In the 80's/90's a night of bowling at Bowlmor meant a good time and filthy hands. They never cleaned a bowling ball or a lane then. It seemed that way. Despite that, we still went back. It was one of the few, if only places to bowl in Manhattan at one point. I remember it as the site of work parties, friends birthdays and late night ridiculousness.
Like many remnants of classic New York, Bowlmor has lost out to the "luxury condo" crazy. The building was bought. There is much more money to be made in housing than bowling alleys, so Bowlmor's Union Square flagship anchor had to exit.
Here's a few trivia nuggets:
According to WNYC Bowlmore was the longest continuously running bowling alley in the Northeast.
Bowlmor has operated on University Place since 1938.
In 1958 Vice President Richard Nixon played a game or two.
The last frame was played last night. It's a strike for NYC.
Forget Cat Steven's Father and Son (I know that might be sacrilegious to most people). In honor of Father's Day here's John Hiatt's Your Dad Did. It's a classic. Love Sonny Landreth's guitar work on this performance.
Debbie Harry and Chris Stein are laid back. The founding members of Blondie took the stage at the 92 St Y last night, talking, not performing, but letting us in on what's gone on in the past 40 years. Yes, the band started 40 years ago which is really hard to believe.
Early photo of Blondie taken by Chris Stein
Here's what I took away from their chat:
Debbie said she knew at 5 years old that she was going to do things her way.
The band had success in Europe first. Debbie attributes that to two things: Their record label was based there so they knew how to work the market and the Europeans have always been open to pop music.
Their early style came from raiding thrift stores. At the time, the cheapest clothes were the 60's discards. It's hard to say that she created a look because her style was so eclectic. No matter what she wore, whether it was a garbage bag or a boy scout uniform, she always looked amazing. I remember seeing the band at My Father's Place, Halloween 1978 and was astounded by how cool Debbie was and thinking there is no way I could pull off what she does.
Andy Warhol used Big Shot Polaroid Cameras to shoot photos. The band would pick them up while on the road the bring them back to him. The cover of their latest album features Andy Warhol's portrait of Debbie. Chris pointed out the irony of Andy using cheap equipment and selling the art for millions of dollars.
September will see the release of Chris Stein's book of photos and anecdotes, Negative: Me, Blondie, and the Advent of Punk. We saw a few of the photos last night. There was a wonderful shot of Clem and Debbie on 14th St. As Christ pointed out an onlooker looked like Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club.
They always wanted to be successful and therefore were prepared for their rise to rock star-ness.
Clem Burke (the original and still drummer) is immersed in music. He has no alternative reality. He knows everything about every band. Blondie played Hammersmith Odeon at the time Keith Moon died. As a tribute, Clem threw his snare drum into the audience that night. Clem was upset that one of their road crew retrieved the drum.
Debbie thinks of herself as a feminist.
The band has a new album, Blondie 4(0) Forever -Ghosts of a Download/Deluxe Redux:Greatest Hits. They rerecorded their hits, which is part l of the package. They don't own the original masters, so I'm sure licensing them would have been a nightmare. Part ll is new material including Sugar on the Side which the band performed on GMA.
Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone writer) dropped the ball as the interviewer. Was he so enamored by Debbie and Chris that he couldn't keep track of the conversation? He asked questions that had already been answered and poised many questions that only required a yes or no. He would have failed interview class. Debbie has never been gregarious in interviews, so DeCurtis' questions did not solicit an elaborate answer from her. The audience questions made for a more captivating evening. As I left the theater I thought if only Lenny Kaye sat between these two immensely talented people.... I'll have to wait for the duo to hit the Howard Stern Show. I can hope.
In watching an episode of the Addams Family (Pugsly and Wednesday have to attend school), it dawned on me that Madeleine Stowe is channeling Carolyn Jones' Morticia Addams in her portrayal of Victoria Grayson on the show Revenge. Her cadence, her pauses and her demeanor all scream Morticia. The big difference: Victoria is evil and Morticia is good.
Watching Designing Woman with Lauren Bacall and once again I am struck by those fabulous 1940/50's bi-level apartments. Lauren has one
Doris Day had one and more recently, Don Draper. They always have a long outdoor terrace. I wonder if apartments like that still exist? I'd find it hard to leave an apartment like that.
The Dating Game was like no other game show. Of course it makes sense that Chuck Barris created it. Jim Lange was its gracious host. Jim passed away at age 81. I still make references to it's crazy questions to this day. If you could be any tree, what would you be and why?
Long before the Bachelor/Bachelorette, there was the Dating Game. If you won, you went on a chaperoned date (according the the NY Times the chaperone might be Jim or Chuck), usually for a dinner at Catalina Island. Groucho Marx daughter won the grand Kahuna, a trip to William Holden's African safari resort. Groucho asked the questions and picked the date for a father's day edition of the show.
The list of celebrities that appeared on the show is a 60's who's who. Some were celebrities already, others had yet to break through.
Steve Martin twice. He got picked by the ladies both times
Karen Carpenter
Farrah Fawcett
Pee Wee Herman
Arnold Schwarzenegger
John Ritter
Suzanne Sommers
Andy Kaufman
Yvonne Craig
Michael Jackson
Richard Dawson
Bill Bixby (was on 4 times) He and Dawson appeared on an episode together
Groucho Marx (he interviewed the guys for his daughter) Hilarious.
Maureen McCormick
Barry Williams
The Grassroots: Warren Entner and Rick Coonce
Robert Vaughn
Jim was poised yet retained just the right amount of sarcasm to make him the perfect host for the show.
The closet archivist in me was sucked in by the title of Casey Cep's article in the New Yorker, A Thousand Words: Writing From Photographs. She is a writer who has abandoned physically writing, meaning putting pen to paper. She uses her photo stream to dictate her prose. Being someone who retains the trivial facts (Paul Reiser once commented that he read that Vanna White starred in a production of Brigadoon and it never left his head-thanks Paul, it hasn't left mine either) , but seems to let the others drift, I love having documentation of everything. I love research and details. I love have something to look at and interpret.
My husband whether he knows it or not, is a great visual archivist. I think he has the largest collections of the gates of the Hamptons. He has amassed a drove of favorite gates we've seen in our dog walks through the Hamptons. We're finally going to tackle building the gate using one of those photos as our inspiration. Taking photos is easy now. Using photos to create is a gift.
After seeing this article about friend Alex Stais in the WSJ, I was inspired to search for "The Morning After". Alec is the producer of Disaster, an off broadway play that is an homage to the Poseidon Adventure. It's ladened with cheesy 70's songs. Expect to hear "Torn Between Two Lovers" and "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight". Since "The Morning After" will not be heard, I felt the need to post this.
Tonight Keith Urban is at the Garden with Little Big Town. He's a consistently good show. I'd put him up there with a Springsteen, Cheap Trick or Tom Petty any day.
This one came to my attention because Vincent D'Onofrio's name was attached to it. He reads from his journals at Joe's Pub on January 31st. while serenaded by Dana Lyn. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of show. I can imagine it will be an intense evening.
Feburary 6th at the 92Y It was Fifty Years Ago Today...Celebrating 50 years of The Beatles in the USA. Paul and Ringo won't be there but Peter Asher, Donovan and Freda Kelly (one of the few Beatles employees that stayed with them throughout their 10 year career) will be joining Martin Lewis for conversations. The Beatles arrived at JFK on February 7, 1964 and music was changed forever.
Armistead Maupin will be in a discussion (also on) February 6 at 7pm at Barnes & Noble on East 86th St. His latest Tales from the City is titled The Days of Anna Madrigal: A Novel.
If you want to venture to Times Square, Super Bowl Blvd is in full swing until Saturday night when Blondie closes it out with a show at 8pm on Broadway between 39th & 40th streets. The Bacon Brothers are there tonight. Can't imaging it's easy to perform in the weather we've been having. Parka Up.
Before today I was unaware of Fred McDarrah. After reading an article in the NY Times, I found out he was the first photo editor for the Village Voice and for many years, it's only staff photographer. He must have had a sixth sense of where it was happening in NY. He has captured everyone from Dylan and Warhol to Robert Kennedy and Robert Moses. These people mostly appear against the gritty backdrop of the city in the 1960's and 70's. The city is also depicted in all it's gritty glory.
Ray Davies pursuit of breaking his band/career in the US is
chronicled in his book Americana The Kinks, The Riff, The Road.After reading his journeys through
America, it seems he’s still questioning at what price does success come and
what is success.When did he take
the time to make a home? Was his eye on the prize at the expense of a personal
life?
Early in the Kinks career circa 1965 they are banned from
performing in the US.
The American
Federation of Musicians refused permits for the group to appear in
concert and it’s widely believed due to their sometime violent behavior and
band disputes.Dave Davies and
Mick Avory had it out on stage in Wales and Dave wound up with 16 stitches in
his head.This time period was a
prime creative period for the band. In 1964 they released You Really Got Me
followed by All Day And All Of The Night, Tired of Waiting For You, Well
Respected Man and Sunny Afternoon.They are all classics.
After the ban was lifted, Ray was determined to prove the
band was worthy of US audiences.They toured relentlessly sometimes at the expense of other
territories.
In a switch from my reading assumptions, this book got
better the second half.This is
Davies second book (the first was X-Ray:The Unauthorized Autobiography) and his theme is focused.I didn’t read X-Ray.Usually musician autobios tend to lose
focus the second part when all spirals into a drug induced haze.Not the case here. It was refreshing
not to hear about drug addiction.He barely touches on the famously documented band member feuds.It’s about the music, the marketing and
conquering the US.
Characters play a big part in the songwriting and life of
Ray Davies.He comes across as a
bit of character himself.Ray is a
great storyteller.In this excerpt
from the book, he sums up his inspirations:
Some of my songs are sometimes better company than real
people.Many musical characters
inhabit my world:they are good,
bad, kind, mean, and sometimes mischievous.I usually write a theme song in my head for nearly every person
I encounter in the real world.They exist as part of my musical memory so that afterward I cast them in
my own musical version of life, which is often more truthful than reality.Long-term friends are usually
accompanied by a good tune.On the
other hand, people that don’t bring a good theme song with them rarely stay in
my life.It’s a form of “musical
schizophrenia” that evolved in my childhood; these imaginary musical allies are
sometimes more credible than the real people I encounter.AS a child I was very quiet, very
secluded and it was music that helped me relate to and confront the real world-
without music I would probably never have interacted with people.
Whenever I see someone from my own musical universe, their
unique musical theme slips into my head, a theme that represents my perception
of their true character.After a while the real person I know blends into the imaginary person I
have invented.As sometimes
happens in life, often the real person you know disappears-you lose touch, they
move on, you move on.But if I
need someone, all I have to do is remember their theme song-and some strange
musical voodoo brings them to life.
Points that resonated:
His relationship with Clive Davis led to great success while
on Arista Records.
When Ray questions whether it’s worth being a musician, he
develops his storyteller solo show.His friends and acquaintances point out to him how important songwriting
is to him.
His relentless quest to find a “home”:He lived on W 72nd St in NYC, moves
back and forth to Europe, eventually lands in New Orleans where he is shot
trying to catch a thief and now he lives not too far from where he started his
life in North London.
He ends the book with this passage:
But, as my song “The Getaway” say at the end, it
can be a “lonesome train” if you don’t get it right.Still I live in hope that one day I’ll get it right.That someday…I’ll find my way home.
Ray Davies and Graham Nash both cited the Everly
Brothers as a big musical influence. Graham and a friend stalked them when he
was younger and did get to meet them. A thrill of his life was singing with the
Brothers later on in his career.
I find it interesting that the last three autobiographies
I’ve read all reference the Everlys which I thought about while reading them . A day after
finishing Ray’s book Americana as well as Linda Rondstadt’s Simple Dreams
(Linda recorded the Everly’s When Will I Be Loved), I heard that Phil Everly
had died.A death will allow for a
string of tributes and I had no idea of the impact this duo had on music.Looking back, they were pioneers of
blending pop and country.They got
so much out of their voices.They
were great songwriters.They had stories
to tell and everyone was listening.
1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It's the ultimate animated show. Standout: Max. Cartoon Network Saturday Dec 21 at 6pm.
2. Darlene Love sings Christmas Baby Please Come Home on David Letterman Friday December 20th. No Jay Thomas to tell his Lone Ranger story and throw footballs? Letterman's website lists the other guests as John McEnroe and Kristen Wiig.
3. A Christmas Story. I watched it last weekend and it never gets old. It's a classic and TBS is running a marathon starting Christmas Eve at 8pm and running through Christmas Day.
When I'm about to go crazy cause I'm still living here I just get my friends together and we dance, dance, dance cause this is the state of the world this is the state of the world this city tells me what it's like to live - City Song Lyrics
Luscious Jackson surrounded by dancing fans.
If you're Luscious Jackson and you haven't played your hometown of New York in 13 years, why not throw a welcome back party? It happened at Webster Hall on Saturday. The band was in fine form and the audience loved it.
The show opened with Here from Natural Ingredients and also used in the movie Clueless. (I will always think Roller Derby when I hear this song.) When Gabby sang Get on the Floor/Let's Dance some more, the stage was set. Early on they played the hit Naked Eye, still cool as cool. Other highlights were Nervous Breakthrough and Why Do I Lie? The new songs like Are You Ready blended in seamlessly with the old. The band has a new album, Magic Hour.
Jill entertained the crowd with her tale of the days when they would sneak into Webster Hall (which was probably called The Ritz at that time). It involved scaling a wall, a dumpster, a fire escape and a knock at the door. This entry is no longer an option.
There was probably some anxiety about coming back after over a decade hiatus. Will people respond? Will they show up? The floor was packed with people having a great time. Jill, Gabby and Kate made us feel like they were enjoying the ride and we were passengers in their bus.
Kudos to Sparkle Beauty Studio's Gabriel Trujillo and Jeffrey Fernandez who worked the hair and makeup. Loved Jill's sparkling eyes. They could be seen from the balcony. As she said, "Gabriel really gets the glitter on!"
Reminder: The ladies who brought us Naked Eye are playing Webster Hall on Saturday. I'm guessing there will be lots of dancing. I'm going, you should too!
It isn't cool enough that Guster recorded 10 songs with a symphony (actually, probably many), but they are giving it away free. Link here. They are not exactly forthcoming with what symphony, hence the title: Live With The Redacted Symphony. I'm guessing they've culled their favorite performances from several shows.
Album includes the following: Satellite What You Call Love Ramona Two Points For Honesty Fa Fa This Is How It Feels To Have A Broken Heart Lightning Rod Demons On The Ocean Come Downstairs and Say Hello
The US Post Office seems to get few things right these days. There is an exception: The Johnny Cash forever stamp which was issued in June, but I just bought today.
This has got to be the coolest stamp. 16 stamps on a sheet which is designed to look like a 45 picture sleeve. I was so impressed with the art direction, that I had to research. According to the USPS site, the photograph was taken by Frank Bez during the photo session for Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash, which was released in 1963. Greg Breeding served as art director and designer for the stamp.
Frank Bez shot many celebrities and did a lot of work for Esquire Magazine. Here is a slide show of a few of his shots and stories behind them. The Jim Morrison photo has to make you laugh. Duke Ellington was his favorite session. He has photographed everyone from Angie Dickinson (her Esquire cover has been reproduced a few times) to the Byrds to Mahalia Jackson to Raquel Welch. How does this guy not have a Wikipedia page?
Greg Breeding is on assignment by the USPS and was given this project. (There are three other designers on assignment with the USPS.) He was born the same year the photo of Johnny was taken. In an interview on Soundcheck Greg said when he was a young boy and used to watch Johnny's TV show he thought, "He was a scary figure to me." He acknowledged the enormity of finding a photo that summed up Johnny's career. Greg got the stamp right. Not only does he pay homage to the man in black, but he does so in a simple classic design with great use of brown, black and fonts.
I thought it was hard to go from designing albums to CD's, but a stamp has got to be a whole other challenge.
Stevie Nicks, everyone's favorite rock witch is going to appear on American Horror Story: Coven.
In an interview with E!, Ryan Murphy, the series creator said, "The season really is an allegory and a metaphor for any minority group in the country where you feel alone so she's a girl that has never known any other witches and all she's ever known is Stevie Nicks."
Is Ryan implying that Stevie is a witch? Maybe they'll try building a bridge out of her during her
appearance on the show. Obscure reference below:
