Before we jump right into my blog I wanted to explain a little of why I created this.
If you were at any of the Goth/Industrial clubs in New York City in the early '90's, either a full-time club-goer or even a casual attendee, you'll know what I mean when I talk about just how special it all was.
If you were into Gothic, Industrial, early Trance/Techno, and even Punk, you had clubs to go blow off some steam whenever you needed to every night.
Some of the clubs you had then were: MONDAYS: "New York Nights" or "Black Lips" performances at Pyramid, TUESDAYS: "Communion" at Limelight, WEDNESDAYS: "Disco 2000" at Limelight or "London Dungeon" at Zone Decay, THURSDAYS: "Troublemakers" at Jackie 60, FRIDAYS: "Censored" at the Building, or "Stigmata" at Pyramid later on, SATURDAY: "Ward 6" at the Michael Todd room at the Palladium, and "Berlin" in Astoria, Queens as well.
There were many more nights that came along and disappeared just as quickly: the "Garage" (Literally a one-off night on Avenue B in the Spring of 1991 that played Wax Trax tracks all night long. I remember the DJ dying in a car accident a couple years later on the FDR Drive), the AWESOME Wednesday night that Brian Walters and Rustin Birch (from F.I.T.) did at Zap for a short period (forget the name), "United States of Techno" at Pyramid run by Brian Butterick aka "Hattie Hathaway" on Thursdays, the Friday nights at the Bank called "Damnation" that Craig Curiosity and Vanessa Miasma had, the short lived night at Danceteria on Wednesdays in 1992 (I think Neville and Dave Kendall had a hand in that one. I remember Gerard and Psychotic Eve putting on some great performances there), or even "Equilibrium" at Tilt down in Soho run by Neville Wells among others (including yours truly). Heck, I even had my own (short-lived) night on Sunday at the Bank called "The Belfry". And let me NOT forget those awesome "Night of Misanthropy" events that Bryan Doll from Loretta's Doll/Turning Wheels did every once in a while.
And I haven't even mentioned all the concerts and shows going on during that time as well!
I lived for nothing else back then. To go out to whichever club was open that night and dance my ass off and hang out with all the other regulars was all I wanted to do.
Well, I could just go on and on at this point, rambling without even getting to what I really wanted to do: post some of the photos I was lucky enough to take back then.
For a good two years or so I never went out without my camera. I had it with me at all times and thank god for that, or none of this period in my life would ever have been documented.
It was the most fun, thrilling, exciting period for a kid out of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn who was desperately looking for a way out of his shitty neighborhood and seeking other people that were into the same music, style and way of life.
Now please bear with me as I slowly build on this blog and hopefully make it exactly what I want it to be: a place where anyone that was part of that time and place to come and reminisce while pouring over pictures of people they either hung out or clubbed alongside with, dancing to everything from Sisters of Mercy to My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult.
I'll try keeping my picture uploads grouped together, so if I post a group they should be from the same night and venue, and I'll try identifying not only the club, but the people portrayed in the photos. If you come across this and see a picture of yourself, and want me to take it down please let me know and I'll gladly do so.
But let me also request that if anyone has photos of their own and would like me to post them here please feel free to email me! I would love to beef up the collection and make it as full a documentation of these clubs as possible! Anything from 1988-1992 would be greatly appreciated!
Sadly, I can start right off and mention that I don't have a single picture of the Friday night at the Building back in late 1990/early 1991 called "Censored". That night was one of the best dance industrial nights of the time period. Great venue (on 26th street off of 6th avenue-no longer there), great DJ's, great early drink specials, and great shows like Crash Worship tearing the place apart...
Allow me to take a moment and throw out some names of regulars that were out every night, like me, roaming from club to club 'till the sun came up. How we managed to work and go to school while clubbing 'till dawn everyday is beyond me:
Aimee, Lauren Vile, Andre, Helene, Ian, Tommy, Renzo, Patrick, Jesse, Sharon, the Twins, Jessica, Michael T, Gabe and William, Jeffo and Peter, Father Jeff, Jake, Jam, Kristi, Joanne, Rob, Revo (Brian, Rustin and Rob), Eve, Art (R.I.P.), Prong, Reade, Alan, Craig Curiosity, Jahn Dean Egg (R.I.P.), Joyce, Naureen (R.I.P.) and Gilly, Ed and Jessica, Jen Kent, Mary, Marius, Randy, Alexis, Micki, Kenny Blade, Kenny, the "Hamster Twins", Oscar, Ash, Reese, Amanda, Leslie, Blue, Gerard, Eritch and Ali, Cassie, Vanessa Miasma, Samantha, Michelle Meow, A.J., Max, Robbie, Debbie and her sisters, Roxy and Karen, Rory, Genevive, Adam, Summer, Freda, Sonya and Sheila, Cairo, Hamster, Sean, Dreamer, Dave Kendall, Tony Fletcher, Tom and Rudy, Maho, Pixie, Brian Damage, Reuben Sandwich (R.I.P.), Sioux (R.I.P.), Dale, Laura and Jen, Billy, Kit, Rob Divine, Clifford, Carrie, Alex from Queens, Amber, Lauren, Eric, Ron, Rudy, Mike Page, Jarek and Jay. I am sure I missed a few here and there.
Now onto some photos...Keep in mind I'll be adding photos whenever I get the chance to scan in another batch.
I guess I should start off with a photo of myself, in case anyone out there is trying to figure out who I am...
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Spring 1991 |
Okay. This first batch was from a Monday night at Pyramid celebrating DJ Eritch's birthday, around September 1991...
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Alan Sanctuary |
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Ali and William |
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Gabe and Blue |
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Unidentified, Eritch, Ali and William |
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Eritch and Ali |
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Michael T and Jessica |
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Unidentified, Cassie, William, Mikey Slut and Sean |
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Vanessa Miasma |
This next group of photos is from the "Troublemaker" night at Jackie 60 on Thursdays, around October 1991 or so. "Troublemaker" was a night run by DJ Reese. A really good guy and really great DJ!
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Carrie and Karyn |
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Jam |
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Karyn and Jessie |
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Leslie and Michael T |
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Michelle Meow |
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Patrick and Renzo |
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Samantha and Rob Xian |
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Vanessa Miasma |
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Vinny Meatball |
Here are some random pictures from Pyramid in 1991. I'm pretty sure these were all taken on the same night on a Friday. It wouldn't have been a "Stigmata" night, since that didn't happen until early 1992. Any help on who did Fridays at Pyramid in mid to late 1991 would be appreciated!
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Aimee |
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Debbie and Ian |
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Gabe |
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George |
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Joanne and Maria |
Thanks for posting this… you brought tears to my eyes!
ReplyDeleteErick aka. Dj.Eritch aka. Dj.Erich (The Relic)
Erick!! Wow what a blast from the past! I see you're not in Union NJ anymore huh?! Hope all is well buddy! Those were the days weren't they? Please feel free to let others know about this blog if you're in contact with anyone else! I'll be adding many more photos in the near future. I just bought a house so I'm wrapped up with all of that at the moment.
DeleteAre you on Facebook? Find me! Erick Grau - I just posted some of these pix and the link
ReplyDeleteHey! Nah I'm not on Facebook believe it or not! My email is john@slogun.com though if you want to email me directly. I remember the birthday party for you so well to this day!
DeleteWow...Stigmata was mine (Reese), Graig, and Vanessa's party..as it progressed Carolina Franco had a huge influence as well...great pics
ReplyDeleteWhat was that Sunday night at Space at Chase called where you were spinning the trance/techno stuff somewhere in summer of '92!?
DeleteThat was the first incarnation of Alan S. Primal...
DeleteYeah! I think Margo was also DJing there right? I remember I went after Angel (the one killed by Michael Alig) there one night 'cause I thought he stole my backpack! Crazy night! Ha!
DeleteTroublemakers was the shit!!!
DeleteAlso LOVE those pictures of me with Jesse and Carrie...
-Karin
Yes I actually gave Angel his first job in nightlife..handing out flyers.....
DeleteReese!! What's up man?! I knew Stigmata was yours, forgot about Vanessa and Craig's part. Troublemaker will always be the shit for me though! Had way too much fun there!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Troublemaker is where i first dipped my toe into the goth scene back then. I still have my troublemaker skull. For all that happened, blame Troublemaker for it :P
DeleteAnd I still have MY skull as well! What was that Sunday night at Space at Chase called where you were spinning the trance/techno stuff somewhere in summer of '92!? THAT was an awesome night as well! And I'll always remember the internship you got me with Kathy Nizzari!! Ha!!!
DeleteThat last "internship" remark was for Reese! sorry!
DeleteI tagged Venessa and Craig on these on Facebook
DeleteYW for the intern deal...t,maker was important because it proved we could do it for ourselves
DeleteThe Nights of Misanthropy were really awesome. You forgot the very best Goth event, though. Club Darkwave at Fire & Ice (and Limelight before that) with DJ David.
ReplyDeleteTotally remember Darkwave! I was buying those C93 and DIJ shirts! I think I also got those amazing thick leather C(# and Death in June patches as well...Where was "Fire and Ice" though? I don't remember that!
DeleteFire and Ice was an S&M club during the week, but on Sundays, Darkwave was held there. It was at 128 W.28th st., Upstairs and it was BYOB. David used to bring his own Cerwin Vega D9s, amp, mixer & smoke machine. At that time fetish was not really a part of the goth industrial scene, so when people walked up the stairs and saw the large sign detailing "dos and don'ts", they were pretty shocked (myself included). It wasn't a fetish night at all though. David played purely Goth and had very loyal ultra goth fans.
DeleteHere's a link to a bunch of events that DJ David spun at.
http://absolutionnyc.com/2011/02/14/dj-david-bio/
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ReplyDeleteMarius!! Ha! What's up!!!? I'm not on facebook! I still have the same email though: john@slogun.com
DeleteHope all is well bro!
Awesome. Gonna write to you. I'm back down from Upstate NY and living in Jersey. Upstate was a bit of a trip for me. My mind is back to being sane. Congrats on the house!! Best of luck in the woods of Jersey.
DeleteThis is just a wonderful and heart warming collection of very fond memories :)
ReplyDeleteSean!!! Ha! Great to hear from you man! Wow, this is really something hearing from you all! I promise to be getting up a bunch more pictures soon! I better get to unpacking!
DeleteHow have you been doing? I am loving all these photos. I am so glad you found them!
DeleteOh, I thought of another one that you missed. Do you remember Reese, Vanessa and Craig Curiosity's night, Purgatory? It was on w14th and Washington where Mother later started.
ReplyDeleteDAMN!! forgot that one! Of course I remember it! Thanks! I wish I still had all my flyers! I'm sure I missed a few spots and a TON of people as well!
DeleteMore pics please.....
ReplyDeleteI PROMISE I will!! I just bought a house out in the woods of New Jersey and I STILL have to unpack the pics! I especially have a bunch from Troublemakers! And if ANYONE else has pictures from them let me know!!! The more the merrier!
DeleteAgain- If ANYONE else has pictures from then let me know!!! The more the merrier! I'll gladly add them and cite the source!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have a treasure trove... but I'm saving them for Nev. When he eventually gets out- it's up to him to share!
DeleteOh and that is Maho in that pic with Alan, my roommate for 3. Yrs..
ReplyDeleteYep! Hey Reese remember that dude John Hall (I think?)? Used to sell records on the street, lived in an SRO? Knew a ton about records/etc. Don't know why I remembered him recently out of nowhere!
DeleteWow the RIPs are too many... :(
ReplyDeleteJon hall was one of those guys..probable still somewhere with his records...probably has the best record collection ever
ReplyDeleteDo you remember the VIP balcony at RED ZONE? They used to play (nearly) all Wax Trax! and industrial. 87 to 88, I think. I remember getting pulled out of the line and comped in just because I was wearing combat boots.
ReplyDeleteHa!! yes I do! I remember sometime in '88 I believe, the only reason we got in was because my friend was wearing the most hideous tie known to man, and the people there LOVED it! Hilarious!
DeleteHa, yes, they pulled people out of the line a lot (I was underage then, too). That was a colossal place. I'll never forget the balcony view from the VIP level. It looked like miles of people dancing. I wonder if NYC will ever have dance clubs that size again. Really... their VIP level alone was bigger than most venues today. :(
DeleteHey Jason! Did you also make it to "MARS" around 1988 as well? That was one of the most fun places at the time! I could be wrong, but I swear THAT was where I first started seeing all the Club Kids in all their glory. It was just as entertaining outside trying to get in as inside itself. It was an absolute mad house out there.
Deleteawesome pics that brought back some awesome memories... that was a great time of my life... 20 years later i still think about the fun and the craziness... thanks for doing this... good for the soul
ReplyDeleteSamantha!? Is that you? Wow! Awesome. Hope all is well with you. Yeah it was just the best time. Remember that night in Soho in some building's basement for a Techno/Dance night I think Reade or Brian Walters/Rustin were doing, and the cops came and raided the joint?! Shut the place down? I remember you and I were sitting on the ground with a couple other folks right when the lights went out. This was about Fall 1992. Ha!
DeleteYep it's me present and accounted for. I think it might have been the beginning of digitek. It was a weird space and it had big Gears or something. I passed this blog to Brian and Reade Such fun days. I will email you an article I was given recently that mentions the pyramid and something about me pulling a small toy dog around. I wondered about you and Jesse and a few others. I love seeing the pics and remembering the great times we had. Troublemaker and the building being the ones that really hooked me in. Does anyone remember Nick from NJ and he has an apartment in the LES. He wasn't goth, more fab with a 60's flar. He was fabulous! I saw Reade at a party maybe 3 years ago and realized that he and I have been sharing dance floors for almost 1/2 our lives I am so glad to be a part of this now and I am enjoying remembering my part then. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTotally blast from the past...I love it!! Those were the days indeed, glad you started this blog to jog my aging memory. Loving all pics :)
ReplyDeleteHey Jes!
DeleteWow! Great to hear from you! Last I saw you was about 15 years ago on the "F" train I think. By any chance do you have a clue where Tommy is these days? He was a riot!
It's indeed been a looooong time!! Tommy is on facebook, but I haven't really kept in touch with him too much. Why the hell are you so anti-facebook...get on there! It took me over a month and half to see you responded, if you were on facebook this wouldn't have happened...ha!! ;)
ReplyDeleteHey Jes! Ha! Yeah I won't be joining Facebook anytime soon. I don't know, just don't want to start that up. I can be quite obsessive!!! It's great to hear from you! I'll be dredging up some more photos soon. Got caught up with "life" and it's repeated kicks to the groin.... ;)
DeleteJOIN FACEBOOK!!
ReplyDeleteHa!! Never!! But I do rely on you all to keep me posted on any news that comes up!!
DeleteAnything come up recently? I've been wrapped with my new album to pay attention to anything else....what am I missing?! :(
OMG I can't believe I stumbled across this page! I have always wondered about you :) This is Joyce!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, great pix and thankyou for the awesome memories - it was truly a great friggin time and still very near and dear to my heart. I have tons of pix in Brooklyn at my mom's, I live in Florida now after over a decade in Los Angeles. Good to see you!!!
I hope you see this.
ReplyDeleteHoly shit! Joyce! Would you believe I just thought of you the other day!? How are you? Email me at my personal email: john@slogun.com
DeleteSO much to catch up on!!!
Really great to hear from you!
Email me! Can't wait...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdZuVw29PrE
DeleteJoyce!!
DeleteIf there's any way to get some of those pictures you have for this blog it would be amazing!!!!
PUH-LEEZE!!!
Even the photo you have here for your profile! Love it! (Is that Kenny in there? Who else is in the shot?)
I keep asking people to send me some pics but seems no one has any (??).
hey John - I will happily send you some photos. Should I send to your email?
ReplyDeletesent a bunch of photos to your email :)
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe I stumbled on this and its you lol
ReplyDeletehttp://www.aux.tv/2014/12/study-shows-that-goths-grow-up-to-be-better-adults-than-punks-and-ravers/
ReplyDeleteGiovanni, this is Wolfgang, I used to do the wednesday nights called "London" on 19th street with Mykle, our DJ was also Denard. From there we moved to Palladium called H.A.R.D. Hype Alternative Radical Dance, opening night was Foetus and Cop Shot Cop. From there we moved to Danceteria called Arcanum, you were talking about, with DJ Hell. Just for the record, it was a long time ago and I remember all the faces, thanks for recording our history.
ReplyDeleteHey Wolfgang! Absolutely remember you! As a matter of fact, perhaps you forgot, but I was pone of your distributors for the club! Remember me and my (then) girlfriend Carrie? We were even at your place once or twice to pick up flyers. Then about a year later Rob Xtian and I were supposed to DJ the back room at Danceteria as "Spahn Ranch" when you were doing the Wednesday night (I believe) there. Awesome times! I too remember all the faces, all the nights, etc. Best time of my life....
DeleteGreat hearing from you! Hope all is well!!!!
Giovanni, this is Wolfgang, I used to do the wednesday nights called "London" on 19th street with Mykle, our DJ was also Denard. From there we moved to Palladium called H.A.R.D. Hype Alternative Radical Dance, opening night was Foetus and Cop Shot Cop. From there we moved to Danceteria called Arcanum, you were talking about, with DJ Hell. Just for the record, it was a long time ago and I remember all the faces, thanks for recording our history.
ReplyDeleteAny news on Anthony Davidson?
ReplyDeleteI recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog, I will keep visiting this blog very often.
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