Wednesday, February 16th, 2011
53rd and 3rd @ 12:37 am
Midtown/East
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Before I start tonight’s After Dark episode, I really want to thank everyone who stopped by and those of you that left comments. It was really a nice way to start this blog. I hope you continue to enjoy it. I got a couple shout-outs yesterday, EV Grieve and the Neighborhoodr both put links to MAD and I thank them and everyone else who’s helped to spread the word. Speaking of the Neighborhooder, Matt Rosen who runs and curates that East Village blog also helps Ray from yesterday’s post with his online presence and asked if I would put up a few links for people to check out. And I’m happy to do so. If you enjoyed yesterday’s post and would like a memento from Ray’s Candy Store in the East Village, you can get one from: The Official Ray's Candy Store Clothing & Accessories Shop on CafePress. All the profits from sales in the store go to Ray’s and will help keep him in business. You can also follow Ray’s Candy Store on Twitter, just click the link right here: Ray’s Candy Store on Twitter. Okay, now on to tonight’s destination.
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Certain circumstances happen in your life as you get older and it can change your whole perspective about something. The Ramones first album did that for me, it completely changed the way I listened and heard music.
It came out when I was a senior in high school. And I had just turned eighteen-years-old, the perfect age for an introduction to all things Ramone. I remember I had read a review of their first album, probably in Rolling Stone or Creem magazine, my two bibles at the time and if I remember correctly, the review said something like they sounded like the Beach Boys cranked up to the gills on speed. Well, I liked the Beach Boys and I loved speed back then, so I was sold. Then I looked closer at the album cover that was printed with the review. This band looked like a combination of back-alley street thugs and four guys who’ve just been sprung out of the looney-toon bin. They had long dishbowl haircuts, black leather motorcycle jackets, ripped up and falling apart jeans and tennis shoes. And the tallest one had a certain Lurch-like quality to him. They didn’t look like any other band I’d ever seen.
I immediately ran downstairs and asked my mom if I could use her car to drive over to the record store. She said okay so I zoomed to the store, found the album, bought it and raced back up to my room. I peeled off the shrinkwrap and breathed in that new album smell that I loved. I put the album on and about 23 seconds into “Blitzkrieg Bop” my mouth was hanging wide open. I had never heard anything like this in my fucking life. The songs were fast and short and the music had a rat-a-tat-tat quality that was really catchy. While it definitely was a unique, new and original sound, there was something vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Finally, after about ten spins on my turntable it hit me: It sounded a little bit like vintage ‘60’s/70’s bubblegum music. And I love ‘60’s/70’s bubblegum music. Of course once I turned 15 or 16 I pretended to hate it because it wasn’t cool to like it, but I always have had a love for that genre of music and I still do. I also liked hard rock and garage rock and this was like a marriage of the three. This thinking was confirmed when I read the book, “Please Kill Me,” and Joey Ramone is quoted as saying that the Ramones’ goal was to be as good as the Bay City Rollers.
The other thing that was great and different about this album was the lyrics. They were different and they were funny. Some of the subject matter included Nazi’s, sniffing glue, being afraid to go down to the basement and one song called, “Beat on the Brat," which had the lyric, “Beat on the brat with a baseball bat.” It was like the equivalent of a musical dead baby joke! I loved it and that album turned me on to punk rock and really changed the way I thought about music. Let’s just say I filed my Emerson Lake and Palmer albums away and never listened to them again.
One of the songs from the album I didn’t really understand at the time and the name of it was “53rd and 3rd.” I got the Vietnam reference in it and that the character in the song kills somebody with a razor blade but I didn’t really get what it was all about. Years later I read that Dee Dee Ramone wrote it and it was about a section of Manhattan called the loop, where young male prostitutes also known as chicken hawks hung out trying to turn tricks for cash. This area was the corner of 53rd and 3rd. I don’t think Dee Dee ever admitted it, but it’s been widely reported that back in the day he would prostitute himself out for drug money and that the tune was semi-autobiographical.
I was listening to the song the other day and realized that I’ve lived here for close to 18 years now and I can’t ever recall being at the corner of 53rd and 3rd. So I thought it would be a fun after dark journey to walk there after work and see what’s happening over at the corner of 53rd and 3rd these days. So...hey, ho, let’s go!
And here we go, off into the night. I'm going to take pictures along the way because sometimes the journey is just as much fun as the destination.
O'Reilly's Pub, memories from a blog gone by! Hard to believe that was over a year ago. Time flies when you go to 365 bars in 365 days.
This one's for you Gidget. (Inside joke.)
Become your future you...well, I just got a mental picture of me at 85-years-old in an adult diaper, so thanks, but I think I'll just stick to the regular aging process.
Wow, it's really deserted out, I can't wait for the weather to get nice, this is a little creepy walking around New York when the main streets are empty. It looks like a parade of zombies could appear at any moment.
Porn star name on a luggage store alert!
I don't know what's multiplying faster in New York, bedbugs or these 99 cent/$1.00 shitty pizza joints.
And here we are! The infamous corner of 53rd and 3rd! I brought along a picture of the Ramones and I thought I'd get some characters hanging around the block to pose with it on this corner. Let's go find some people.
Hmm, nobody over here...
Just a lot of cars and traffic over here...
Got nothing on that corner...
There's Duane Reade, but he doesn't have any arms to hold the picture, so that would be a little awkward. That's the danger of doing something like this, sometimes nature works against you and you have to improvise. Let's keep looking.
Hey, hey, hey...what's this behind me? It's a late-night Halal food cart, you know somebody's in there, let's go check it out.
And sure enough, I found this nice gentlemen setting up his cart. His name is Abraham. Let's see if he'll pose with the photo.
Abraham said he knew of the Ramones and would be happy to pose with the picture, but shit, that light got in the way...time for take two...
This one's a little better, but it's a little too far away. As you can see from the look on Abraham's face, sometimes it's a little painful to work with me.
And there we go, a winning shot to close the night on. Abraham is at this corner every night and he works all through the night to the morning, so when you're close by 53rd and 3rd, stop by his cart and get a bite to eat. Alright, from Abraham, Martin and the ghost of the Johns on 53rd and 3rd, goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark!
Further Reading: New York Magazine, Wikipedia, Super Seventies.
53rd and 3rd
You're the one they never pick
53rd and 3rd
Don't it make you feel sick?
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Bonus Jaws Art!
MAD commenter Jaws sent in this welcome back art to mark the start of this blog. Very nice, Jaws, thanks buddy! If you’d like to wear some of Jaws’ art, check out his online store here: Jaws The Cabbie Store.
29 Comments
Reader Comments (29)
Loved your Ramones story! That first album of theirs is one of my favorites. These late night New York photos of you wandering around are great, keep up the good work! Oh, Dean Leather...LOL!
I do not board any train from new york to Willoughby!
hahaaha.. but will get there eventually.
thanks Marty!
I am not gonna say how old i was when i discovered the ramones hahahha..
but once i was on a radio show in SF and the comedian who was on sang that song about me...
he was an asshole. I stole his thunder so he was mean.
i was also 16. HA! beat on that...
ok might have been a little bit of a brat..
anyhoooooo
this is fun Marty.. keep up the good work!
just found out about your new blog! i love this, the night time photos are great and i loled at the dean leather too! can't wait for more, congrats on the new blog!
@Barfly: Glad you got a chuckle out of Dean Leather!
@Gidgie: I've been meaning to take that photo for you for over a year!
@rita r: Glad you made it over!
Nice story, and Ramones is always a good soundtrack for a dark desert night (even without zombies!)!
Man, I love the Ramones! Great story Marty.
You've got me missing the early days of punk rock and new wave, though you never would have convinced me of that back then...
No man's land in Manhattan .... you are probably the most interesting thing to happen to that corner since the song came out !
Cool idea for a blog, Marty! I look forward to more posts - your documentation will definitely be invaluable to future generations.
@Gui_Stecher: The Ramones rule!
@Meleah: Thanks and nice to see you here!
@Jaws: You weren't into punk rock back then? I'm surprised!
@ENEG: Abraham is more interesting than me!
@Goggla: Thanks so much for the kind words and for stopping by!
Great post today!
I like the fact you can stretch your writing legs a bit more and "anything goes" after Dark.
A great story.
Like Little Steven says on "The Underground Garage"
"It's all about the Ramones, the music that influenced them and those that they influenced."
Sometime I will share the story of the first Ramones Chicago appearance.
(we put on the show and I actually did the flyers for it)
A classic evening.
PS
Happy Post "Valenyines" Day to Jaws!
The great Dion DiMucci, It only took Abraham to get his song played. Dion is a fellow South Floridian now but originally from the Bronx. I've been a Dion fan since the sixties along with Neil Young, Beatles, Cliff Richard. Never really got into the Ramones but I do love those fast songs. I think one of the Ramones was interviewed a few years ago at Rudy's in Hells kitchen, its on Youtube. The boit flu sout on totty toid and toid,,,well, its close.
Oh, how I miss that new album smell. Think of it this spring, when your wish comes true, it gets warm outside, and you find yourself in the urine-drenched underground.
I got turned on to The Ramones listing to a public radio station in early 80's called WHBI 105.9 , but it was by accident since I would stay up late to listen to a Rap Duo call THE WORLDS FAMOUS SUPREME TEAM , & they would do a very unique show , but it was a public radio & they would only come on late night & would never know what time they would come on , so i would start to listen @ about 2 AM or 3AM , which they sometimes came on . One night a different show came on called the Phil Barry Show ( I think that was the name ) & he played all kinds of unique New Wave & Punk , & that's when I heard " I want to be sedated " , & like Marty my jaw dropped & next day I went & got the record . Long Live WHBI 105.9 !!!
Viva La France Bitches !!
Even though you're not visiting bars, is it still acceptable to be hung over here? Thought so.
Strangely eerie out in NY when it's deserted. Did you by any chance pick up a pack of sanitary wipes and a tooth brush from duanne's?
@"Boris:" Have you got a copy of the flyer? I'd love to post it as bonus art!
@Al: Good to see you here! Dion's great and I like that accentuated type of yours!
@Biff: "Urine-drenched playground." Ha ha ha! You still gots it, Bifferoonie!
@Jhwang: Viva La Ramones!
@Clacky: Of course you can be hungover here, most mornings I am when I'm putting it together. I didn't make a Duane Reade stop, that may be a post unto itself!
@ Marty; "I was so much older then...I'm younger than that now.." - Bob Dylan
@ Boris; Oh Jesus H. Christ in a SIDECAR!!! Oh well, I was pretty much in the bag when I did that workup...
So where did all the rent-boys go?
@cp: I think they advertise on craigslist now.
Abraham seems nice enough, but I did get a little excited to see the male prostitutes. Its been awhile since I've gotten any action, need some good eye candy.
@kari: Ha ha ha!
Love the picture of the end of Abraham's cart. At least someone is still selling hot sausage on 53rd & 3rd.
MAD - love it!
Marty...this is where we met. It's our one year anniversary! The Ramones post was the PERRRFECT gift! HOW did you know ~ in honor of Kerry's birthday and I bought you a beer. Which meant, you made me smile on an otherwise sad day. AND... you did it again! Thank you Marty - you never disappoint. Cheers~
@Marty in Montreal: "At least someone is still selling hot sausage on 53rd & 3rd." Ha ha ha! Good one!
@Green Monkey: Happy anniversary! And cheers to you and glad you got a smile out of this. Happy birthday to Kerry!
Dean Leather meets Duane Reade. Cue disco.
Marty - the new blog looks great. Looking forward to reading daily!
@Grade "A" Karen: Perhaps they'll spawn a Duane Leather store.
@Ryan: Thanks! It's updated every day around noon.
I love your old Ramones story Marty. So cool. I listed to both Blitzkrieg Pop again, and your bumblegum Judy in Disguise, and they totally do sound alike! Bumblegum music is so happy. Yikes about that Dee Dee Ramone. I love history and speculation though.
I really loved this intro into 53rd and 3rd. Abraham looked cold and slightly unimpressed haha.
@Darleya: Glad you liked the story! I love the fact that the Ramones were inspired by the Bay City Rollers! Thanks for chiming in!