Living with Legends

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  • Imelda Marcos Checks Into The Y

    WeAssbite’ve written before of what a shame it is that the old McBurney Y has been turned into a condo building for soulless yuppies, but a recent photo spread in New York Magazine brought the point home in a much more visceral manner.   It’s the specifics that do the job.  The floor that held the historic pool has been taken over by someone named Cindy Gallop.  She’s turned the place into a warehouse collection of worthless junk that she calls art.  She has a framed AK 47 (aren’t those illegal?) with a Chanel logo on it, as well as a gold Gucci  chain saw  (This is just advertising, and you paid somebody for it!)   Two chairs are covered with leopard skins with the heads attached to bite you on the ass when you sit down.  Bizarrely, she parks her motorcycle right in the middle of the apartment.  (Don’t those things leak oil?)

    Storage Perhaps the most annoying feature of the apartment is the display of stilettos running along the living room wall – part storage, part installation, Cindy says – and, may I add, a fairly shameless display of wealth.

    Cindy claims to have had a vision of this place while relaxing at her favorite watering hole in Shanghai.  Too bad the Chinese didn’t Shanghai her ass.  The place looks dark as a cave and completely Storage2 unlivable.  But Cindy doesn’t care what I say, or what anybody concerned about gentrification has to say.  When entertaining in her glorified storeroom, she had the young hunks who serve the hor’d’oevres grind their loins in tiny towels bearing the Y logo.  “Kiss my rich ass” she is telling us all.  (Ed Hamilton) (Photo: Part storage, part installation at the Chelsea.)

  • Paramount Hotel Steals Our Glory

    According to Gothamist, the Paramount Hotel will be offering a special three-course menu for $5 in iParamontts Mezzanine Restaurant in exchange for actors’ headshots.  You have to be an actor whose parts are five lines or less.  The meal will be available on the 5th of every month and will run through the end of the year. Headshots collected will be displayed in the Paramount Bar.  Now they’ll be known as the hotel that caters to starving artists.  Just recently, long time resident Merle suggested that Stanley do something similar, namely, provide regular hor d’oevres in the lobby.  Alas, he’s been beaten to the punch!

  • Tony Lioce Gets Trippy at The Chelsea

    Tony Lioce is the arts and entertainment editor of the San Jose Mercury News. Before this he was an arts editor at the LA Times and a rock critic for the Providence (RI) Journal.  In an exclusive interview, Tony reveals that the best thing to ever happen to him at the Chelsea was that his oldest daughter was conceived here.  How ’bout that for taking the Chelsea’s famed creative spirit to a whole ‘nother level?

    Has your writing been influenced by any current or former hotel Chelsea residents?  Oh yeah! I stand in front of the place and read those names of the people who lived there and it’s like scanning my bookcase at home.

    Which former or current Chelsea resident have you written about?  I actually have written Paulgraceabout  Dylan quite a bit. And the Warhol people and the Jefferson Airplane (one member of which, Paul Kantner, I still see from time to time in San Francisco. He and I drink in the same bar). 

    When did you stay at the Chelsea?  Pretty much whenever I was in New York from the mid ’70s till the mid ’90s. 

    What inspired you to get a room at the Chelsea?  The legends surrounding the place. I remember when I realized you could actually STAY there, it almost surprised me. I knew, of course, that it was a hotel, but in my mind it was always more like a shrine or something. Then one day I realized, Hey! I could actually stay there! And I did.

    Did you spot any celebrities during your stay at the Chelsea?  Viva, Sinead O’Connor. DeeDee Ramone at the guitar store outside.
    Has the Chelsea vibe changed over the years? Yeah. It’s way more expensive now. When I stayed there it was like sixty bucks a night, which was cheap at the time.

    What’s your favorite Hotel Chelsea story?  One night I checked in and they gave me a room on the top floor, and I was having trouble finding it until I spotted a sign indicating that it actually was up on yet another floor, up a narrow flight of stairs to a floor I didn’t even know was there – almost like something out of "Being John Malkovich." When I saw the room itself I was stunned. It was huge, with windows on both sides, views both north and south. It was more like a loft than any hotel room I’d ever seen before – and certainly nothing even remotely like anything I’d seen at the Chelsea. A few hours later I was sitting at that bar next door, El Quixote, and I was mentioning this weird room, and the guy next to me overheard and told me it was Julian Schnabel’s room and that (at the time anyway) Schnabel was letting the hotel rent it out whenever he was out of town. I wound up getting it for the same (then cheap) price I woulda paid to stay in one of the regular(charmingly) dumpy rooms! Pretty trippy.
    Do you think the Chelsea has a creative spirit?  The best thing is, our oldest daughter was conceived there. And she lives in New York now. The spirit of the city musta taken hold!

  • We Demand Our Servants

    Sherill Tippins (February House), who’s writing a history of the Chelsea Hotel, recently unearthed an original floor plan for the hotel.  She writes:

    Your particular apartment was for rent in 1884, as the parlor room of a 2-BR-plus-servants’ room with Pcone one bath–1200 square feet in all–renting for $1,200 per year.  The closet you had hoped Stanley would let you use was, if I remember correctly where it is, the windowless servant’s room.  Anyway, that room, 9’x9′, was on the left as one enters the hallway leading to your room.  Most apartments had a servants’ [note the plural] room, and none of them had windows.

         So that’s the origin of the little rooms that are generally used as trash rooms on some floors.  They used to actually stick people in there.  At least they used to open onto an air shaft, which was probably better than at some buildings.
         I doubt that I need to mention how annoying it is to note that we are paying more per month for one Bedroom than they paid in 1884 for four rooms and a bath.  But I’ll mention it anyway.Uniquegorhamsilver_1  And they had servants.  Can’t we at least have servants? 
         Sherill’s also found a photo of a bed appropriate to a dwelling such as the Chelsea in those days.    No doubt you can still find a few of these down in the basement.  For our silverware, you will have to look under the kitchen sink at the El Quixote.

  • TWO TALES OF URBAN MOXIE

    I. Old Lady on a Walker

           A decrepit, bent-over old lady in a green dress and a pillbox hat was trying to make it across 23rd7th_1 7th Avenue at 23rd street.  Of course she moved very slowly and the light changed before she could get all the way across, and so she was stuck about half-way out in the street as cars whizzed around her.  Still, eyes set straight ahead, she struggled determinedly on, step by step toward the curb.

             A bread truck roared around the corner and headed straight for her.  It looked like he was going to plow her down, but instead he slammed on his brakes, stopping mere feet from her and laying on his horn.

                The old lady started, then stopped dead in her tracks, straightened herself up, and turned to face the trucker.  “Fuck you!” she said, and gave him the finger.

    II. Old Man and a Motorcycle

                A bit farther down 7th Avenue, at the corner of 21st Street, a biker came roaring down the Avenue on his chopper—you could hear him coming for blocks—and sat idling at the light.  He was hugely fat, hairy, tattooed, with a tiny helmet atop his head.  The thunderous rumbling of his engine shattered the relative calm of the morning.

                An older man, somewhat disheveled in t-shirt and jeans, was walking along, and when he heard the chopper he stuck his fingers in his ears.  A look of intense irritation on his face, he strode right over to the curb and yelled, “Hey asshole, you think you got it loud enough?”

                The biker turned and looked at the older man.  He couldn’t hear over the din of his bike.  “Excuse me?” he yelled back.

                “You think you’ve got it loud enough, asshole?” the old man repeated.

                The biker shook his head in disbelief and, as the light changed, put the chopper in gear and roared off. (Ed Hamilton)

  • All Tomorrow’s Parties: Oct. 2 – Oct. 8, 2006

    Monday, October 2,

    RevhommageanamjunepaikAn evening devoted to Nam June Paik, to pay tribute to the artist who died this year. It will look at key events in the life of the artist and present the major aspects of his work via interviews and personal accounts. You don’t even need to leave home, this event is live on the Internet.

    Tuesday, October 3, 10:30 p.m.
    Countess Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny invite you to Happy Valley Tuesdays.  Show: The Countess and the Cunt Rock Revolution. DJ Kim Ann. Downstairs DJ Ryan and Nita. Hosts: Miranda Moondust, Kim Aviance, Theodora, Astro, Ladyfag & Amanda Lepore.
    14 East 27th St. NY NY

    Wednesday, October 4,
    Billed as "a fresh exploration of the timeless tale of a young man’s coming of age," The Times They Bdmusical Are A-Changin’ is "set within a low-rent traveling circus run by Capt. Ahrab (Sesma), whose wagon hasn’t moved from its location in some time — though not by lack of effort from his ragtag band of clowns and performers," according to previous production notes. 
    Brooks Atkinson, 256 West 47, NY  NY

    YkblueThursday, October 5, 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
    For our readers in Paris, a retrospective of Yves Klein, the "painter of pure feelings and emotions" opens today. Yves Klein changed the history of art simply by the depth of his International Klein Blue. (Thanks to Rachel for the tip.)
    Centre Georges Pompidou, Place Georges Pompidou,  Paris

    For Jack Kerouac fans, October 5 is also the kick off for the "Lowell Celebrates Kerouac" festival which is celebrated in various locations throughout Lowell, Mass.

    Friday, October 6, 8:00 p.m.
    Eugene O’Neill’s play "The Harry Ape," recently opened around the corner at the Irish Repertory Theatre.  The Hairy Ape tells the story of the journey of a dark-souled, brutishship laborer known as Yank as he searches for belonging in a world controlled by the rich. According to painter George Chemeche, O’Neill once lived in his room.
    Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 West 22nd St., NY NY

    Saturday, October 7, 3:00 p.m.
    Mz_policecar_2 Today is your last chance to catch Michele Zalopany’s show, disIntegration, at the Esso Gallery.  Michele will talk about her art at 3:00 p.m., so be sure to stop by.
    Esso Gallery, 531 West 26th, 4th floor, NY NY

    If you have an event that you want listed on All Tomorrow’s Parties please e-mail chelblog@yahoo.com

  • Movies and Murders

    To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting has created an interactive Flash map that shows where movies and shows have been shot. The map isn’t Chelseamovie comprehensive by any means. For the entire neighborhood of Chelsea only two movies are included — "I Shot Andy Warhol," which was filmed on 20th St. and  "Bed of Roses," which was filmed on 19th St., in 1996.   Have they never heard of The Chelsea Girls, Sid & Nancy, and Chelsea Walls, just to name a few. The Chelsea Hotel should have its own interactive movie map. (via Gothamist)

    Also, in a new feature called Shot in NYC, travel blog gridskipper will pair a murder and a scene (and some times a murder scene) that takes place near or exactly in the same location.  They focused on 23rd Street for the first installment.

    McburneyymcaexteriorOn the corner of 23rd Steet near Eigth Avenue. It’s February 28th at 12:45 in the morning. Gangster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll is gunned down by members of Dutch Schultz‘s gang. Earlier Coll has accidentally killed a 5 year-old boy on East 107th street in an attempt on Schultz’s life. Coll had wanted to take over Schultz’s uptown beer business. The building is now a condo.

    Another mob scene took place on 23rd Street at what used to be the McBurney YMCA at 215 W. 23rd (the inspiration for the VIllage People’s YMCA). This is where the famous steamroom scene in the Godfather was filmed. Sadly, the new occupant, yuppie gym David Barton, completely renovated and no one knows exactly where the steamroom was. Yuppies.

  • From Somewhere Within the Bowels of The Chelsea

    Or Australia, or somewhere else.

  • Tits Suit

    Amy Arbus (daughter of the legendary photographer Diane Arbus) opened her gallery show at the Sbtitsuit_1 Cohen Amador Gallery in the Fuller Building on September 6.  Her new book "On The Street 1980 – 1990" features photographs of New Yorkers who were in the Village Voice’s fashion section during that time period. Chelsea Hotel’s Susanne Bartsch is featured in Arbus’s new book wearing an outfit entitled "Tits Suit."  The photograph of Bartsch was shot in 1987 on West Broadway and Houston Streets. (by Jean Pearson)

  • Jen Jr. Stops by the Chelsea


    An alternate video for Moby’s new single with Debbie Harry, “New York, New York” starring celebutante extraordinaire Rev Jen Junior, directed by Saint Reverend Jen, who also shot and edited the film. According to Reverend Jen, to make the video extra special, they pretended that Jen Junior lives here at the Chelsea. We wish that Jen Jr lived here. She’d fit right in!