50 years of 'Deep Throat'

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The Slipper Room, the performance arts theater at 167 Orchard St., hosted a 50th-anniversary screening of "Deep Throat" — the first adult film to secure a mainstream theatrical release — on June 12. 

The premiere of the 4K digital version included a cocktail party, go-go dancers, film screenings, a Q&A session and a 1970s-themed burlesque show. (You can read about the film's complicated legacy here. Or here.)

Gerard Damiano Jr. (photo above) and Christar Damiano (middle below), the children of "Deep Throat"'s writer and director Gerard Sr., were at the premiere... as was EVG contributor Stacie Joy...

"The Deep Throat at 50" tour continues throughout 2022.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with watercolors in the rain Thursday morning)... 

• East Village Loves NYC issues a fundraising appeal to help continue feeding New Yorkers in need (Monday) 

• Proposed plans now call for a 24-story residential building on 14th Street and Avenue C (Tuesday) 

• Essex Card Shop getting closer to reopening on Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• Remembering Maximiliano Contreras at the Parkside Lounge (Friday) ... Remembering Jose Fernandez (Monday) 

• 'Alien' nation: East Village duo the Acute release debut full-length record (Wednesday) 

• Office building for 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place moving forward after developer secures $70-million loan (Monday) 

• City once again closes the area around the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday) 

• At the book party for Ada Calhoun's 'Also a Poet' (Friday)

• 'Summer in the City' with East Village writer Jennie Willink (Saturday) 

• Suki Japanese Kitchen expands in East Village relocation (Thursday) 

• Checking in on the Bowery Mural Wall 'on pause' (Thursday) 

• Proletariat opens in new 7th Street home (Friday) 

• The all-new 360 Bowery is in the piledriving and jackhammering phase (Monday) 

• Coming soon: Ando Patisserie on 10th Street; Unique Omakase on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

• Desert Rose Café has apparently closed on 9th Street (Wednesday) ... Report: Raclette has closed on 12th Street (Monday) 

• Openings: Fries Factory on 14th Street (Wednesday)

• Team behind Ichibantei eyeing 100 3rd Ave. (Monday) 

• Sales underway at the 'bespoke' La Botanica on 6th Street (Thursday) 

And several readers noted a passed-out Santa yesterday morning outside the KFC on Second Avenue and 14th Street... he was apparently OK and sleeping off something...

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A Juneteenth Celebration with live music on Astor Place this afternoon

Joe's Pub at the Public is hosting a Juneteenth Celebration this afternoon on Astor Place. 

Here's the free outdoor concert lineup: 

• 2 p.m. — Juneteenth LP (pictured above) 
• 3:30 p.m. — Carmen Rodgers 
• 5 p.m. — Nikara Warren

Top photo via the Juneteenth LP website

Sunday's opening shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Yesterday, Shahrzad Ghadjar celebrated the first anniversary of her shop, Spooksvilla + Friends, at 309 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Check our Q&A with her from April at this link.) 

Her father was on hand for the occasion. 

And a Happy Father's Day to all fathers, dads, father figures, etc. 

Saturday's parting shot

Sunset shot courtesy of @cecilscheib...

'Summer in the City' with East Village writer Jennie Willink

Photos by Stacie Joy

Longtime East Village resident Jennie Willink, pictured above with her "muse and canine inspiration," Cosmo, is now a first-time middle grade novelist. 

Her book, "The Peonies: Summer in the City" (with Alix Sloane) was released earlier this month by DiAngelo Publications.

"The book all takes place in and around the East Village and celebrates our neighborhood, friendship and community with honesty, humor and lots of dogs," she told us.

And the plot:

The novel follows the story of Poppy and Esme (aka The Peonies) two 11-year-old best friends who live in the same apartment building in New York City’s East Village where they share a lively, non-traditional "friend-family" and are practically inseparable. But on the last day of fifth grade, the girls’ parents drop a bomb: Esme and her family are moving to California. 

After the shock wears off, the tweens set out to earn enough money to purchase two very special, very expensive, matching friendship necklaces. They start a dog walking business, Peony's Prancing Pups, and the adventure begins.

And, importantly, she noted that a neighborhood blog, "East Village Update," plays a major role in the success of the young protagonists. 

Today (Saturday) from 6-8 p.m. marks the official launch at Boris & Horton, the dog cafe on Avenue A at 12th Street. On July 12, she's also doing an event at P&T Knitwear on Orchard Street.

A Summer Kick-Off Block Party on 4th Street today

Cooper Square MHA II is hosting a summer kick-off block party today from noon to 6 p.m. on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery. 

Via the EVG inbox... 

Join us for a fun-filled day with Cooper Square MHA II as we host our first summer block party! Food, raffles, resident flea market, magic show, face painting, a bouncy house and performances by DJ Tony Bonilla, Sonido Costeño (live salsa), Rod Rogers Dance, 4th St. freestyle battle and more!

It's Record Store Day, June edition (and record store appreciation day always)

Today (Saturday, June 18!) is part 2 of Record Store Day 2022... the pandemic and vinyl supply-chain issues caused some titles to be pushed back from their original release date. 

So here we are. There are new titles out today. Not sure how each of our local shops might be celebrating the day. Limited to One at 221 E. 10th St. will have some crate-digging opps with a handful of rare and out-of-print vinyl as well as some ticket giveaways "and who knows what else." (!!!) The shop opens at 11 a.m.

Here's a list of EV record stores...

• A-1 Record Shop 

439 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue 

• Academy Records 

415 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue

• Ergot Records 

32 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery 

• Limited to One Records 

221 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue 

• Manhattan45 

220 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue 

• Stranded Records 

218 E. Fifth St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square

June 17

OK! So they are artificial... why discard them now when you need to put them up again in early August? 

Second Avenue at Fifth Street today by Carol from East 5th Street...

Broadcast news

 

Broadcast, the English pop-psych band, recently released The Maida Vale Sessions, a rarities collection "charting the band from their first year together to near-international recognition as their sound continued mutating." 

Sadly, lead singer Trish Keenan died from pneumonia in 2011 at age 42. 

The video here is for one of my favorite songs, "Come On Let's Go" from 2000.