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Patti Astor in Eric Mitchell’s film Underground USA, featured in BLANK CITY (Photo by and courtesy of Marcia Resnick from Blank City.)
Downtown New York in the late-1970s was dangerous, dirty; an unclaimed landscape in the shadow of the era’s major financial crisis. It was also a wild playground for the artists and musicians who called it home. In her documentary, “Blank City,” director Céline Danhier explores this community through some of the scene's major players -- including Bush Tetras guitarist Pat Place and filmmaker Amos Poe, who we'll hear from as well.
"Blank City" is playing at IFC Center. More information here.
Comments [11]
Just heard Nick's comment read on the air. Love the Comateens. Interesting to hear you guys were part of No Wave (thought of you as NY New Wave but I guess there's a short distance from New to No). At the time I was a teenager listening to you guys on the then tiny WHFS in Bethesda MD you were a fave of a great DJ called Weasel. Cheers to you and the Bush Tetras and everyone who has followed after.
As a kid of the 60s, adolescent of the 70s and a native Manhattanite, I am really excited about this film. The milktoast version of itself NYC has become has really left this native feeling lost for some time. Where is the energy? Where are the creatives? All I see today are posers and copycats... nothing NEW left in NEW YORK!?!
I'm sorry to say, the current crop of transplants and wannabe artist/musicians are DOA... scared and w/o a voice. CREATIVES... GROW A PAIR AND PISS SOMEONE OFF ALREADY!
It's disappointing how focused this movie was on the pretty white (mostly straight) kids, while failing to acknowledge the influence of S&M culture, gay cinema and barely any people of color. The "transgressive" was heavily appropriated without credit. It really felt like an outsider made this film, someone who didn't appreciate the larger social and political issues of the city at the time, or what's happening today. The artists idolize themselves and their lifestyle now that they're for the most part living large.
C'Mon guys. Lets not over-romanticize the "danger" either. Sure, it was rough, but anyone with half a brain knew how not to get jacked.
I'd take allot of that back just to get some honesty and artistic integrity back into this town!
In a strange way, the ethos of "No Wave" music was very similar to what Thelonious Monk did with jazz. The angularity, the insistence on dissonance as a musical vocabulary.
The people from that scene lured me to New York to be a film student at NYU in the early 90s. I guess everyone in the city just missed some Golden Era, but that was mine. The ability to be only marginally financially viable within the self contained geographic area of downtown disintegrated right after that, and the ability to experiment with ideas and media without the need for immediate commercial success went away as well.
Man, I miss those days, I saw James Chance at Max's, I was 21 at the time. Please talk about this group called the swans as another post requested.
Thanks great show.
P.S. I can't believe what the Bowery looks like now.
As a long-time resident of downtown Manhattan, and former neighbor of Sonic Youth back in the day, I'm very much looking forward to Ms. Danhier's film.
I humbly suggest that for the audience to get the full effect of those times, quaaludes be handed out with all tickets.
As one who was deeply involved with the NY No Wave scene as leader of my band Comateens, I remember it as one of the most creative things ever to happen to music. It was pure expression, technique be damned. Later on I did quite a bit of work with James Chance and found him to be a highly intelligent artist who thought deeply about what he did. Most of these people knew exactly what they were doing and why they were doing it.
Regards
Nicholas West
Comateens
Please discuss SWANS
Watching this trailer, the New York City of today seems so bland, corporate and homogenized. Yeah, I'm one of the bridge and tunnel crowd that was part of the whole club scene in the late 70s. You could go out to a club on a Saturday night and spend well under $20.00. Nobody spent serious $ on their attire or hair, and we all looked fabulous, darling!
It's bittersweet seeing these clips, but it Blank City looks like a must see.
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