There will be a reunion of veterans / alumni / survivors of the Mudd Club and Club 57 on Thursday, October 28th, at the Delancy Lounge.

The small Tribeca club has gained an almost mythical status when talking about downtown NYC in the late 1970s early 1980s. It played a large role in Basquiat's life at the time, which I describe, along with the story of Basquiat's band, Gray, in Chapter 3 of my Basquiat biography.[i]

“I went there every night for two years." Basquiat told Henry Geldzahler, "At that time I had no apartment, so I just used to go there to see what my prospects were.”[ii]

Besides finding people to go home with, it was at the Mud Club that Basquiat met Diego Cortez, who introduced him to members of the New York art world who helped him move from unknown graffiti writer SAMO to a recognized artist. 

It was "around 1979," remembered Cortez, " when he had his Mohawk. That attracted me to him immediately—the fact he was black and had a Mohawk. I would see him in SoHo all the time. He was always asking me for money.”[iii] Another friend remembers, "at that time all the downtown clubs were dominated by white kids and he was the only black among them, but he fit in naturally." [iv]

The staff soon became accustomed to Jean-Michel with his blond Mohawk, often wearing his own hand-painted T-shirts. Mudd club regulars remember him as a great dancer.

Basquiat in the Mudd Club, 1979, photo: Nick Taylor

The homeless teenageer was always let in free, while others often were kept waiting outside the chain at the door. Basquiat recalls sometimes finding his dinner money from what had been dropped on the floor of the Mudd club.[v]

A few years later, owner Steve Mass brought in some new staff from the less chic Club 54, on Saint Mark’s place (where the tone was set by Ann Magnuson and sillier, Dada influenced students from the School of Visual Arts). One of these was Keith Haring, who was put in charge of creating a new gallery space upstairs in the club (see a picture of Keith Haring’s Mudd Club ID). Several of the shows included early, ephemeral, work of Basquiat’s. 

Once Basquiat founded his band Grey, they played in the Mudd Club many times, as well as A's Broome St. loft, The Squat Theater, and CBGBs.

Performers and artists who had been associated with are The Mudd Club and Club 57 are arriving from around the world to attend the reunion on Thursday. Ann Magnuson, John Kelly and Joey Arias will be there, and are rumored to be performing. The unique Mudd Club DJ Anita Sarko will be there, along with Dany Johnson, and Mark Kamin spinning tunes upstairs. Downstairs is scheduled to be DJ Ivan Ivan, along with music by Three Teens Kill Four, the Comateens, Sick Fucks, Walter Steding, and a rumored short performance by the Bush Tetras.

The Delancy is at 168 Delancy (21 and over, but most people here for the reunion will be in their 50s). Unfortunately, the old drinks tickets are no longer valid.

A related art exhibit of artists who were members of Club 54, The Mudd Club, will be held at Niagra (7th Street and Avenue A).