The Shop That Punk Built: An appreciation of Trash & Vaudeville in the NY Times

Trash & Vaudeville in 1983 through the lens of Godlis

Despite the lukewarm-at-best reviews, the new punk related fashion show at the Met is doing one thing of great benefit to many folks in my social circle: It's enabling more exposure for a lot of people who have been doing their thing for years (writers, photographers, artists, designers) without much mainstream acknowledgement: 

James Wolcott mentioned yours truly & Dangerous Minds in the May issue of Vanity Fair magazine. The Marc Jacob's owned Bookmarc in the West Village just opened a pretty widely publicized photo exhibit by many of New York's classic rock & roll photographers. And quite a few other events & stories have popped up either through planning, or serendipity. In fact there's been too many to keep up with.

Trash in front of Trash by Tim Broun

A couple of days ago the NY Times published a story about Trash & Vaudeville - the long time rock & roll clothing store located on Saint Marks Place just east of 3rd Avenue. It was nice to see, and I was glad to read a succinct history of the storied establishment. When I was 14 or 15, and making my first trip into the East Village, Saint Marks was definitely the destination - a beacon of sorts - and always has been. No matter how long I'm away from the neighborhood at any time, inevitably I'll find myself drawn to the block whenever I'm near. As long as the street, and at least Trash & Vaudeville are there, I'll know everything is ok. Of course, the same was said about CBGB, but it was too late by the time we knew it was going. Trash & Vaudeville is still here. Lets appreciate it now!

Lou Reed’s 1972 ode to hustlers, transsexuals and transsexual hustlers would alter Mr. Webb’s life. “A friend asked, ‘Do you know what it means?’ ” he recalled. “I did without knowing it. I knew I was a boy that had to leave to go somewhere.” Read the entire story here.