In the early 1960s, restaurateur Mickey Ruskin operated several establishments in New York City, gaining a following. In 1965, a space became available at 213 Park Avenue South, between 17th and 18th Street in Union Square. It had originally been opened as a pharmacy by an older owner, who soon realized the location was better suited for a restaurant. The owner converted it into The Southern, later sold it, and eventually had to take it back after the new owner went bankrupt. By then, he was tired of running the place, so Ruskin acquired it with almost no money down and a long-term, affordable lease. He transformed it into Max's Kansas City, which opened later that year.
Max's I
The grand opening on December 6, 1965, drew a modest crowd of eight, which included artists Larry Zox, John Chamberlain, Neal Williams, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, and Frank Stella. [3] However, Max's soon became a hangout of choice for artists and sculptors from the Park Place Gallery and the Green Gallery. [4]
Max's had three main areas: Bar, Back Room, and Upstairs. [5] Max's became a favorite spot for Andy Warhol and his "superstars," who dominated the back room that was lit by Dan Flavin's red light installation. [6] [7] [8] His presence attracted hip celebrities and the jet set, helping to cement its allure within the fashion and art worlds. Warhol had a standing arrangement with Ruskin—he traded artwork for credit—so his entourage could simply sign for their dinners until the credit was exhausted. [7] In his memoir Popism , Warhol recalled:
Max's Kansas City was the exact place where Pop Art and pop life came together in New York in the sixties—teeny boppers and sculptors, rock stars and poets from St. Mark's Place, Hollywood actors checking out what the underground actors were all about, boutique owners and models, modern dancers and go-go dancers—everybody went to Max's and everything got homogenized there. [7]
The Velvet Underground played at Max's regularly, including their last shows with Lou Reed before he quit the band, in the summer of 1970. It was a home base for the glam rock scene, which included Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, the New York Dolls, Jayne County (then Wayne County), Dorian Zero and the Magic Tramps.
Many bands made early appearances there. Bruce Springsteen played a solo acoustic set in the summer of 1972. [9] He also played sets at the club on November 6, 7, and 8, 1973. [10] Bob Marley & the Wailers opened for Springsteen at Max's, commencing Marley's career on the international circuit. Iggy and the Stooges performed a string of shows in July and August 1973. [11] Big Star performed two shows in December 1973. [12] Patti Smith and guitarist Lenny Kaye also performed there as a duo on New Year's Day 1974, opening for Phil Ochs. [13] Max's was the site of Aerosmith's first New York City gig. Tim Buckley, Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, Odetta, Eddie Mottau, Dave Van Ronk, John Herald, Garland Jeffreys, Sylvia Tyson, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Elliott Murphy and Country Joe McDonald were some of the musicians who also played there.
Fashion designer Carlos Falchi was a busboy, [15] as was artist, publisher and filmmaker Anton Perich; [16] Deborah Harry was a waitress there. [17]
Until February 1974, Max's was regarded as New York's premier Rock club, but the venue faced significant financial difficulties. [18] Ruskin filed for bankruptcy under Chapter XI in August 1974, a provision that allowed the business to remain open while reorganizing its debts. [19] The reasons for the bankruptcy remain contested: Ruskin attributed it to competition from the newly opened Bottom Line, whereas other accounts, including that of Upstairs at Max's manager Faris Bouhofa, cited mismanagement and overexpansion in the preceding years. [18]
In September 1974, the courts appointed restaurateur Donaldo Scivero to take over operations at Max's. [20] Scivero had the option to purchase the club, which he was required to exercise by December 12. [21] When he declined, Ruskin resumed management. [21] However, on December 19, Con Edison shut off the club's power—apparently the final blow for Ruskin, who had only just regained control a week earlier, and Max's was closed indefinitely. [21]
New York City mayor Ed Koch later had a campaign office in the building. [22]
Max's II
Max's Kansas City reopened in 1975 [23] under the ownership of Tommy Dean Mills, who initially thought he would make it a disco. Peter Crowley, who had been booking the same early punk bands that played at CBGB and Mothers, a gay bar on West 23rd Street, was hired to book bands at Max's. [24]
Under Crowley's guidance the club became one of the birthplaces of punk, [23] regularly featuring bands including Cherry Vanilla, Wayne County & the Electric Chairs, Ruby and the Rednecks, The Offs, The Fast, Suicide (who all appeared on the compilation album 1976 Max's Kansas City [25] ), the New York Dolls, Patti Smith Group, the Ramones, the Mumps, the Heartbreakers, Television, Blondie, Talking Heads, Sniper, the Dictators, the Cramps, Mink DeVille, Misfits, Little Annie, the Fleshtones, the B-52's, the Stimulators, the Bongos and Klaus Nomi, as well as out-of-town bands such as the Runaways and the Damned. After the breakup of the Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious played all of his US solo gigs there. Devo played several shows at Max's in 1977, [26] including a show where they were introduced by David Bowie as "the band of the future." [27] Max's Kansas City is mentioned in the Sex Pistols' song "New York" from Never Mind The Bollocks album, 1976.
Max's original site closed on December 12, 1981. The Rattlers and Ronnie and The Jitters were the performers on the final night. [28] The building survives and in 2010 was found to house a Korean deli. [29]
