Here's a bit of ancient history.
I was doing a bit of ersatz spring cleaning on my blog roll recently and was sad to discover that East Village Transitions had come to a grinding halt in December of 2010. I suppose I'm remiss for not having checked back with it sooner, but I'm always somewhat saddened when someone gives up their blog. In any case, while perusing the dormant site, I came across this post regarding the Rolling Stones' fabled video shoot for "Waiting on a Friend," which was shot on St. Marks Place in July of 1981.
It's quite hard to fathom that said single -- and Tattoo You, the album from whence it sprang -- are now 31 years old. That's the 45's sleeve art up top (shot through the window of Second Hand Rose's on East 12th Street, just off Broadway). Many credibly argue that Tattoo You was the last decent, full LP the Stones would ever make. Personally speaking, I still love a couple of tracks on Undercover, but I can't argue with the popular consensus too much. Anyway, I've always loved "Waiting on a Friend" not just because it's an excellent song (which, of course, it is), but because it so effortlessly captured the old summery East Village vibe. To watch it now, you'd hardly recognize the location.
In any case, East Village Transitions links off to a discussion board that featured a slew of other photographs from the shoot (credited dubiously to one Mack Jigger). Even if you're not a Stones fan, you may enjoy this montage of early 80's St. Marks Place.
Click on them to enlarge...
These days, the stoop whereupon Mick, Keef and -- somewhat incongruously -- Peter Tosh were seen lounging looks more or less like this....
Meanwhile, St. Marks Bar & Grill ... where the Stones congregate in the tail end of the clip, is long, long gone, replaced by a few incarnations (I remember ducking in there with the wife once when it was called Tribe). Today, it's a joint called VBar.
And, ..... of course, you can see the original video by clicking right here.
Recent Comments