The Doorman Of The Mudd Club Recalls Crazy Tales Of Nightlife Past

Richard Boch moved to Greenwich Village in 1976 and became the keeper of an entryway to New York nightlife. Centered at 77 White Street, The Mudd Club was the heartbeat of a New York past, all encapsulated in Boch's new book.

As the doorman of the artsy, rock 'n' roll hot spot, Boch famously used to say, "If you’ve been standing here for more than 10 minutes, you’re not getting in." But boy, does he have some stories to tell about those who did.

Everyone from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, and Robert Rauschenberg to Johnny Rotten, The Hell's Angels, and John Belushi passed through his doors. From extensive drug culture and bathroom hangouts to Russian girls tipping over in the middle of a makeup application, it was always too early (and too late) to go home. 

The book launched this week at The Roxy Hotel's subterranean venue, The Django, and it was the perfect setting for an exclusive older crowd reliving their heyday. The Bush Tetras, similarly popular on the 1980s Manhattan club scene, performed a set, paying tribute to a lost branch of New York life below Canal Street. They ended their night saying, "Thanks, you die-hard weirdos." And thank you, Mr. Boch.

MUST READ OF THE DECADE @muddclub_book @richardbochny Claudia Summers Amos Poe Photographed by Dustin Pittman @_claudia_summers_ #amospoe #brilliantartists @richardbochny @muddclub_book @theroxyhotelnyc #bushtetras #friendsforever #mustreadbookofthedecade #muddclub #wildandcrazynites #liverockandroll #breakingboundaries #individualitymatters #diversityrules #blessed #dustinpittman @dustinpop
A post shared by Poparchives by Dustin Pittman (@dustinpop) on Oct 17, 2017 at 8:36am PDT