The 1970s! My years at 'Crawdaddy' with everyone from Springsteen and Patti Smith to Vonnegut and Bill Kunstler. Today, unveiling an early draft of the first chapter of my memoir-in-progress.
I would like to interview you for my podcast, That Said with Michael Zeldin.
I do all types of stories. Recent musicians include Max Weinberg, Steve Van Zandt, and Allison Moorer. I have an upcoming interview on the founding of the Birchmere music club here in DC.
In 1971, I attended School of Visual Arts. I was 16, soon to turn 17. Soon after I started, I moved in with my then boyfriend "Bill" who lived in a loft on Mercer St. in Soho. The loft's main tenant was a carpenter, and there were five of us with our own sheet rocked rooms for privacy. It was a wild and fascinating time for me, and I was surrounded by characters living in this incredible community of artists, carpenter assistants and a high-end drug dealer. And there was Malcom, the dog: A gorgeous, tall black beauty of a dog, a Shepard, or Shepard mix. I was totally in love.
Then one day, there was some sort of emergency that I was only vaguely made aware of. The carpenter had a couple of friends in the Weather Underground, and he let them store their guns under the baseboards at the loft. The day I met them, they had come by to pick them up because they were headed upstate for target practice. At the time, this all seemed normal to me. The couple who lived below us had a daughter in the WU. That was an eye-opening time of life for me, but running through that time threading everything together was the music, like a soundtrack to my life.
I'm really looking forward to reading your memoir!
Always wondered who sang lead on Little Feat’s Snakes on Everything. Didn’t think it was Lowell. Which left Bill or Richie? Remember buying the album after reading the review in Rolling Stone. Possibly written by you Greg? Really look forward to your newsletter. The best thing on the internet today!
Great start! I read the draft of your first chapter with interest and admiration for your writing style. And may I also say how much I'm enjoying Rock/Hard Place. I'm simpatico with your politics and your video selections range from the sublime to the phenomenal. Great stuff! I'm pretty much "blurbed out" with requests from other writers and have had to politely decline most while I work on a new novel, but I'll gladly make an exception for you and offer a quote should you want one when the book is finished. All the best and thanks for Crawdaddy (RIP) and R/HP.
My Back Pages--Loved the first installment...keep those memories coming. Did you ever meet Jared Houser (now deceased), co-writer/editor of Who's News (with Mark Cohen)?
Great stories from my favorite, formative era. You mentioned that you wrote for Fusion Magazine back then. I did a few illustrations for the magazine then, too. The office was down the street from where I lived on Beacon St. in Boston, so I dropped off some art for the Art Director, Ronn Campisi, whom I knew from his days with The Rockin Ramrods. He published a couple or three and I was thrilled!
Love the bit about Sue Graham and gruff Mingus.
I would like to interview you for my podcast, That Said with Michael Zeldin.
I do all types of stories. Recent musicians include Max Weinberg, Steve Van Zandt, and Allison Moorer. I have an upcoming interview on the founding of the Birchmere music club here in DC.
I think you would make a great guest.
Michael Zeldin
Zeldin.michael1@gmail.com
I remember reading this the first time around. Tastes better on the rebound with notes of Miles and Lloyd. Cheers, mate!
- Noe the G
In 1971, I attended School of Visual Arts. I was 16, soon to turn 17. Soon after I started, I moved in with my then boyfriend "Bill" who lived in a loft on Mercer St. in Soho. The loft's main tenant was a carpenter, and there were five of us with our own sheet rocked rooms for privacy. It was a wild and fascinating time for me, and I was surrounded by characters living in this incredible community of artists, carpenter assistants and a high-end drug dealer. And there was Malcom, the dog: A gorgeous, tall black beauty of a dog, a Shepard, or Shepard mix. I was totally in love.
Then one day, there was some sort of emergency that I was only vaguely made aware of. The carpenter had a couple of friends in the Weather Underground, and he let them store their guns under the baseboards at the loft. The day I met them, they had come by to pick them up because they were headed upstate for target practice. At the time, this all seemed normal to me. The couple who lived below us had a daughter in the WU. That was an eye-opening time of life for me, but running through that time threading everything together was the music, like a soundtrack to my life.
I'm really looking forward to reading your memoir!
Always wondered who sang lead on Little Feat’s Snakes on Everything. Didn’t think it was Lowell. Which left Bill or Richie? Remember buying the album after reading the review in Rolling Stone. Possibly written by you Greg? Really look forward to your newsletter. The best thing on the internet today!
Got it, Greg. I'll recommend your newsletter on my public and personal FB pages. Happy to spread the word. Should have something up by week's end.
That is a hell of an origin story!
Great start! I read the draft of your first chapter with interest and admiration for your writing style. And may I also say how much I'm enjoying Rock/Hard Place. I'm simpatico with your politics and your video selections range from the sublime to the phenomenal. Great stuff! I'm pretty much "blurbed out" with requests from other writers and have had to politely decline most while I work on a new novel, but I'll gladly make an exception for you and offer a quote should you want one when the book is finished. All the best and thanks for Crawdaddy (RIP) and R/HP.
~ Wally Lamb
My Back Pages is the kind of rock history I could read all day long... keep going!!
I thought your book was going to be basis of a CSpan program tonight at ten. I was going to watch but not there!
Quite a tale. Looking forward to more. I wasn't a regular reader of Crawdaddy back then, but I did recently unearth an issue from 1975 in my stuff.
My Back Pages--Loved the first installment...keep those memories coming. Did you ever meet Jared Houser (now deceased), co-writer/editor of Who's News (with Mark Cohen)?
More of your memoir please Greg!
Great stories from my favorite, formative era. You mentioned that you wrote for Fusion Magazine back then. I did a few illustrations for the magazine then, too. The office was down the street from where I lived on Beacon St. in Boston, so I dropped off some art for the Art Director, Ronn Campisi, whom I knew from his days with The Rockin Ramrods. He published a couple or three and I was thrilled!
Yes! Keep them coming.
I'm all in and waiting for more!