Goodbye to The Pyramid

I've written about the Pyramid several times here, over the years, but I was very bummed to learn via EV Grieve, this morning, that the fabled club on Avenue A is the latest to succumb to the financial rigors of pandemic and will not be re-opening. 

While, in more recent years, the venue catered to a seemingly more conventional brand of nightlife (which I lamented here), back in the 80s and 90s, it was something of a remarkable melting pop of disparate subcultures. As I mentioned here ages ago, you were as likely to run into characters like Tommy Victor of Prong or Tim Chunks of Token Entry there as you were to encounter drag royalty like RuPaul or the Lady Bunny. Bands I saw on that tiny stage included Surgery, the Hot Corn Girls, Rats of Unusual Size, Fractured Cylinder, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black and my beloved Cop Shoot Cop, but it also famously hosted names like Sonic Youth, SWANS, White Zombie and, oh, Madonna and Nirvana -- not on the same evening, mind you, although that wouldn’t have been out of the question, given their forward-thinking booking policy.

For that plot of the East Village, not to mention NYC writ large, it’s a tremendous loss.

Comments

[ricardo vaniamo]

aaaah, RIP Pyramid- Fond memories from the mid 80's there- and finding a full vial of coke on the floor at a Shockabilly show!

[PyraWASTE]

The people who ran this place were total idiots who should've made it into the next CBGB. I mean Nirvana played their first NYC show here for chrissakes.

No care by Quirino the clueless herb who cared more selling drinks to wannabe Limelight/Batcave schmucks than cultivating a true melting pot. Jackass.

Someone should buy this building then reopen CBGB in it (buy the name.)

[r malce]

I saw three of my favorite concerts there - Psychic TV just as they turned all acid house, the place was filled completely with pink scented smoke and the encore was a warped 10 minute "Are You Experienced" - Jayne County and my chum Bosco and I were the only ones to take Ms. County up on their offer to buy merch in the dressing room - and GWAR (in that tiny space! in the summer!), and when everyone spilled onto the sidewalk covered in fake blood passers-by were freaking out. Great spot, RIP.
- rm