Talk at Bananamoon, Glasgow

photo by Lyndell Mansfield--such perfect colour coordination throughout!

photo by Lyndell Mansfield--such perfect colour coordination throughout!

Slightly late notice, but this Thursday I'll be talking about Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor, 1980-83, at Bananamoon, Glasgow, co-owned by Keith McIvor and Jonnie Wilkes of Optimo. Details are here, http://bit.ly/2BV1w1V.

I understand that reservations were snapped up pretty quickly but it might be worth coming along anyway, just in case some folks don't show up--or maybe we'll find a way to create more space. 

Raissa Pardini, whom I got to meet at the Life and Death on the NY Dance Floor event held at Donlon books back in the autumn of 2016, has been in touch so say she's coming along, so this gives me the perfect opportunity to post one of my favourite snaps of L&D, held by Raissa,

 

 

Basquiat: Boom for Real at the Barbican

Basquiat.jpg

Basquiat was a major figure in Life and Death on the NY Dance Floor, so I was delighted to be asked to feed into the Barbican's forthcoming Basquiat: Boom for Real season in several ways plus write this piece, just published, which contextualises it all, http://bit.ly/2iMdx0K

In addition to offering bits and pieces of help with the show itself I've been co-curating a music night, featuring Kid Creole & the Coconuts, Arto Linsday, Justin Strauss! That'll take place on 7 October. There's more info at http://bit.ly/2eLkElG

Earlier that day I'll be heading to a free screening of Downtown 81, the downtown film starring Basquiat, after which I'll be chairing a discussion with downtown designer/producer/scenester Maripol and (last I heard..) August Darnell of Kid Creole and Arto Lindsay. All were heavily involved with Downtown 81, Basquiat and the wider downtown scene.

In-between I'll be working with five young directors who'll be creating short films as part of the Barbican's Too Young For What? Creative Learning programme-which is what it's all about, in a way, http://bit.ly/2vxwHNQ

The basic argument of the article: we might like to think of Basquiat as a genius, but he only became Basquiat because of his immersion in the wider downtown scene, so creativity is in many respects collective, and we might do well to think more (in Eno's term) of scenius than genius...

US Tour: 19 April - 2 May

Here "we" go again, this time to Pittsburg, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Iowa, Jersey City and Boston for the not quite last leg of the launch of Life and Death on the NY Dance Floor tour of the States.

It’s been hard work. It’s been engaging. It’s been joyous. It will come to an end. Life and Death on the NY Dance Floor and I are enjoying it while it lasts.

Pittsburgh
Book talk “New York City 1980-83: Conjuncture, Parties, Music”
Studio for Creative Inquiry, CFA 111, Carnegie Mellon University
Wednesday 19 April, 5:00-6:30pm
http://studioforcreativeinquiry.org/events/lawrence
After-party and record popup
VIA, Ace Hotel lobby, 120 S Whitfield St, PA 15206, 8:00pm-midnight, where I’ll join Pittsburgh DJs Kelly, Selecta and Buscrates behind the decks
http://www.acehotel.com/…/afterparty-life-and-death-nyc-dan…
Both events are free and open to the public

Seattle
Panel paper “Multivocal partying in early 1980s New York City”
Museum of Pop Culture, JBL theatre
Saturday 22 April, 4:15-6:15pm
I’ll be presenting a paper on the “Sounds from the Underground” alongside Jack Halberstam, Josh Kun and Gala Porras-Kim
http://www.mopop.org/events/events/pop-conference-2017/

San Francisco
Book readings
Alley Cat Books, 3036 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Sunday 23 April, 7:00-9:00pm
http://www.alleycatbookshop.com/events.html
Free and open to the public

San Francisco
Fireside chat chaired by Christopher Orr, the inaugural event of the VDSF speaker series, followed by Christopher Orr DJ set
Vinyl Dreams, 593 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Monday 24 April, 6:00-9:00pm
http://sanfrancisco.carpediem.cd/…/2328054-vdsf-speaker-se…/
Free and open to the public

Riverside, California
Book talk, “New York City Party Culture 1980-83: Conjuncture, Queers, Women”
CHASS INTS 1111, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521
Tuesday 25 April, 3:00-5:00pm
http://ideasandsociety.ucr.edu/event/lawrence/
Free and open to the public

Los Angeles
Book readings
Mount Analog, 5906 1/2 N. Figueroa Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Wednesday 26 April, 7:00pm
http://climbmountanalog.com
Free and open to the public

Iowa
Panel paper “Arthur Russell’s New York Sound”
140 Schaeffer Hall, University of Iowa (with Legion Arts)
Thursday 27 April, 7:30pm
Free and open to the public
I’ll be presenting a paper at the “Straight Outta Ottumwa: The Music, Life and Times of Arthur Russell, from Iowa to Downtown New York City” panel alongside Geeta Dayal and Lucy Schiller, with Kembrew McLeod moderating
Free and open to the public

Iowa
Book readings
Prairie Lights Bookstore
Friday 28 April, 7:00pm
1103 Third St SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
 Free and open to the public
http://www.prairielights.com/live/tim-lawrence
Free and open to the public

Jersey City
Book talk plus DJ set by Jersey City’s Wyse Rodriguez of Soulful Cypher plus refreshments by PJ Ryan’s Squared
Jersey City Free Public Library, 472 Jersey Ave, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302
Monday 1 May, 6:00-8:00pm
http://bit.ly/2ppzZyN
Books available for pre-order, http://www.wordbookstores.com/book/9780822362029
Free and open to the public

Boston
Book talk, “New York City Party Culture 1980-83: Conjuncture, Queers, Women”
UMass Boston Campus Center 3540, 100 Morrissey Blvd Boston
Tuesday 2 May, 3:00-5:30pm
Free and open to the public
Link to follow

Hope to catch you soon!

Book launch events in Germany this weekend

Following Monday night's engaging Life and Death on the NY Dance Floor/ Creative Talks event at Sketch--thanks to Aj Kwame for hosting and chairing--the launch series now switches to Germany. I'll be in Bochum on Thursday, heading to Berlin on Friday, then on to Offenbach on Saturday and wrapping in Hamburg on Sunday. Will there come a point when I grow tired of talking about NYC 1980-83? No chance...

 

 
 

Thursday 8 December
Institut für populäre Musik der Folkwang Universität der Künste                                                                        Prinz-Regent Str. 50-60
Bochum, Germany (Telekom Electronic Beats)
Doors 18:00, Reading starts at 19:00                                                                                                                         Free entry. Info here

Friday 9 December
Echo Bücher
Grüntaler Str. 9                                                                                                                                                           Berlin, Germany (Telekom Electronic Beats)
7pm to 10pm                                                                                                                                                               Reading from the book, followed by a moderated Q&A with TEB's editor-in-chief Sven von Thülen                         Info here                                

Saturday 10 December
Robert Johnson Theorie
Nordring 131                                                                                                                                                               Offenbach, Germany (Telekom Electronic Beats)
10pm to 11:45pm                                                                                                                                                         Info here

Sunday 11 December
PAL                                                                                                                                                                             Karolinenstr. 45                                                                                                                                                           Hamburg, Germany (Telekom Electronic Beats)
20:00 to 02:00                                                                                                                                                             Book presentation followed by Finn Johannsen DJ set                                                                                             Info here       


I'm very much looking forward to hanging out with Sven VT and Hans Nieswandt as well as getting a chance to spend some time with friends Lisa Blanning, Daniel Wang and Lou Louften. If I'm lucky I'll also get to see Angus Finlayson (an ex-student at UEL who is now working as a writer and musician in Berlin), Arnold Dreyblatt (one of Arthur Russell's dear friends) and Steve Mass (owner of the Mudd Club).

Many thanks to Sven VT for organising the tour and Telekom Electronic Beats for funding.

 

Upcoming talks and events

I’m now back from a hectically thrilling two-week trip to New York (plus Yale and Cornell). For a blow-by-blow account of the trip, which included events at the Museum of Modern Art, Howl, the Loft, 718 Sessions, Better Days at Analog, Superior Elevation Records, Rough Trade, Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, the Graduate Centre/CUNY, NYU and Columbia, please visit my Facebook page.

Events continue in the UK this week with a 3-hour NTS Radio interview plus readings/appearances at Phonica and Love Vinyl. Next week there’s an interview with Gilles Peterson and an afternoon session with Colleen Murphy at Classic Album Sundays (where we’ll be talking about the book and listening to Dinosaur L’s 24>24 Music).

Soon after I’ll be heading up to Liverpool and Manchester, with more events planned in London as well as Germany. For a full list of events please visit the main events page here.