PLANET CHOCKO – art/music/movies/beyond » St. Marks Is Dead Book Party Recap

St. Marks Is Dead Book Party Recap

December 4th, 2015 by chocko

Murray Hill, Jimmy Webb of Trash & Vaudville and Dirty Martini

Ada Calhoun wrote a book titled St. Marks Is Dead which is about the history of the ever-changing three-block stretch in the East Village known as St. Marks Place. She writes about the origins of St. Marks when it was a Lenape tribe campsite through the present day while mentioning the usual suspects that wandered the blocks over the years from the hippies to the punks and celebrity weirdos. I remember St. Marks vividly in the 90’s when Coney Island High and Kim’s Video still stood. It was a great time when record stores populated the St. Marks landscape and I can’t forget the frequent stops to See Hear where you could buy ‘zines and underground comic books and magazines. Last month, Ada threw a party for the release of her book at the Great Hall at Cooper Union. The place was packed and after a funny introduction by comedian Murray Hill, the crowd was treated to a slideshow while Ada narrated and pointed out such luminaries such as Thelonious Monk in a photo from 1964 outside of the Five Spot Jazz Club which is now a Ray’s Pizza Bagel Cafe.
author and longtime resident of St. Marks Place, Ada Calhoun

books, shirts and tote bags were for sale

Before Ada signed books and the booze flowed, a cover band by the name of St Marks Zeros stepped on the stage. The band was named after the notorious figure of St. Marks Place named Mr. Zero. The band featured Neal Medlyn (Champagne Jerry), Adam Horovitz aka Ad-Rock of The Beastie Boys, and Carmine Covelli of The Julie Ruin. They played a set which paid homage to the history and pure punk energy of NYC and St. Marks Place. They started off the set with a David Peel song titled “Lower East Side.” That was followed by “Ave A” by The Dictators which tells the history of downtown NYC. Bridget Everett brought down the house with her take on the New York Dolls tune “Personality Crisis.” Erin Markey performed a haunting version of the Lydia Lunch song, “St. Marks Place” In the middle of the song, Ad-Rock shared a story about the night the Butthole Surfers saved his life. “Detachable Penis” by King Missile was next, followed by “Judy Is A Punk” by The Ramones with Ad-Rock on the lead vocals. Kathleen Hanna performed two songs to end the night: “Downtown” by John Waite and “Welfare City” by Eugene McDaniels.
St Marks Zeros