In 1961, following the bitter end of two marriages, and floundering in his musical career, with one Nashville producer dismissing his style - “That ain’t singin’, that’s talkin’" - Willie Nelson had had enough failure and literally laid down in the street to die.
Willie recalled, “…I got so drunk and discouraged that I laid down in the street in the snow late at night and waited for a car to come along...but eventually I began to feel stupid and went and bought another round of drinks."
Whether it’s the IRS seizing his assets in 1990, the tragic suicide of his son Billy in 1991, or being arrested for possession of marijuana four times, no matter what fate hands him, he gets back up off the canvas for another round.
Before Willie Nelson made a name for himself as a solo artist, releasing a string of incredible concept albums in the early seventies, he was a prominent songwriter. It’s further testament to his endurance that Willie went from a traveling vagabond who slept in ditches and fought in bars to writing hits for various Nashville greats in the 60s, including the Patsy Cline favorite “Crazy.”
Willie's solo career eventually took off in 1974 with the release of Phases and Stages, a concept album that takes a brutally honest look at divorce from perspective of both parties. In 1975, he released Red Headed Stranger, a wild west concept album that gave Willie a nickname and established him as a music legend.
The Red Headed Stranger has never slowed down, traveling the world with his family and Trigger, his Martin classical guitar, weathered and rough, with a gaping hole in the body and named after Roy Rogers’ trusty horse: "Roy Rogers had a horse named Trigger. I figured: "This is my horse!"
Throughout his extensive career, Willie has collaborated with a diverse group of musicians: The Highwaymen (Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson), Ringo Starr, Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Vedder and Snoop Dogg.
He’s even done a little acting, performing in Stagecoach and Barbarosa and appearing on King of the Hill. He's even managed to find time to write and collaborate on six books and get a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. At 79, he’s not ready to retire: “My doctor tells me I should start slowing it down - but there are more old drunks than there are old doctors so let's all have another round.”
Willie has been involved politically, lobbying for Farm Aid and the legalization of marijuana, even performing his notorious ballad “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” at the 2012 CMT Awards. In a recent interview with The Guardian, he said, “If we taxed and regulated the drugs the way they do in other parts of the world, we would be far better off.”
He’s been a strong supporter of alternative energies, investing in BioWillie, a diesel fuel composed of vegetable oil and soybeans: “There is really no need going around starting wars over oil. We have it here at home. We have the necessary product, the farmers can grow it….”
Willie'slatest album, Heroes, was released on May 15, featuring his son Lukas, Snoop Dogg, and Sheryl Crow, has been met with universal acclaim and described in Neil McCormick’s Telegraphreview as Willie’s “Last will and testament.”
From drifter to an American institution, Willie Nelson continually defies expectations and stays the course, coming a long way from the broken man ready to lie down in the ditch to the beloved Red Headed Stranger.
(Elford Alley has had plays produced and read across the United States and his sketch comedy featured in several shows in Chicago. His articles have appeared in cracked.com. He currently resides in Dallas with his wife and daughter.)
did you have to be the only one who insisted on being yourself?
“Pretending" is set in Dan Lynch’s, a classic NYC club. Have you ever been there? If so, did you go specifically to see a band?
I was actually at the music bar, Dan Lynch, on a date. She was a German artist. I put my hand on her leg before the music started. She told me her female roommate was her lover. That was news to me. I took my hand off her leg. She asked me why I didn’t go for men. I told her that men never attracted me. I don’t remember the band much, except for the fact that they were all male and their loud music made it very difficult to continue our conversation, which I was grateful for.
The line “white musicians pretending that they were black” brought several musicians to mind. What white musicians do you think pretend to be black? Why do you think they behave in this manner?
Elvis Presley purposely sounded like a Black man. He sang that way to make money and meet a need. I always liked the film, “Field of Dreams.” There was a line in the movie. “If there’s a need, people will come.” There was a need for the White race to meet the Black race on different terms. Music reflects what goes on in real life.
The Black Panthers were popular while I was going to college. At Washington Square College, New York University, I was in an honors seminar with Ralph Ellison, author of The Invisible Man. He kept saying that society was going to appropriate Black culture. That’s what Elvis did until he took so many pills and got too fat – he had to wear a girdle – to shake. I don’t mean to put down Elvis. I felt sorry for his later life. He had a bad manager who exploited him – put him in too many second-rate movies.
I was struck by the line “the people next to us jumped up & down, pretending that they were rock stars.” They’re the audience not performers and yet they're "pretending to be rock stars." Why do you think some people have such a desire to be on stage? What’s the appeal of being a rock star?
The appeal of being a rock star is fame and more fame. People think it’ll be easier to meet others if you’re already famous. That may be true. But then again did anyone really know Elvis? He was surrounded by his bodyguards. He had very little privacy. When Elvis got married the first thing his wife did was to make a bonfire to burn his books. She was trying to change him. People change slowly.
I’m famous but my fame is only spread among the poetry scene. I have limited fame. That’s the best kind. When I was in Paris – I went there partly to meet a Parisian girlfriend but ended up meeting an American one – I met a young woman who told me she was going to be famous. I said in what area. She said she didn’t know yet, but whatever it was, she was going to achieve fame. I felt sorry for her. She was too driven.
It reminded me of the Phil Ochs' song, “Chords of Fame.” There’s a line that goes, “Whatever you do, don’t play the chords of fame.” This woman was strumming them a little too loud for my taste. It’s like Zen. If you strive for fame, you don’t achieve it. You can only get true fame by not seeking it.
Two of the poem’s central themes are pretense and duplicity. How do you think clubs/bars contribute to a person’s desire to be somebody else or something they’re not?
The music scene is set up for pretending you’re someone else. Look at Janis Joplin – she was a star and yet she still pretended she was popular. If the stars pretend they’re popular, so will the audience. I’ve always liked the Judy Collins’ song, “You make up your memories and think they have found you.” Or like The Kinks wrote, “It’s a mixed-up shook-up world where boys pretend to be girls and girls pretend to be boys.” Bob Dylan wasn’t his real name. Or like the Stones sang, “What can a poor boy do but join a rock & roll band.’ Mick Jagger wasn’t poor. He went to the London School of Economics. In fact, I fantasized about being a rock & roll star along with thousands of other fans.
One of my most memorable moments was when I was told by the owner of an East Side book store that Bruce Springsteen walked in, took my first book from a display, started reading it, then began laughing. Then he bought two copies of my book by check. The owner promised to give me the cancelled check, but he never did. Now the store is closed.
What has been your most memorable live music experience?
When I went to hear Barry Harris play piano at the Jazz Cultural theatre. Harris used to live in the same house in New Jersey with Theolonius Monk and the Countess who took care of them. Monk was a genius pianist and composer who had severe mental problems. Some days he would wake up and not recognize his wife and kids. He acted like they were strangers. Barry would play Monk compositions, like “Around Midnight.”
I empathized with the jazz world, because they were at the lowest end of the music world, like poets being at the lowest end of the writing world. Barry would play Monk’s songs and it felt like they were touching my soul. I felt close to Monk, even though we were entirely different personalities that came from totally different backgrounds.
What are your favorite spots for live music/performance?
I’ve been to Webster Hall with a date to hear The Smithereens. They didn’t impress me. They sounded like a modern day louder version of The Monkees – canned music.
I went to Madison Square Garden with a friend to hear Ike and Tina Turner open for the Rolling Stones. I fell in love with Tina. One of the first questions I asked a woman who I was interested in dating was who did she like better – the Stones or Beatles. If she said the Stones, then she passed the test. If she said the Beatles, I’d ask her who was her favorite one. If she said John Lennon, I’d still ask her out. If she said Ringo Starr, I wouldn’t even bother getting her phone number.
I went to hear Chubby Checker perform at the Fillmore East. I was impressed by his piano playing.
My biggest regret was not going to Woodstock. The friends I was planning to go with chickened out, because they thought they would be busted for drug use. They got paranoid.
I heard Holly Neat and Sweet Honey and the Rock at Carnegie Hall. I remember Holly liberating the men’s bathrooms, telling the women in the audience that they shouldn’t be afraid to use the male facilities. I agreed with her until I had to use the bathroom and had to wait while liberated women cut ahead of me in line.
On Writer’s Almanac, you mentioned your book Stray Cat Blues. Can you talk a little about the title and why you appropriated The Rolling Stones’ song?
Titles cannot be copyrighted. Therefore, anyone can use them. I have another poem, which I use a poplar song title as my title - "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do."
“We don’t have anything in common,”/ I said. “We’re two completely different people./ It doesn’t make sense to stay together.”/ But then she started to rub my penis/ through my pants, & I suddenly remembered / that we both did like Indian food.
"Stray Cat Blues" is the title of a poem in my new collection. I like stray cats, though I’m allergic to them, which is one of the themes in my work – the mind is sometimes a step ahead of the body.
In the final installment of my top fifteen songs about revolution, I offer my top five. I'd really like to hear from you, so drop me a note in the comment box.
5. "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" by Marvin Gaye
I could have chosen one of my favorite songs of all-time, What's Going On, but I went with another protest song from the same album, Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler). Backed by several of the Funk Brothers, Marvin Gaye's gem depicts ghetto life of inner-city America.
"Inflation, no chance/to increase finance/bills pile up, sky high/send that boy off to die."
4. "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
I'd cut off my right arm to have a voice like Sam's.
Sam Cooke was so moved by Bob Dylan'sBlowin' in the Wind that he was determined to write a song about racism in America. Although Cooke was afraid that recording a political song would tarnish his image with his white fan base, he felt obligated to write about two experiences that forever changed him: the death of his 18-month-old son, Vincent, and an incident in 1963 when he and his band were arrested for trying to register at a "whites only" motel in Shreveport, Louisiana.
"There have been times that I thought I couldn't last for long/but now I think I'm able to carry on/It's been a long time coming/ but I know a change is gonna come."
3. "You Haven't Done Nothin'" by Stevie Wonder
A political song that reached #1?
Back in 1974, Stevie Wonder could do no wrong. In perhaps his angriest songs, Stevie criticizes Nixon's America, while The Jackson 5 sing backup. Big Brother, another political song, is the b-side to this funky hit.
"But we are sick and tired of hearing your song/Telling how you are gonna change right from wrong/ 'Cause if you really want to hear our views/You haven't done nothin'."
2. "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones
I could have also selected Street Fighting Man, but I chose Gimme Shelter because Keith Richards' opening guitar riff never fails to give me goose bumps. Mick Jagger's apocalyptic lyrics speak of a threatening storm that will wreak havoc, but in the end the power of love will prevail.
Jagger and backing vocalist Merry Clayton repeatedly sing, "Rape, murder; it's just a shot away; it's just a shot away," but their final line is "Love, sister; it's just a kiss away; it's just a kiss away."
1. "Revolution" by The Beatles
While John Lennon urged the rest of the Beatles to release Revolution 1 as a single, Paul McCartney wanted to avoid controversy and George Harrison wanted to record a more upbeat version. They compromised. Eventually, Revolution 1 made it onto the White Album and the band recorded a more rocking version which was the b-side to Hey Jude.
Up until 1968, with the exception of Taxman, the Beatles didn't make political statements. John Lennon said, "I thought it was about time we spoke about it [revolution], the same as I thought it was about time we stopped not answering about the Vietnamese war. I had been thinking about it up in the hills in India."
Revolution was a response to the political protests in 1968 in which Lennon expressed skepticism. On the White Album version, he was uncertain about destructive change:
"But when you talk about destruction/Don't you know that you can count me out/ In."
Throughout the song is the refrain, "It's gonna be alright." Lennon borrowed this from his Transcendental Meditation in India, suggesting that God will protect us no matter what.
"But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao/You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow/ Don't you know it's gonna be all right/ all right, all right."
And like Gimme Shelter, in the end the power of love will prevail.
While I continue to list my favorite fifteen songs of civil unrest, rebellion and protest, I'd like to hear from you, so please leave a comment, sharing your favorite political songs.
10. "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy
Fight the Power was first released on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989). Chuck D, Flavor Flav and crew frightened the hell out of white America. The song's unfavorable lyrics about Elvis Presley and John Wayne caused quite a stir: "Elvis was a hero to most / But he never meant shit to me' / Straight up, racist the sucker was / Simple and plain."
Chuck D identifies Elvis Presley with racism; Elvis' success was attributed to his being white, while commercial success was denied to his African-American contemporaries. The "John Wayne" line refers to his racist remarks in a 1971 interview with Playboy.
9. "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield
Stephen Stills wrote For What It's Worth about the riot on the Sunset Strip in November 1966 after a stringent 10:00pm curfew was enforced. One thousand demonstrators, including such celebrities as Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda, erupted in protest against the perceived repressive enforcement of these recently invoked curfew laws.
Incidentally, For What It's Worth was sampled by Public Enemy on the song, He Got Game.
8. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2
"This is not a rebel song. This is Sunday Bloody Sunday." Back in 1983, this is how Bono introduced one of U2's most political songs. The Edge and Bono wrote Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2's signature song - about an incident in Northern Ireland's Derry where British troops killed unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders.
7. "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who
Although Won't Get Fooled Again deals with the hope surrounding revolution - "I tip my hat to the new constitution/Take a bow for the new revolution" – Pete Townshend's lyrics are overtly cynical: "Meet the new boss/Same as the old boss."
In 2006, Townshend stated that, "It is not precisely a song that decries revolution – it suggests that we will indeed fight in the streets – but that revolution, like all action, can have results we cannot predict. Don't expect to see what you expect to see. Expect nothing and you might gain everything...."
6. "Police and Thieves" by The Clash
Written and recorded by Junior Murvin in a traditional reggae style in 1976, a year later The Clash punked it up for their debut album. The band loved jamming to Police and Thieves, but they didn't have plans to record the song until an impromptu version they started playing during a break encouraged them to finalize an arrangement and record it.
In the wake of the London riots, I've been thinking about my favorite songs that deal with civil unrest and rebellion.
But before I list my top fifteen here are a bunch of songs that deserve an honorable mention: any song by Rage Against the Machine, "In the Ghetto," "Democracy," "War Pigs," "Fortunate Son," "Born in the USA," "American Idiot," "The Man in Black," "Ball of Confusion," & "God Save the Queen."
15. "The Revolution Will Not be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron recently passed away, but his 1971 poem/song has immortalized him. "The Revolution Will Not be Televised" is reminiscent of the Beat poets, particularly Allen Ginsberg and his poem "Howl" as well as Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Often considered a pioneer of hip hop, Heron's classic spoken-word masterpiece is humorous yet critical of Richard Nixon's America.
14. "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Neil Young wrote the lyrics to "Ohio" after seeing photographs of the Kent State tragedy in Life Magazine. In the liner notes on Young's album Decade, he believed the incident was "probably the biggest lesson ever learned at an American place of learning."
13. "Anarchy in the U.K." by the Sex Pistols
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The disenfranchised youth of today's England bears a striking resemblance to the embittered youth of the late 70's. The Sex Pistols manager, Malcolm McLaren, considered the song "a call to arms to the kids who believe that rock and roll was taken away from them. It's a statement of self-rule, of ultimate independence."
12. "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley and the Wailers
I could have chosen a number of Bob Marley songs - "Buffalo Soldiers" and "Get Up Stand Up" for instance - but I selected "Redemption Song" for its the beautiful simplicity. Written at the time of Marley's diagnosis with cancer, the legendary singer urges us to awaken against tyranny and defend our freedom.
"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery/None but ourselves can free our minds/Have no fear for atomic energy/'Cause none of them can stop the time."
11. "Masters of War" by Bob Dylan
As with Bob Marley, I could have chosen a number of Bob Dylan songs - "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," "Blowin' in the Wind" or "The Times They Are A-Changin'" for instance - but I selected Dylan's acerbic "Masters of War" because it drips with anguish and rage. In the album's liner notes, Dylan stated, "I don't sing songs which hope people will die, but I couldn't help it in this one." Dylan's lyrics are a protest against the Cold War arms race with the Soviet Union of the early 1960s:
"And I hope that you die/And your death'll come soon/I will follow your casket/In the pale afternoon/And I'll watch while you're lowered/Down to your deathbed/And I'll stand over your grave/'Til I'm sure that you're dead."
In "Sonny's Blues," James Baldwin writes about an African-American people who have been stripped of their language. Sonny, a troubled pianist, is determined to find the appropriate language through his music. With his desire to find a relevant musical language and willingness to destroy himself in doing so, Sonny successfully builds a community of musicians.
Unfortunately for Baldwin, tormented by the racism in the U.S., he struggled to find a community, so he migrated to Paris.
In "Sonny's Blues," Baldwin writes so eloquently about a musician's language and relationship between the musician and audience member.
All I know about music is that not many people ever really hear it. And even then, on the rare occasions when something opens within, and the music enters, what we mainly hear, or hear corroborated, are personal, private, vanishing evocations. But the man who creates the music is hearing something else, is dealing with the roar rising from the void and imposing order on it as it hits the air.
In keeping with the peaceful sentiment of yesterday's post, "What's so Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding," this post is dedicated to those of us who have lost a mother, father, sister, brother or friend in the 9/11 tragedies.
In Strength to Love, Dr. Martin Luther King writes, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction...the chain reaction of evil...hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars...must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."
Here are six more songs about peace, love, understanding and hope!
Pride (In the Name of Love), by U2 (1984)
Bono had been influenced by Stephen B. Oates's Let The Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Autobiography of Malcolm X, causing him to ponder the different sides of the civil rights campaigns, the violent and the non-violent.
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (1968)
The song's optimism and hopefulness was a remedy for the racially and politically charged climate of the United States. Tony Bennett turned the song down, so it was offered to the great Satchmo, Louis Armstrong who gave a memorable vocal performance.
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) by George Harrison (1973)
The Beatles wrote their fair share of songs about peace - "All You Need Is Love," "We Can Work it Out" and "Revolution." As solo artists they made even stronger, more personal statements about world peace. "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" was a #1 hit for George in 1973.
Get Together by The Youngbloods (1969)
Terrific harmonies and a running guitar line that gives me goose bumps. "C'mon, people now, smile on your brother."
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye (1971)
"War is not the answer, only love can conquer hate."
Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon (1969)
Lennon wrote this song during his and Yoko's "Bed-In" for peace campaign in Montreal. When a reporter asked what he was trying to achieve by staying in bed, Lennon quickly retorted, "All we are saying is give peace a chance." The song was recorded on June 1, 1969 with the help of the Smothers Brothers and Timothy Leary.
Emotions are running high. Americans are celebrating the death of public enemy number one, Osama bin Laden, seeking closure for the tragic events of 9/11. As much as I'd like to feel some resolution, even joy, as a New Yorker I can't help but feel an impending doom and fear of retaliation from a group of zealots in a world that has truly gone mad.
I was eleven years old when I first witnessed the inherent madness of our world. Night after night on the evening news (444 total days), I watched from my couch in my humble semi-detached home in Staten Island, updates of the fifty-two U.S. citizens who had been taken hostage, worlds away in Iran. The frightening image of Ayatollah Khomeini - resembling that of Big Brother from George Orwell's 1984 - and his followers, burning the American flag and President Carter in effigy made a significant impact and are deeply ingrained.
Presently, Facebook is dripping with jingoism, and I wonder how many of these patriotic folks despise it when those patriotic folks from bin Laden's neck of the woods take to the streets to celebrate an American tragedy. I can sympathize with those Americans who are either vengeful and furious, grief-stricken, or even overjoyed, but as my wife and I are getting ready to bring twins into this insane world, I'm trying my best to emphasize peace and remember those fathers, mothers, sons and daughters who lost their lives on September 11th.
Here are six songs about peace, love, understanding and hope.
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding by Elvis Costello (1979)
This Nick Lowe song was made popular by Elvis Costello (which Lowe produced). "Where is the harmony?" the song asks. I hope Nick and Elvis know.
One Love/People Get Ready by Bob Marley & Curtis Mayfield (1977)
The reggae giant's composition includes an homage to Curtis Mayfield'sPeople Get Ready, so it's credited as a Marley/Mayfield collaboration. Marley's words might not be the most prophetic - "Let's get together and feel all right" - but the sentiment sounds all right by me.
Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder (1973)
In a three hour burst of creative energy, Mr. Funk wrote and recorded this memorable tune.
Love Train by The O'Jays (1973)
From the City of Brotherly Love, The O'Jays' biggest hit (#1 on the R&B charts and Billboard's Hot 100) deals with spreading love and harmony from England and Russia through China and Egypt.
We Can Work It Out by The Beatles (1965)
Paul McCartney's optimism - "We can work it out" - is juxtaposed with John Lennon's pragmatism, "Life is very short and there's not time for fussing and fighting, my friend."
21 Guns by Green Day (2009)
From Green Day's album 21st Century Breakdown, this ballad makes a plea for peace: "Lay down your arms, give up the fight." Gandhi couldn't have said it any better: "Use truth as your anvil, nonviolence as your hammer."
July 1985. Back to the Future was the number one movie in America. Ronald Reagan was in the hospital for colon cancer. "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran was the number one song. Dynasty was the number one television show. Nick at Nite was launched on Nickelodeon. Christa McAuliffe was set to become the first teacher to ride aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. Dwight Gooden was well on his way to winning the National League Cy Young Award. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organized Live Aid to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Live Aidtook place on July 13th. The event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. An estimated two billion viewers watched the broadcast. There were memorable performances and some very forgettable ones. Sometimes even the great ones (like Bob Dylan) fall!
Backed by Ron Wood and Keith Richards, Dylan announced just before they took the stage that they will be playing "Blowin' in the Wind." The trio rehearsed the night before, but had never played the song together. Dylan's spontaneity led to disaster.
Ron couldn't figure out the chords; Keith couldn't play a solo; and Bob broke a string. The highlight of the performance was when Dylan broke a string, Ron Wood, in the spirit of giving, gave him his guitar to play. Wood remained on stage, playing air guitar.
Please share your memories of Live Aid with us. We'd love to hear them.
What do Lenny Bruce, Joan Mitchell, Abbie Hoffman, James Fenimoore
Cooper, Ted Berrigan, W.H. Auden, and Leon Trotsky all have in common? They all had a residence on St. Mark's Place.
Musical streets have been plentiful in New York: The Bowery, Bleecker Street, 2nd Avenue and the extraordinary St. Mark’s Place. Unfortunately, in the early 1990's when New York became a playground for investment bankers and college students, many of the musicians packed up their guitar cases and headed elsewhere. The Fillmore East closed. The Ritz closed. Max's Kansas City closed. CBGB moved to Vegas. However, New York's rock and roll history is still rich and vibrant. If you take a walk down St. Mark's Place, you can still soak up some of those musical vibes.
Take a trip with me down the legendary St. Mark’s Place.
The present St. Marks Ale House in the St.
Mark's Hotel (formerly the Valencia Hotel, 2 St. Mark's Place at the corner of
Third Avenue) was for many years The Five-Spot, one of the city's
leading jazz venues, known as a base for innovators such as Thelonius Monk,
who started appearing there in 1957.
At 19-25 St. Mark's Place, Andy Warholand Paul Morrisey turned The Dom into a
nightclub in 1966, with the Velvet Undergroundserving as the house band.
In 1977, the storefront at 33 St. Mark’s Place was Manic Panic, the first U.S. boutique to sell punk rock attire and develop its
own line of make-up and hair dyes. Manic Panic had visits from numerous
performers, including: David Bowie, Cindy Lauper, Debbie Harry,
and Joey Ramone.
122
St. Mark’s used to be the home of Sin-e where Jeff Buckleyperformed a regular gig on Monday nights.
96
& 98 St. Mark's Place is on the cover of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. The back cover displays the same two buildings at
night. Number 98
currently houses the Physical Graffiti boutique and number 96 has Starfish
& Jelli clothing, accessories and gifts.
St. Mark's Place is mentioned in The Replacements' 1987 song “Alex Chilton”: "Checkin' his stash by the trash at St. Mark's Place." In Lou Reed's song "Sally Can't Dance," Sally walks down and lives on St. Mark's Place.
With such legendary establishments as Sounds, St. Mark's Books, St. Mark’s Comics, and Yaffa café, St. Mark's Place will continue to be home to suburban kids who want to sample the flavor of the city.
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