An enormous amount of material has been written about the Paradise Garage over the years, some of it true, some of it not true.This page is a collection of stories written by the staff of the Paradise Garage and myself, with posts and ideas from other people more eloquent than I.
This section is a work in progress. . . and as the title suggests . . . . . , this
is the story section.
Once I get some of the staff members to loosen up and spill their guts, we will add some of stories here.
Hopefully I can get them to tell all of the sorted details of things that went down at the club . . . .
No holes bared, no punches pulled . .
Once I get some of the staff members to loosen up and spill their guts, we will add some of stories here.
Hopefully I can get them to tell all of the sorted details of things that went down at the club . . . .
No holes bared, no punches pulled . .
The Paradise Garage was located at 84 King
Street in New York City and was open from 1977 to 1987. Although the concept of
the club started a year earlier 1976 in a space on Read Street , the more well-known
version of the Garage didn't take hold until 1980. The
Paradise Garage was constructed on the second and third floors of a parking
garage belonging to Bell Telephone, giving the club it's name "Paradise Garage".
The Garage was membership based, meaning unless you were lucky enough to have a membership card you were not able to get in. The Garage started as a gay only nightclub, but because of popular demand and financial proliferation, it soon opened its membership to hetero crowds. Thus Friday nights became "Straight Night" and Saturday night catered to it original core community. Sundays and special holidays saw a mixing of the life-styles, which was my favorite gathering. It was a chance to experience a really energized and eclectic party, something that was not to be missed.
The story of the Paradise Garage could not be told without telling the story of Larry Levan. Larry was the Quintessential DJ of the 20th century without argument. You can read about him on any Google search, but I am going to send you HERE. It was because of Larry that the Garage was able to boast a lot of extras that was unheard of for nightclubs up to this point. The Garage had its own record label called "Garage Records", it had a house band, "The Peachboys", and the Garage even won Billboard Awards for best sound system several years in a row.
This next section originally from Carl's Garage and House Website
The Garage was membership based, meaning unless you were lucky enough to have a membership card you were not able to get in. The Garage started as a gay only nightclub, but because of popular demand and financial proliferation, it soon opened its membership to hetero crowds. Thus Friday nights became "Straight Night" and Saturday night catered to it original core community. Sundays and special holidays saw a mixing of the life-styles, which was my favorite gathering. It was a chance to experience a really energized and eclectic party, something that was not to be missed.
The story of the Paradise Garage could not be told without telling the story of Larry Levan. Larry was the Quintessential DJ of the 20th century without argument. You can read about him on any Google search, but I am going to send you HERE. It was because of Larry that the Garage was able to boast a lot of extras that was unheard of for nightclubs up to this point. The Garage had its own record label called "Garage Records", it had a house band, "The Peachboys", and the Garage even won Billboard Awards for best sound system several years in a row.
This next section originally from Carl's Garage and House Website
"After 11 years, as the best disco in town, the Paradise Garage will throw its final party on the September 26th, 1987. Owner Michael Brody says the club at 84 King Street, New York will close because protests from the Soho community kept his lease from being renewed. "They don't want a black club in their neighborhood," says Brody But the relationship between the members-only club and its patrons was an unusually peaceful one. People didn't come to network or get laid. Booze wasn't sold, drug use was discrete; the Paradise Garage was a place to dance. From midnight until 10 a.m. every Friday and Saturday you could shake your butt and not get harassed by chemically-altered ass holes. To the Blacks, Latin's, and Gays, who went there each weekend, the Garage was more than sanctuary. It was church."
More stories to come
I remember one night while David DePino was mixing I had come into the booth to do the lights on
the dance floor and in the booth was Jellybean and Judd Nelson. It seems Jellybean stopped by to
hang out with David and brought Judd Nelson along with him. In the 80's I was a total Breakfast
Club geek so I immediately went over to Judd and introduce myself. My first impression of him was
that he was a charismatic young man, and very out spoken, we talked for a bit and I showed him
the lighting set up of the club. I think that meeting people like Judd, Grace Jones, Madonna, and
Whitney back in those days made it possible for me to shake off the star struck fever for my lighting
career that was yet to take shape.
Posted by Ralph Curtis: December 2nd 2010
Posted by Ralph Curtis: December 2nd 2010
"Stevie Wonder had come into the DJ Booth one night and
was meeting people, When he was introduced to Larry, Larry seemed a bit shy and standoffish, Larry
didn't say too much to him . . I think Larry was shy. But that is the nature of the DJ Booth, When
you are up there you are doing a job, you really don't have time to meet and socialize with people
no matter who they are."
Posted by David Depino: November 5th 2010
Posted by David Depino: November 5th 2010
I frequently research the internet for
news and memorabilia about our beloved Paradise Garage. I always find some really good articles
and awesome images that pop up all over the place, which are truly entertaining and informative
even after all these years.
However, over the last few years I have been running into articles that seem to misrepresenting the origins and the creation of the Paradise Garage. . . this trend is becoming disturbing to me and I would like to make my own statement on this issue.
Unfortunately this post I am about to write may upset a few people, and for that I am truly sorry but as I said in the description of the page . . this is the "no spin zone" no holes bared . . . .
At this time, I would like to take up the issue of who created the Paradise Garage and who was the driving force behind getting this club off the ground.
It seems that over the years Michael Brody has been pushed to the side more and more and left as a footnote in preference of the more notable Mel Cheren. Which is understandable given the limited sources of factual material out there on this subject.
Now let me start out by saying, I like Mr Cheren, I spoke to him quite often in the early part of 2000 and I met him on occasion while I was working at the Garage . . so let this be known . . there is no ill will here.
I can not nor am I attempting to take anything away from Mel, he did some tremendous things with WestEnd records and the artists that performed on his liable, this can not be disputed, but when it comes to his involvement with the Paradise Garage, let us take it back a notch or two.
Make no mistake, Mike Brody was the sole proprietor and original visionary behind the Paradise Garage (Period).
In the begriming, Mr Brody borrowed money from a number of people to get the Garage off the ground, Mel Cheren was one among a chosen few . . . if you want to say this makes him part owner then that is fine, you have permission to run with that thought, but by that same token, everyone else who invested in Mr Brody also has a claim to the club. But in the end like all investments, the money was paid back, and Mr Cheren like everyone else was re repaid. . . end of story.
Mr Cheren personal involvement with Mike Brody may have given him a more elevated status position at the Garage than the rest of the investors, and Mr Cheren may have helped Mike Brody with the initial formation of the club as any personal partner would . . . , but the Ownership rights and labeling Mel shared involving the club ended not too long after the club was underway. In fact when I started working at the club in 1983, I only saw Mr Cheren a handful of times and by 1984 Mr Cheren was no longer allowed to be on the club property. . .
I remember this as a fact.
The only reason I am writing this post is as I said, I see Mike Brody being slowly pushed out of the history and the legacy of the Paradise Garage, only made possible because he died before the legacy could be told.
Had he been around to write the story of the Paradise Garage, I am sure it would have turned out differently.
Posted By Ralph Curtis: October 15th 2010
However, over the last few years I have been running into articles that seem to misrepresenting the origins and the creation of the Paradise Garage. . . this trend is becoming disturbing to me and I would like to make my own statement on this issue.
Unfortunately this post I am about to write may upset a few people, and for that I am truly sorry but as I said in the description of the page . . this is the "no spin zone" no holes bared . . . .
At this time, I would like to take up the issue of who created the Paradise Garage and who was the driving force behind getting this club off the ground.
It seems that over the years Michael Brody has been pushed to the side more and more and left as a footnote in preference of the more notable Mel Cheren. Which is understandable given the limited sources of factual material out there on this subject.
Now let me start out by saying, I like Mr Cheren, I spoke to him quite often in the early part of 2000 and I met him on occasion while I was working at the Garage . . so let this be known . . there is no ill will here.
I can not nor am I attempting to take anything away from Mel, he did some tremendous things with WestEnd records and the artists that performed on his liable, this can not be disputed, but when it comes to his involvement with the Paradise Garage, let us take it back a notch or two.
Make no mistake, Mike Brody was the sole proprietor and original visionary behind the Paradise Garage (Period).
In the begriming, Mr Brody borrowed money from a number of people to get the Garage off the ground, Mel Cheren was one among a chosen few . . . if you want to say this makes him part owner then that is fine, you have permission to run with that thought, but by that same token, everyone else who invested in Mr Brody also has a claim to the club. But in the end like all investments, the money was paid back, and Mr Cheren like everyone else was re repaid. . . end of story.
Mr Cheren personal involvement with Mike Brody may have given him a more elevated status position at the Garage than the rest of the investors, and Mr Cheren may have helped Mike Brody with the initial formation of the club as any personal partner would . . . , but the Ownership rights and labeling Mel shared involving the club ended not too long after the club was underway. In fact when I started working at the club in 1983, I only saw Mr Cheren a handful of times and by 1984 Mr Cheren was no longer allowed to be on the club property. . .
I remember this as a fact.
The only reason I am writing this post is as I said, I see Mike Brody being slowly pushed out of the history and the legacy of the Paradise Garage, only made possible because he died before the legacy could be told.
Had he been around to write the story of the Paradise Garage, I am sure it would have turned out differently.
Posted By Ralph Curtis: October 15th 2010
Ok . . . here is a story for you. . . . .
One Friday night, David DePino was rockin the dance floor, Peter Munoz had come into the booth to do the lights, so I left and went down to the front door to hang out with Noel for a bit. When I got to the front door, Noel had asked me if I ever heard of someone named "Ham berger". I didn't understand the question at first so he repeated it
"Did you ever hear of someone named Ham berger or something like that"
I told him no . . and truly I couldn't think of anyone I knew by this name . . .
Noel told me "Ham berger said he was some sort of musician and was in town to do a show"
So it started me to think who the heck was this guy . . . Ham berger? . . . Ham berger? . . . Hmmm and then it dawned on me . . . Meatloaf?
I asked Noel if that was the name . . . Noel says "Yes . . . that was his name Meatloaf . . Ham berger same thing
" I was totally psyched that meatloaf was in the house . . . I was seriously into 80's rock and roll in those days so meeting Meatloaf would have been awesome.
I looked at Noel and said "Well did he come in? . . . . were did he go? "
Noel looks at me and goes "Well, . . I didn't let him in because I didn't know who he was!" . . . . . . . . . . . . . D'Oh!
Posted By Ralph Curtis: Sept 10th 2006
One Friday night, David DePino was rockin the dance floor, Peter Munoz had come into the booth to do the lights, so I left and went down to the front door to hang out with Noel for a bit. When I got to the front door, Noel had asked me if I ever heard of someone named "Ham berger". I didn't understand the question at first so he repeated it
"Did you ever hear of someone named Ham berger or something like that"
I told him no . . and truly I couldn't think of anyone I knew by this name . . .
Noel told me "Ham berger said he was some sort of musician and was in town to do a show"
So it started me to think who the heck was this guy . . . Ham berger? . . . Ham berger? . . . Hmmm and then it dawned on me . . . Meatloaf?
I asked Noel if that was the name . . . Noel says "Yes . . . that was his name Meatloaf . . Ham berger same thing
" I was totally psyched that meatloaf was in the house . . . I was seriously into 80's rock and roll in those days so meeting Meatloaf would have been awesome.
I looked at Noel and said "Well did he come in? . . . . were did he go? "
Noel looks at me and goes "Well, . . I didn't let him in because I didn't know who he was!" . . . . . . . . . . . . . D'Oh!
Posted By Ralph Curtis: Sept 10th 2006
" Here is a fun
fact about the dance floor, there was sand underneath the hardwood floors that
served as a sound deadener. and If I am not mistaken, the bass cabinet is called
a Bertha, the Levan portion is the extension/mouth that sits in front of it, Larry's
own designed, trademarked, I think. The Bertha's can be found in many clubs but
few have the Levan extension. "
"Larry had named the sound system Zookie as he believed it had a life of its own. I was the one with him with the wires were cut from the amplifiers days after the club had closed, he actually asked me to do it. He told me that day that Zookie would never be able to be played anywhere else."
Posted By Michael R Sampson: July 10th 2005
"Larry had named the sound system Zookie as he believed it had a life of its own. I was the one with him with the wires were cut from the amplifiers days after the club had closed, he actually asked me to do it. He told me that day that Zookie would never be able to be played anywhere else."
Posted By Michael R Sampson: July 10th 2005
When the
Paradise Garage closed, I had gone over to "The Saint" to apply for
a lighting position. The manager asked me what would it take to give the Saint the same
sort of vibe that the Garage had, (as if that were possible), I believe his exact words were,"What
would it take to make us like the Garage". I told him he would have to fire his
staff and hire all of us because that was the only way he would even come close
to the energy and charisma of the Garage. The Garage was not about any one of
us it was about all of us. It was the feeling you got as you climbed the steps
of the subway on Houston. It was the way you felt when you saw Noel smiling at
the front door and greeted you as you entered. It was the way you felt as you
climbed the ramp and Eduardo smiled at you as he took your ticket. It was the
way you could trust steve and Juan to keep an eye on your things in the coatroom
without you having to worrying. It was the at home feeling you got when you entered
that door because Hector Matta made sure that the club was spotlessly cleaned
and the floors were buffed and polished. It was the way Kenny kept food and drink
out for you. It was the way the security guys kept us all safe, and we didn't
even know they were around. It was the way Patrick kept the designs fresh and
interesting for us every week. And it was Larry and David who made us Party and
forget our troubles, if only for that evening. That is what the Garage was about."
"I never got that Job at the Saint.. I wonder why!"
Posted By Ralph Curtis: February 1st 2005
"I never got that Job at the Saint.. I wonder why!"
Posted By Ralph Curtis: February 1st 2005