Hotel Bretton Hall...2350 W86th street and Broadway....1977 Photo un-credited..but downloaded from the Bretton Hall FB page In Jan 1981...I found myself in need of new living arrangements, and after a short search I found new accommodations...at the Hotel Bretton Hall…located on the upper west side at 85th and 86th on Broadway. The Hotel, built in 1903, was a 12 story residential building, with over 400 apartments During this period of time, the Hotel was renting space to people “in the Arts“.......Photographers...musicians...actors..artists, etc, by a group called Artists Assistance Services.The women who did the interviewing (at that time) for the rentals, Trudy… was very cool and friendly..she explained that to be considered for an apartment, you had demonstrate that you were currently..or planned on being…active in your “art”, and what, if any..your future goals were. Unfortunately, I didnt have any recorded historyof myself playing...and was not in a band at the time…so there was nothing I could really “show” her. Trudy said that that wasn’t really a problem…but she would like to hear me play, but we couldnt use the drums that were in the building (they had a studio in the building)...I think they were doing some kind of renovation on the room…so I might have to come back at a later date….So...spur-of-the-moment inspiration..I said to Trudy...how about a drum solo on the table with pencils...I should note that I was inebriated at the time so this idea made perfect sense to me...and to my surprise..she said sure... ...so I lined up a glass...and a cup...and an ashtray..and using the floor as a kick-drum, I proceeded to play a solo, using just ONE rudiment...a paradiddle. Not to discount the playing of actual drums... ..but years of tapping on table-tops(as ALL drummers do) finally paid off....as absurd as it seems…she actually dug it...so I passed the audition... There were loads of people trying to get into this building during that period, so I guess my noodlings across those makeshift drums on that table-top... impressed enough to secure my admission into the building. Pretty nutty. ...one interesting thing...if you were accepted into the building, you had to agree to the stipulation that you share your apartment space with a so-called cultural activity..so for example if they needed a space for an art exhibit..or a Yoga class...etc...and they chose your apartment to do this..you had to share your space. Fortunately for us...this never happened. Living there was a trip....Ive read some descriptions of Bretton Hall as being the upper west side version of the Chelsea Hotel..and having stayed at the Chelsea, I would have to concur....lots of musicians...actors...wannabes…crazies...24 hours a day. Nobody ever seemed to sleep...just constant activity. It was another very interesting point in my life…but that stay at the Hotel...like everything else with me during that period of my life...was short lived.... …I left Bretton Hall in the fall of 1982.....
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 18:04:12 +0000
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