The Great White Way (W. 42nd Street)

[13]

Now that I've seen HBO's The Deuce, I've finally gotten around to pick up Josh Alan Friedman's Tales of Times Square, and it's a fascinating read so far. So I thought, why not have a thread dedicated to art reflecting the sleazy culture of pre-Disneyfied W. 42nd Street?

A few immediate picks:

Film:
Cruising (William Friedkin)
Forty Deuce (Paul Morrissey)
Goodbye 42nd Street (Richard Kern)
Maniac (William Lustig)
48 Hours: Tales of Times Square (CBS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PES48ij7r00
Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
The Deuce (TV Series) (George Pelecanos & David Simon)
The New York Ripper (Lucio Fulci)

Music:
Grace Jones
Nico
Lou Reed
Patti Smith
Suicide
The Velvet Underground

Art:
Robert Mapplethorpe
Nick Zedd

[Kayandah]

Now that I've seen HBO's The Deuce, I've finally gotten around to pick up Josh Alan Friedman's Tales of Times Square, and it's a fascinating read so far. So I thought, why not have a thread dedicated to art reflecting the sleazy culture of pre-Disneyfied W. 42nd Street?

A few immediate picks:

Film:
Cruising (William Friedkin)
Forty Deuce (Paul Morrissey)
Goodbye 42nd Street (Richard Kern)
Maniac (William Lustig)
48 Hours: Tales of Times Square (CBS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PES48ij7r00
Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
The Deuce (TV Series) (George Pelecanos & David Simon)
The New York Ripper (Lucio Fulci)

Music:
Grace Jones
Nico
Lou Reed
Patti Smith
Suicide
The Velvet Underground

Art:
Robert Mapplethorpe
Nick Zedd

Haven't seen the Deuce but Tales of Times Square is a great book. Makes it such a shame that the area has been gentrified. Last time i was there a couple years back there are still a few dives and adult stores

though not explicitly tied to W. 42nd street, the early films of Abel Ferrera epitomize that era of NY

[Petrificado]

Now that I've seen HBO's The Deuce, I've finally gotten around to pick up Josh Alan Friedman's Tales of Times Square, and it's a fascinating read so far. So I thought, why not have a thread dedicated to art reflecting the sleazy culture of pre-Disneyfied W. 42nd Street?

A few immediate picks:

Film:
Cruising (William Friedkin)
Forty Deuce (Paul Morrissey)
Goodbye 42nd Street (Richard Kern)
Maniac (William Lustig)
48 Hours: Tales of Times Square (CBS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PES48ij7r00
Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
The Deuce (TV Series) (George Pelecanos & David Simon)
The New York Ripper (Lucio Fulci)

Music:
Grace Jones
Nico
Lou Reed
Patti Smith
Suicide
The Velvet Underground

Art:
Robert Mapplethorpe
Nick Zedd

Haven't seen the Deuce but Tales of Times Square is a great book. Makes it such a shame that the area has been gentrified. Last time i was there a couple years back there are still a few dives and adult stores

though not explicitly tied to W. 42nd street, the early films of Abel Ferrera epitomize that era of NY

First Basket Case could fit. Not exactly all about 42nd Street but related.

[aububs]

[J_D_H]

Nice thread. Still to read it, but Samuel R. Delany's two essays that make up Times Square Red, Times Square Blue come to mind.

[13]

Nice thread. Still to read it, but Samuel R. Delany's two essays that make up Times Square Red, Times Square Blue come to mind.

Looks like a mandatory read!

I recently stumbled upon David Hoffmann, a filmmaker and TED conference veteran and presenter. He has been uploading a lot of old footage with people on the streets of NYC, shot during the 1960s and '70s.

https://youtu.be/NYUP1IUDFUw

https://youtu.be/uzogqdyPl5w

[SiClark]

Here's another video - Doin' Time in Times Square by Charlie Ahearn.

Home video shot from his apartment window. It's slow paced and has bits of his family but quite interesting :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzFZyfNiQS8

[13]

All good stuff.

Are there any photographers who have eternalised the inside glory of the so-called porn palaces?

[bitewerksMTB]

There's an excellent documentary about the movie theaters of 42nd St. on either the Severin Films release for Zombie Holocaust or Grindhouse's Pieces blu-ray. Various actors & directors tell their experiences going to movies, hanging out, etc.

The Sleazoid Express book is pretty good. If you can find reprints of the original fanzine & the magazine he did in the '90s or early '00s (I think the title was shortened to just Sleazoid), they are well worth the money. I wish I had not sold off the Sleazoid's. His wife's zine was good, too, but I can't remember the title. It was mainly about porn & sexploitation. Metasex, maybe?

[13]

Speaking of Delany, this book might be relevant to the topic at hand: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mad_Man

[13]

Josh Alan Friedman has begun a new podcast series publishing old taped interviews he conducted for Tales of Times Square, and it is absolutely amazing. The best podcast I've heard in a while.

Link: https://soundcloud.com/josh-alan-friedman/sets/tales-of-times-square-the 

There's an excellent documentary about the movie theaters of 42nd St. on either the Severin Films release for Zombie Holocaust or Grindhouse's Pieces blu-ray. Various actors & directors tell their experiences going to movies, hanging out, etc.

Sounds interesting. I'll see if I can get my hands on it.

[david lloyd jones]

ambivalent at best.
the entire 42nd street thing is something most never experienced but wax romantic about.
strikes me that this 'soap opera' seeks to further water down reality to consumable bite size chunks
as per 'revolt into style' or recuperation

[13]

ambivalent at best.
the entire 42nd street thing is something most never experienced but wax romantic about.
strikes me that this 'soap opera' seeks to further water down reality to consumable bite size chunks
as per 'revolt into style' or recuperation

Have you seen The Wire?

[bitewerksMTB]

I can't remember if it's Times Sq. or not but the film, Nightmare (in a Damaged Brain), has some great grindhouse & porn theater scenes.

[13]

I can't remember if it's Times Sq. or not but the film, Nightmare (in a Damaged Brain), has some great grindhouse & porn theater scenes.

Baird Stafford wore his father's trench coat for the sequence shot on 42nd Street.

You're right. Thanks!