Open for Biz

As I mentioned in my last rapturous post, in a rare moment of wanting to do the right thing, I refrained from posting any pictures from NYU's sprawling Washington Square Area Image Collection. Instead, I dutifully shot them a note, explaining how blown away I was by their photographs and asked if it'd be alright if re-posted some of them here on Flaming Pablum. Encouragingly, they were totally cool with that. As such, herewith a shot Bleecker Bob's circa 1983. Take a closer look and you can spot some tell-tale signifiers of the era, notably vinyl covers by Bowie (a "Let's Dance" or "Modern Love" 12?), Punch the Clock by Elvis Costello, Nina Hagen, The Fleshtones and some others, and t-shirts featuring MDC, Black Flag, Void, The Clash and The Stray Cats. Actually, all told, apart from a few cosmetic changes, the exterior of Bleecker Bob's hasn't changed much in ensuing 29 years. In any case, once again, for more finds like this, go directly to the source.