My first NY club was the Mudd Club and to this day I don't think anything has ever matched the intensity of the place for me, and sometimes I wondered if some of the things I remember from there ever happened.

A recent article in the times and seeing pictures from those days reminded me that it really did look that hard and decadent -cause it really was.

It blows me away when I think that Keith Haring, Klaus Nomi and Jean-Michel Basquiat were all clubbing then. I guess artists stopped going to clubs years ago, except for the odd night at jackie. Now they go to dinner and home to sleep or to some charity event.

How exciting NY was then, I wonder if it will ever be that way again after Adolf Guiliani.

One of my favorite nights at the Mudd Club had Eric Anderson, Joni Mitchell, Diana Ross, Rene Ricard and Diana Vreeland all within six feet of each other. But then isn't that one of the things that used to make a club great--the variety? Sadly, that doesn't happen too much anymore.

In 1980, Steve Mass started coming to Club 57. Even though we were a little mean to him, he wanted to hire some of us to work at Mudd Club. He had an idea for a private club on the top floor which Ann Magnuson was supposed to create. So she came up with this name, something like "Edgewood." It was supposed to be like the name of a suburban development. One day Ann, Stacey Elkin and I borrowed a van from Steve Mass and went shopping for furniture for Edgewood. We weren't looking for cool 60's stuff. We were looking for hideously boring beige suburban stuff. So we drove around Manhattan, drinking beer, parking in front of fire hydrants and amassing a shitload of tickets. After a few hours we had a van full of ugly furniture. But we never made it back to Mudd Club. The van broke down, we put it in front of another fire hydrant with the tickets inside and went home.

Wonderful posting, Dany! It made me recall the Pulsallama song (which I believe you wrote) called "You're A Pig." Dedicated, of course to Dr. Mudd himself.
I also think it is high time I started a Club 57 thread (57 Varieties) for us to talk about that brilliant witches cauldron of creativity on St. Marks Place.

I was at a party last week with some other old timers and I heard that Steve Mass either opened or is going to open a Mudd Club in Berlin. Assisting him in this venture is Susan Hannaford-Rose. Have you heard anything about this? And what ever happened to Tina L'Hotsky?W

It's true! Steve is opening (or has opened) a tranny cabaret in East Berlin. He called Chi Chi and I to tell us about it. I've also heard some rumors (unsubstanciated) that he was in trouble already- owing the "wrong" people money etc. Who knows if that's true. There are so many tall tales about Steve. As for Tina L'Hotski the last we heard she was working as a spiritualist in California and has changed her name to Christine Saran (as in Saran Wrap). And yes, let's talk about Club 57 and Pulsallama while we're at it! Remember "Pulsallama On The Rag" and "Min Find The Bone"?

My most vivid memory of Mudd was the men's room but not because of all the hot boy action but rather because of the blizzard going on in there. Everytime I would try to get in there to take a squirt. It would be jammed with boys and girls and the coke whores that followed them. The stall walls had been ripped down and to pee you would have to make your way around the walls to the urinals and all the time people were shoving up against you while trying to get to that zen point of letting all those clenched muscles go in unison. Well everytime I would almost have gotten there some chic would try to engage me in conversation usually about trying to pee in public. All those muscle would clamp shut on the first word. One night I was going to burst. Finally I made a deal with the bouncer at the sidedoor and would tip him a brew each time I used the ally for relief. I did this so regularly that Lene Lovicht night when every fool in NYC decided this was the night to finally brave a trip to the Mudd Club and mobbed the door beyond control. I sauntered up to the bouncer on the side just zipping back up and he let me walk right "back in " like I had been there all night. It was a mad house and I had a blast. The best part was I met some blond Ted boy in fifties clothes so I had a fun morning after too!

[This message was edited by Niteporter on 04-14-01 at 09:44 PM.]

I was thinking the other day how amazing it is to me that so many of the same people that later became the mother family were the very same people at the Mudd Club.My most memorable nite there was being upstairs and examining the inside of a Ronnie Cutrone cage and Aleph pushed the door shut. I was sure that it was just stuck since there didn't seem to be a lock or anything...four hours later when I woke up, steve was standing there with a crow bar trying to "unlock" the cage and let me out.

Before the third floor was ever opened, it was just a dusty raw space with exposed brick used to store stuff like paper towels. One day, on a busy weekend night, some one sneaked in there and found huge boxes of drink tickets, and proceeded to pass them out by the fistful to everyone in the club. At one point, the bartender Denise turned to me and remarked, "Gee there are an awful lot of free drinks tonight! Steve must be feeling generous!"

Just got back from the screening of the long-lost, finally finished Downtown 81. The film was shot during an incredible time, the Mudd Club of 1980-81, and stars Jean-Michel Basquiat and amazing live performances by DNA (go Arto!), James White and The Blacks, The Plastics, and Kid Creole and The Coconuts.

These things are usually awful, but this was such a pleasant surprise -it is an important document that actually shows the inside of the Mudd Club (there is so little documentation of this) and how beautiful the East Village used to look.

There are cameos by Debbie Harry (unforgettable, I won't spoil the surprise), Cookie Mueller, Haoui Montaug, Vince Gallo, Snooky Tate, Giorgio Gomelski, Fab 5 Freddy, David McDermott , Kristian Hoffman, Esther Balint, Lisa AND Danny Rosen, LaRocka models by the score, Michael Holman, so many others...

Kudos to Maripol, the producer, Glenn O'Brien (who did the additional writing) and everyone else involved with this project. It made me feel incredibly lucky to have witnessed all this first hand, and glad for all those who will finally get to see a glimpse of what used to be so magical.

I think it opens in mid-July.

"Downtown 81" was amazing. No, the plot is not as tight as say "Sound Of Music" but it captures the feeling of post-punk downtown New York better than ANY other movie could because it's real. The live music footage is riviting. It's like seeing Nirvana or Jimi Hendrix or any great group at their peak in a small club with 100 people. Legendary. And seeing the REAL Jean Michel Basquiat spray painting walls in the East Village (when The East Village was real) is worth the price of admission in itself.
This movie was initially just a lot of raw footage, a half finished project from 1981. It didn't even have a sound track! Hats off to everyone involved for making this into a real movie. Glenn O'Brien's writing makes it work.
If you were at The Mudd Club... go see this movie. If you were too young for The Mudd Club DEFINATELY go see this movie!
I won't give away any surprizes but Debbie Harry should win an oscar.
There is also a shot of the old "Disco Donut", "Tad's Steak House" and "Luchows" that brought a tear to my eye. It makes me wish a Timothy Mc Veigh would blow up the NYU dorms that now blacken East 14th Street.
Any takers?

I only caught the Mudd Club in it's last days--I wasn't a real nite clubber then, and it was a real nite club!

But I did see Mary Wells there on her last go round and she was fabulous! (Mary Wells! "whattya gonna do when I'm gone...")

thanks for the stories. always wanted to go, tho never went to the mudd club, walked by it during the day so knew where it was, just never did, read everything about it when written up. would have met some friends a whole lot sooner.

loved the idea and missed it. dang.

Downtown 81 premieres on Sundance Channel Friday July 19th at 9:00 pm.

The film also airs on  July 23rd at 9:00 pm and the 27th at 10:30 pm.
 

..on the contrary, Daddy..."Downtown 81" does have a soundtrack - on cd. i bought mine(after an extensive 4 month search) at Other Music(15 E. 4th Street - (212)477-8150 - www.othermusic.org).
it's a french import on the Virgin label & contains pretty much all the songs, except the little reggae/ska tune that played later on in the film(when Jean was walking around from club to club at night).
...well worth the money spent.
"Downtown 81" is a definate favorite of mine, not only for the valuably rare recordings of a New York that no longer exist, but for Jean-Michel Basquiat...it was one of the very few times we actually got to see this tragic artist in action...definately as SAMO...& right before he really blew-up on the international art scene.

simply put, "Downtown 81" is a must see.

unfortunately, i've never been to the Mudd Club, The Funhouse, Paradise Garage, Studio 54, The Peppermint Lounge, ect., so this is INDEED a very important document on how New York clubs were in the early 80's.

...& look at the bitch NOW!
Rupaul
"Wigstock:The Movie"

I just finished watching "Downtown 81" (they have been showing it again on Sundance) and I just can't believe how amazing it is.I agree that it is a film not to be missed.

The wife and I were scanning the TV last night and caught "Downtown 81" again on Sundance. What a great movie. Not for the plot, acting or anything like that (there is no plot -that I can figure and definately no acting -except for Debbie who is brilliant. "Kiss me, I'm really a beautiful princess held under a wicked spell".) But as a window back in time. When people ask, "What was it like?" THAT'S what it was like! I said to The Empress, "That's our youth". For us it's like having a home movie.

And Dubois,
When I said there was no soundtrack I didn't mean a music soundtrack. I meant they lost the entire audio portion of the movie. NO Sound at all. The whole thing had to be dubbed in a studio. (Chi Chi does Cookie Mueller, I do Bradley Field's voice)

[This message was edited by daddy on 03-17-04 at 11:19 AM.]

Wow. I had no idea the sound was lost, I just thought the sound was a bit off as it sometimes is in these precious films. I learn something new here every visit.

Daddy, I have a question. I am thinking of having a "Downtown 81" theme for my birthday this year. My question is, other than the artists featured on the film's soundtrack, what other artists do you suggest?
All responses will be greatly appreciated

Cautious Lip/ I'll bring the Ronnie Cutrone cage I have in the basement. We can lock you in it and sing happy birthday. So Mudd.