I Never Been Laid So Low — 1. Paul Simon discovered the title of “Mother and Child Reunion” on the menu of what Chinese restaurant in New York? A. Shun Lee B. Nom Wah C. Say Eng Lok D. Ruby Foo’s Den 2. Who was the first to perform at the 1969 Woodstock Festival? A. Sweetwater B…

It’s sad to report that Neil’s Coffee Shop, a mainstay eatery of the Upper East Side, was evicted in March 2023 after years of court battles and about $1 million in unpaid rent. Longtime owner Christo Kaloudis filed for bankruptcy in September 2022 and died in early 2023. “In late…

‘New York Groove: An Inside Look at the Stars, Shows, and Songs That Make NYC Rock’ Book Excerpt — A new documentary by director Martin Scorsese on David Johansen, the former lead singer of the New York Dolls, will debut on Showtime on April 14th. Personality Crisis: One Night Only follows Johansen’s career from the formation of the seminal punk band to the singer’s transformation into alter ego Buster…

High-Heeled Sneakers and an Alligator Hat — 1. Mitch Ryder’s “Devil with a Blue Dress On” was originally recorded by A. Shorty Long B. Huey “Piano” Smith C. Little Richard D. Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs 2. When American songwriters Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer released “I Want Candy” as the Strangeloves in 1965…

American artists dominated the music industry for decades until the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and other British bands arrived on our shores in 1964. Fans embraced the new sound, but once-popular artists at home suddenly found there was no room on radio playlists for their records. Concert gigs dried up, and…

If You Breathe the Air, You’ll Die — 1. The lyric “There’s rumors of war” in “Are You Ready?” is from A. The Bible B. The Analects C. The Book of Mormon D. The I Ching 2. Janis Joplin: “Everybody keeps saying I’m trying to be…” A. Big Mama Thornton B. Aretha Franklin C. Billie Holiday D. Tina…

“Werewolves of London,” from Warren Zevon’s 1978 Excitable Boy album, was written by Zevon with longtime friends Waddy Wachtel and Roy Marinell. Jackson Browne, who produced the song, told Rolling Stone that “Werewolves of London” is a “Victorian nightmare.” “It’s about a really well-dressed ladies’ man, a werewolf preying on…

In this excerpt from New York Groove: An Inside Look at the Stars, Shows, and Songs That Make NYC Rock, one of rock’s greatest live albums is recorded in New York’s East Village. Guitarist Robbie Robertson hoped to re-energize the music of The Band during a four-night stand at the…

Weber and Heilbroner, “furnishers to men who know,” was a chain of men’s clothing stores founded by Milton Weber and Louis Heilbroner in 1902. The two entrepreneurs established their original haberdashery in about 1900 at 920 Third Avenue. The company expanded rapidly. By 1910, an ad boasted nine Manhattan locations…