuck in my work and get unstuck.  People here can have a relation that is a sort of non-relation that I find liberating.

What is Beckett’s connection to New York? New York is not directly connected to Beckett.  I came here to learn about contemporary art.  I’ve been going to museums and galleries and events for two months.  I wanted to understand all aspects of the art world, especially the financial situation, the distribution networks, the hype, and the potential pratfalls.

Did Beckett ever stay at the Chelsea? I’m pretty sure he didn’t. He only came to New York one time, to make a movie about perception, Film, with Buster Keaton.  He said of the United States: “This place is too weird.  I’m going back to Europe.”  [Editors Note: Ha!]

What is Beckett’s relation to abstract art? His biographical relation to the Abstract Expressionists is quite boring.  He looked at them to learn production strategies that he could transfer to his own writing.  Theoretically, they are important to his quest to abstract a language expressing levels of human organization that can’t be perceived directly.

What artists has Beckett influenced? Bruce Nauman, Damien Hirst, and especially Frank Stella.  Among Chelsea Hotel residents, I know that Burroughs was very interested in Beckett, though Beckett did not think Burroughs’ work was important.

Could you describe your project?

I’m trying to expand the notion of health beyond that of physical and psychiatric illness.  There is also pragmatic illness, which is a reaction to certain forces, and can be brought more to the forefront of the health discourse as a supplement to these other notions.  I want to communicate to doctors and psychiatrists that their cure may not be the absolute cure.  In some instances, the medical gaze can be replaced by the aesthetic gaze.  In my study I employ all of Beckett’s major novels, from Murphy onwards, focusing on three important aspects of his fiction that can be brought to bear on this notion of changing paradigms of illness.  These are: his non-progressive teleology, the shifting essence of his characters, and the fact that his characters have their own level of reality which doesn’t intersect with more common levels.

Has anything exciting or interesting happened to you here at the Chelsea? While working late one night in the lobby, I noticed the wide variety of people passing through the doors, and this transformed my way of looking at what is normal.  Although I don’t have a very strict theoretical framework as to what constitutes normalcy, my practical view was previously somewhat constricted.  It has now been broadened considerably.

Have you encountered any ghosts while you’ve been here?

No, those who encountered them must have been indulging in some illicit substance.

Chelsea Hotel Birthday Party

Remember, anything can happen when you celebrate your birthday at the Chelsea Hotel.  You may end up kissing Hawk Alfredson's painting.  Let's hope she didn't get lipstick stains on it!

Two-Book Party for Renowned Chelseaite

Stefan Brecht, who lives in the Village, kept a studio in the Chelsea Hotel throughout the seventies, eighties and nineties.  He says his first studio was very nice, but his second, on the 10^th floor, had a huge hole in the floor.  His friends included the avant garde filmmaker Harry Smith, and David Remfry and his wife Caroline Hansberry.  (Photo: Stefan & Bob Nichols)

I have a piece on Brecht’s recent two-book party appearing in last week’s The Villager.  Debbie and I both went to the reading, an Australian film crew in tow.  (They were filming a documentary about the Chelsea Hotel.) The crew had me wired like a stool pigeon for the event, but I don’t think I got anything scandalous, and anyway, unfortunately, I don’t have access to the tapes.  But here’s a few choice quotes (scribbled down by hand) on Stefan’s photographs of the 8^th Avenue sidewalk that I had to cut out of the final version of the article:

            When posed the question of whether of not Brecht’s photos represent a sort of historical record of the time, artist David Remfry—who shared Havana cigars with Brecht in the Chelsea Hotel—says, “No, they’re not a record.  The photos are focused on the moment you’re walking over that stretch of pavement.  There are not many clues.  They could be documents of London or Moscow or anywhere.” 

            And Susan Birkenhead, the Broadway lyricist responsible for “Jelly’s Last Jam,” says, “I look down at the sidewalk all the time.  I think maybe it’s because I have a dog.”  Birkenhead doesn’t think the 8^th Avenue sidewalk has changed physically since the eighties, though she does agree with her husband, Jerold Couture, that the sociological character of the neighborhood has certainly changed dramatically.

            On the other hand, fiction writer and activist Grace Paley, who has lived in an apartment on 11^th Street in the Village since the early 80s, says that when she first moved in there were no trees on her street.  While Brecht kept his eyes on the sidewalk, Paley was closely watching another physical aspect of the neighborhood.  “I always kept my eyes on the trees,” Paley says, considering the presence or absence of trees, and the extent of their growth, to be indicative to the health of a neighborhood.  “Back before that they never thought to plant a tree.  When I moved in they planted some of  the first ones on  my street, then they started planting them all over New York.”

            Most revealing, however, was poet Robert Nichols remark that the photos reminded him of Australian aboriginal paintings, which, though they look like abstracts, are actually maps of physical and spiritual landscapes recognizable only to someone who has grown up in that culture and that locale. -- Ed Hamilton (Photos: Mai Lei checks  out the book. Wally Shawn greets a fan.)

All Tomorrow's Parties: April 16 - 22, 2007

Monday, April 16, 8:00 p.m.
Beat legend and renowed book store owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti will read tonight. $18.00. (Photographer Jean Pearson reports, via Rick LiBrizzi, that Ferlinghetti used to stay here at the Chelsea Hotel.)
92nd Street Y, Lexingotn Ave at 92nd St., NY NY



Monday, April 16, 9:00 p.m.
Singer/songwriter Libby Johnson will perform her magic. Maybe she'll perform some of the songs she wrote while living here at the hotel.
The Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen St., NY NY

Wednesday, April 18, 8:00 p.m.
Patti Smith is all over town promoting her new covers album, Twelve.  Tonight you can catch her here in Chelsea at Hiro Ballroom.
Hiro Ballroom, The Maritime Hotel, 363 West 16th St., NY NY

Thursday, April 19, 10:30 p.m.
Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny say goodbye to Tuesday and hello to Thursday with Kino 41. Kino 41 starlets: Amanda Leopore, Lady Fag, Moondust, Furey and Andre J. Cine Sounds & Show:  Rufus Wainwright will give a special performance.  Life is Like a Movie. Stop by every Thursday for your close up.
135 West 41st, NY NY

Saturday, April 21, 8:00 p.m.
Singer/Songwriter Keren Ann is doing a secret show over on Myspace.


If you have an event appropriate for "All Tomorrow's Parties" send an e-mail to [email protected]

Patti Smith's "You Light Up My Life"

Apropos of nothing. Patti Smith talks about what it means to be "punk rock" and performs "You Light Up My Life." I don't know why she didn't choose this song for her new covers album. (Source: ABC, "Kids Are People Too," 1979)

McBURNEY YMCA CONTINUES MISSION OF COMMUNITY DESTRUCTION

What’s the matter jokers, didn’t you (the board) make enough money from the sale of the beautiful old McBurney building on 23^rd Street?  The McBurney Y has a deficit for 2006 and they’re scapegoating the Health & Wellness program and are planning to “restructure.”  The fitness program is one of the strongest community-oriented programs remaining intact at the Y after the move from 23rd St. Sure, the people is this program complain a lot because the stereo is always broken, the studio mirrors were never properly installed, the studios aren’t ventilation, and they aren’t sound proof.  None of these things were problems on 23rd Street.  It’s ironic that the “restructuring” involves firing a senior staff person who was instrumental in placating members and helping the Y move to 14th St.  That’s loyalty for you.

In addition, this “restructuring” would also have the effect of causing the defection of more long-term members—you know, the pesky kind who tend to stand up for their rights.  If the Health and Wellness program falls, expect further assaults on other programs where a spirit of community still exists. 

Of course, this all sounds wildly counterintuitive: why would the Y want to destroy its own community?  Well, for whatever reason, the YMCA has, in the last few years, made the decision to abandon it’s mission of community service and enter the “family fitness” field.

Attempting to reason with these bullies has proved difficult if not impossible. In order to counter this move, we need to pressure politicians at all levels to re-examine the YMCA’s tax-exempt status. Additionally, the Y has sold off several other buildings in Manhattan recently.  Where’s the money? — DM

Cut-Rate Bohemian Style Package Courtesy of Sony Pictures

That's right folks, if you book your tickets now for 'Spider-Man 3', released at ODEON MAY 4 and ODEON will enter you into a FREE prize drawing to win a weekend to New York!* ODEON are offering one lucky winner & guest, courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing, the chance to spend 2 nights/3 days in New York, the home of Spider-Man! Our lucky winners will be put up in style at the world-famous Chelsea Hotel and will be given $200 spending money for their stay.   Please, $200.00 for a week-end in the Chelsea. Why don't they just put them up in a Bowery flop house.  You could drop that much and then some in one evening of drinking at El Quijote.  Maybe they can swing down the stairwell in true Spider-Man fashion. What's they spend on that movie about $300 million.  Can't they at least spring for a room at the Gansevoort Hotel.

Robert Mapplethorpe at the Chelsea

A blog reader from Chicago sent us a link to an article he wrote about artist Robert Mapplethorpe.  Included in his article is a photo of Robert in his room here at the Hotel Chelsea. Doesn't look like they've upgraded the furnishings much since then.  One thing different is that they've cut down the size of the refrigators.  Presumably so you'll use less electricity.  Another thing we notice is that he seems to have a closet and we are very envious since we don't have one.  Perhaps we'll ask Stanley if we can upgrade to Mapplethorpe's old room but we're not counting on it.

Hi, I thought that you and/or your readers might enjoy the article that I've published about Robert Mapplethorpe (notes, photography, music audios and a photographic slideshow).  Keep up the good work, I'm a great fan of Legends!  Best wishes to all of you there.


 

DJ Mark Moore & Dangerous Muse at Kino 41

Susanne Bartsch & Kenny Kenny present Kino 41, Thursday, April 12, 10:30 p.m. Open Vodka bar from 10:30 - 12:00 p.m., This week's show is by Dangerous Muse. Location: 135 West 41st St., NY NY

Eighteen Grapes, That Must Be Some Kind of a Record

Former model Cleo Glyde claims to have subsisted on a diet of six grapes per day.  Staggering home after a debouch one night at the fruit cart outside of the White Horse Tavern she collapsed at the Hotel Chelsea and was taken to St. Vincents.  Luckily for her she lived to tell the tale.  Now she has found her "happy weight" and learned to "say yes to everything."  That's a lesson that the jaded bohemians have known all along here at the Chelsea.  (Source: Mademoiselle)

Rare Gay-Elvis Photo at Dan’s Chelsea Guitars

Dan Courtenay, of Dan’s Chelsea Guitars, located in a storefront of the Chelsea Hotel, is a fascinating character and a great story teller with a wealth of information on life, Rock and Roll, and beyond.  I hung out in his store a few times over the course of a couple of weeks to get the material for the article that appears in this week’s Chelsea Now.  Though I’ve lived in the hotel for 12 years, since I don’t play the guitar I had never set foot in the shop before.  But I would definitely recommend popping in for a look: the guys who hang out there are cool and laid back, and the shop itself is a visual feast, filled with all manor weird, wacky old stuff.

            One of the coolest items, which I didn’t really get to talk about much in the article, is a picture of Elvis at about 13 in a slightly homo-erotic embrace with another young boy who would become, in adulthood, the president of the Elvis Presley Fan Club.  Dan says that the photo was plucked from the trash of the communist building across the street when they cleaned out their basement a few years ago.  ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons came into the shop one time and spotted the photograph and flipped out, saying that it was one of only six known prints of that shot.  He said it was by a famous African American photographer, who, it turned out, had had his studio in the basement of the commie building.  Dan can’t remember the name of the photographer, so if anybody can help out in this regard, it would certainly be appreciated.

            All the curiosities in the store have stories behind them, you just have to get Dan talking.  Also interesting are the outsider paintings of such figures as Bob Dylan and Son House.  They were painted by a homeless man from Memphis named Lamar Sorrento.  Spike Lee filmed them to use in his movie “Summer of Sam,” and then wanted to get in touch with Sorrento to secure the rights.  Dan was able to locate him by calling a homeless shelter in Memphis.

            As for the three death’s masks that adorn the support beams of the store, the one of Christopher Walken is from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and was used to make a fake head to be chopped off and go rolling around the set.  The Paul McCartney mask was apparently made by a plastic surgeon—or so Dan believes.  I forget the story of the Vincent Price mask, but ask Dan and he may tell you if he’s in the mood! -- Ed Hamilton

Help A Neighbor Out

Neighbor/ blogger Crazy Fingers really wants to attend the sold out Phil Lesh show at SOB tonight or tomorrow night.  Can anybody help?  Afterall, Crazy Fingers provides a pointer to Phil Lesh's recollections of a Grateful Dead show here at the Hotel Chelsea. 

All Tomorrow's Parties: April 9 - 15, 2007

Monday, April 9, 8:30 p.m.
Gerald Busby, the monologuing composer will take to the stage to present another episode in his on-going autobiographical epic.  If we're lucky, he might share another recipe by composer Virgil Thomson. Plus Matt Sullivan, Esther Lamneck and Charlotte Vierveyzer play oboes with digital effects and clarinet. Piano duo Stephanie Kai-Win Ho & Saar Ahuvia premiere Double Salt Variations by Philippe Bodin. By popular demand, an excerpt of The Gold Standard by playwrite Ed Schmidt & composer/pianist Jed Distler.  $15.00 Highly Recommended.
Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street (betw. 6th and 7th Ave), NYC

Tuesday, April 10,  Various Times at Various Venues
Hoax, the movie about the con-man Clifford Irving, who's favorite hide-out was the Chelsea, has finally opened. In August 2005 the Hoax crew set up shop here on 23rd Street and filmed a few scenes inside of Capitol Fish & Tackle.  Who knew that a year later in August 2006 Capitol Fish & Tackle would be gone. Oddly enough the retail space is still empty.





Thursday, April 12, 6:00 - 8:00,p.m.
Reception for "c/o The Velvet Underground, NY NY," an exhibit commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of The Velvet Underground and Nico. The exhibit includes: Warhol's designs for Up-Tight, The Exploding Plastic Inevitable; The original artwork for the 1966 Boston Tea Party show; The famous 1966 acetate demo of The Velvet Underground and Nico - an album The London Observer has cited as number one in a list of "50 Albums that Changed Music"; Original Lyrics by Lou Reed from 1965; Original Warhol screen test film stills and photobooth pictures of band members.
John McWhinnie@Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, 40 1/2 East 64th St., NY NY

Thrusday, April 12, 10:30 p.m.
Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny say goodbye to Tuesday and hello to Thursday with Kino 41. Kino 41 starlets: Amanda Leopore, Lady Fag, Moondust, Furey and Andre J. Cine Sounds & Show:  TBD .  Life is Like a Movie. Stop by every Thursday for your close up.
135 West 41st, NY NY

Saturday, April 14, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Rally to help the tenants of 47 East 3rd Street save their building.  The landlord is seeking to evict all rent stabilized tentants in this building by using the "owner occupancy" provision of the rent laws. A state appeals court recently ruled that landlords can take as many apartments as they want for their own personal use. This case is redefining the law and could impact all NYC tenants.
47 East 3rd St., NY NY

Saturday, April 14, 11:00 p.m.
The incredibly talented Rosewood joins the fire eaters, side show performers and strip tease artists who make up the popular Le Scandal show, for a gender bending extravaganza. $20.00 (photo flickr)
The Cutting Room, 19 W. 24th St. NY NY

If you have an event appropriate for "All Tomorrow's Parties" send an e-mail to [email protected]

Long-time Chelsea Hotel Resident Jakov Lind (1927-2007)

We are sad to learn of the passing of the great Jewish writer Jakov Lind, who, according to his obituary in the New York Sun (March 9, 07) lived at the Chelsea for 40 years, though he wisely spent part of his time in London and Spain.  There are photos of Lind in both the Claudio Edinger book, Chelsea Hotel and the Rita Barros book, Chelsea Hotel: Fifteen Years.  Lind is best known for his novels, Soul of Wood and Landscape in Concrete, although, as we learn from the Edinger book, he was also a painter and an anarchist. -- Ed Hamilton

Susanne Bartsch's Kino 41 Party

Here's live footage of The Velvet Code from Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny's weekly Kino 41 Party. Kino 41 happens every Thursday night at 10:30 p.m.

Big Head Todd & the Monsters Stop by the Chelsea

Laid back rock band Big Head Todd & The Monsters stopped by the Chelsea and the result is this hauntingly moody video for their song "It's Alright" from the Sister Sweetly album.  They've used some rather absurdist artistic license to come up with a valet who shines guest's shoes and efficient housekeepers. That's really stretching it.  They've also got some angst ridden residents who compose their Great American Novels on Underwood typewriters and dance through the halls when they're finished. Hey, we have computers and blogs around here.

New Religious Building to Soar Heavenward on 23rd

Some people think the new Carlos Zapata building on 23^rd St. looks like a cockroach, and I can kind of see that: those look sort of like wing casings folded down on top.  But what it really reminds me of is the Pope’s hat.  I know there must be a word for that, and I should probably look it up, but even if I used it nobody would know what I was talking about.  I should also probably voice my opposition to this wildly dis-contextual project, but I can’t help feeling that anybody who has the balls to throw up a damn Pope’s hat in the middle of a block of beautiful 19^th century buildings deserves some respect.

            And after all, it looks a hell of a lot better than Gehry’s “Luminous Toadstool” over on Eleventh Avenue.

On the other hand, the pictures may not reflect the finished product: developers have a way of turning almost any design into a pile of shit once they get their hands on in and start cutting corners.  But hey, maybe they can get it up by Easter! -- Ed Hamilton

My Close Encounter With Chelsea Royalty: Patti Smith Record Release Party at the Star Lounge

Patti came walking down 23^rd Street and entered the Chelsea Hotel unnoticed because legendary Stonewall activist and drag king Stormé DeLarverié and Vogue fashion news directorr/model Sally Singer were posing for the cameras and all eyes were on them.  Patti ran into Warhol superstar Rene Ricard coming out of the hotel and they stood in front of the door and had a nice long chat.  Out of respect to Rene, I did not take their picture because I know that Rene does not like his photo taken.  (Later he said it would have been OK to take his picture with Patti!)  I did however snap a picture of Patti entering the Star Lounge in the hotel basement. (That's her in the hat)

I didn’t have an invitation but I hung around with painter Michelle Zalopany and her friends and they graciously allowed me to slip in with their party.  It was so dark that I couldn’t really see the décor, so I don’t know to what extent it changed from when Serena’s was down there.  It was hot and crowded, plus some awful red lights kept blinding me so I left before Patti performed.  However, Michelle and her friends said Patti played an awesome acoustic set with her band.

At 9:30 Patti came out of the club and I took her picture again.  On her way to the cab, Michael Maher from Australian Broadcasting Company asked her what the Chelsea meant to her, since she had lived there for so many years.  Patti looked right through him and kept on walking to the cab.

Oh well.  With that kind of attitude, I don’t suppose we’re ever going to get our interview with Patti.  Maybe Chelsea historian Sherill Tippins will have better luck.

Debbie  (Photos:  Michelle Zalopany & Friend, The guys from El Quixote who offered us free drinks if we couldn't get into the basement; Patti Smith with her eyes closed)

Patti Smith Breaks Our Hearts Again

UPDATE: We hear that there's a party for Patti Smith tonight at the STAR LOUNGE.  Our invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.  How much more heartbreak can we take?  Good thing we know about the VIP elevator! 

First, there was all that business with Patti Smith's publisher when they announced that Just Kids: From Brooklyn to the Chelsea, a book about the time she spent with friend and fellow artist Robert Mapplethorpe, was going to be released in October 2006.  We wrote to ask for a review copy and were told, we don't know when that book is going to be released.  

Now, a publicist e-mails to tell us about Patti’s new album, Twelve, a collection of studio recordings which is due out later this month.  They sent us an mp3 of Gimme Shelter and offered us a review copy of the cd. Big deal, it's on Patti's myspace page. And anyway, how many times are you going to want to listen to Patti Smith sing Gimme Shelter. I'd say approximately once and then it's back to good ole Mick's version. More significiantly the publicist wrote, “ let me know if you are interested in setting up an interview with Patti Smith.”  Well, we weren’t going to let that invitation pass us by.  Sure, we replied, we’ll interview Patti.  Surprise, surprise, now they write back and say she's not available.  Can't they get their stories straight around there!

So, we still have a lot of unanswered questions about that book.  Guess she's been in the studio recording instead of writing her book. Well, I hope the book doesn't fall victim to the "Factory Girl" syndrome where you have to wait so long that you're sick of it by the time it sees the light of day.