Dress You Up

I’ve been doing some Madonna research lately (more on that later) and came across this short clip of Madonna performing Dress You Up at Keith Haring’s Party of Life in May 1984 at the Paradise Garage, almost 6 months before the Like A Virgin album was released.

By Keith Haring (source):
“In the spring of 1984, it’s time for my birthday, and I stage what I call my Party of Life event. I want to make this into quite a grand affair. The fact is, I’m now making a certain amount of money and I feel a certain guilt about it, and I want to share it with my friends… you know, sharing the wealth! So I plan this big party, which is for my birthday, but not on my birthday.

I ask Madonna if she could sing at the party and she agrees. As a matter of fact, she had been to my studio just days earlier to play me some cuts from her new album ‘Like A Virgin.’, at which time hadn’t come out yet. I immediately liked “Dress You Up” and “Like a Virgin”, and we decide she’ll sing these two songs at the party. While we’re hearing these songs, I do a painting on Madonna’s leather jacket which she wears to the party. Madonna decides that she wants to sing these two songs on a brass bed covered with frilly material and strewn with white roses.

I decide to hold the party at Paradise Garage, because it continues to be my clubhouse and the coolest club in New York. Although only open weekends, I persuade the owner to let me hire the club out on a Wednesday night. I now ask LAII ( and myself and other friends of Keith ) to help me decorate the place. We make these huge cotton banners, which we spray paint in fluorescent colors. We hang these around the club. We also hang fluorescent streamers everywhere, and in another room we erect these huge fluorescent pillars and vases with flowers in them. We also hang some of my huge vinyl tarps so that the event also turns into a big exhibition.” (Read the full text)

The flyers for the event can be found here

Reality or Concept?

What was going on at the Paradise Garage? I found the picture below in the booklet of this release. I was a bit puzzled. Why is there a huge Robin Williams album cover at Larry Levan’s dj booth?

Now here comes the nerdy part. I googled Robin Williams to find our more about this. It is actually the artwork of Robin Williams’ 1979 comedy album, Reality…What A Concept. Not sure, if I should give it a listen, but I’m intrigued.

Still, the only funny Robin Williams is the spoof of Patch Adams in Cecil B. Demented.

Reality or Concept?
Robin Williams and Larry Levan at the Paradise Garage

Related:
New York Moments
Postcards from New York

Love Saves The Day

Das Buch bekam ich letztes Jahr geschenkt und habe jetzt endlich die zweite Hälfte gelesen: Love Saves The Day (a history of american dance music culture, 1970-1979).

Es werden alle Fragen beantwortet:
Wann wurde welcher Club eröffnet und wann wieder geschlossen?
Wie waren die Eröffnungspartys?
Wie war die Stimmung und das Publikum in dem Club?
Welcher DJ spielte wann in welchem Club?
Welche Songs wurden von den jeweiligen DJs gespielt?
Was waren die größten Hits im jeweiligen Club?
Wer hat wen durch wen kennen gelernt?
Wer war mit wem zusammen?

Und natürlich geht es auch um die Paradise Garage, von der ich das Logo so toll finde.

Tim Lawrence, der Autor von Love Saves The Day, schreibt zur Zeit eine Fortsetzung über die Jahre 1980-92 und eine Biographie über Arthur Russell. Super.
Bis zur Veröffentlichung könnte ich noch My Life and The Paradise Garage: Keep On Dancin’ von Mel Cheren lesen. Mel gründete West End Records und war 10 Jahre der Partner von Michael Brody, dem Betreiber der Paradise Garage.