8/21/2008

Park Slope's Punk Rock Past

I believe the reason this blog has been focusing on the past more than usual is because F.I.B is moving out of it's headquarters. After months of fighting my landlord against a "temporary relocation" (we all know where that leads these days - permanently relocated!) I'm moving seconds away from my current digs, just up the stairs! Despite my 12 step move I still have to pack and that involves going through 14 years of accumulation. I've mentioned before that F.I.B once had a zine and how I saw blogging as sort of extension of zine culture. My zine was completely handwritten and illustrated, as that was the norm in the pre-computer 80's. I have bins and bins full of great old NYC fanzines, amongst them I found a letter dated 1986 with an invitation to an event in Park Slope at a place called "The Living Art Space" which was located on 5th Avenue at 11th Street in Brooklyn. Performers that evening were David Huberman (creator of the INSOMINIACS poetry group), BUG, Robert Parody and get this TULI KUPFERBERG from the Fugs.

As I lived in Queens at that time and rarely step foot in Brooklyn except to go to Coney Island I did not attend. I had an experience in Park Slope as a teen going to a party where a dog appeared out of nowhere flung from a roof. SPLAT wasn't the word, kept me out of Park Slope for a while. Park Slope was tough at one time and kids knew when other kids weren't from their neighborhood, very territorial and Warriors like!This is what the "Living Art Space" is now. Photo quality bad I know but you get the idea. It's across from Timboo's. If ANYBODY out there has ever gone to this place, I would LOVE to hear about it!

7 comments:

MaryRuth said...

"temporary relocation" sounds like what happened in WW2 with the Japanese-Americans...
the "12-step move" part is pretty funny though!
Talk about punk rock from back in the day...tomorrow night I'm gonna go see The Germs' movie..
"What We Do Is Secret". Can't believe there's a movie about someone who (undeservedly) didn't get much respect when he was alive.
PS..is it ok if I put you in my blog list?

Lisanne said...

Yeah, its total double speak.
I wanna see that movie too! As far as the late respect, everybody loves a dead guy! List away!

Anonymous said...

I love the way you write, you always hook me in with so few words. I want to hear more about the party and the kids.

Lisanne said...

Thanks i'm blushing....as i've said before, it's all going in *the book*!

Joyce Hanson said...

Good luck with your move--maybe it will inspire you to archive your zines to preserve them for future generations?

And if you want to know if I've ever gone to Timboo's, the answer is a definite YES. Dave & I started going here last month every now and then. The pool table is often available, and on a recent Saturday night we had some friends visiting from London who played pool with some Puerto Rican guys and they loved it!

Timboo's also has karaoke on Saturday nights. Last time we went, I sang my own version of The Beatles' "Girl."

Lisanne said...

Yes Timboo's is good, i am always shocked that hipsters have never tried to co-opt it. Perhaps if it were a copy of Timboo's thy would...me-OW!

Anonymous said...

Wow a dog hitting the ground in Park Slope sounds really familiar,,, hmmm I remember a girl Danny who might remember a similar story...