Although I used to go to galleries , mag stands and BookStores all the time ,
I only do it once in awhile now.
In the 1980's going to Gem Spa to read mags was an essential stop in a daily/weekly routine.
By the mid '90's I was well into rding the NY Times and even Wall Street Journal daily to keep up with tech and the world.
All that's passed by now ,
you just can't keep all those cool mags for their covers or papers for that certain article .
And there is just so much *hit media ordained by Politi/Corps, bean counters and poll watchers.
So much product - stuff and fluff .
I made it into St.Mark Bookstore and found an open copy of the recent 'So '80's' photo book by P Macmullin.
The cover shot of Sally Randall drew me in ,
as she was someone I used to know bk then and always liked.
But after looking at it all , I was struck (as I often am) by the utter party 'surface' portrayed.
Nice pic of a young Tom Ford looking well, quite regular.
Photos of the Andy mask manque
(his arrival at a party made some of us head out the bk door),
a few of ppl like 'Marcus Leatherdale' ( I remember James Chance and Anya Phillips beating him to the floor at the Mudd)
and other untalented but camera ready scenesters with one name just reaffirm for me that the image the public has been fed of the '80's is not accurate.
This is a reason why I am currently writing a book about those excellent club years from 1978 - 1988 - to set the record straight.
I kept diaries on every night .
Same story in musik ,
how many stories about The Strokes nonevent of a second Album (the Spin cover line reminds of the time they had the same kind of line for Trent Reznor , something about him as the 'father of industrial Music') or
The Rapture's Album (I couldn't get past the intro's on every track on the Album. But hey, nice intros, Tim & James)
can ppl absorb without the gag reflex kicking in.
Rding the local 'fly' press ,
it would seem NYC's in a low point club wise.
Not that I could tell from the nights DCC had recently,
where afterwards people wrote stuff like
'it was like living in a "Wild Style" and
that they got a glimpse of what it must have been like 'back in the day'.
Well, maybe ...
There are those who review and those who do.
I've seen the great times and crap times ,
from Mudd Club and Tier 3 through the , uh
'Club kids' and 'ElectroClash'.
I really wish the electro would clash
and not just be a skinny ' I saw Patti Smith wear one on an Album cover once ' black tie or a ripped synth or
'80's post punk/Joy Division/G O Four line .
Last Wednesday night at Knitting Factory ,
I enjoyed watching and listening to Ellen Allien's DJ set
wherein I found some tracks bearing distinct
Liaisons Dangeruses flavors.
That was followed by T.Raumschmiere's set ,
mostly from his new Album.
He looked like he was having a good time and he has absorbed his DAF well.
All well and really quite fine musik for an evening ,
spoiled only by the knotheads next to me yapping away
nostop with a Corona in each hand.
I think a problem is that some ppl cannot tell what is good
and what is not good anymore -
and that IS a problem.
