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Fungus documenting a 1924 climb to the top of the Hunter Mountain Observatory

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Every now and then we find a true treasure in a house contents call. Plucked from the destiny of the dumpster was this tree fungus memorializing a special summer day in the Catskill Mountains eighty-five years ago.

This tells the date of the EVENTFUL CLIMB of mother (Belle Schumer) Aug. 29, ’24.

Started – 10:30
Reached Top – 4:30
Arrived home – 6:30

Glorious day – glorious time – glorious view. Mom is haps.
HUNTER OBSERVATORY.

J.m. Schumer
Belle
Natalie
Arthur
Leo Jacobs
Mabel
Harold
David Melvin
Rebecca Cohen
Nathan
Miss Cohen*

*and a few other names we can’t make out.

(These fungi are called “Artist’s Fungus” because you can scratch on them with a stick and the image is burned into the surface permanently. People still draw on them to this day, and for that matter, people still hike to the Catskills’ fire towers to take in the mountain views.

Posted in History, Uncategorized, Vintage Items | 1 Comment »

Mystery Spot Theme Song by Half Japanese’s David Fair

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Several years ago I received an email from David Fair of the band Half Japanese introducing himself (though of course I knew who he was!). We began a fun correspondence and he sent me all sorts of surprise packages of his amazing paper cuttings, music and, one day…..a Mystery Spot theme song which he wrote, played, sang and recorded! It’s totally awesome, and you can hear it here:

Mystery Spot Theme Song by David Fair

Walkin' the Floor Over You.

It turns out that when he renovated his kitchen he decided to forgo the usual linoleum floor for something much more personal and creative. He downloaded images of artwork and photos that he liked from the internet and printed them out into eight by eight inch squares. Added to that a bunch of family snapshots. (And for some reason, lots of pictures of ventriloquists’ dummies). All in all he made 1098 tiles which he glued to the floor and covered with seven coats of polyurethane. I was honored to be included in his floor – he’s got several of my pieces there, which he and his family walk over all day long. If you look closely, you can probably spot some of your favorite artists.

Those are a couple of my birds in the middle.

David, Pam and Harper drove up to Phoenicia from Maryland to pay a visit to the Mystery Spot.

David Fair and his brother Jad Fair (the other half of Half Japanese) have a new show of their paper cuts which opened this weekend at the wonderful gallery Yard Dog in Austin, Texas. We highly recommend you check it out if you’re in the Austin area – or just check out the link for a nice display of some of the pieces, which can be ordered online.

Posted in Cool Customers, History, Theme Songs | No Comments »

Come Visit Us at MoMA!

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

When we’re not busy climbing over dead raccoons to get into dark, clutter-filled attics, fighting off grabby gabbys at estate sales or aspiring to be the first buyer at a 7 AM yard sale (note to self: give up, you’ll never get up early enough), when the Mystery Spot has taken its winter break to go into deep hibernation mode, we do in fact have another life.

Look, Ma! I made it! (photo by Candace Kaller)

That life has taken us to gallery openings and film festivals, and most recently and thrillingly, through the doors of The Museum of Modern Art and up one flight to the Yoshiko and Akio Morita Media Gallery (just off the atrium) where our photographs are currently on display in the exhibition Looking at Music 3.0.

Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz in front of my 1981 photograph of Tina Weymouth and Grandmaster Flash in front of a Lee Quinones graffiti wall.

We highly recommend you check out the show. It’s an interesting, vibrant trip back to the New York City of the 80s and 90s, the days when music and art had a few drinks, did a little dance, made a little love, and created little art babies. Kraftwerk and Afrika Bambaataa. Spike Lee and Public Enemy. Spike Jonze and Beastie Boys. Sonic Youth, Brian Eno, Run DMC, The Residents, Karen Finley, Laurie Anderson, John Zorn. Christian Marclay’s vinyl assemblages, stacks of riot grrrl zines. Lee Quinones, Cey Adams. Posters, videos and audio stations. Kathleen Hanna, Miranda July. And of course, our own contribution, ten black and white portraits of some of the most interesting musicians and artists of the day.

The entry to the gallery.

Barbara London, Associate Curator at MoMA’s Department of Media and Performance chose a generous selection of my photographs to hang in the exhibition. The gallery room itself is a sight to behold – garishly colored (in a good way!) lime green, acid orange and sunburst yellow walls, music pumping, a big-ass crash pad plopped right in front of a huge video screen where you can chill while Diamanda Galas screeches her way into your heart or Keith Haring paints Grace Jones from head to toe. I can’t think of a better place to be if forced to spend time in midtown Manhattan.

The crash pad in the middle of the gallery.

I must admit I don’t make it to my city’s art museums as often as I ought to, but this reminds me what I’ve been missing. Go on Friday if you don’t have the scratch for the twenty dollar admission. The kind folks at Target have underwritten Target Free Fridays at MoMA and basically, if you arrive around 4:30 you can sweep right in, gratis. Even the coat check is free.

My photo of Keith Haring (1983), in situ at MoMA.

That's me in front of my photos of the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Treacherous Three, and Afrika Bambaataa. (photo by Muriel Rozin).

Check out the Ab-Ex show, Picasso’s Guitars, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and then wander over to the second floor and say hello to Tina Weymouth and Grandmaster Flash, Madonna, and the Treacherous Three. Wassup to Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, and Salt-n-Pepa. Fab Five Freddy’s in the house, as are Ann Magnuson, Afrika Bambaataa and Keith Haring. That’s the Laura Levine posse, the black and white photographs which can be seen on all four walls.

Can’t make the show? Here you go:

Laura Levine. Tina Weymouth & Grandmaster Flash, NYC, 1981. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches. © Laura Levine

Laura Levine. Beastie Boys, NYC 1987, Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches. © Laura Levine

Laura Levine. Keith Haring in his studio, NYC, 1983. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches © Laura Levine

Laura Levine. Madonna, NYC, 1982. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches © Laura Levine

Laura Levine. Treacherous Three, NYC 1981. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches © Laura Levine

Laura Levine. Afrika Bambaataa, NYC, 1983. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches. © Laura Levine

Laura Levine. Ann Magnuson, Revival Meeting, Life Cafe, NYC, 1982. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches. © Laura Levine.

Laura Levine. Run DMC, NYC, 1987. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches. © Laura Levine

Laura Levine. Fab Five Freddy, NYC, 1981. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches © Laura Levine

Laura Levine. Salt-n-Pepa, NYC, 1987. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches. © Laura Levine

Posted in History, Laura Levine | 5 Comments »

Is Phoenicia One of the Coolest Small Towns in America?

Sunday, December 26th, 2010

We think so! And so does Budget Travel Magazine, as we’re on their short list of America’s Coolest Small Towns. Check out the extra-cool shout-out to the Mystery Spot, and then go to this link and vote for us!

Phoenicia, N.Y. (Pop. 388)

Two and a half hours north of New York City, this tiny town in the Catskill Mountains is a smaller version of nearby Woodstock: quiet and rural, with a hippie vibe and an artsy edge. Phoenicia’s main drag is humbled by panoramic views of the magnificent 286,000-acre Catskill Forest Preserve, but surprisingly trendy stores line the street, like Mystery Spot Antiques—packed with vintage clothing, out-of-print books, and quirky housewares—and the Arts Upstairs, a seven-room gallery of original works, often by local artists. Thanks to a wealth of ex-Manhattanites who settled here a decade ago, Phoenicia has plenty of quality restaurants. Sweet Sue’s may look like a regular diner, but the line of locals out the door should tip you off: The brunch menu includes renowned home fries and 25 types of pancakes, like pumpkin, mixed berry, and even carrot.

Posted in History, Press & Reviews | No Comments »

A Three-Minute Tour of the Mystery Spot hosted by Anna, age 8.

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Posted in History, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

A Summer’s Weekend (or Two)

Friday, August 13th, 2010

Visits with some of our friends, neighbors and customers who’ve popped into the Mystery Spot recently. We’re deep into the summer rush here at the Spot, so forgive us lagging behind on posts. Do keep checking back for more updates, including photos (and video!) from Ida, The Naysayer, and Holly Miranda’s porch shows.

Our friend Michael Gira has been very productive lately. Case in point: new son Swan (left) and a new Swans release (My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky) coming on September 27. And an upcoming world tour. (Extra Credit Fun Fact: we (that is, Laura Levine) took the photos for Swans Children of God album cover.

Swans, NYC, 1985 © Laura Levine

This photograph (above) isn’t from Children of God, but it’s one we took around the same time.

World-renowned mezzo soprano Maria Todaro has sung the title role of Carmen and numerous other lead roles on opera stages around the world, and was tickled to find this 1895 libretto of Carmen in our book room (Homer’s Books d’Arte). She and her partners will be bringing the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice to the Catskills in mid-August and it promises to be an amazing event. You’ll be able to see her perform al fresco in the park in Falstaff on the evening of Sat. Aug. 14. (And the next day come on by the Spot to catch Jonathan and Grasshopper from Mercury Rev and Dean and Britta on our porch at 1 PM for a free show!).

Molly models our favorite vintage Forties child’s green smock (ties in the back) with white piping ($40.). Since we last saw her, Molly has learned to do a handstand.

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Love Notes

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

One of our favorite moments when we open the shop for the weekend is reading what’s been scribbled on our LEAVE A NOTE pad. Sometimes we find notes from people letting us know what they left money for, or notes from friends passing through. Often, we discover little pictures or mini-reviews of the shop.

Last week's missive.

[caption id="attachment_1431" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="An assortment of recent love notes."]

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A distant view.

Posted in History, Randomness, Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Mystery Spot Rocks! (Part 1)

Friday, June 25th, 2010

The Mystery Spot must be sending secret rock star pheremones out into the mountains. How else to explain the outstanding musical talent that stepped through our doors the other weekend?First, two old friends of ours’, Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo stopped in. OK, this wasn’t a total surprise, as they told us they were going to stop by, but it’s always so nice to see them and catch up on old times and new doings.

Ira and Georgia headed straight back to the vinyl room (no surprise there) and stocked up on a pile of great vintage 45′s ($3. each) including the original single of CAT NIP by Dave “Baby” Cortez. Kismet, as just recently, Ira recorded a cover of that very song with his friends the A-Bones, with none other than Dave “Baby” Cortez himself joining the session.Here’s a little piece of Yo La Tengo trivia you probably didn’t know: the very first time Ira and Georgia performed together in public (the debut, as it were, of Yo La Tengo) was in May 1982, at my twenty-fourth birthday party at the offices of the New York Rocker, where we all worked. (I was Photo Editor/Chief Photographer, and Ira was Record Review Editor). In fact, here’s a photo of that fateful, historic moment:

That’s me (Laura Levine, the birthday girl) attempting to carry a tune as Ira and Georgia back me, and Will Rigby from the dB’s is up to his usual shenanigans. (I wish I could remember who took this – Ina G., perhaps? I know I handed my camera to someone when I took the mike….)

Here’s another – this one’s by me – that’s Ira on the left, Georgia on drums, Managing Editor Glenn Morrow (of the Individuals) on vocals, and Peter Holsapple (of the dB’s) on guitar.

It was an annual tradition to host my birthday parties at the Rocker offices – any excuse for a beer-soaked musical free-for-all. The office was on the second-floor loft of a building on on lower Fifth Avenue (166 Fifth). A few ratty sofas and broken metal desks, with an amazing array of records and posters taped up to the walls. All thanks for our editor, Andy Schwartz for making it so homey. As Andy recently pointed out in his blog, most all of our little group still remains friends to this day.

Not to go off on too much of a tangent here, but for those of you interested in reading more about my early days as a downtown New York music photographer, here’s a good, thorough read – a three -part interview conducted by Scott Woods of rockcritics.com which really got my brain cells firing on all cylinders as I mined the past to answer his questions. You can also see more of my music photos on my website.

OK, that’s just Part One of our rock star weekend! Keep reading to see who came in next….

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Even More Favorite Customers of the Mystery Spot!

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Super Trooper Sylvia looks simply divine in this fresh 1970’s floral chiffon top with pleated cape sleeves ($45., NOS), vintage yellow cords ($25.), 1950’s pink straw hat lined in gingham ($40.) and groovy Zodiac pendant necklace ($15.)

This is Sylvia’s dad – and our good friend - Sparrow: poet, author, former Presidential Candidate. He’s holding a vintage naugahyde red mouse ($10.). Look for his next book of selected works – in stores sometime next year. (Working title: America, This Is Your Last Chance! (Soft Skull)).

The Mystery Spot was thrilled when Helen Hamilton, the original illustrator of the Happy Hollisters book series, popped in for a visit. Helen told us that she used her own children as models for her wonderful depictions of the Happy Hollister family, and then she insisted we photograph her with this decapitated Wanda the Unaided Walking Doll (NFS). Come back soon, Helen!

More happy customers! Photographer David LaChapelle and his friend Anthony picked up a supply of our mint 1960′s trash tabloids, Midnight and The National Informer ($10. each). ARE Nude Models Perverts? You’ll have to read it to find out!

While on a recent buying trip “up north,” we uncovered a huge stash of New Old Stock vintage 60′s and 70′s outfits from a trendy boutique that closed its doors thirty years ago. Spot-ettes Marlise, Tessa and Aidan model some of the one-size-fits-all embroidered gauze hippie halter tops ($20.). But if you want to know where these fabulous outfits came from….they’re not telling!

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Traveling Back in the Mystery Spot Time Machine (1)

Monday, January 4th, 2010

This is what fifteen looks like in Phoenicia. It rocks! Michaela and Hailey couldn’t wait to try on these vintage 1970’s matching “Miss Ingenue” hot pink and orange checked knit tops ($22.) and vintage front patch pocket Wrangler jeans ($28.). The vintage purses completed the ensembles.

(Did we happen to mention that Michaela writes and plays the ukulele, and that Hailey is a former boxer who is now attending college? Did we happen to mention that they are fifteen? Don’t you feel old right about now? We do!)

Zach Alford may have great taste in music (as a drummer he’s toured with Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, and the B-52′s) but his taste in fine art is questionable, at best. We caught him admiring lovely ladies Carmelita and Esquerita in the Mystery Spot Black Velvet Nude Lady Art Gallery. (Though an absolute bargain at only $85. each, or $150. for the pair!)

Our good friend Storey is four years old. She loves to go to the zoo and she really loves to collect elephants! She’s wearing a shiny gold elephant necklace ($12.) and a simply adorable pink and orange 1950’s party dress with a crinoline lining ($28.) that her parents got for her.

Why are Erin and Jason smiling? Is it because they just bought this groovy Fifties Sputnik metal mod table lamp ($95.) and other assorted treasures? Or - maybe – is it because the night before, Jason proposed to Erin on the banks of the Esopus Creek (yes, a classically executed one-knee affair), and she accepted? (Note ring!). In any case, we were thrilled to see romance blossom once again in the aisles of The Mystery Spot, and gave them an early wedding gift of the Vogue Sewing Book.

We were thrilled when Mary Randolph Carter, the world’s foremost authority on junk (and the author of “American Junk,” “Big City Junk,” etc.), dropped by for a visit. She not only bought lots and lots of stuff, but featured The Mystery Spot on her website, www.carterjunk.com. (Go to “On the Road” and then “Junker’s Journal,” and you can read all about Carter’s visit. Lots of pics!). A great website, a dedicated junker, and her books are a must-read!

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