Hold On to Your Dreams Arthur Russell and the Downtown Music Scene, 1973–1992 Tim Lawrence Duke University Press Durham and London 2009 © 2009 Duke University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper ♾ Designed by Jennifer Hill Typeset in Arno Pro and Univers by Tseng Information Systems, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data appear on the last printed page of this book. Alan Abrams Kathy Acker Mustafa Ahmed JoAnne Akalaitis Rik Albani Ali Akbar College of Music Laurie Anderson Another Side Bob Ashley Bob Babbitt Afrika Bambaataa Barefoot Boy Wilbur Bascomb Battery Sound David Behrman John Bernd Bessie Schönberg Theater Billboard Bill’s Friends Bob Blank Lola Blank Blank Tapes Studios Blue Green Bohannon Bond’s Bonzo Goes to Washington Joyce Bowden Bright and Early Ernie Brooks Jim Burton David Byrne John Cage Cornelius Cardew Casual Gods CBGB’s CETA Orchestra Jesse Chamberlain Rhys Chatham Mel Cheren Don Christensen Columbia Records Cooper-Hewitt Museum Frankie Crocker Merce Cunningham Steve D’Acquisto Dance Music Report Danceteria Doug DeFranco Vince Delgado Dinosaur Dinosaur L Les Disques du Crépuscule Arnold Dreyblatt Bob Dylan Julius Eastman Experimental Intermedia Foundation Face Fast Food Band Barry Feldman Felix Sammy Figueroa Flying Hearts Henry Flynt Riccardo Fogli Jim Fouratt Franklin Street Arts Center Chris Frantz Mark Freedman Johnny Fu Gallery Kyle Gann Walter Gibbons Jon Gibson Allen Ginsberg Philip Glass Peter Gordon Kent Goshorn Robert Green Steven Hall John Hammond Jerry Har- rison Steven Harvey Yogi Horton Butch Ingram Jimmy Ingram John Ingram Timmy Ingram William Ingram Institute of Contemporary Art Scott Johnson Tom Johnson Kailas Shugendo Kennedy Center François Kevorkian Kevin Killian Kitchen Knitting Factory Jill Kroesen Joan La Barbara La MaMa Richard Landry Elodie Lauten Mary Jane Leach Tom Lee Larry Levan Mark Levinson George Lewis Eric Liljestrand Lin- coln Center Annea Lockwood Loft Logorhythm Lola Glen Lomaro Loose Joints Love of Life Orchestra Lower Manhattan Ocean Club Gary Lucas Mabou Mines Jackson Mac Low David Mancuso Manhattan School of Music Kurtis Mantronik William Allaudin Mathieu Max’s Kansas City Leon McElroy Melody Maker Denise Mercedes Mercer Arts Center Modern Lovers Charlotte Moorman John Moran Bill Morgan Mudd Club Donald Murk Sydney Murray Rome Neal Necessaries Paul Nelson New Musical Express New York Rocker New York Times Phill Niblock Ninth Circle Yuko Nonomura Normal Music Band Peter Orlovsky Le Orme Other End Frank Owen Toni Pagliuca Andy Paley Robert Palmer Palo Paradise Garage Jon Pareles Wendy Per- ron Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Poet’s Building Record World Steve Reich R.E.M. Simon Reynolds Jonathan Richman Terry Riley Rock Lounge John Rockwell Michael Rosenblatt Bob Rosenthal Rough Trade Arthur Russell Bill Ruyle Frederic Rzewski Sailboats Larry Saltzman Alison Salzinger Roger Sanchez San Francisco Conserva- tory of Music John Scherman Carlota Schoolman Allan Schwartzberg 1750 Arch Street Jon Sholle Nicky Siano Jimmy Simpson Mark Sinclair Singing Tractors Sire Sleeping Bag Sobossek’s Will Socolov SoHo Weekly News Robert Stearns Seymour Stein David Stubbs Studio 54 Ned Sublette Sundragon Studios Talking Heads Elias Tanenbaum Steven Taylor Television Todd Terry Tier 3 Ed Tomney Stan Tonkel David Toop Geoff Travis “Blue” Gene Tyranny Upside Records Myriam Valle David Van Tieghem Walker Arts Center Warner Bros. Jennifer Warnes Ajari Warwick Wash- ington Square Church WBLS West End Jerry Wexler Tina Weymouth Jeff Whittier Robert Wilson Kirk Winslow Christian Wolff Stephanie Woodard Melvina Woods World Music Hall WUSB Stony Brook Ellen Ziegler Robert Ziegler Peter Zummo Contents Illustrations xi Preface xv Acknowledgments xxiii Introduction 1 1 Formations (1951–1973) 11 2 Explorations (1973–1975) 47 3 Alternatives (1975–1977) 83 4 Intensities (1977–1980) 125 5 Variations (1980–1984) 179 6 Reverberations (1984–1987) 247 7 Tangents (1987–1992) 293 Epilogue 341 Notes 359 Discography 377 Bibliography 387 Index 393 Preface ​“Arthur​wrote​classical​music,​avant-garde​dance​music,​rock​ and​roll,​R&B,​and​sometimes​country,​too,”​Steve​D’Acquisto​ declared​in​between​spoonfuls​of​soup​as​he​gave​me​the​ lowdown​on​Arthur​Russell​during​a​late-lunch​interview​in​ May​1998.​“How​can​I​explain​it?​He​was​like​Picasso.​He​ was​a​fantastic​artist.”​A​pioneering​DJ​who​had​worked​as​a​ coproducer​with​Russell,​D’Acquisto​delivered​his​overview​ with​the​fervid​surety​of​an​evangelist.​“Arthur​was​one​of​ the​ great​ songwriters​ of​ the​ twentieth​ century.​ I​ put​ him​ up​there​with​Rogers​and​Hart,​with​Cole​Porter.​He​had​a​ whole​new​way​of​talking,​a​whole​new​way​of​saying​things.”​ At​that​point​D’Acquisto​started​to​sing​“Tell​You​(Today),”​a​ song​he​recorded​with​Russell​in​the​early​1980s. Walking​down​the​street I​knew​it​was​my​chance My​chance​today New​shoes​on​my​feet I​thought​that​they​could​dance Dance​away It​makes​me​come​alive I​remember​the​look​of​sadness​on​your​face But​that​was​before I​want​to​tell​you​today. ​“It’s​like​you’ve​broken​up​with​somebody,​but​you​still​love​them,”​he​en- thused.​“If​I​told​you​the​words​to​some​of​his​other​records,​you​would​ flip​out.”​Transported​by​a​rush​of​memories,​D’Acquisto​proceeded​to​sing​ “Let’s​Go​Swimming,”​“Janine,”​and​“List​of​Boys.”​It​was​a​while​before​he​ realized​his​soup​had​gone​cold. ​ Occupied​ with​ researching​ the​ history​ of​ U.S.​ dance​ culture,​ I​ had​ agreed​to​set​aside​an​afternoon​to​talk​about​Russell,​because​I​needed​to​ find​out​more​about​two​of​his​twelve-inch​singles,​“Go​Bang!​#5”​and​“Is​ It​All​Over​My​Face?”—and​Russell​wasn’t​around​to​tell​me​about​them.​ But​D’Acquisto​ended​up​spending​more​time​talking​about​Russell’s​songs​ than​his​remixes,​and​by​the​end​of​the​interview,​I​had​noted​down​a​series​ of​names​whose​proximity​seemed​to​violate​some​kind​of​musical​taboo.​ Unable​to​explain​how​Russell​had​come​to​work​with​David​Byrne,​Allen​ Ginsberg,​Philip​Glass,​and​John​Hammond,​as​well​as​Walter​Gibbons,​ François​Kevorkian,​Larry​Levan,​and​Will​Socolov,​D’Acquisto​challenged​ me​to​write​a​biography​about​his​low-profile​friend,​whom​he​had​met​at​ David​Mancuso’s​Loft,​the​influential​private​party​that​would​frame​my​ account​of​New​York​dance.​I​replied​by​noting​that​I​already​had​my​hands​ full​with​the​dance​book.​Privately​I​wondered​if​it​would​be​possible​to​ write​a​book​about​such​a​manifestly​diffuse​figure. ​ When​D’Acquisto​died​from​a​brain​tumor​four​years​later,​it​seemed​as​ though​the​opportunity​to​find​out​more​about​Russell’s​scattered​existence​ had​passed​on​as​well,​and​the​sensation​of​having​experienced​a​double​ loss​stayed​with​me​until​I​traveled​to​the​EMP​Pop​Music​conference​in​ 2003,​where​I​had​a​chance​conversation​with​the​Cuban​music​specialist​ Ned​Sublette.​“‘Is​it​all​over​my​face?​/​You​caught​me​love​dancing,’”​Sub- lette​crooned​the​moment​I​told​him​about​my​forthcoming​dance​book.​ “‘Is​it​all​over​my​face?​/​I’m​in​love​dancin’.’”​A​downtown​composer,​ musician,​and​record-label​owner,​Sublette​had​been​friends​with​Russell​ and​wanted​to​talk.​He​also​offered​to​put​me​in​touch​with​the​composer- musicians​Peter​Gordon​and​Peter​Zummo,​who​had​worked​closely​with​ Russell​over​a​number​of​years.​Imagining​future​interviewees,​I​wondered​ if​they​would​sing​to​me​as​well. ​ As​a​route​into​Russell’s​history​presented​itself,​I​began​to​float​the​idea​ of​a​biography,​only​to​hear​questions​about​its​marketability​raised.​They​ dampened​my​hopes​but​not​my​intrigue,​so​when​Gordon​visited​Lon- don​in​June​2003,​I​took​him​up​on​his​offer​to​“talk​Arthur,”​and​by​the​ xvi Preface time​I​boarded​a​flight​the​following​February​to​attend​Mancuso’s​party​ for​the​Loft’s​thirty-fourth​anniversary,​Russell’s​shadowy​silhouette​had​ been​transformed.​Responding​to​the​simultaneous​release​of​two​posthu- mous​compilations​of​Russell’s​work,​David​Toop​and​the​Wire​ran​a​cover​ feature​about​the​composer-musician​in​January​2004,​and​as​Mancuso’s​ guests​rolled​into​his​East​Village​gathering,​I​met​Steve​Knutson,​who​was​ hoping​to​give​the​Loft​host​a​vinyl​copy​of​Calling out of Context—one​ of​the​albums​that​had​prompted​Toop​to​write​his​piece.​“Arthur​Russell​ is​my​favorite​artist,”​Knutson​told​me​a​couple​of​days​later​as​I​photo- copied​a​pile​of​archival​documents​he​was​holding​on​behalf​of​Tom​Lee,​ Russell’s​long-term​lover.​“His​music​is​pure​spirit.”​I​went​on​to​spend​long​ afternoons​talking​with​Lee​and​Zummo,​and​a​couple​of​weeks​later​the​ New York Times​and​the​New Yorker​ran​prominent​features​about​Russell.​ Something​strange​was​unfolding,​while​the​potential​for​a​biography​had​ become​much​clearer. ​ Beyond​a​clutch​of​occasional​reviews,​the​archives​revealed​that​Frank​ Owen,​ Toop,​ and​ Zummo​ had​ published​ interview-led​ features​ about​ Russell​ in​ Melody Maker,​ the​ Face,​ and​ the​ SoHo Weekly News.​ Subse- quently,​Gary​Lucas,​Sublette,​and​Toop​penned​articles​to​coincide​with​ Russell’s​passing​and​the​posthumous​release​of​Another Thought,​a​col- lection​of​Russell’s​voice-cello​recordings​released​in​1994.1​Informed​by​ this​material,​I​began​to​approach​anyone​who​was​willing​to​talk,​and​ quickly​ generated​ a​ list​ of​ contacts​ that,​ beginning​ with​ Alan​ Abrams​ and​ending​with​Zummo,​resembled​a​phantom​address​book​of​Russell’s​ acquaintances.​The​task​of​pinning​down​milestone​dates​became​easier​ after​Chuck​and​Emily​Russell​(Russell’s​parents)​and​Muriel​Fujii​(an​ex-