From the mid-1960s to the early '80s, Max's Kansas City was an artists haven that welcomed Andy Warhol, writer William S. Burroughs and musicians like the New York Dolls and Madonna. As part of this week's series on New York's bygone concert halls and nightclubs, we look back at Max's, its legendary back room and its generous bar tabs. We talk with Steven Kasher, gallery owner and editor of the photo book Max’s Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll.
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The idea for our Vanished Venues series came from the new Max’s Kansas City book, which got me thinking about all the great old music clubs that dotted the landscape here in NY and are with us no more. It’s not that I’m nostalgic – no venue was more important to my teenage self than CBGB’s, but by the time of the club’s much-covered demise, its heyday was long past and it was surviving on tourists and its old reputation. But remembering these places is useful for a number of reasons. Places that became centers of live music were cultural markers of New York, reflecting the city’s evolving population, politics, and economy; and besides, it’s a great excuse for each of us to remember why and how we fell in love with live music to begin with.
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