"It was the summer of the garbage strike, transit strike, Son of Sam serial killer and the blackout and riots that followed," she told PopMatters in 2013. "The city was bankrupt and half in ruin ... The streets were empty at night except for stray dogs. It was a wilderness and we all found each other and huddled together for warmth and food, which was scarce and not very good. We all wanted to do everything and of course we did."
"She renovated a storefront on East 10th Street and lived in it for a period, then charged the next tenants a fee for the repairs she'd made. She used the money to buy a cassette recorder, with which she made demos for East and West, her debut album. Her songs-staunch, curious, seemingly drawn from the luminous zone between dreams-made loneliness sound like an art form, perhaps tapping into memories of a childhood spent moving from place to place with her family."
Anna Domino moved to New York City in 1977 amid garbage and transit strikes, Son of Sam killings, and a blackout that produced riots. She learned trades like wiring and boiler installation, worked in sweatshops, and renovated apartments and a storefront to earn money. She bought a cassette recorder and made demos that became East and West, her 1984 debut. Her songs are staunch, curious, and drawn from a luminous zone between dreams, turning loneliness into an artful mode. She frequented the Mudd Club and Max's Kansas City and cultivated an independent avant-pop voice that felt like a scene of one.
Read at Pitchfork
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]