Tuesday 8 October 2013

Chelsea Hotel


Shirley Clarke, actress and choreographer, at Chelsea Hotel in 1970
Sam Shepard and Patti Smith Chelsea Hotel, New York, 1971 photo by Gerard Malanga
Robert Mapplethorpe by Patti Smith, as featured in 'Just Kids'

Nico and Robert Mapplethorpe
The Chelsea Hotel has seen a lot of action: Mark Rothko lived there. Sid Vicious killed Nancy Spungen there, Arthur C Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Dylan Thomas drank himself to death there. Other famous lodgers included Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Leonard Coen, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Allan Ginsberg, Edie Sedgewick and Chales Bukowski to name a few... and of course there is the Leonard Coen song recently covered by Lana Del Rey (which despite myself I like)

I have been collecting images for the last month of the infamous hotel after finishing one time Chelsea hotel resident Patti Smith's heart wrenching book 'Just Kids', about her friendship and relationship with Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. If you haven't read it, you must. Just like Patti's music, it is well written , raw and honest... I haven't cried so much at the ending of a book for ages :)


Just Kids: Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, Chelsea Hotel

4 comments:

Kelly M said...

I just finished Patti Smith's book and yes, tears at the end for sure. I have listened to and liked Patti Smith since the early 70's when my best friend's older brother introduced us to her album "Horses". It was great to read about what was going on in her life at that time.

The Flying Tortoise said...

Wonderful images Gabi, thankyou...

Jane Kilpatrick Schott said...

i just finished reading "Inside The Dream Palace" about the Chelsea and it was such a good read. If you are interested in this amazing legend give it a look.

Unknown said...

Hello -
The picture of Nico on the bed - is not with Mapplethorpe - thats Gerard Malanga -
I did a book with him sometime back - he's a integral part of the Warhol family.