Photos and text by Daniel Efram
Photo: Jesse Rifkin (left) and Jack Rabid
The Tompkins Square Library continued its monthly, year-long celebration of East Village/Lower East Side music, performance, and writing with a conversation between author Jesse Rifkin ("This Must Be the Place: Music, Community, and Vanished Spaces in New York City") and music impresario Jack Rabid on Thursday night.
Rifkin's new book is a revelation. It discusses music venues that had a significant impact and delves into those that genuinely fostered a community. The book explores some of the economic conditions that made these scenes possible.
"This Must Be The Place" is a must-read for any NYC music aficionado looking to delve deeper into the circumstances behind the mythology. Rifkin, a music historian, established his credentials by operating Walk on the Wild Side Tours NYC, which he described as "walking tours for music nerds" in 2017. During the pandemic, Rifkin unexpectedly received a call from a book publisher who suggested that he author a book based on his popular tours.
In 1980, Jack Rabid started publishing The Big Takeover, a music magazine filling a void in the scene for independent music coverage. Along with his music journalism, he has DJ'd hundreds of punk and indie rock gigs in Manhattan since 1979.
Rabid's punk-rock teendom led to memorable interactions at The Mudd Club, CBGB and Max's Kansas City, among others. Some of his most notable stories include having Iggy Pop ride on his back at a show, witnessing the Bad Brains record their first album at the legendary 171A studio on Avenue A, and gaining various insights into the formation of The Beastie Boys.
The East Village in Music & Words continues on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. with a conversation between Rifkin and East Village singer-songwriter Roger Manning.
RSVP here.
The library is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
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