I was first introduced to New York underground cinema through the pages of Film Threat Magazine. There were articles, reviews, and ads for weird, abstract films that looked like nothing I’d ever seen before. There were VHS tapes available for The Best of the New York Underground as well as Hardcore: The Films of Richard Kern. I eventually landed copies of these tapes and was introduced to people who were fixtures of the underground in New York, like Nick Zedd, Lydia Lunch, and Kembra Pfahler.
The discovery of Kembra led me to her band/performance art project, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. My obsession with them would lead me to Joe Coleman. All these people would lead me to discover just what performance art was and just how important it was to the New York underground. There was a film in 1988 that would showcase some of these artists that I always wanted to but never saw, Mondo New York. Thirty-five years later, I finally saw it, and thanks to the MVD Rewind Collection, it’s in the best possible presentation.
“Home to Outcasts, Misfits, Losers, Perverts, Lunatics, Gangsters, Pranksters, Outlaws, Neurotics, Psychotics, Maniacs, Hippies, Yippes, Yuppies, Junkies, Flunkies, Monkeys, All trying to claw their way to the top of trash heap, all screaming me, me, I want my fortune, my lousy fifteen minutes, my what the f*** whatever it is – You want it? We got it! It’s Mondo New York.”
The movie follows an innocent young blonde (Shannah Laumeister) as she walks through 1980s Lower Manhattan and stops to see various artists performing. The first one was the one that really stuck with me was a performance by Phoebe Legere. She appeared in both The Toxic Avenger parts two and three as blind lover Claire. Her song “Marilyn Monroe” is featured in a memorable and sexually charged moment.
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Lydia Lunch gives a killer monologue to open the movie, and Joe Coleman sets off firecrackers on his chest right after biting the head off a couple of rats. There’s body painting, BDSM, a singing devil(?), and two hilarious comedians, Charlie Barnett and Rick Aviles, who use racial comedy to great effect. We are also treated to performances from Dean and the Weenies, John Sex, and Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom.
The film is dated, and that’s what makes it so special. It captures Manhattan in the ’80s, which only exists in the memories of those who lived in and on film.
MVD Rewind uses their expertise to put together a wonderful set that includes several bonus features like interviews with Joe Coleman, Joey Arias, Shannah Laumeister, and producer Stuart Shapiro, original trailer, a photo gallery, reversible artwork, limited slipcover, a 2-sided mini-poster, and the soundtrack CD which was the icing for me.
The new 2K HD transfer of Mondo New York is stunning, really giving the audience a clear and vibrant look at the New York underground scene that was so unique and important to how art is expressed.
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