I’ve written about storied downtowner Nelson Sullivan before (notably here, here and here), but if you’re unfamiliar, suffice it to say Mr. Sullivan was an exhaustive video-blogger before such a thing ever existed. Although tragically no longer with us (he passed away suddenly in 1989), his sprawling body of work is now in the possession of the NYU archives.
In any case, EV Grieve unearthed another of Sullivan’s amazing clips the other day, and it’s every bit as great as his previous ones. I don’t have much to add to what Grieve said, but given the oft-emphasized predilections of my blog, I thought I’d call out just a couple of things.
In addition to capturing some of the same locales he's visited in previous clips (notably St. Marks Place, Tompkins Square Park, the Pyramid and 7A), this one — from June of 1986 —features a quick glimpse into Freebeing Records on Second Avenue. Unfortunately, he doesn’t step inside, but c’est la vie.
You may remember my previous post on Freebeing. Watch closely and you can spot a few date-affirming titles adorning the entrance to the shop, like The Queen is Dead by the Smiths and Standing on a Beach by The Cure (released in June and May of that year, respectively).
Anyway, it’s a fun clip. Bonus points for spotting Letch Patrol graffiti and the inevitable Missing Foundation logo.
R.I.P. Nelson. I’m sure you were considered entirely eccentric for carrying that huge videocamera around back in the day, but we thank you for it today.
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