I had seen the soundtrack recording for THE FIRST NUDIE MUSICAL in magazine ads, and we stocked it at the Drama Book Shop when I began work there in July 1979. No one working at the Shop had seen it, but my memory is that there were a few stills on the back of the LP and they, along with the song titles, intrigued me.
I moved into my first apartment at 94th Street and Broadway in December 1979, and a block away there was a wonderful, rather seedy revival hues, the Thalia, which showed double features of films, with a program changing every two-three days. I saw a ton of films there, from Alec Guinness’ wonderful comedy THE HORSE’S MOUTH to all of John Waters and Pasolini. Every month I received their flyer of the next month and I would circle every film I wanted to see, get to a few and miss the rest I couldn’t afford because of the lousy wage the Book hop paid then. I still miss the Thalia.
So, in late winter or early spring of 1980, THE FIRST NUDIE MUSICAL showed up on the schedule. I have no memory of whatever film they paired with it, but my composer friend from the Book Shop, Thom Heinrichs, and I went to the first showing after work. He had to get back to Queens after the film so we did not stay for the second feature, but I loved the film s much that I went back to the Thalia two hours later and caught the last showing.
The next day, I’m sure I drove everyone at the Book Shop to distraction with my repeating lines that I really loved, but at one pint I said, Bruce Kimmel is a genius and I want to work with him. A customer, a young actress named Leila, as I recall, said, “I know Bruce Kimmel; we went to college together. I know several in the film.” I haven’t seen her in years.
A couple of years later, when i was workng with Debbie Gravitte, I asked her if she was the vocal on “Lesbian Butch Dyke.” Her comment: yes, I was. Now you know. That must have been around 1985-86, and then in 1991, after I was fired from a recording project by a little shit whose excuse that I was terminated because my work was poor led to a couple of years of unemployment and depression, I ran across an interview with Bay Cities record producer Bruce Kimmel in FANFARE magazine. I made phone call, and 27 years or so later, here I am.
Author
Topic: CINCO DE MAYONNAISE AND THE FIRST NUDIE MUSICAL TURNS 40 (Read 9939 times)