 Thrilled to be selected to debut 2 new collages at the Ben Oakley Gallery 'Should Have Gone to Collage' exhibition, opening 4th March thru 27th.
https://www.benoakleygallery.com/exhibitions/ 
Really enjoyed chatting to these guys about tech, China, & my latest projects... Uncensored, the way we like it! They'd also read my book!
Listen here.   Saddened by the news that David Bard died recently on his 56th birthday. It had been his legacy to inherit the role of Chelsea Hotel manager, following in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather. I can imagine that it must’ve been heartbreaking and devastating when that life-long dream was taken away.
I didn’t know David well, but he was always friendly and well-regarded by the residents. Norman prides himself on his ability to make people smile, even the most reluctant. When I think of David now, it’s those moments I remember, his lopsided grin that spread warmth to those around him. #RIP #DavidBard #gonetoosoon #chelseahotel #hotelchelsea #TheLastChelseaGirl Celebrating Leonard Cohen on his birthday! ‘I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel…’
Despite his immense fame and talent, Leonard suffered from stage fright throughout much of his career. He turned to wine and whiskey to help, but on his 2012 tour he seemed to have finally beat the nerves by introducing a pre-stage ritual. His backup singers, The Webb Sisters, reported he would lead his band through a Latin song that went, ‘Pauper sum ego, nihil habeo,’ meaning ‘I am poor, I have nothing.’ The band would start the chant a half hour before a show and go on stage singing it together, unified and ready to share their gifts. ‘I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel, you were famous, your heart was a legend…’ #leonardcohen #birthday #bornonthisday #chelseahotel #hotelchelsea #thelastchelseagirl #janisjoplin #bohemian #stagefright #ritual #TheWebbSisters #music #singersongwriter #poet #legend  Photo taken Sept. 10, 2001 at 11:15am by Joseph Amello.
I moved to NYC on the 2nd of Sept. 2001. The morning of Sept. 11th I was in the lobby of my dorm when the woman at the security desk said ‘Watch this with me.’ Together we saw the 2nd plane fly into the World Trade Center. In shock, I walked from 55th to 71st as sirens zoomed downtown. In the elevator I heard about the Pentagon. We used to joke that if the Pentagon got hit we’d all be dead because we lived so close. That’s when it all really hit me. Walking back, strangers were hugging in the streets. At the dorm we took shots - they didn’t help. Military tanks closed the streets. I’ll never forget the smell of burnt flesh, the continuous sirens, the smoke. I wish I could say I did something heroic that day but I didn’t. I ended up at a friend’s in Brooklyn. When my phone finally came back on it was an ex who sobbed that he thought I was dead. Another freshman who was certified Search & Rescue went down to help. Because he was so thin they had him crawling into small spaces others couldn’t reach. For months he came into our room in the middle of the night distraught from nightmares. (Last I heard he had serious lung problems, I don’t know if he’s still alive.) The Red Cross set up medical facilities for survivors - they went unused. Missing person posters plastered the city, remaining up long past hope. The next time I babysit, the 5yo was crashing planes into building blocks asking me why they did it. I remember it like it was yesterday. Amongst the grief, sadness, anger, and fear that engulfed the city, there was also the profound awareness that we were united by the tragedy. There was a deep sense of love for each other, our fellow humans, everyone trying their best to survive and figure out how to live with something so horrific. I’m really struggling to put into words the respect I have for those on the front line that day, my heartbreak for the families of those who died, those impacted to this day, and the love I have for the people of NYC. I will never forget. 🕯🕯🕯💔 #neverforget #worldtradecenter #twintowers #september11 #newyorkcity #911 #wtc #neverforget911 #NYC  Really looking forward to tonight's 'Pitching your Novel' session with Olivia Maidment from Madeleine Milburn Agency! https://www.meetup.com/londonwriterscafe/events/279509343/
    The myth of the Chelsea Hotel, the excesses, the loves, the challenges, the glamor, the art, the creativity, the madness. The beauty of the faces and stories of those who lived in the most iconic of New York hotels is multifaceted and complex. This legend inspired the cultural association Tempi Moderni with Ono Arte Contemporanea for the exhibition-event "Stories from the Rooms" and the review "Racconti del Contemporaneo - V edition - Il Palazzo del Sogno", scheduled at Palazzo Fruscione, at the Foundation Ebris and at the Ghirelli Theater, in Salerno, from 9 July to 5 September 2021. A group of artists who have marked the world of culture, both high and popular, will metaphorically live in the rooms of the second and third floors of Palazzo Fruscione, through the exhibition - unique of its kind - of 109 photographic works, made even more suggestive by a very particular setting that refers to the suggestions and atmospheres of the New York hotel. The texts of the photographic exhibition are made exclusively by the journalist, radio and television presenter Carlo Massarini. With the contribution of almost 30 photographers and graphic artists of international fame, the exhibition tells this extraordinary adventure. At the Chelsea Hotel, Harry Miller, who had just left Marilyn Monroe, retires to write; Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe will settle there for several years, as will Jackson Pollock, Dylan Thomas, Leonard Cohen and Janis Joplin; Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols in one of those rooms killed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen while Andy Warhol shot his film Chelsea Girls there. And again Madonna, Tom Waits, Dennis Hopper, Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouac, and many others. These and many other stories will be told in an exhibition that does not want to be just an anthology of characters and key moments in the history of popular culture, but also an opportunity to reflect on the particular climate that has helped to influence and shape the art and culture of the twentieth century. At Palazzo Fruscione there will be the works of: Rita Barros, Peter Cunningham, Deborah Feingold, Barry Feinstein, Tony Frank, Guido Harari, John Jay, Matt Mahurin, Fred W. Mc Darrah, Inge Morath, Anton Perich, Michael Putland, Sam Shaw , Steve Schapiro, Norman Seeff, Peter Angelo Simon, Ronn Spencer, Allan Tannenbaum, John Tiberi, Fabio Torre, Baron Wolman, Susan Wood. In dialogue with the photographers who have immortalized the legend of the Chelsea Hotel, in the other rooms of the building, there will be: the historical duo of contemporary art Perino & Vele, the designer and illustrator Stephen Alcorn, the cartoonist Vanna Vinci, the video artist Nicola Di Caprio and Licio Esposito and Paola Vacca of Cactus Film. https://www.giuseppeborsoi.it/2021/07/10/rivive-il-mito-dellhotel-chelsea-di-new-york-a-salerno/ From 09 July 2021 to 05 September 2021 SALERNO LOCATION: Various locations ADDRESS: Various locations TIMETABLE: from Tuesday to Friday from 10 to 13 and from 17 to 21. Saturday and Sunday open from 11 to 20. Closed: Monday E-MAIL INFO : info@tempimodernidee.com OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.storiesfromtherooms.com  Celebrating a man I’m so lucky to have known, Rene Ricard, on his birthday - poet, artist, actor, art critic, partygoer, and bon vivant, he was famous for his ‘wickedness and wit, his astute and perfervid opinions on art and literature, and his commanding conversational skills’.
In 1978 at age 32 he wrote in a New York Times Op-Ed, “I’ve never worked a day in my life. If I did it would probably ruin my career, which at the moment is something of a cross between a butterfly and a lap dog.” One of Warhol’s superstars, he appeared in several of his films including Chelsea Girls, and The Andy Warhol Story, in which he played the title role. My memories of Rene involve cigarettes, dollar bills, the film rights to his life story, Stanley, comparing skin tones, asking me if I liked his art, a gifted book, and the exuberance, life, sparkle, and joy he brought with him everywhere he went. He’ll always be one of my weird Chelsea Hotel role models - his influence is ongoing. #ReneRicard #birthday #bornonthisday #chelseahotel #hotelchelsea #thelastchelseagirl #poetry #art #artist #gerardmalanga #andywarhol #ediesedgwick #chelseagirls #robertmapplethorpe #bonvivant #actor #rip It’s Frida’s Kahlo’s Birthday! Remembered for her self-portraits, pain and passion, feminists depictions, and use of bold, vibrant colours, it’s often claimed that her and Diego Rivera lived at the Chelsea Hotel.
While I’ve found no evidence in my research to support this, it is noted that they were frequent guests at the composer Virgil Thomson’s notorious soirées held in his apartment suite at the hotel. Other attendees included Salvador Dali, Igor Stravinsky, Tennessee Williams, Peggy Guggenheim, Edward Albee, and more. While she might not be an official Chelsea Girl, I’m happy to nominate her as an honorary one! Fierce, gutsy, and extremely talented, she brought a lot of beauty to this world. #FridaKahlo #Frida #VigilThomson #DiegoRivera #legends #birthday #bornofthisday #art #artist #Chelsea #ChelseaGirl #ChelseaGirls #HotelChelsea #ChelseaHotel #TheLastChelseaGirl Happy Birthday to living legend, Debbie Harry!
Photographed many times at the Chelsea Hotel, she lived there for about 18 months while her house (also in Chelsea) was renovated after a fire. An icon, rule breaker, brilliant talent, and role model, we are lucky to have her! #ChelseaGirl #DebbieHarry #birthday #bornonthisday #livinglegend #ChelseaHotel #HotelChelsea #Blondie #TheLastChelseaGirl Great article in The New York Times about Brigid Berlin - a force of the Factory and pop art movement, producer of ‘tit-prints’, pioneer of the selfie, and star of Warhol’s film “Chelsea Girls” - about her uniquely enduring friendship with Andy Warhol.
She used to sell Polaroids of Andy’s scars (from the 1968 attempted assassination) for $5 a piece in Union Square, periodically running across the street to the Factory to shoot more. (I’d love to own one of those!) It was her 1970 recording of the Velvet Underground that was remastered into the band’s first live album, “Live at Max’s Kansas City.” Her apartment on 28th Street is about to be sold and the contents auctioned. #BrigidBerlin #BrigidPolk #AndyWarhol #Warhol #popart #VelvetUnderground #maxskansascity #ChelseaHotel #HotelChelsea #ChelseaGirls #TheLastChelseaGirl #ChelseaGirl #TheFactory #polaroid #selfie #NewYorkCity #Superstar #NYTimes #newyorktimes #thenewyorktimes Born on this day, the man behind the myth - Mister Stanley Bard. Longtime manager of the Chelsea Hotel, and so much more.
When Stanley walked into a room, you could feel it. I was young and pretty intimidated by the legends of The Bard but unknowingly, I endeared myself to Stanley. I did a mitzvah, he said, caring for a young disabled girl in the hotel and throwing her a star-studded 13th birthday party while her mom was in the hospital. One morning when I took her to get the school bus in front of the hotel, this big man got in my face, yelling, randomly accusing me of putting sugar in his gas tank - terrifying! Stanley physically intervened and shut that guy down, vouching for my honour, and making sure I was okay. It was surreal. Before I moved to China, I gifted him one of my Miss Amelia Showgirl Action Figures, autographing it for him, as many artists before me had done. He thanked me politely. I think it meant more to me than it did to him, like a right of passage. There are so many more Stanley stories… Norman has a bunch… I have a couple others, but wish I had more. Mostly I just have a very warm, happy feeling. He would’ve been 87 today. What a legend! Gone but never forgotten. #StanelyBard #ChelseaHotel #HotelChelsea #legend #NewYorkCity #landmark #punkrock #hotel #Chelsea #TheLastChelseaGirl
Remembering #DeeDeeRamone who died this day in 2002. A frequent visitor to the roof of the #ChelseaHotel (where he lived), he’s pictured here outside our old pyramid cottage w-Norman’s former wife, Deon, and dog, Burrito. Also, in front of the door to our garden
#RIP #TheRamones Born on this day, Allen Ginsberg was a highly influential American poet, writer, and activist. Leader of The Beats, he lived at the Chelsea Hotel during the 50’s along with William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, and was good friends with Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Virgil Thomson, Shirley Clarke, and Arthur Miller.
While doing research for my book, I came across a fun Ginsberg anecdote: Ginsberg attended a showing of Barbara Rubin’s film ‘Christmas on Earth’, (a title she changed from ‘Cocks and Cunts’ to broaden its commercial appeal). Called a ‘performance art film about genital worship’, the movie was made up of 2 separate black and white reels projected simultaneously, with one inside the other. Colour filters were manually placed over the projector lenses. The soundtrack was the radio which she tuned live, turning the dial, tuning in and out. Then masked performers engaged in sex acts in front of the screen. Sat in the front row, Allen was utterly riveted by the shocking turpitude. As soon as it finished, Ginsberg, who usually preferred the company of men, asked Barbara to go out with him! #allenginsberg #thebeats #poet #writer #activist #ginsberg #williamburroughs #jackkerouac #barbararubins #chelseahotel #hotelchelsea #christmasonearth #BobDylan #PattiSmith #VirgilThomson #ShirleyClarke #ArthurMiller
 Marilyn Monroe would’ve been 95 today❣️💋 A lot of people know that Arthur Miller moved into the Chelsea Hotel after their split, but it’s only through an oral history that I learned the couple spent part of their honeymoon in the penthouse where I once lived. I always loved the idea that Marilyn & I shared a bed! 😉 Gone too soon, but never forgotten. Penthouse photo by @chelseahotelportraits aka Tony Notarberadino
#marilynmonroe #Happybirthday #RIP #ChelseaHotel #HotelChelsea #ArthurMiller #AftertheFall #icon #marilyn Remembering Storme DeLarverie, who passed away 7 years ago today. This is how I remember her: A fierce, friendly, energetic person who didn’t take any shit.
An icon of the gay community, she’s believed to have thrown the first punch at Stonewall. (“It was a rebellion, it was an uprising, it was a civil rights disobedience - It wasn’t no damn riot.”) A mixed race lesbian born in New Orleans, she once worked in the circus jumping horses before going on to host The Jewel Box Revue where she sang baritone as one of the era’s first drag kings. She went on to police the streets for ugliness, bouncing at numerous lesbian bars, and legally carried a firearm. Stanley would send me to pick her up at the bar where she enjoyed a Jack and Coke. We named the venue of our speakeasy in her honour. She lit up relaying stories of her days on stage. Forever grateful I had the privilege to know ‘the Rosa Parks of the gay community’ - what a legend! Much loved and well missed. #RIP #Storme #StormeDeLarverie #stormédelarverie #ChelseaHotel #HotelChelsea #stonewall #lgbt #lgbtq  Happy 80th Birthday to the one & only Bob Dylan!
In the ‘60s, he lived at the Chelsea Hotel where he wrote Blonde on Blonde in room 211. He had a brief affair with Edie Sedgwick before marrying his first wife, Sara Lownds, in a secret ceremony. When Edie found out, she was devastated. Even though he despised Andy Warhol’s work, Edie urged him to do one of Andy’s infamous screen tests at the Factory. Warhol gave him an Elvis painting that day, which Dylan later traded for a sofa. He cited Warhol’s film Chelsea Girls as selling out the Chelsea Hotel, while Warhol blamed Blonde on Blonde. The door to Dylan and Sara’s apartment later sold for $100,000. #BobDylan #AndyWarhol #EdieSedgwick #Thefactory #ChelseaHotel #HotelChelsea #Elvis #birthday #popart #rivalry #TheLastChelseaGirl #ChelseaGirl #music #Dylan #Warhol #Edie #BlondeonBlonde #SaraLownds  Been looking forward to reading this for awhile - diving straight in! #TheChelseaGirls
@FionaDavisBooks #TheLastChelseaGirl #NewBook  I totally get the convenience of Kindle & audiobooks, but nothing beats the beauty of a good stack of read books! #RecentReads #BeenReading
The original punk, Sid Vicious would’ve been 64 yesterday. He’s been a legend for 43 years - more than twice the time he was alive.
In my research for my forthcoming book, I got to get to know him and Nancy as more than just caricatures. I’m fascinated by the humans behind the myths and have tried to tell those stories - the ones about the people we think we know, but we don’t. He was just 21, Nancy 20. #sidandnancy #ChelseaHotel #SidVicious #NancySpungen #TheLastChelseaGirl #author #HotelChelsea #Room100 #Lemmy #punk |
