FOLK CITY CLOTHES LINE SAGA

I had a good old fashioned belly laugh today. Then another. And one more. 

Everything old is new again. 

If my grandfather were around to see this, he’d be clipping out ads from the Levi Strauss catalogs and magazines. He was proud of any mention. I am too. It’s just so......

GOD this is funny! Levi’s is taking the likeness of Folk City alum and creating a clothing line inspired by Greenwich Village fashion trends of yesteryear. Smart move. Add your own ketchup stains and elbow grease. No Village jacket would be worth a penny unless one can sleep on a roach infested floor with it.

It’s a pillow!
It’s a bed!
It’s an umbrella!
It’s a blanket! 
It’s a shopping bag with pockets for shoplifting!
It’s so West 4th Street!

I’m still laughing at its brilliance. I don’t think Mike Porco would be offended that they have taken Gerde’s name in vain. Robbie, who owns the name, may already be aware of this fabulousness. Does Charlie Rothschild know about this?

Charlie is the one credited with coining the phrase that pays, Folk City. 

In 1960, it was the punctuation of Gerde’s Folk City. Before then it was Mike and Izzy Young’s brainchild, The Fifth Peg at Gerde’s at 11 W4th. And before that it was just Gerde’s. And before THAT it was at 11 West 3rd, not West 4th. 

Folk City is Charlie Rothschild’s phrase. God bless him. 

The clothes line seems built for spring/Fall. It looks a little Dylanesque, no? Bobby should know. Can we start a CBGB line of bandanas now? Perhaps a 1990 line of just flannel shirts. All clothing should be absorptive for cleaning up vomit or beer spills. Or vomit.

The Village is on corporate minds. It’s in the “news” today thanks to Levi’s. 

https://www.insidehook.com/article/menswear/levis-vintage-clothing-folk-city-collectionbob-dylan-greenwich-village

It’s proof positive. The name has value. It matters. This makes people curious. 

Rod MacDonald, Bob Gibson, Tom Intondi

Ramblin Jack (Marcia Stehr) 

40 YEARS AGO- ROLLING THUNDER at FOLK CITY on Mike Porco's Birthday

Bobby Dylan

In October of 1975, Mr. Dylan was hanging around the Village quite often.

He was wrapping up his recording sessions for the DESIRE album and was spending time

with lyricist and Broadway producer, Jaques Levy, in New York. They were plotting a tour. What kind of tour…?

only they knew.

Dylan had returned to the road with The Band in 1974. His most critically acclaimed album,

(perhaps ever)

BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, was on the store shelves for less than a year. The Basement tapes

had finally been released only 4 months prior.

His fans were eager for more. He had returned to the front of the pack with a vengeance. 

Any ol' tour could have satisfied. But Dylan had something majestic in mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack Hardy, Odetta, Mike Porco

Well, it turned out that Mike Porco was having a birthday.
Folksinger Jack Hardy had it in mind to gather some of Mike's friends
(read: musicians) and throw him a surprise party at his own club.

Thursday October 23rd 1975 was his 61st birthday. Mathematicians and can
deduce that today would be Mike's 101st birthday.

We had a 100th party for Grandpa last year. BUT TODAY
we celebrate THE ROLLING THUNDER REVUE
being born this day 40 years ago at FOLK CITY.

David Amram, David Massengill, Rob Stoner amongst Mike Porco's friends
celebrating Mike's 100th last year


So….back to 1975!
Jack Hardy quietly spread word around that Mike will have a surprise serenade for
his birthday.
Word travels fast in this small town. Mike's old friend and prodigal son, Bob Dylan,
got wind of the bash and
decided that ''tonight is the night.'' The tour he was plotting with Levy
will be brought to the light at Folk City.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dylan had confided in his DESIRE bass player, Rob Stoner, that, with some help,
''auditions'' were going to be held at Folk City for the stage show
he had planed with Levy.
There was nothing specific discussed, but like lightning, a buzz was generated around NYC
that Dylan was going to crash Hardy's party for Mike.

Dylan also had it in mind to record the entire tour on film. This night would
become part of the film Renaldo and Clara.
Cameras and lights were set up at Folk City with a little lie told to Mike
that it was for a documentary on Folk Music.

Rob (Rothstein) Stoner

Larry 'Ratso' Sloman

The main word-spreaders of this historic event were Larry "Ratso'' Sloman and

Songwriter, David Blue. 

Within hours, ''every Folk singer you could imagine'' descended on Folk City

to become a part of this happening.

Some other luminaries also came to sing and hang out. Bette Midler, Patti Smith,

Eric Andersen, Tom Waits and Allen Ginsberg were there.

Young Ratso

Bob Neuwirth

T-Bone Burnette, Rosie, Phil Ochs

Allen Ginsberg

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

As it turned out, every Folk singer (except for Dave Van Ronk)

really did show up for the party. It went into the wee hours with Phil Ochs

taking the stage as the Friday sun was dawning.

But in the hours (and hours!) prior to that, Folk City was,

as Rob Stoner told me for my documentary

POSITIVELY PORCO,

''The very nexus of the cultural universe.''

Buzzy Linhart and Bette Midler sang 'Friends.' Patti Smith sang.

Eric Andersen performed. Ramblin' Jack, Ginsberg and a slew of others,

including the regularly scheduled acts of 

Nancy Lee Baxter and Jack Hardy performed.

Of course, everyone was waiting for Dylan and he didn't disappoint.

He took the stage with the Queen of Folk, Joan Baez, for the first time

in years. They sang 'One too many mornings' and an old traditional tune.

The crowd who was there still talks about this occasion to this day

with utter amazement.

How could Bob Dylan, at the height of his career, choose a 3rd Street bar to kickoff 

an historic tour like Rolling Thunder? 

Why?

Well, Mike Porco was his friend. Gerde's Folk City was where it ALL began for him.

It was the best place to showcase it. 

And Mike's birthday…well, it wasn't forgotten. Happy Birthday was sung for him

about a dozen times that night.

Footage of the cake and a warm hug between

Bob and Grandpa was taken by the crew and seen by me 39 years later.

And the tour itself…?

Well, let's just say, it's history now. 

Porco, Dylan, Andersen, Baez

David Blue, Bette Midler, Ginsberg

Momma Dylan, Baez, Dylan, Stoner

The NIGHT OF THE HURRICANE

was a concert ending the first big leg of the Revue.

As with all the shows in this Medicine Show, each performer asked to come on tour

played a set of their own followed by a set of Dylan culminating

in a final sing along and bow.

At The Night of the Hurricane, Dylan's mother, Mike Porco and virtually

everyone else ''behind the scenes'' were invited on stage for the finale.

Madison Square Garden. Packed house. Italian immigrant and steadfast supporter

of Folk and Blues, Mike Porco, finally realized what it was like

to be applauded by 19,000. A hug from Bob Dylan was enough for him

and that's what he got.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKE PORCO!

1914-1992

Mike Porco, Bob Dylan

Folk City

10.23.75

watch!

THEY GO BY THE NAMES ELLIOTT AND GUTHRIE

First names Ramblin' Jack and Sarah Lee.

Heard on stage last night:

"I learned this song in the car. Woody was driving. I was riding shotgun. Cisco was in the backseat."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At some unplanned date in the distant future, I'll be residing in another city. I can't imagine where. Can't imagine why. WHY would I leave NYC? Where else could I meet and see Garth Hudson and Garland Jeffreys and David Johansen and Larry Johnson play one night (see blog post from yesterday) and the next night, spend the evening being entertained by Ramblin' Jack Fucking Elliott and Sarah Lee and Johnny Irion? 

And the kicker: Ramblin' was as sharp as ever and was happy to see me. I'm blessed.

I wouldn't be as blessed in Akron. LeBron would say Akron rocks. Fuck LeBron. Some one else would say LA rocks. Austin? London? Pardon my yaaaaaaawn. Goodnight!! 
(Miami?...maybe Miami)

EVERYBODY MUST GET STONER

I hung out with Stoner
on the 9th day of May
I knew right away
he was not
ordinary

Many great tales and stories were offered by Mr. Rothstein. I shared a few of my own with him since he was very curious about his old friend, Mike Porco.

Apart from details from the early 70s at Gerde's and some fun anecdotes about being the bandleader (that's right, bandleader) of the Rolling Thunder Revue, the most intriguing tidbit to me was that Rob quite possibly created the word 'stoner.' It wasn't part of the lexicon yet when he changed his stage name to sound more like a rocker. The irony is that his birthday is 4.20 before 420 became a de-facto holiday and street code for a certain botanical herb….coincidence? yeah right!

Rob has chops. He gave me a brief lesson. Lots of fun was had talking about good ol' Folk City. Clips will be seen in the upcoming documentary about my grandfather's place called POSITIVELY PORCO. It's shaping up nicely. It's due out next year. BE SURE TO GO SEE IT!!! Like Rob and I, you might learn something.

ARLO GUTHRIE JOINS GERDE'S FOLK CITY DOCUMENTARY

Today, somewhere in Massachusetts, it rained. A lot. The rain could be heard pounding on the roof but no one was listening. Arlo was holding court. His house was the latest site for the traveling 'Gerde's Folk City documentary road show.' I've been meeting with so many fabulous people and they have all had great memories of my grandfather Mike Porco and his cabaret. Arlo played there in 1961 when he was just 13 years old. It was his first appearance on stage EVER. Arlo has developed as a musician quite a bit since. He generously shared some rules for living given to him by the council of his years.  The rain couldn't penetrate the fun time had at Arlo's.