Living with Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog

Another Case Like Dan Peckham's (End Landlord Self-Certification)

In Sunday’s Daily News there’s an article about a woman, Karen Leiberman, whose building on West 85^th Street is being torn down around her.  The case is eerily similar to what has been happening to Daniel Peckham in his Chelsea apartment for the past two years.  Both cases result from a landlord using a loophole in the housing code to empty a building of its rent-stabilized tenants. 
     In Peckham’s case it’s the so called “phony demolition” loophole, while in Leiberman’s it’s the owner- occupancy provision.  Futher linking the cases is the fact that both landlords – Larry Tauber in Peckham’s case, and Warren Malone in Leiberman’s – lied on their applications for demolition permits:  both stated falsely, that their buildings had already been emptied of tenants.  And that’s a pretty significant lie, became, even thought the DOB seems to be bending over backward to let owners do whatever they ant with their property, they still require that the buildings not be pulled down on top of somebody’s head.
    Daniel Peckham alleges corruption at all levels of the DOB, top to bottom.  And while I have no reason to doubt him on this, the author of the Daily News article, Brian Kates, points out the presence of a less nebulous factor in the equation -- the DOB’s self-certification program, whereby owners are trusted to attest to their own compliance with building codes. Whereas in the past years you might have had to grease a few palms to being gutting your building illegally, now all you need to do is falsify a few documents.
     As Kates points out, the self-certification program also results in lax safety standards and shoddy work.  This should give even the wealthy condo-purchasers pause.  It’s a perfect example of how runaway development and gentrification benefits no one – neither rich nor poor – except a few unscrupulous developers and speculators. -- Ed Hamilton

Joe Bidewell's "Dream Hotel"

Joe Bidewell, who played back-up for Nico in the 1980 BBC documentary, closes out the show with his own musical tribute to the Chelsea, "Dream Hotel." Several years ago I heard Joe perform "Dream Hotel" at Sine, which sadly, like a lot of other clubs that Joe used to perform in (CBGBs), are no longer in existance.  Well, you can still catch Joe performing at Brown's in Nashville.

The Best Places in the Chelsea Hotel to Dump Cat Litter

Clearly, the toilet bowl is now off limits.  I usually heave mine down the stairwell, other people who are more lazy just toss theirs out the window onto 23rd Street.

All Tomorrow's Parties: May 28 - June 3, 2007

Wednesday, May 30, 11:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Summer 2007 revisits the unprecedented explosion of contemporary art and popular culture brought about by the civil unrest and pervasive social change of the 1960s and early '70s, when a new psychedelic aesthetic emerged in art, music, film, architecture, graphic design, and fashion. The exhibition includes paintings, photographs and sculptures by Isaac Abrams, Richard Avedon, Lynda Benglis, Richard Hamilton, Elliott Landy, Jimi Hendrix (his only known watercolor), Robert Indiana, Yayoi Kusama, Richard Lindner, and John McCracken, among others, as well as a rich selection of important posters, album covers and underground magazines.
Whitney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street, NY NY

Thursday, May 31, 10:30 p.m.
Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny invite one and all to 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, June 1,
Rehearsals for a private reading of Red Eye of Love are currently being held in Manhattan.   The reading process, which ends June 1, features the talents of Elizabeth Stanley (as Selma Chargesse), Cheyenne Jackson (as Wilmer Flange) and Richard Kind (as O.O. Martinas). Tony Award-winning orchestrator Ted Sperling is directing the reading of Red Eye of Love, which is based on a play by Arnold Weinstein. The musical features book and lyrics by Weinstein and John Wulp and music by Jan Warner. (Photo: Opera News)

Saturday, June 2, 2007, 3:00 p.m.
Andy Warhol Superstars -- Lee Black Childers, Geladine Smith, Taylor Mead and Ultra Violet discuss the influence Andy had on their lives and art AND the influence they had on Andy's life and art.
LaMaMa E.T.C. 74A East 4th St. NY, NY

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

The Woman Behind the "Pink Lady In the Swing"

The "Pink Lady in the Swing," perched as she is high above the lobby, has the best seat in the house for watching over the vortex of insanity.  Sculptor Renatta Goebel displays some of the Pink Lady's sisters in Le Figrao. (Photo by Catherine Leroy)

Talk Like Bob Dylan Day

Today, May 24th is Talk Like Bob Dylan day. Check out the link for a lot of bad Bob Dylan impersonations or submit your own. It's also Bob's birthday.  Stop by the Chelsea Hotel, Saturday, May 26, starting at 9:00 p.m. (Rooms 215 & 219) for a belated celebration.  "A Night in Bob Dylan's Bedroom" is an evening of films, live performances and more.  (BYOB) For additional info check with the fine folks at Dan's Chelsea Guitars.

Shattering The Mystique of the Glass Houses

More than 39 glass houses are set to go up along the High Line, but the biggest one of all is rearing its head on 6th Avenue at 24th Street. Remember to check back soon for more videos featuring your friends and neighbors. Credits: Legends of the Chelsea, Snap Films 

British Author Julia Bell Wrote a Novel About Sex Trafficking: (and We Forgot to Ask Her About It)

In a sporty rhinestone t-shirt, bandana and black jacket, author Julia Bell betrayed her punk rock roots.  Her first two novels were marketed as YA (Young Adult), and dealt with, respectively, eating disorders and sex trafficking, but the one she’s working on now will break that mold: it’s about creative writing and literary snobbery.  Julia teaches at Birkbeck College of the University of London which was originally founded as a working man’s college.  She’s visiting America on a sabbatical, earned after 10 years of teaching and 3 years of tenure.  But even after such unexampled drudgery she appears to be enjoying herself in America, spending most of her vacation sabbatical in the mellower climes of San Francisco, but coming east to meet the American publishers of her second novel, Dirty Work, the one about sex trafficking.  They are “correcting” the English spelling to accord with American usage, so that we TV-watching Yanks can read it without fear of befuddlement.  Over dinner at the El Quijote, we didn’t get a chance to ask Julia that many questions, but she told us a lot of stories.  I guess that’s why she became a writer: lots of stories to tell. (Photo: Ed immediately becomes attached to Julia's book.)
What was your biggest surprise about New York? The size of it. I knew it was big, but the physical reality of it is another story. It’s much bigger than I expected.  But the vibe of New York is much the same as London. The last time I came to America, they didn’t even tell me my novel had been published here. I saw it in City Lights in San Francisco. They had done the deal a year earlier, and my agent had lost it under the couch or something. Now I’ve got a new agent and it’s a better experience. This time I’m doing it up right, meeting people, shaking hands. It was a real treat to meet my publishers on Fifth Avenue I took a boat tour around the city today.  The gap in the skyline where the twin towers stood was very noticeable.  It made me very emotional, though I didn’t think it would.  I think it was the experience of actually seeing the site that did it.  Seeing it on TV is just not quite the same.

I also visited Harlem, with all its amazing old brownstones, some blocks neglected, and others gentrified.  The same thing is happening in London, with the gentrification.  Starbucks will open two stores, one on each end of the block, and run an Italian café out of business.  That’s what we have instead of diner in London.  All the cafés are run by Italians.

My visit coincided with Queen Elizabeth’s. So another surprising thing was watching on TV as George Bush winked at her. It was absurd! You don’t wink at the Queen!

How did you learn about the Chelsea? I knew about Dylan Thomas since I’m Welsh. I had also heard about it through punk rock: Sid and the Ramones. I thought at least it would be unlike a Holiday Inn.  I had also heard about Stanley, but when I got here I was pleasantly surprised to see him working the desk.  I told him I was an author and showed him my book.  He was very friendly.  I also told him I was going to interview with you guys for the blog.  When I showed him my reservation he said, “Oh, you booked a room through the web, so you got a bad one.  I’ll give you a better deal, but the next time call and talk to somebody in person.”  [Ed. Note: she booked through Travelocity.  Stanley did indeed give her a pretty good room, so be sure to mention the blog when checking in!]  He showed me the London Times article, and seemed very proud of it, but he wouldn’t let me hold the magazine.  Some body stole his other copy, he said, and this was his last one.  I also met the other guy, Jerry, and he said, “I talked to your publishers and they said your book was going to sell well.”  That’s what I like about New Yorkers, they have a good sense of humor.  Not like the people in San Francisco, who are sometimes rather slow on the uptake when you make a joke.  Which reminds me, I’ve been in San Franciscoso long that when Stanley gave me my key, I said, “Thanks, dude.”  He gave me quite a priceless look.  I don’t imagine he’s used to being called dude very much.  Kind of like winking at the Queen, now that I think of it!

You’ve been in America too long.  But don’t worry, Stanley has been called worse than that. 

But what about your views on literature?  Do you think creative writing can be taught? Yes, I think it can be, but only if you concern yourself with the mechanics, and don’t focus so much on the subject matter.  You have to provide a non-competitive, non-judgmental, cooperative environment.  If you do that, you can give people a vehicle to express whatever they want.  When I did my MA at East Anglia, I learned nothing, since it was too competitive.  The instructors were unhelpful.  I remember a course I took with the famous poet Andrew Motian: he would read your paper and hardly even comment on it, and when he did it would be something trivial, like, “don’t use a comma here.”  It was a nasty, bitter environment.  Everyone thought they were going to get the booker prize, and then the reality set in that not everyone was going to publish. It was a prime example of how not to run a writing program.  I keep it in mind, so I can be sure to provide a more open, accepting environment where I teach at Birkbeck.

Oh, I might mention that my offices are at Bloomsbury, in the same place that Leonard and Virginia Wolfe and Lyton Strachey lived.  It’s no longer housing; it’s now university rooms, but we have the same view as they did.  I’m attracted to places such as this, with a literary history.  The Chelsea is the same sort of place.

Do you think the Chelsea has a special creative energy? Certainly there’s an atmosphere unlike anywhere else. There are an extraordinary number of people walking through the lobby that I feel I’d like to know, or at least talk to.  Another strange thing about the Chelsea is that I lose my sense of direction every time I step out of the hotel.  I always get the idea it faces downtown, so I’ll walk the wrong way.  I think it must be some kind of vortex in the space/time continuum.

That’s what we always say! Hey, have you been reading the blog? Yes, I must confess, I have. Well, that doesn’t change the paranormal reality of the situation.  

What do you think of the Star Lounge in the basement of the Chelsea? I read your review, and I’m sure their “stars” are just the little dweebs from the latest crap Indie band that no one will remember in two months.

We forgot to ask Julia if she witnessed any sex trafficking during her stay at the Chelsea.  And actually, now that I think about it, it would have been interesting to discuss her new novel!  That shows you how swift we are.  After our dinner at El Quijote, Julia sat in the lobby for awhile and ran into one of our resident celebrities, Stormé DeLarverié, and together they stood outside and made fun of the costumes of the dweebs entering the Star Lounge.

Desperate Outlaws Prefer the Chelsea

So the big news is that the 21st Century Bonnie and Clyde stayed at the Chelsea Hotel! After scaling fire escapes to rob tony penthouses all over Manhattan, they would hole up here to chill out and get high. Debbie had a feeling that the pair in the transient room next door was bad news.  The woman told her that she was from Savannah, Georgia and that her Daddy sent her and her fiancee to New York to have fun while their lavish wedding and home was prepared for them back in Savannah. She was a Southern Belle from an old money family, she said.  She also claimed to be homesick for the smell of swamp water.  I know you have odors and all here in New York, she said, but there is nothing like the smell of swamp water. Right!
     If I remember that movie correctly, Bonnie was just looking for a little excitement, and Clyde would never kill anybody except by accident.  Or something like that.  They didn't rob us, probably because they understood that we were the Outlaw Chelsea Bloggers, and so were abiding by a rigid outlaws code of honor.
     Suprise, suprise, they finally got caught. And they apparently didn't even go out in a hail of bullets.  What's wrong with these cops and robbers these days?
     On a more positive note, Clyde left his leather jacket behind and I figure I can sell it to Artie for his gangster museum. -- Ed Hamilton

All Tomorrow's Parties: May 21 - 27, 2007

Tuesday, May 22, 8:30
Dan Bern will bring his blend of rock, blues, country and folk to Brooklyn.
SouthPaw, 125 Fifth Ave. Park Slope, Brooklyn

Wednesday, May 23,
Painter Hawk Alfredson's work is currently on display at The Pit. The paintings will be up for a couple of months so stop by and check them out. 
The Pit, 154 West 29th St., NY NY

Thursday, May 24, 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 25,
An exhibition of drawings by R. Crumb are currently on display through June 16. Many of Crumb's works are drawn in ink on placemats at restuarant tables.  Chelsea Now called the drawings, "compelling in their simplicity."
David Zwirner Gallery, 525 West 19th St., NY NY

Saturday, May 26,  9pm - 2am or when ever
"A Night in Bob Dylan's Bedroom" is an evening of films, live performances and more.  (BYOB) For additional info check with the fine folks at Dan's Chelsea Guitars.
The Hotel Chelsea, 222 West 23rd St., NY NY  (215 & 219)

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

Transient Leaves Best Good-Bye Note Ever

We knew from the get-go that the new person in the transient room must be pretty savvy about the Hotel.  She put the “do not disturb” sign on her door the minute she checked in and didn’t take it down until she left to return to New Mexico. Now, on top of that, she sends us one of the most intriguing good-bye notes we’ve ever received.

My last shower over, leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again, fecal guy.

Memory-quick photo booth 4 poses drops in the slot.

I used to drop in with my friend Frank Doggerel AKA the dog to visit a very thin blonde chainsmoking doper who had a hospital bed in her room so she could see the tube and eat Chinese takeout, whose containers covered floor, chairs, etc but not the tables or bureau.

Those were covered with several dozen copies of Interview magazine, all the same date.

The dog and I used to place bets on how long it would take her to mention "Did I tell you I was In Interview?" and demand we find the right page.

It made her so happy.

Remember the piano player in El Quixote(sp)? Such a sweetie.

Chelsea Gentrification Hot Topic in Australia

Be sure to check out filmmaker Michael Maher’s documentary on the changing real estate scene in Chelsea. (It’s now online) The film is particurarly concerned with the Chelsea Hotel. Our old frienemy, Cindy Gallop, makes an appearance so we can continue to be annoyed about the condoization of the McBurney Y.  She shows off her new Paul Richard painting of her staring up worshipfully into the eyes of her motorcycle-bestridying ex-boyfriend. Debate arises as to whether or not the painting is intended to be ironic.  See for yourself! Also of interest is the question as to whether Ed should get rid of his foosball table — which he insists is decidely unironic.  Finally, will Chelsea Hotel manager, Stanley Bard, succumb to the diabolical wishes of the board?  (Photo: Michael interviewing Dan Courtenay of Dan’s Chelsea Guitars on the first floor of the  hotel. Dan didn’t make it in the final cut, but he’s a fascinating character and if there’s any justice in the world he’ll get his own documentary soon.)

The Gatekeeper

Looks like James Kent had a very familiar tourist experience when he stopped by the Chelsea. It scared the bejeezus out of him!  Well, I guess he got even, his film scared the bejeezus out of us.

The filmmaker writes:
We came up with the idea for the film and originally it started out with the Gatekeeper and the man. He enters a large party scene. We could not find enough people, or the right location to shoot that. I'm from the Boston area. I had come to New York to scout some locations for a different short film (that will be up on you tube in a couple of days), when I was there I suddenly got inspired. Maybe we could set a scene in the Chelsea. This has been a hotel of much inspiration for so many that we went for broke and booked a room (never having actually seen the inside of the Chelsea). When we arrived we were overcome by the excitement, the energy. The hotel seemed alive and it instantly became a character. As this is just a film for fun, and for people to enjoy, we did do it a bit on the sly. The amazing footage that we got ended up reshaping the story for the film. We had such a good time.

If you'd like to post it on your blog, I would be more than honored. I feel as if we have now contributed to the legacy of such an amazing, and important, New York City landmark.

Australian Novelist Bruce Russell Recalls The Chelsea

Being There, Being Here

“Foreign Correspondent” Segment, May 15, 2007 (The segment is now available for viewing online.  Click through and scroll to the bottom of the page for the link.)

As I followed the camera into the lobby and fixed on the familiar features of Stanley Bard, I tried to resist the inevitable nostalgia -- after all, nostalgia’s not what it used to be -- and to simply enjoy the show. Fred Guilhaus, another novelist, was visiting from Adelaide. He’d once sent me the words of Leonard Cohen’s song and we’d laughed at the typical Cohen rhyme: giving me head/unmade bed.   

For a long time after Robyn and I returned to Australia we couldn’t talk about New York. The feeling of being away from everything -- reflected in the yearning voice of your Sydney correspondent -- was too painful.

            What do I think now? I’ve just finished my fourth novel, called “The Museum of the Self,” in which the protagonist cleans up his shed, mourns his losses and begins to construct a museum of his life. He’s a bit like me. I still have my membership card of the McBurney YMCA, member since 11/11/1999. Before that, I have a memory of staying there in 1969, when I had taken a train down from Toronto to pick up a battered VW, shipped to Elizabeth, New Jersey from Germany. At the McBurney that first time, I witnessed a brutal inter-racial punch-up between a redneck New Yorker and a much larger African American. It was like everything else in America: too sudden, too loud, seductively dangerous.

            Now, nostalgia’s a luxury I can’t afford. I can live at the Chelsea any time I like, go there in my head, read the thousands of words I’ve written about the place, imagine you two writing and publishing your wonderful blog, wonder what Tony Nota is up to, all without leaving home. And pray that Stanley resists the inevitable pressure to condominimize. As for the queen in her penthouse across the road, she needs a personal taste trainer.

            At the end of the show, the kids recalled for our visitor some New York adventures: how we turned the couch against the wall in Tony’s apartment so Clare wouldn’t fall out of bed; how we watched a dramatic fire across 23^rd Street from our apartment window, the Chelsea sign reflecting in the floods of water the engine were pumping into the street; how we somehow all crammed into one room for our two month stay at the old palace; how a mix-up about the rent left us facing eviction; how at the end of our stay we packed all our belongings into a taxi and left for our next digs with barely a whimper.

            But I don’t miss it, oh no. Not a bit. Not much.

Bruce Russell

Celebrate the 80's, Again

Since the 1980s are back in style we thought we'd rerun a few photos that originally appeared in the 1988 issue of the Italian Magazine, Le Figaro.  The photos were taken by Catherine Leroy who sadly died last year.  First up, here's authors Nick & Rhea posing in their richly appointed apartment! (Thanks to Rachel Cohn for the magazine.) In an earlier interview, Rhea wrote: "One thing Nick and I agree on: Stanley is brilliant at choosing tenants.  We've never figured out how he does it, but he knows what he's doing.  The mix was always fascinating, even if there were disgusting individuals and events, and life there was never dull. I will never forget Viva's screams!  She could shake the skylights from the lobby, and I loved her for it.  Or seeing Grace Jones hooded and draped in fur, coming and going to see Richard Bernstein (I really miss him).  Or taking the dog out the morning they wheeled Virgil Thomson out on a gurney for the last time (I miss him, too).  Or coming home from the grocery store and barely missing being hit by a flying shoe when a woman jumped to her death from the ninth floor and hit the street in front of me.  Or screaming bloody murder myself when they were filming Madonna's sex book down the hall and kept knocking out our electricity while we were ghost-writing for someone very famous.  A lot of money and a deadline were involved, but nobody really cared or listened.  It was just another typical daily drama at the Chelsea.  We loved it and hated it."

More Reviews from Australia

At some point in the near future the documentary will be online.  In addition, you can hear Ed in a follow-up interview on Friday at 10:30 a.m.  He will be a guest on "The Naked City," a program on Australian public radio FBi 94.5. The station also streams online.

Hi Ed,
Just a note from here in Sydney, keep up the good fight.  The  profile on the Chelsea we saw last night on the tv was fascinating  and had us hooked, we will keep up with what's happening via your  blog.  If a city loses it's character, it loses it heart.  Money  doesn't make it pump harder, it makes the heart day and stone take  it's place.
Long Live the Chelsea!
jo & brent and baby Cai

Hi Ed,
I too watched Foreign Corrospondent last night and was amazed at the history of the Chelsea and its commitment to maintain its spirit. Especially that of the wonderful manager. Keep up the fight and let it live on. I hope to visit soon.  Lita, Perth, Western Australia

WOW as a mum from Bundaberg Queensland Australia i saw a piece of footage last nite that i truely felt for ..That such place of beauty, history and most importantly peoples homes could be sold like that. I pray that everyone living there now life there and thier after life there can keep their homes and little piece of New York that i have dreamed of visiting since i was small child..i still can...from our little aussie family to your huge chelsea one hugs loves kisses and prayers
Bronnie

Saw the foreign correspondent interview on Australian TV. Keep up the good fight for the Chelsea . It has always been a big dream of mine as a young Arts student many moons ago to live at the Chelsea Hotel . I hope that one day it will still eventuate. When the kids leave home..  regards
Lisa, Tasmania

Yep this aired last night in Australia - your message certainly came across. I felt the gentrification wave when I was in NY in November last year and thought what a shame it was.
I live in Sydney - our inner city has been completely gentrified, the hipsters are out in force (notcompletely priced out yet) and the yuppies in full flight. As a Victorian colony our lot are snobbier than New
Yorkers (I hate to say) and face exactly the same consumer goods-driven economy fuelled by booming capital markets and a recent property boom - most people are too caught up with themselves to realsie what they are participating in. And hey as in economics, it is just a hostage position - no player can change their actions and expect anyone else to follow suit.

But no matter how gentried NY gets at least there is some remnant of soul in your city because by and large there is still heritage. Most of our great buildings are gone for mod towers like new Hearst building
(I'm typing this from one).

Good little doco. Good luck with the blog. Keep up the fight for grit.
Matthew

G'day guys,
Bit slow reacting, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching a segment about the Chelsea (and your good bloggin'selves) on abc last night. (Melbourne, Australia). This inner city gentrification syndrome appears to be a world-wide problem. I cannot fathom the unbridled and pointless greed of so many individuals on this planet. Enough's enough you bastards! Leave the hotel alone! Would LOVE to visit NYC one day and drop in for a cup of tea. All the best,
Denise

Gin & Tonics at the ready, we sat down to watch the ABC’s report on Hotel Chelsea. The excitement was palpable, in only minutes our own temporal Mecca would buzz across the television screen.

Within the first few shots of the Hotel sign and the neighbourhood I had drifted off into gooey nostalgia land and my companion had his hand on my shoulder for moral support.

“I want to go home”, I peeped from under my excitement. “I miss my Chelsea”.

The reactions came thick and fast as familiar faces and names darted across the screen. Life always looks different on TV and it was interesting to see the lobby as a camera does, with the weirdness and decrepitude harshly abstracted.

Stanley Bard gave a wonderful performance as Stanley Bard and was much more forthcoming in interview than I imagined he might be. He was particularly honest about the Board of Directors constantly pressuring him to make the place more profitable. Presented to us was Stanley Bard, protector of the last outpost of bohemia.

We met several of the buildings inhabitants including Gerald Busby and the hosts of this illustrious blog, Debbie Martin and Ed Hamilton. When they were introduced, Deb was hassling Ed about how they could have a sofa if only it weren’t for the foosball table Ed insists on keeping. Come on Debbie, everyone knows foosball is essential to the production of the great American novel!

We toured the building and neighbourhood with Ed and the reporter, Michael Maher. In discussing the issue of gentrification, the report introduced us to a resident of the old YMCA, now million dollar condos, the seductively Imeldaesque Cindy Gallop. We saw her sterile, cavernous home with it’s ostentatious displays of consumption, most particularly the shoe gallery. [I might have forgiven the shoe gallery had I seen Westwood heels but that’s a different contribution]

Ms Gallop even apologised for her presence in the area and agreed that the old time residents should dislike her. Her credibility was somewhat dimmed when she spoke of 23^rd Street as a zone akin to the worst of the Bronx for street danger and she couldn’t resist a certain swagger in her description of living on 23^rd St as being a bit edgy… Yeah, if you think giant cupcakes are edgy.

For this viewer, the big excitement was simply to see the hotel on TV being treated with the dignity that she deserves. The scenes of Ed Hamilton reading from his work, on the fire escapes, glued the whole thing together. Ed’s writings flow so beautifully with his NY via Kentucky accent seducing this Australian ear.

My companion, who works in travel, was sent on his way with instructions to get prices for a ticket back to Manhattan.

XXXXR

Sophisticated Soiree with Gerald Busby

For a change, we enjoyed a very civilized evening last Monday (May 7), attending the “Soiree with Bruce Sargeant & Friends,” at the John Stevenson Gallery on West 23^rd, a block over from the Chelsea Hotel.  Between bites of cheese and sips of wine we gazed upon Sargeant’s portraits of shirtless youths, and enjoyed four dance vignettes inspired by Sargeant's (aka Mark Beard's) poems.

     The Chelsea connection was of course Gerald Busby, who composed the music for his The Beard Songs.  If you attended, you of course remember these songs as a highlight of Gerald’s 70^th Anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall, and they were just as entrancing this time around.  I particularly like the lively and comedic “The Boxer” and the more somberly expressive “Evening Tragedy”.  The dancers, Luke Gutgsell and Brandin Steffensen were strong and athletic, and performed powerfully.  So did the gallery cat, a friendly calico who periodically sauntered onto the dance floor just to let everybody know who owned the place.
For the second half of the program we heard another piece by Gerald, Speak -- Suite for Saxophone Quartet, and no one was disappointed by the delightful composition, by turns melodious and discordant.  The Manhattan School of Music Ensemble performed the piece with a practiced exuberance. 

Although, the Sargeant show is coming down, the gallery is worth a visit anyway.  In a beautiful Greek Revival building, the high ceilings allows the vertical space to be put to good use, with the paintings ascending one on top another in a artful decorative touch.  The gallery staff, as well, must receive kudos for a wonderful party which soundly trumpeted most gallery events.  -- Ed Hamilton
(Photo: Gerald and Mark Beard, photo by Joe)

Reviews from Australia Begin to Trickle In

Hi Ed,
Just saw the report on Foreign Correspondent (thank god for public television!). Great story by Michael Maher. Good luck with keeping the development bastards at bay. Hope you're having great weather there.
It's approaching winter here and we REALLY need rain. Terrible drought. Hope you all have a great day at the Chelsea. Would love to visit there one day (if you're still there!)
Kind regards from Melbourne, Australia
Jules
xxxx

Hi Ed,

Just saw your piece on Australia's Foreign Correspondent.  (Only wish it could have gone for longer)  What on Earth was that hanging around Cindy Gallops' neck, (a New York rat perhaps).  Loved it.  Best wishes to everyone at the Chelsea.  Keep fighting the good fight.

Britta

Sydney, Australia

It's another night in Sydney under the flightpath, with the gentle hum and glow of the cathode ray in every square house on every straight street, lulling us all to sleep. I too am getting my dose of the flickering elixir. I'm watching the A.B.C and thankful that Murdoch doesn't own this little broadcasting corporation yet. Thankful, because if he did, I wouldn't be watching a story on the Chelsea Hotel, and remembering my few days there early last year.

Growing up in Australia you long for places like the Chelsea. The sun beats down here and with it the persistent, endlessly insistent knowledge that it's not going to rain, and nothing is going to change, and no one will hear you unless you run, or swim or fly over the seas, or at the least, crawl quietly into the TV. New York is TV. Late night TV. Letterman. leather man. noise. hammer-ophobia in the 20s as the buildings went up, scraping the sky. new york is up.

so I got in a plane and flew up up and away and it wasn't until I made it to the Chelsea that I felt home. Dogs in the lobby. a pat and a chat. Working in my room and then walking. whiteley!! Goodwill for all men and women and folk like me alienated elsewhere. Dublin comes close, you can sneak up on the magic, but even the thinkers there knew to run here.

I'd love to come back. Maybe late this year. I was saddened to see the old dame under attack from the likes of your over the road neighbour. what did jeff tweedy sing? "When the devil came, he was not red, he was CHROME and he said....come with me...."

That said, I'd offer a soul if even the devil could put in a good word to Stanley for me...please sir, some bread?? or at the least, a place in Chelsea to lay my weary, troubled head.
cam

Hey, I am here in Sydney. Just saw the Foreign Correspondent report. What a pity if such a disaster were to befall the hotel. I hope you guys can fight against all those yuppies invading your hotel!
Pigeon Poo

Chelsea Hotel: Hot Bed of Radicalism

Over the past couple of weeks, Chelsea Now has been running a series about the Chelsea Hotel.  Mary Reinholz  (Mary's piece doesn't seem to be online) and I wrote companion pieces and Linda Troeller contributed a photo spread.  More recently, David Gibbons interviewed Stanley Bard. Reinholz lived here in the 70s, smack dab in the  middle of the wild and wooly “inspired madness,” of which we, regretfully, only caught the tail end.  One thing that Reinholz touches on is the radical history of the hotel.  Back in the 60s and 70s this place was a hotbed of dissent, with activists such as Abbie Hoffman, Jane Fonda, and Valerie Solanas roaming the halls with the standard crop of artists and nuts.  Even Viva and Shirley Clarke were busy getting themselves arrested.   Maurice Girodias  a true champion of the First Amendment, lived here too.  And it was even a meeting place for the Yippies as they planned to protest the Democratic Convention in Chicago. We’ll explore this more fully in another post. -- Ed Hamilton

All Tomorrow's Parties: May 14-20, 2007

Tuesday, May 15,
For our readers in Australia, tune in to ABC's "Foreign Correspondent," for Michael Maher's report on the battle for the soul of the Chelsea neighborhood. The documentary explores changes in the neighborhood through the eyes of Dan Courtenay, Gerald Busby, Cindy Gallop, Stanley Bard, and us.  The documentary was sparked by Ed's blog post about the development of the McBurney YMCA building into luxury condos. (Photo: Michael chats with Storme in front of the hotel.)

Wednesday, May 16, 7:00 p.m.
Rufus Wainwright will perform and sign copies of Release the Stars.
Barnes & Noble at Union Square, 33 East 17th Street NY NY

Thursday, May 17, 7:00 p.m.
KGB's Drunken, Careening, Writers series, hosted by Kathleen Warnock, will feature three "Writers   Named Ed."  Ed Hamilton, (who'll probably read from this anthology), Ed Valentine and Jennifer Natalya "Ed" Fink, the only Ed in the group who has recently given birth. Free.
KGB Bar, 85 East 4th St., NY NY

Thursday, May 17, 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, May 19, 8:00 p.m.
This year's celebration of what would have been Joey Ramone's 65th birthday includes the world debut of Slinky Vagabond, a new band featuring the combined talents of former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, Blondie's Clem Burke, David Bowie touring band member Earl Slick and Keanan Duffty. Retro-1960's garage band The Chesterfield Kings and NYC punk-rockers The Bullys are also featured in the line-up, as well as the return of Tyler Fyre's Lucky Daredevil Thrillshow, and a sneak peek at film footage from the forthcoming Ramones 'Double Live' DVD, slated for release in August 2007. This year's event will be MC'd by Little Steven Van Zandt and Matt Pinfield.

Filllmore New York at Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Plaza, NY NY
If you have an event appropriate for "All Tomorrow's Parties" send an e-mail to [email protected]

Sid's Room Comes Alive

It took us a while, but we finally figured out this whole video-on-the-internet thing that everybody is making such a fuss about. "Sid's Room" is the first in a series of short videos based on Ed's Slice of Life column.  You may be surprised to find that some of your friends and neighbors have cameos and even starring roles.  Stay tuned to the blog so you don't miss a single episode.  On the other hand, if you want the real story, we suggest you buy Ed’s book, Legends of the Chelsea Hotel.  Credits: Sid's Room, Snap Films.

PAINTER DAVID REMFRY RUBBED ELBOWS WITH QUEEN ELIZABETH, AS WELL AS ANOTHER, EVEN MORE ILLUSTRIOUS QUEEN

The British painter David Remfry is justly famous for his delicate watercolor renderings of dancers in the act of dancing. His paintings are for the most part an upbeat, optimistic celebration of the vitality of life, and we were able to view several of his large, life-size canvases in what seems like their natural setting of his high-ceilinged, light-drenched studio at the Chelsea.

Among his many honors, we were most curious about one in particular: his status as a knight of the British Empire.  David says he hasn’t actually, technically, been knighted, just made a “Member of the British Empire,” which is one of the orders of knighthood.  But we’re Americans, and so can’t be expected to know the difference.  All we know is that the Queen showed up in person to confer the honor, and so we are duly impressed.

            As we were sitting down to talk with David, we noticed a small portrait of another famous British queen, the Naked Civil Servant himself, author Quentin Crisp.

Did you know Quentin Crisp when he lived at the Chelsea Hotel?

Yes, I did, though I didn’t live here at the same time, and I knew him before that too.  I was teaching a drawing class in London about 35 years ago, when I saw his picture in a book of available models.  I hired him and painted him.  He was a good model: he adopted impossible poses, but was able to hold them.  Years later, when I had a studio on 26^th Street, I called him at the Chelsea Hotel and asked him if he remembered me and if he’d like to sit for me again.  He said sure, on the condition that I buy him lunch.  Quentin loved New York.  He felt that everything is better here: the people are beautiful, and he could be flamboyantly gay and no one would bother him.  I used to take him to the Empire Diner on 10^th Avenue.  He was very frail and elderly by that point.  A woman name Bea Lyons used to play standards on the piano there, and one time she came to our table and asked Quentin if he had any requests.  “Yes, I’d rather you didn’t play,” he said.  The poor woman’s face fell when she heard that.  “I don’t mean to be unkind,” Quentin said, “but I just don’t like music.”

Tell us about your childhood.  How did you become interested in painting?

Do I have to?  I was born in Sussex, England, then after that my family moved to Calcutta, India for a time.  I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember.  Even from early childhood, I said I was going to become an artist.  I could simply think of nothing elsea I wanted to do.  No one in my family was an artist; I had no role model.  My parents never even took me to a museum.  It was all in my mind.  I was completely self-motivated.

Have you always painted in watercolor?

Watercolor is considered a whooses medium.  The watercolorists of the 17^th and 18^th century are unsurpassed, and besides, oil paint smells good.  I trained in oil, but got into water by accident.  What happened was that I contracted a viral illness called a sarcoid, and as a result developed the most chronic form of arthritis.  I couldn’t paint for 8 to 9 months; all I could do were little drawings.  But then this guy from LA called and said he wanted to do a show.  I did a mental calculation of what Americans were like and it didn’t include patience, so I decided not to mention my illness.  All I could do to was work in watercolor, which is less strenuous.  After that I was hooked.  It runs away with you.  I like the fact that lots of accidents happen in watercolor: runs and drips.  When I moved to New York, I started to produce larger works.  People here aren’t afraid of scale.  You see that sign on my wall?  [David points to a small bumper sticker that says “Say Yes”.]  I keep that there for inspiration.  It’s a very American sentiment. (Photo: David with his painting of Amy, the daytime phone operator.)

Tell us about your interest in dancing.

It’s a terrific vehicle to get people embracing, and a great metaphor for life and all kinds of things.  Principally for life—we often speak of the Dance of Life—but there is also the Dance Macabre, the Dance of Death.  Most of my work is upbeat, though when I lived in England it was a bit darker.  Club life in England is more violent than it is here, especially in the north of London.  [Ed. Note: David’s painting that hangs in the lobby represents a scene form a club in England.]

            Lately, I’ve been sketching in a place called the Triangular, which is a tango bar.  The Roseland used to be terrific, but I no longer go there.  Often I get people to dance here in my studio, which has proved fairly easy to do.  I pay people if I can, a small amount.  I feel people should get something, though of course I’m getting much more.  If they don’t want money, sometimes I’ll promise them a drawing, though in the end I might not want to part with it.  I’d rather just pay them. (Photo: David's painting of a few former residents.)

Were you aware of the Chelsea’s history before you moved here?

Yes.  A friend of mine named Patrick Hughes—he’s the artist who painted the oil of rainbows over the elevator in the lobby--lived here for 4 years in the 80s.  He said, “Don’t ever say I recommended it to you!”  I called Stanley and he said he didn’t take reservations, but we should just show up and he’d see what they had.  Caroline and I showed up at 10 at night with 18 pieces of luggage.  This was in 1995. Caroline, who is Irish, won a green card on the lottery, and so there was no reason to go back.  I got my green card much later through more traditional channels.

Does the Chelsea have a creative spirit?

It’s certainly very conducive to creativity.  I can see how people could be sidetracked by the energy, but I’ve never been happier.  It’s hard to say whether living at the Chelsea has affected my direction or output.  People ask me how they can become a painter and I must confess I’m at a loss as to how to respond to that.  I’ve always had the motivation to paint, no matter where I’ve lived.

Do you see more collaboration or competition at the Chelsea?

I don’t see either.  My interactions are more in the spirit of a passing camaraderie.  I run into the the painter Robert Lambert and the poet David Lintner downstairs and we have exchanges from time to time, teasing each other and such.  It’s not unlike a village.  You can engage if you want, but you don’t have to.

What was it like painting Bonnie [the night telephone operator]?

She didn’t dance, she just stood there.  But she has the most extraordinary face.  She said, “Better be quick, because I have an exploratory operation coming up.”  Sure enough, one day she didn’t show up for our appointment.  Caroline and I went to visit her often in St. Vincent’s.  While she was unconscious, the nurse said her feet were starting to turn in, so I bought her a pair of converse in gaudy colors so her feet could have some support.

            On the night of the fire [that gutted Bonnie’s room] we were on our way to the restaurant Beppe.  We could smell the fire and we meant to call from the restaurant and see if everything was OK but we forgot.  When we got back to the hotel we ran into [the photographer] Julia Calfee, wringing her hands and saying Bonnie’s killing herself with alcohol in El Quijote.  We went up to our apartment and found that the firemen had smashed in the door.  Luckily they hadn’t sprayed any water in the apartment, since I had several of my canvasses stored there.  After securing the apartment, we went down to the El Quijote and comforted Bonnie. (Photo: David with his painting of Bonnie, the former night time phone operater.)

What other Chelsea characters have you painted?

Dee Dee Ramone.  I tried to anyway.  He wouldn’t be still for long.  When he had had enough, he told me to come downstairs and look at a painting he had done himself.  When he opened his door the smell of acetone hit me so hard I had to take a step back.  I don’t know what he had been doing in there!  He had been gone for two hours, so the room should have aired out.  He had painted a sort of rendering of the hotel.  [Ed. Note: This was the painting that Dee Dee did for his novel, Chelsea Horror Hotel.]  It was terrible, but I didn’t want to say anything.  He had apparently had a falling out with the fellow in the guitar store downstairs, and so over his shop he had written the words, “Crappy Guitars.”  [David chuckles]

Any other Dee Dee stories?

One time Dee Dee was coming down the stairs screaming at the top of his lungs at Stanley Bard, and Stanley turns around and says, “Dee Dee, why are you yelling?”  And then Dee Dee started whispering.

            Another time, Dee Dee told me that he was mad at his next door neighbor [Ed. Note: luckily, not us!] and so he poured honey under his door in order to attract roaches.

What was it like being knighted?

[Ed. Note: as mentioned above, it was, technically, another sort of honor, but why quibble?]  Someone called me and asked if I would reject the honor if offered.  I said, no, of course not.  I stood before the Queen together with a bunch of people who were far more worthy than I.  It’s nonsense, it means nothing, but as long as you’re aware of that it’s great.  My father attended the ceremony, which took place a few years before his death, and I believe he was rather proud.

Do you still run up and down the Chelsea stairs for exercise?

No, I’ve gotten lazy, and now I just go to the gym.

You Can’t See the Stars for the Basement

We thought we were special because we couldn’t get into Star Lounge, but it turns out no one else can either! Since we can’t get in we’ll have to get our review material second hand:

1. Décor: The NYT reports that it looks like a “fancy submarine” which is appropriate, situated as it is beneath this notorious Ship of Fool’s.  But wouldn’t it be better in the Martime Bldg – over in the Meat Market where it belongs. 

2. Bottle service:  What a scam!  And apparently they ask you for your credit card at the door and won't let you in until you drop several hundred on a bottle.  They should be run out of town for this.  Or at least out of the building.

3. The VIP lounge is called Room 100! In a word: Tacky! (For those of you in the dark on this, Room 100 of the Chelsea Hotel is where Sid killed Nancy.) I’m sure it won’t be long before someone gets knifed in there too – especially with the vibes the management seems to be creating with their door policy.

4. Stars:  Strictly B-list. The best they could come up with was Sienna Miller, Heather Graham, and Josh Harnett.   Sienna, of course, had to be there for the opening of her movie “Edie: Factory Girl.”  As for Heather, she’s apparently the owner, Charles Ferris’s girlfriend, and so doesn’t really count either.  And I’ll bet Josh Harnett was really looking for El Quixote.  The real stars, of course, are upstairs in the Hotel!

5: Dress Code:  The one bright spot.  I was once sitting I the Chelsea lobby when the hostess of Serena’s burst in, shrieking that a drunk from the hotel was trying to get into her club – wearing a sweatshirt. But at Star, apparently, you can get in with your shirt untucked (In fact, it reads like this is required.) Women are enjoined to bare their midriffs, always a plus.

Well then, no stars for Star!  I hope this answers the question for the person who keeps googling: “Star Lounge: Why put a club like this in the basement of the Chelsea Hotel?” -- Ed Hamilton

Don’t Bother Me, I’m An Artist!

We used to think our do-not-disturb sign was pretty cool.  (It says: “Please don’t bother me. I’m writing the next great American novel.”)  But recent developments have led us to suspect that these things are pretty widespread.  While in San Francisco we stayed at the Hotel Rex, a place whose only claim to the status of literary hotel is that in the café they give you your check in an old book – our was Stories of California.  This hotel had a sign that said, “Please clean my studio – even artists like to be pampered,” and featured a writerly dude staring at a stack of appears. (The Chelsea sign, tellingly, does not have a “clean my room” option.)  There must be a group of hotel-supply salesmen who go around preying on unsuspecting hotel owners with literary pretensions. -- Ed Hamilton

All Tomorrow's Parties: May 7 - 13, 2007

Monday, May 7, 9:30a.m - 5:30 p.m.
Rent Board Guidelines Public Meeting. The Rent Guidelines Board released information from landlord surveys that shows landlord costs for rent stabilized apartments have gone up 5.1% between April 2006 and April 2007. While the costs weren't as steep as the 2005-2006 cost increase, the RGB isn't guaranteeing lower rent hikes. (via Gothamist)
The Great Hall, at Cooper Union, 7 East 7th St., at Corner of 3rd Ave., (BASEMENT)

Monday, May 7, 8:00 p.m.
Living Poetry, a series of Monday readings by poets to celebrate the body and spirit of the Living Theatre will kick off with Ira Cohen & Allan Graubard. $6.00
The Living Theatre, 21 Clinton Street, NY NY


Monday, May 7, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
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


Wednesday, May 9, 11:00 - 6:00 p.m.
“Place Names, the Place,” is an exhibition of new pastels and watercolors by Canadian artist Paul P. The artist’s second solo show with the gallery exhibits works built on P.’s previous creations and themes that address the suspension of characters on the verge of impending change.
Daniel Reich Gallery, 537 A, West 23rd St., NY NY



Thursday, May 10, 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




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

Money for Cockroaches

If you've seen anything like this around put it in a jar and drive it to Houston, Texas where it's worth $0.25.  We know that they would like to have a cockroach from the Chelsea Hotel for their exhibit. 

Bob Dylan's "Lost Highway"

Bob Dylan sings Hank Williams' "Lost Highway," in footage from the 1965 documentary Don't Look Back. Joan Baez, with whom Dylan had just finished a 10-date American tour – and with whom he was having an affair, by then waning – is visible in this clip.  D A Pennebaker's documentary Don't Look Back is now available on DVD.

Who Will Play Storme?

Michael D. Jackson's new plan, "Revolution," which is based on the Stonewall riots will headline the upcoming GAYFEST NYC.  Stonewall has been judged by history as the event that kickstarted the country's gay rights revolution, but in the nearly three decades since it hasn't exactly made the mainstream lexicon. We're just asking, who will play Storme Delarverie? Any suggestions! Afterall, she was a key mover and shaker.  (Photo: Storme and a friend at the "Factory Girl" premiere. Photo by Linda Troeller.)
 

Visit Cancun Instead, Katy & Becca!

Katy and Becca are planning to visit the Chelsea, the "grime-caked mecca" that harbored such reprobates as Dylan Thomas and Sid Vicious, and "suck the  air from the vents."  These young college-bound students have been working for the man and holding gypsy yard sales in order to raise the scratch necessary to bankroll their $300-a-night(!) "search for answers, questions and beauty," that they hope will lead to "exquisite enlightment."

Au Contraire, sadly deluded gamins.  By your tone of sarcasm, I gather that you think this place is a joke. Let me be the first to assure you that the sorid reputation of our shady establishment is no laughing matter.  There are people here, debouched perverts and drug addicts, who prowl our famous lobby on the lookout for fresh meat. If you don't watch it, you could easily be sucked into their diabolical web of depravity.  (You know that movie "Hostel" popular, I'm told among your peers -- well, it was based on the Chelsea Hotel.) If you awake from you drug-induced stupor to find yourself chained to bed or in a brothel in Bangkok, don't say I didn't warn you.

Actually, Katy & Becca, I'm just kidding.  The only thing scary about this place is its price. $300 a night! Yikes! Enjoy your stay. -- Ed Hamilton

Remembering Hiroya

Attention Hiroya fans!  The wild-haired eccentric Japanese painter Hiroya made quite an impression on this Japanese woman when she bought one of his paintings in 1997.  Now she would like to know more about Hiroya and would like to get in touch with others who share a passion for his work.  She's also curious as to what kind of person now inhabits Hiroya's room.  Speak up, ya'll!  She also told us that she's reading Florence Turner's 1987 book, At The Chelsea, which is available in Japanese!

My name is (redacted). I am a Japanese woman. I sent this e-mail to ask something about Hiroya.  I have stayed at the Chelsea hotel when I visited New York in 1997.
At the stay, I met Hiroya and I bought his painting.  Although I talked with him little, I have remembered him for this 10 years, maybe because of the strong impression of him and his room.

Recently, I got to know by hotel chelsea blog that he died. If you know why he died, could you let me know? The blog also said that Hiroya went to rehab program, what does rehab program mean?

I just want to know about him because I think I am responsible to know the person who painted the painting which is still on the wall of my room.

Hiroya is unknown in Japan. That's why I could hardly find his name in Japanese search engine.  I want to know how many Japanese tourists bought his paintings as I did, but I have no way to know it.  I also want to know his profile or his life if I can.
Are there any hotels or galleries that still keep his paintings except for hotel Chelsea?
What kind of person lives now in the room where Hiroya lived?
I am kind of an illustrator now.
This has nothing to do with Hiroya but may be the reason why I am attracted by him.