SOLVED: Misfits in the City

Hey again, all…

Sorry for the delay in closing the loop on this one, but it actually ended up coming together faster than I’d expected.

After doing that rudimentary stroll around the West Village with my kids and coming up empty (although, it turns out, we were very close), Flaming Pablum-friend Chung Wong got on the case and landed the plane. Once again, I’m respecting the wishes of photographer Roxanne Lowit and not posting the original photos, but if you click back on my original post on the subject, you can see where those images have been posted elsewhere on the `net. For the sake of reference, though, you have my daughter's rendering of the spot above, and the sleeve of the Max's Kansas City bootleg below.

Long story short: The spot in question is West 11th Street at Washington Street.

In any case, here’s Chung’s take:

After Bob backtracked to Duane Park for Walter Steding location ID (similar background today, but different foreground today), I got inspired to backtrack to places on Washington St again that had similar background buildings where the foreground was different today. 

I too at first did not think the corner entrance was at 341 W 11th st at Washington St.

The background buildings on 11th St looked similar. 

The only old NYPL photo i found with corner "steps" only showed a partial view.

Breakthrough came with the Edmund V Gillon Jr photo from 1970-85 showing the old entrance below. 

As can see in the Gillon photo above, even the graffiti matches up. My kids and I had walked past this building and discounted it because the steps are now gone, the door is now a window and it’s gate off. That’s what happens over the course of forty-something years, I guess.

Oddly enough, I’ve actually been inside that building. The little sister of a college friend once rented a studio apartment in that building circa 1992, and I remember getting in a very heated debate about the merits of Adam & the Ants therein.

More recently, a latter iteration of the Misfits reconvened for two dates last year, and are rumored to be considering further reunion shows. Guitarist Bobby Steele, last I heard, is still living in the East Village and still fronting the umpteenth version of The Undead. Drummer Joey Image left the Misfits after the Night of the Living Dead EP, and later played with The Whorelords (who I fleetingly discussed here) and later played with bands with chuckle-worthy names like Human Buffet, The Mary Tyler Whores, Jersey Trash and The Strap-Ons. He currently plays with an outfit called Forever Horror/Horror Forever.

I never heard back from Roxanne Lowit’s assistant. Lowit, meanwhile, was the subject of her own documentary in 2015, although I don’t believe the Misfits were ever mentioned. I don’t know if she still lives/works in the West Village.

And, just because...