Invite for June 2008 Party

June 2008 MAGIC
PASSWORD: Lone Star Cafe

These glorious summery days feel a little like southern weather, which brings us to our beloved Lone Star Cafe and the iconic 40 foot iguana that lived on top. The Lone Star Cafe, formerly located at 61 Fifth Avenue at 13th Street, opened in 1976 and closed in 1989. It was a haven for all things Texas-y, and hosted tons of amazing country, rock, folk, and r&b acts. My dad took me there in the late 80s to see Jerry Lee Lewis, but he got arrested that day and the show was cancelled. Jerry Lee Lewis, not my dad.

Once the Lone Star closed, the 40 foot iguana was sold at auction to some Virginians, who kept it on their farm, and who later sold it back to the original artist, Bob "Daddy-O" Wade (Roy Rogers' second cousin). In 1997 Wade repainted it a bright reptilian green (it was grayish before) and loaned it to the Manhattan Youth Recreation and Resources, a community group that ran programs at Pier 25 in Tribeca, and there it was exhibited along the Hudson for a few years.

Before the Lone Star, 61 Fifth Avenue was home to Schrafft's Restaurant (which opened there in 1938). After Lone Star, it was a bar, then a massive Korean market. A 2006 fire pretty much destroyed it and it has been boarded up since. Squatters - take note! The series of photos above show the building through the ages.

In keeping with the musical Lone Star, let's have a little fill in the blank quiz of songs about NYC. No multiple choice on this one, so it's a toughie - good luck. Answers are posted here.

1. “Arthur’s Theme (Best that You Can Do)" sung by Christopher Cross
   “Once you get caught between the _______ and New York City”
2. "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin Groovy)" by Simon and Garfunkel
   “Slow down you move too fast. You got to morning last just kickin down the _______, looking for fun and feeling groovy.”
3. “Summer in the City” by The Lovin Spoonful
   “Hot town, summer in the city, back of my _______ getting dirty and gritty.”
4. “Christmas in Hollis” by Run D.M.C.
   “It’s Christmas time in Hollis Queens, mom’s cooking chicken and _______”
5. “Boy from New York City” by the Ad Libs/Manhattan Transfer
   “He’s really down, and he’s no clown. He has the finest _______ I’ve ever seen in town.”
6. “Frank Mills” from the musical Hair
   “I met a boy called Frank Mills, on September twelfth right here, in front of the _______”
7. “Livin La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
   “Woke up in New York City in a funky cheap hotel. She took my heart and she took my _______, she must’ve slipped me a sleeping pill.”
8. “Give my regards to Broadway” by George M. Cohan
   “Give my regards to Broadway, remember me to _______!” Tell all the gang at forty second street that I will soon be there.”
9. “New York, New York” from the musical On the Town
   “New York, New York, a helluva town. The Bronx is up, but the Battery's down. The people ride in a hole in the _______”
10. “Movin’ Out” by Billy Joel
    “Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat. At night he becomes a bartender. He works at Mister _______ down on Sullivan Street, across from the medical center”
11. Extra Credits:
    “I Am I Said” by Neil Diamond
    “Well, I'm New York City born and raised. But nowadays, I'm lost between two shores. LA's fine, but it ain't home. New York's home but it ain't _______ no more”
12. “I’m Waiting For My Man” by Velvet Underground
    “I'm waiting for my man. Twenty-six dollars in my hand. Up to Lexington, _______. Feel sick and dirty, more dead than alive. I'm waiting for my man.”
13. “No Sleep til Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys
    Ain't seen the light since we started this band. M.C.A. - get on the mic my man. Born and bred Brooklyn - _______. They all me Adam Yauch - but I'm M.C.A."
14. “Downtown Train” by Tom Waits
    “The downtown trains are full with all those Brooklyn girls, they try so hard to break out of their little _______”
15. “Native New Yorker” by Odyssey
    “You grew up ridin' the subways, running with people. Up in Harlem, down on _______”