Invite for December 2008 Party

December 2008 MAGIC
PASSWORD: Peppermint Lounge

Happy Post Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a moist turkey and few or no family squabbles. The original Peppermint Lounge was located at 128 West 45th Street, connected to the Knickerbocker Hotel, from 1961-1965. It was described as a divey bar frequented by gay hustlers, sailors and "lowlifes," but was made famous for being home of the "The Twist." Marilyn Monroe, Tennessee Williams, Jacqueline Kennedy, The Beatles, and Greta Garbo all graced the dance floor, twisting to not only Chubby Checker's version of the "The Twist," but also to the Peppermint Lounge house band's - Joey Dee and the Starlighter's - "Peppermint Twist," which had topped the charts. The Lounge lost its liquor license in 1965 and the spot supposedly became a drag, gay and transsexual bar for a while, called GG Barnum's. In 1980 the Peppermint Lounge reopened in the same location, this time as a rock club, and moved in 1982 to 100 Fifth Avenue. The success of the New Peppermint Lounge was marked by the fact that it was the site of my 8th grade prom from JHS 104 (my date was Stephen Jameson - anyone know where he went?). You know your club is seriously failing if you book an 8th grade prom. The Peppermint Lounge closed for good in the mid 80s and should not be confused with the ice cream parlor, Peppermint Park.

Huge exciting news! A "Magic Garden" DVD set was just released (I was so excited that I got mine the day it came out). You can get it here.

And other exciting news ... I urge you to consider seeing MAGIC GARDENER Danny Hoch's new one man show, "Taking Over" at the Public Theater. Danny is a Queen's native and LaGuardia HS alum. "Taking Over" is basically the story of every native's existence in the new New York. And it really hits home. At the bottom is a flier with a discount code (DHMKTG) for $35 tickets instead of the usual $60-$70. More about the show in this NY Time's article and ticket info here.

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