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Folkmusic was once. In New York, one plays now Antifolk: against the odes melodious sound and the compulsion to the conformism. Scenes out of the life of the newest bohemian.

Jeffrey Lewis for THE TIME a minute maximally, more long lasts it not until again one around the corner bent comes, suitcase in the hand, shuffling step underway to other, that go just as and have ebensolche suitcase. An entirely usual picture at a day in October. One takes the procession scarcely more aware, if one of the tables of the café out of the AvenueA hinunterschaut.

For nothing the square mile does not count round around the Tompkins Square park as a place with the highest guitarist density of the world. Did joking, but also a few local newspapers proudly speak therefrom, and it not agrees about? The guitar becomes here herumgetragen as well as elsewhere plastic paper bags. In the Secondhand-Shops, young talents can the instruments of of those first marriages that are returned into a middle class life. The disk stores sell, what the modern skirt yet needs ’n’ scooter otherwise: of Joey-Ramone-Püppchen until there to handsignierten Punk-Singles out of the Siebzigern.

One could hold it to be sure also for Devotionalienhandlungen and the suitcase nomads for performer in a film. A train of folklore surrounds would stand the pittoreskeren corners of the quarter, St. mark’s Place with its T-Shirt-and restaurants in the west. South, before the legendary CBGB’s where the Ramones and the Talking Heads gave its first concerts, can be photographed girl with green strands in the hair of its mother in the Anderssein. Make curious, that the tour toward East, around at the latest before the tristen block of flats of the AvenueD kehrtzumachen, leaf meanwhile in guide, exerted in search of the bohemischen village of earlier.

Here everything began. Not only authoritative renewal movements of the Popkultur, also vanguard sealing, experimental theater and painting germinated in the New Yorker East Village — if they did not come out of old men watch Village, its twin in the west. Pacifism, Neomarxismus, Neofreudianismus, gay movement, Women’s Lib: in a cultivation story of the Nonkonformismus, a giant chapter would have to form tested would belong with all its Exzentrikern, that its convictions at the characteristic body, entirely in the sense of the famous sentence of Djuna Barnes, only a life that one invented himself one really to both city villages between finance district and the better residential areas uptown.

Today old men watch Village is a high brightness prospectus, at least for New Yorker ratios, and that always something East Village more notorious almost clean. With the large part of the homeless — through the politics of the Altbürgermeisters Giuliani into the Außenbezirke banishes —, also the squatters disappeared and with the squatters erschwinglicher living spaces so that by the many bars with stages, for which the quarter was confessed once, only few remained.

Very to be sure the scene is not settles. In last time, there were would come rumors, there again what: a new bohemian, a collection movement of the maladjusted. Folk played it like in the Sechzigern, to be sure on half broken, rattling instruments. The hair would stand them to mountains, but out of principle: does nothing itch the average-New-Yorker until today more than questions of the Körperbehaarung.

One would not assume that the Sidewalk café is a konspirativer place. From without, it differs scarcely of the other establishments: student-like public, a couple of table in the free that became the sidewalk abgetrotzt. First deeply in the Interior, the handtuchbreite room opens itself to a cave, in whose hinterstem angle a podium stands. Monday however, punctually around eight, drängeln itself up to three dozens Auftrittswillige around the place at the Mikro. „Eight minutes or two numbers", squawks laugh a more certainly of the mix pulpit from, „and patience, people! Spätnachts, without the entire Touristen, becomes’s often first correctly jolly."

The Touristen are naturally a joke, rarely gets lost itself one here. Laugh, leads back that its pseudonym to a Danish Pornomagazin of the siebziger years, is the moderator the evenings, that leads with the Nonchalance of a trained city neurotic of goodness different by a program. It calms the nervous, hums encourages and requires the refrain with, it applause if the presentation comes to a standstill. Does „want then no this boy with to itself home take? ", implores he the public on after one miserable to the acoustic over staying away sex complained has. As far as quite no talent is to be recognized, what can occur it abbreviates the matter occasionally. Then the concerned pull therefrom in order to try it two blocks further, in the Raven.

Yet the technical Gelungene of the presentation is not all, in the opposite. With applause rewarded the courage becomes to let it behind itself. The umjubelte Europe tour of the Moldy Peaches largely become in the Village attested a growing demand after people, who roar slogans in Bunny-pajamas by Megafone. Ani DiFranco, also a plant of the scene, reached in the mean time with even embarrassed disks millions. Some do not need once more a guitar in order to place its Uneinverstandensein with the proximity, the cultivation industry, the world than such to the discussion. „It is a few like on a College", says laugh, gives „it to the first Schultag, the first credits and the first hausgebrannte CD. Sometime a little Label begins is, to be interested in you, that then as a rule the termination."

Meanwhile a further generation is at the same time, to outgrow the Sidewalk café: a waschbäriger type by the name of major mat of Mason USA. Jeffrey Lewis, at the same time comic strip-draftsman and Illustrator. Diane Cluck, Patsy Grace, Cockroach, Paleface, Joie Dead blond Girlfriend and like it all hot — what are already names if it goes therefore to sketch itself on the far side of the middle newly? Rick Shapiro, a stood-up-Comedian, was able to obtain the honorary title „jolliest man of America", also if the source seems gone to be lost. The dress mountains Family, so much is certain, is actual a family: the father composes songs to photos of the flea market while the 8-year-old daughter in the communion dress serves the percussion. But none knows how Seth of Dufus alias Quankmeyer Faergolzia really is named, an endowed sponger and cellar inhabitant who reads the texts entrances resembling for its heathen rituals by the Gaszähler.

Stylistic these different temperaments few connects more than a concept: Antifolk. Laugh has it invented when it was rejected as a young Songwriter once by the means states-Folkies out of old men watch Village. Since then it hates gequirlte Innerlichkeiten and sets with success entirely on the honest accord. Since the internet connects the villages of the world together, since some Antifolk-work show are also in Europe on the market, Bavarian Radio-DJs call with it or reporter out of France and want to know, what itself zusammenbraut in the East Village. It says then to that it concerns a Gegenerzählung to the America of the Bigotten and complacent, that the matter is to be named however heavily. To make itself that it itself should come, around a picture. Merely one knows laugh exactly: in each single Antifolkie, more New York sticks than in all, what the city magazines week for week hinauspusten.

"We are fom the lower east side, we served made’t give a damn if we live or that"— Jeffrey Lewis a finding. In one of the stores, it yet was to be found, the second LP of david Peel & The lower East Side. Now it guards it in Cellophan so that the cover weathers not further. „The american revolution" stands on that, to see are associating in fringe jackets that with barbarous laughter the Wall Streets storm. 30 years ago, that was, but Peel geistert always yet through the quarter. „I have already with it music made", says Jeffrey. Let it be more difficult to conversed with it: „He’s pretty crazy."

Pieces characteristic Jeffreys are less offensive. They have grasped titles out of the life as well as The read time I did acid I went insane or so long (I’m gonna go draw all alone in my shack), and so sees its tiny room also from: pencils and sign papers on the bed scatters, comic strip full the walls. If it became late in the Sidewalk, good acquaintances never spend the night rehearses on the ground, moreover here the volumes that it has with its friend, to be sure in full loosened amplifiers: Jeffrey lives yet with his parents, in the 10th cane one of the first residential silos that emerged at the Avenue A.

Is ideal that not for a Mittzwanziger, but what one wants to make? Many that believe in its art so must live today. The bias to be observed in the Antifolk to express itself with only a guitar and a voice, has for it a few things with the narrow and the money to do. It is yet so: who pass is not and has the pitch to lose its Apartment, finds never again one in manhattan. If someone gets children, what occurs also in the Antifolk-scene, verschlägt it the concerned until far out after Brooklyn or even New Jersey, and each knows, what means that. Therefore Jeffrey holds itself with little job as an Illustrator over water and hopes for the receipts out of its first CD.

The view of the balcony over the city compensates for much. „You cannot you introduce, who lived here everything in the proximity. Practically each." then it itemizes it: all Ginsberg, 11th street to its death. Jack Kerouac, 7. Dylan Quaked became somewhat further west, Lou Reed, Richard brightly, madonna… in its investigations, that it operates occasionally for a little magazine, clear to it that much of them was already a type Antifolk. Admitted: the quality is today rather more fluctuating. The old puncture power will be, to not to reach again. Yet sometimes just the spontaneous expression counts more than odes Perfektion.

One must himself miracle in any case over the Geschichtsvergessenheit of the American compatriots. They enjoy life place in New York, it art in muse, but none thinks about that after that all that is born also out of the luxury to not to have to issue its entire money for the rent. „30 dollars pays your rent on Bleecker street", sang has is Simon & Garfunkel once over the reason interest of the bohemian — also this disk Jeffrey Lewis in its collection —, today under 1200 nothing rational to get. Until Antifolk in the large style school makes, one just must continue and hope: „cities change lasting."

Major mat of Mason USA experienced it itself. As it 1993 anlandete, hung yet on each corner a Junkie. The entire area was unsteady, ärmlich, come down, one had to be fear around life, shot became if once again before the characteristic front door — „It what fucking great!" well yes, so crazy perhaps also again not, but yet impressing if one out of the rural Kansas comes, where the sidewalks become evenings hochgeklappt, prefaced, there is which.

To New York, major mat pulled how it everyone names, that love to a girl found because of, that to be sure already after a week an abrupt end. Persistently melancholisiert, almost destitute and without firm shelter, erred would select he through the streets until he catched himself a day in the thought, in trashcan to want. In the last moment, he reflected himself its middle class origin and concluded singe instead of failing even, rather to write over the dangers and the sweet of the failure.

In the mean time it operates a studio in its lower-East-Side-Apartment. That the room serves at the same time as a living room, Gästezimmer and warehouse for all possible, is for major mat in more certainly manner symbolic for Antifolk. An actual cut is not to be made stood document want with the large part of its production jobs, usually CDS of friends, that that its creating. On the other hand out of the restriction, also a power awake. „One hangs with the other around, listens is formed itself them, it a real partnership." in Baltimore and Philadelphia already similar scenes, cannot be so incorrect the idea therefore.

Yet more so would think, would come in Europe or sonstwo, the music to the people back. Then the giant apparatuses of the fonografischen industry with its inflated starling system and its Overkill would become at technology with a blow useless. For last of all they produce therewith also only scrap. That a singed, that comes of hearts its characteristic imperfection overcome can, is simply because it represents for its author the last breath hole to the world, that for major mat stronger than each contention around concepts. Call it what you want, this is Antifolk is named its work show of the New Yorker Community. It expressed more yet more appropriate it in its Hit largest until now: I served’t wanna be a skirt starling anymore.

A clear perspective, perhaps even a political, false the movement unfortunately until now. But that yet could come. „We say so", say major mat. „It does not give just many friends of George Bush under us."

Such sounds in last time go laugh something on the nerves. That it would not dream of saloon cars, and cocaine nights with Groupies. Have „I my music, a nice, roomy dwelling, I am married should with a pretty woman, therefore what’s?" certainly would be the Antifolk-scene — unlike the Rock-’n’-Roll-Szene, that for laugh a product of the media is — the last real music scene of the city: family quarrel, reconciliations, love shafts with drama surprising sometimes — no one knows more about that than it: „I’m the guy who’s been here from the beginning!"

Sometimes wurmt it to be sure yet how few grasp the Antifolkies, that rattles belongs also to the craft. It sticks work behind it that Penthouse it a genius named and Billboard „brilliant". One must maintain unconditionally contacts, fall calls of active, occasionally people on the nerves, one moderate should drink and be altogether an organized person. How to the proof at the computer, in which all Antifolk-data are stored, a couple of keys presses laugh sits down and assembled in less than three minutes a Portfolio, completely with cover cardboard, photo and all important quotations.

„You erwischst me in a period of the transition", says it. The shows, that it mold type, run better than ever before. It, the Guru of the Antifolk, that only, that of its invention can live, is probable. It goes Monday for Monday with a broken mandolin through the public in order to gather at least a couple of dollar for the needy. There it offends it if it must hear, some of its jokes would be stood off. A reason more to attend more intensive to the characteristic production. Perhaps it will remove with its woman soon, out to Long Iceland.

What would to be sure the East Village make without it? Is it not complete unverzichtbar, when impresario, Ermunterer and mother of the scene? „", Seufzt laugh with played grief, it had undoubtedly its large moments, and it gives it always yet to The gritty East Village. Sometimes the village in the city reminds it however also of Iowa: solid, a little boring Durchschnittsamerika.

In Williamsburg, on which other page of the East River lain, the same development in racing speed took place once again: first the pioneers, then the latecomers, finally the Boutiquen. The gleichmacherischen biases of the west change each Anderssein always more quickly in the eternally same.

The price to do not belong with it under such circumstances, is is missing highly, the middle, that once so jolly made the life on the back of the middle class. In the mean time the Anderssein to flash careers can lead, but also very quickly to a life on cardboards of the supermarket. He who yet can after kräftezehrenden years in the mill of the bohemian, rescues itself sometime before it is too late, on the certain page.

Now, there will be new, straight because is nothing more actual certain. A photograph gets laugh forth, a groups picture before the Sidewalk café, that reminds actually a few of a graduation examination photo: the latest Antifolk-volume, for the last time unites. Jeffrey Lewis, parts of the Moldy Peaches, Seth of Dufus and some others want in the autumn to a Europe tour break open, searcies even for Germany, in the internet already roosts as well as people who are able, to master the British Linksverkehr. If the school is out of, another life begins.

Information to single CDS and to the Antifolk-tour under www. antifolk. net as well as www. antifolkonline. Com

(C) THE TIME 47/2002