Full Description
In 1974, when young music promoters Allan Pepper and Stanley Snadowsky opened their night club the Bottom Line in an industrial area of Greenwich Village that was all but deserted after 6 pm, no one could have foreseen either its long-term success or its impact on the musical and cultural landscape of New York City. Over the next thirty years, while trends and tastes came and went, the Bottom Line throughout its fabled history remained true to its co-founders' profoundly simple vision: that if you presented entertainers in an intimate setting where the focus would always be on what transpired onstage, both artists and audiences would treasure the experience.
That vision would ultimately translate to, literally, thousands of magical evenings and events featuring both icons and up-and-comers from across the music universe. As the performers, patrons and staffers who passed through its doors all agree, the Bottom Line realized its founders vision as no New York music club, before or after, ever would.
The story of the Bottom Line is the tale of childhood friends who turned their shared dream into a reality - and, through determination, hard work, and, most of all, a belief in each other, made entertainment history, and memories, to last a lifetime. Told by co-founder Allan Pepper and award-winning music journalist Billy Altman, as well as scores of on and offstage participants whose exploits helped create its lasting legacy, Positively Fourth and Mercer: The Inside Story of New York's Iconic Music Club, The Bottom Line is certain to appeal to anyone interested in music, show business and the inner and outer workings of a legendary club that defined its time in the firmament of New York City nightlife.
Contents
INTRODUCTION
IA Devotion to Music, and a Devoted Friendship, Grows in Brooklyn
II Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars, a Dream, and a Match Made in the
College Library
III Tastes of the Big Time, Bitter and Sweet
IV From a Red Garter to a Bottom Line: We Built it, and They Came
V Hell's Angels, Jazz Devils, and New York Dolls
VI Born to Kill: The Boss Raises the Bar
VII A Punk Priestess, a Rock Transformer, a Country Darling - and a
"Formula" for Success
VIII Meat Loaf Burns, and No-Show Jones Finally Does
IX The Chairs Hold Firm: Do-Woppers, Rock 'n' Roll Prisoners, and
the Great French Fry Caper
X I Got My Job Through the...Village Voice? Working at The Bottom Line
XI Leader of the Pack: A Village Smash, a Broadway Bust
XII Fast Folks: From the Cool, Cool, Cool to the Hot, Hot, Hot
XIII Talkin' Songwriting; Square Toe Boots Optional
XIV 'Tis the Season: Caroling Carollers, Hallelujah Chrouses, and New Year's Hi-Jinx
XV Stanley
XVI The Bottom Line Sinks the Bottom Line
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INDEX
