New York dancers I published in the 80s the club New York dolls
When I inherited my great uncle Sal‘s estate there were thousands of large format negatives glass slides and hundreds of original prints Most negatives and images I could identify with I know where he was and who he is but once in a while I’ll run into a negative like this and it throws me what the fuck was going on here
Usually the portfolios I had to do where exotic dancers I’ve done lots of model and composite sheets for agencies but most of them wear Images like this these are over 30 years ago I like to call them faces of seduction whoever I was photographing I would tell them give me your most seductive face you want that man to fall in love with you and empty his wallet they were left in the beginning but they knew what I was talking about
A nice little mix of my great uncle Sal’s images and mine
Like I say every time I posted it is not a political statement it’s just a original large format negative that my great uncle Sal took of Donald in 1972 at a club called the straw hat Sal was doing his piano playing and hypnotizing people a lot of celebrities came in there Sal would always take a break and do their photos he would also like to hypnotize them when I develop this negative Donald had a while look at his eyes I think Sal hypnotized him and by the way this is a one of a kind original negative it is for sale
When I worked for Mentertainment Magazine that’s both issues New York and New Jersey I covered over 80 of the top strip clubs in the tri-state area I had to keep all the ads up-to-date in photograph hundreds of dancers also at the same time running by studio doing nude and semi nude portfolios most clubs we are owned by the mob I guess that’s why I got along with everybody so well Anyway there was a club in the Bronx South Bronx called fools paradise it was the most dangerous club in New York this was the head bouncer the shield he pretty much stayed by my side while I was photographing there were certain people in there that were very nervous around the camera the interesting fact about the shield was he was 6 foot eight and weighed 670 pound I am not a small guy I’m 6 foot 220 I look like a little kid next to him
I was fortunate to live in Key West in the mid 70s and early 80s I lasted seven years there five years of the most exciting years of my life and then two of the most disastrous I still go there a lot now because my dad I did dozen relatives are still there in the years I spent there I took lots of photos I actually work for the Key West cytisine newspaper as their staff Photographer and I Published over 100 key west postcards posters and matted photos As far as documenting my wildlife I totally covered it key west back in the 70s had better Partio’s than studio 54 in New York City the southernmost house those parties were epic
In Sals lifetime he created close to 300 masks that number is pretty correct I seen pictures of at least that many I have 110 of them Benny were made in New York City in four of his locations he had photography mask studios as far back as the early 30s in Manhattan he also made a lot in New Jersey and Chicago there were some bizarre ones made above Captain Tony’s saloon in Key West that’s his little brother my grandfather there’s a lot of famous people who sell gave masks to Tennessee Williams Shel Silverstein Truman Capote There’s also a lot of masks that disappeared he probably gave them to boyfriends and friends and of course some relatives but this one right here I saw on TV I was watching the movie swordfish with John Travolta and Halle Berry it was a bar scene were John Travolta is walking through and there I saw it
2002 I finally get control of my great uncle Sal’s famous mask collection 110 of them I opened up Terracina West studios I couldn’t wait to get started Photographing people with the masks in the background I knew magic would happen one night I was doing this young ladies photos She smiled and said I could feel this mask breathing on my back after she said that she started to get this hypnotic look on her face We were drinking a little tequila is smoking a little weed but I got to tell you those mass for putting out energy that night
And my 30 years in New York City I acquired a bunch of posses and crews This was my bad ass crew the guy on my left crazy Puerto Rican big Mike 6 foot four 420 pounds and he was fast and could box I would put him up against Butterbean The guy am back to me bobby 100% Greek with a short fuse temper he was 6 foot seven about 330 pounds and me I was a little guy 6 foot tall to 20 I took this selfie after we told the bouncers and manager we’re going to finish our drinks we’re not gonna pay the extra $140 Dollars that the girl bartenders meet up this was a hustle bar coyote ugly they thought we were we were tourists it’s a funny great long story I cut it short
