Debbie Harry
This classical painting style elevates theses pop culture icons, like Beyoncé & Jay Z, MickJagger, and a young Michael Jackson to the upper levels of society of a time gone and connects them across time to social media of today.
The Mudd Club Rummage Sale is the only Mudd Club event Steve Mass has hosted in New York City since the club closed in 1981. Co-founder Mass has rallied his old pals for the first-ever official Mudd Club celebration — a charity rummage sale later this Thursday night benefiting the Bowery Mission Women’s Project.
The famed Mudd Club opened its doors at 77 White Street in October of 1978, just steps away from the new Roxy Hotel, where the event is being held. For five years Mudd Club supported New York City’s downtown music, fashion, and art scene giving exposure to artists and performers like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Lou Reed and many more. Mass says;
“It’s not going to be a Sotheby’s-type deal but more like a church basement sale.”
A Cindy Sherman photograph might be next to a T-shirt from Sting or a painting by Walter Robinson. Many club regulars either worked in fashion or went on to make a name in it: Anna Sui and Betsey Johnson are donating dresses; Maripol, Madonna‘s look-maker, is donating some of her iconic rubber jewelry as well as vintage Fiorucci t-shirts. Mannequin king Ralph Pucci contributed a mannequin/sculpture by Kenny Scharf.
To create buzz in the early days, Mass would go to the Parsons School of Design and invite students to the new multi-level emporium.
“They would tell all their friends because where else could they get in free and be treated like celebrities? I didn’t know it happened to be Anna Sui.”
My old pal Robert Molnar was the Mudd Club’s doorman while working on his own clothing line. After he turned away some Hell’s Angels, their leader, who went by “John the Baptist,” beat him up.
“I was begging for my life. It was ridiculous.”
The B-52s were regulars both on stage and off — Kate Pierson is donating a wig and a dress, while Fred Schneider is giving up items like the cowbell he used on the ’89 Love Shack tour. Fred worked the coat check when the club opened in 1978.
“People felt so bad for me that they kept bringing me drinks. I got really tipsy and Robert [Molnar] had to take over. I lasted one night.”
When it came to booking music, the club welcomed everybody from the Cramps to early hip-hop acts like Fab 5 Freddy who just met with Mass for lunch yesterday, donating the items below.
Debbie Harry donated a metallic blue Vivienne Westwood trench dress, Kim Gordon a painting. Items range in price from $10 to $1,100. With an open bar and live performances by Kate Pierson and the Patti Smith Group’s Lenny Kaye, the evening promises fun beyond shopping.
The Mudd Club Rummage Sale benefiting the Bowery Mission is at the Django at the Roxy Hotel on Nov. 19. you can still get tickets here.
Author Victor Bockris and Debbie Harry at the Mudd Club, June 1979. Photo, Allan Tannenbaum
The late, great Edwige Belmore. Photo, Anton Perich
Items range from $10-1100
Items donated by Fred Brathwaite, aka Fab 5 Freddy
Brathwaite & "Dr. Mudd" (Mass) this week
(via Vogue)
Edwige Belmore, one of the most famous nightlife icons, has passed away. Her friends were nearly EVERYONE that went to a nightclub in the past 35 years; Famous faces like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, Debbie Harry, Maripol, and the list goes on and on…
Edwige took over the door of the Palacefor its opening in ’78 and her blonde punk-ness was photographed by all the most famous photographers like; Helmut Newton, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Pierre & Gilles. She walked the runway for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler and was in a pop band, was an actress in movies and then she left Paris for Japan where she worked as a model and started another band. Throughout the 80s, Edwige went back and forth from New York to Paris. In New York she promoted nights at Area, Danceteria, and the Palladium. She had her own nights, “The Beat Cocktail Lounge,” and “The Lazy Lounge” and in Paris she continued to record and sang at Le Bains-Douche with yet another group, formed in New York, Jungle Geisha, singing and playing sax. In 1987 she left for an ashram in India for several years, rediscovered herself, learned yoga and began to teach. Back in NYC in the 90s, she started to sing again, and returned to nightlife with parties at Tunnel and Life, and sang at Bar d’O with pal Joey Arias and with Erich Conrad she made parties at Beige even more fun.
I saw her last a few years ago when she was working at The Standard Hotel a few blocks away. She had recently moved to Miami and like everyone else, I kept track of her via Facebook. All her friends were praying for a miracle and we just found out we lost her this morning. I’m sad, that’s all I can say. She was… well, she was just, Edwidge. She could be THE most fun. The fab look, that incredible voice but as down to earth as they come. And we were lucky to know her.
Honey, I’ll see you in Heaven (the club, that is)… I know you’ll have all the drink tickets.
Sometimes I think, “Gee, I have some talented friends.” (You probably do too.) One of mine is Kate Piersonand last night, she performed her show as a solo artist with a great new band for her brand new album, “Guitars and Microphones“. All her friends showed up to cheer her on and everyone went into a frenzy when the legendary Debbie Harrycame out for the encore of “Roam“. Another famous friend of Kate’s, Sia, wrote 4 songs for the new album, my favorite being “Crush Me With Your Love“. (and if there’s any justice in the world it’ll be a hit, too!) Kate’s been performing with the same group for decades now (you might have heard of them? –the B-52s?) and I’ve seen countless fabulous shows of theirs over the years. But as I told Kate after the show, it was really fun to hear new songs, but also to see her finding her way with new material, as the one in charge. But, this gal could literally sing, “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and knock your socks off. That voice, one of the MOST distinctive in pop music, really sounds better than ever. She introduced one song like this:
“This next song has caused a bit of controversy… ‘Mister Sister‘. This song is really about my friend, Tangella. Tange… Tange performed at Wigstock and all over town for years, but at one point she got sober and moved back home. I called her, not knowing she was living her parents, and her mother answered the phone and I said, ‘Is Tange there… is she in?’ and her mother said, ‘My son is NOT a woman!’ Anyway, Tangella’s doing great now…”
Maybe that doesn’t explain it for you, but I posted my feelings about it when it happened. I really hope it doesn’t follow her around, because Kate is the kindest most inclusive person and she and her partner Monica Coleman, are both part of the LGBTQ community, as well as outspoken advocates. Sia wrote that song as well, by the way and Fred Armisen was in the video along with my old pal Kachin Bowne and they were both at the show last night, along with tons of old friends. I can’t say enough good things about “Guitars and Microphones” and this new artist branching out. But don’t take my word for it, have a listen, or better yet, buy it here. I went to buy mine last night, but the keeper of the CDs at the City Winery had already packed them up. Yeah, I know – CDs. Cute, huh?
