Growing up in the wild So Cal punk scene formed Amy's aesthetic and broadened her horizons. At the age of 23, she hit NYC nightlife, working at music venues, bartending, and writing about all of her adventures along the way. Amy is currently creative director of an East Village rock & roll club, DJ, and contributor for PKM
We want to share with you this message from Ivan's dear friend, former bandmate Richard Hell, who will also play the sold out May 4 concert at City Winery NYC.
"I’ve known Ivan since he was 21, in spring 1976 (40 years ago), when Bob Quine and Marc Bell and I were auditioning people to become Quine’s Voidoid co-guitarist.
"The Teddy Boy look" began in 1950's England when young men wore clothing inspired by the dandies of the Edwardian era. They were originally named "Cosh boys" until the Daily Express shortened 'Edwardian' to 'Teddy' for a headline in 1953, changing history.
Here's a tour of the East Village in 1993, courtesy of local Iggy Pop, who at that time was living in the Christodora House—he had been there three years by the time this was shot (before that, he was in Greenwich Village... vacuuming). As he gives the filmmaker a tour of the neighborhood he talks about some of the things he loves there (like the "nice little cafes," a Chico mural and the better quality graffiti than in the rest of New York, and "oh cool, a cop on horseback"). Watch the full thing below (it's worth it!)—some of the highlights:
On the Psychedelic Church of 9th Street: "I never got that interested in it. There's a guy here who took a Swiss girl, and made her in to soup... he used to go to that church." That would be Daniel Rakowitz, the Butcher of Tompkins Square.
On noise: "Nobody would dare shut you up for making noise, I make as much noise as I want all the time."
On living in a nice apartment: "It gets up a lot of people's tree. But fuck it. What the fuck? I'm not a martyr."
On Pedro's Bakery on 8th and Avenue C: "This is where I eat when my wife's not in town. I come here and get sandwiches and cake and strong coffee. That's what I live on."