Max's Kansas City
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Max's Kansas City was a nightclub (upstairs) and restaurant (downstairs) at 213 Park Avenue South, between 17th and 18th Streets, in New York City. Opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933-1983) in December 1965, it was a hangout for artists and sculptors of the New York School, sculptor John Chamberlain, Robert Rauschenberg and Larry Rivers, whose presence attracted hip celebrities and the jet set, and also a favorite spot of Andy Warhol's entourage. The Velvet Underground played their last shows with Lou Reed at Max's in the summer of 1970. It was homebase for the shortlived Glitter rock scene that included David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and, of course, Lou Reed. This was the first place many bands began their careers. Both Aerosmith and Bruce Springsteen played their first New York City gigs there.
In the 1970s, Max's Kansas City became one of the birthplaces of punk rock, featuring bands like Cherry Vanilla, The New York Dolls, Blondie, The Ramones, The Misfits, The Dictators (who were falsely rumoured to have been banned from playing there), Wayne County, The Fleshtones, and Patti Smith, as well as out of town bands in the same vein such as The Runaways, and The Damned. After the breakup of the Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious played many of his solo gigs there. Also Bob Marley & The Wailers had a couple of shows there in the beginning of Marley's career in 1973.
Max's Kansas City's popularity declined after pop art had transformed into punk rock and the legendary establishment closed in December 1974. The club reopened in 1975 under new ownership. Max's closed its doors for good in 1981. The building is still there. For several years the ground floor housed a Burger King, and it now houses a deli.
[edit] Further reading
- Yvonne Sewall-Ruskin, High on Rebellion: Inside the Underground at Max's Kansas City (1998). Mickey Ruskin's widow really knew who was there.
"The max's kansas city stories" Tony Weinberger
