With the possible exception of The Factory or Studio 54 -- both of which were far too intimidating anyway -- no place intrigued me more as a teen than Max's Kansas City, Mickey Ruskin's legendary downtown restaurant/club of the late '60s and '70s where art, music and fashion intersected in ways that have never been seen again. As an obsessive Blondie fan since way back when, Max's has long been on my radar as the cultural epicenter of the era, with tales of William S. Burroughs, Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning and John Chamberlain talking shop while waitress Debbie Harry refilled your drinks as the house band -- the Velvet Underground(!) -- played on. But it was Patti Smith's recent memoir, "Just Kids," that really exposed me to the inner sanctum, where up-and-coming artists and performers scrounged up enough money for a cup of coffee just to be inside the joint, hoping to someday be seated with "the cool kids" in the famed backroom. Recently, Michael and I viewed a wonderful exhibit over at The Steven Kasher Gallery (521 W. 23rd St.), which features more than 100 vintage photos shot at Max's and views like a who's who of hip New York during the embattled Vietnam and post-Nixon era. (Through Oct. 9, more information HERE.) An accompanying book, "Max's Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll," is available HERE.
Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol, Tim Buckley, and Janis Joplin at Max's Kansas City, 1968
John Waters
David Johansen & Johnny Thunders
Bebe Buell and Todd Rundgren (aka Liv Tyler's nonfather)
The B-52's (1978)
Bruce Springsteen, who played an acoustic gig at Max's back in the summer of '72
Billy Idol, one of the many punk/new wavers from Max's second phase under Tommy Dean Mills
Patti Smith
Patti's partner in crime, Robert Mapplethorpe
Blondie (1976)
Debbie Harry (1976)
Devo (1978)
The jukebox at Max's was equal parts Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Shirelles -- aka Heaven on Earth
With the famed insignia (chick peas sold separately)
According to a flier in the display case, you could get a shrimp cocktail for $2.80 -- and see Ronnie and the Jitters along with Jimmy Destri's sister, Donna Destri, for a mere 5 bucks back in the day.
I'll bet you can guess what my drink of choice would have been!
With the possible exception of The Factory or Studio 54 -- both of which were far too intimidating anyway -- no place intrigued me more as a teen than Max's Kansas City, Mickey Ruskin's legendary downtown restaurant/club of the late '60s and '70s where art, music and fashion intersected in ways that have never been seen again. As an obsessive Blondie fan since way back when, Max's has long been on my radar as the cultural epicenter of the era, with tales of William S. Burroughs, Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning and John Chamberlain talking shop while waitress Debbie Harry refilled your drinks as the house band -- the Velvet Underground(!) -- played on. But it was Patti Smith's recent memoir, "Just Kids," that really exposed me to the inner sanctum, where up-and-coming artists and performers scrounged up enough money for a cup of coffee just to be inside the joint, hoping to someday be seated with "the cool kids" in the famed backroom. Recently, Michael and I viewed a wonderful exhibit over at The Steven Kasher Gallery (521 W. 23rd St.), which features more than 100 vintage photos shot at Max's and views like a who's who of hip New York during the embattled Vietnam and post-Nixon era. (Through Oct. 9, more information HERE.) An accompanying book, "Max's Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll," is available HERE.
Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol, Tim Buckley, and Janis Joplin at Max's Kansas City, 1968
John Waters
David Johansen & Johnny Thunders
Bebe Buell and Todd Rundgren (aka Liv Tyler's nonfather)
The B-52's (1978)
Bruce Springsteen, who played an acoustic gig at Max's back in the summer of '72
Billy Idol, one of the many punk/new wavers from Max's second phase under Tommy Dean Mills
Patti Smith
Patti's partner in crime, Robert Mapplethorpe 
Blondie (1976)
Debbie Harry (1976)
Devo (1978)
The jukebox at Max's was equal parts Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Shirelles -- aka Heaven on Earth
With the famed insignia (chick peas sold separately)
According to a flier in the display case, you could get a shrimp cocktail for $2.80 -- and see Ronnie and the Jitters along with Jimmy Destri's sister, Donna Destri, for a mere 5 bucks back in the day.
I'll bet you can guess what my drink of choice would have been!
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