Page 5 - Memory Anthony News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

As well. just like the way people did at the turn of the century, you move to new york to immigrate to a new land, to start a new life. and that's really what the lower east side is all about. who was doing stuff that you >> anthony: who thrilled you back then? who was doing stuff that you just thought, "holy shit, this is really incredible and inspiring."? >> kembra: well, gosh, luckily my friends that i was working with were very inspiring. i loved joe coleman's work. ♪

Because i had a relative who was basically my legal guardian. >> anthony: you came here first as a writer, as a poet. new york in your mind is where the writer's life was. >> richard: yeah, well, it was just a place that had the most stimulation. >> anthony: was music even in the back of your head or was poetry and writing? >> richard: my model was dylan thomas when i was a teenager. you know, so being a drunken womanizer. that was my ambition. ♪

>> joe: no, i came to paint. but the paintings were like implosions, where i was studying the world around me and myself inside, and the performances became literal explosions. ♪ i learned violence from my old man. so i was angry. when your house is on fire, you know, you don't read poetry and you don't sing a folk song. you gotta scream. >> anthony: i missed all the great art of the time. i came for heroin and i came for music. other than that, i didn't live here. but man, a lot of people didn't make it and i remember i guess around 1980, it was like,

>> john: it feels pathetic, you know? >> anthony: this is incredible to me. >> john: what? >> anthony: you don't have shows. >> john: that's insane and it's sick and is wrong and i don't even want to complain about it. you complain about it. >> anthony: i'm complaining about it. i am bitter. >> john: because i'm going to die one day, and they're going to be worth a lot of money. ♪ how i came to new york, i was kind of on this coltrane thing, i wanted to find god through music. i started meeting all these amazing people. they were irreverent. the energy was enormous. and it was probably more ...

♪ sha, la, la, la, la ♪ [ sirens ] >> man: nothing but a bunch of crackheads, dopefiends, and [ bleep ]. >> anthony: this is a show about a very special place, a very special time, and some very special people. so much happened, so much began on new york's lower east side. ♪