Tag Archives: Scott Covert

CIRCUS OF BOOKS AT FIERMAN

“Growing up, I always assumed every store had an over-18 section. It was only when I got older that I realized my parents were in the business of hardcore gay porn. This was a completely strange thing for me, because this was not the world I knew to be of my parents: straight-laced, boring, and in my mom’s case, religious. The world of sexual deviants, gender nonconforming transgressives and weirdos, that was my world, not theirs…

“And yet, it took me leaving Los Angeles for over a decade to fully comprehend what a massive role their two Circus of Books stores served for the community. It took making a documentary film to realize that they had nurtured a second family to the family they had at home. They had carved out their own special place as trusted shop owners who never judged anyone who showed up in their surreptitious aisles, even as the rest of the world cast down condemnation, to say nothing of other parents at our school. As the store was closing last week, a Vietnam veteran walked through the doors and stood, unmoving in front of the register. My mom had protested against Vietnam, and she proceeded to tell him how terrible the Vietnam War was, and he looked at her and said, ‘Thank you. This store is part of my history, and some of the best years of my life happened here.’ ” — Rachel Mason, producer and director, Circus of Books*

The original Circus of Books—called “Book Circus”—opened in West Hollywood in 1967, followed by the Silver Lake location at Sunset Junction. An exhibition celebrating the communal culture and backrooms of Karen and Barry Mason‘s adults-only emporiums—fifty years of getting off—is now on view in Manhattan.

The show—curated by David Fierman with Rachel Mason—features artwork by Wilder Alison, Ron Athey, Adam Baran, Bengala, Erik Bergrin, Michael Bilsborough, Raynes Birkbeck, Seth Bogart, Chris Bogia, Kathe Burkhart, Deric Carner, Chivas Clem, Scott Covert, Vaginal Davis, Anne Doran, Thomas Dozol, Zackary Drucker, Ruben Esparza, Tom of Finland, Karen Finley, Benjamin Fredrickson, ektor garcia, Mariah Garnett, Mark Golamco, Jeff Grant, Michelle Handelman, Charles Hovland, Scott Hug, David Hurles, Stephen Irwin, William E. Jones, Wayne Koestenbaum, Mike Kuchar, Bruce LaBruce, Dawn Mellor, Lucas Michael, Billy Miller, Bob Mizer, David Mramor, Narcissister, Dominic Nurre, Mel Ottenberg, Jack Pierson, Breyer P-Orridge, Pre-Echo Press, Fay Ray, Mariah Robertson, Dean Sameshima, Stuart Sandford, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Margie Schnibbe, Michael Stipe, Chris E. Vargas, Mark Verabioff, Jan Wandrag, Karlheinz Weinberger, Jimmy Wright, and Dorian Wood.

CIRCUS OF BOOKS*

Through May 6.

Fierman

127 Henry Street, New York City.

From top: Vaginal Davis, Ascyltos of the Satyricon, 2016, ink on paper; Dominic Nurre, Vale of Cashmere Head, 2017–19, coconut shell, coconut oil, salt lick, and acrylic; David Mramor, Pink Star, 2019, oil, acrylic, and inkjet on canvas; Wayne Koestenbaum, David at Leisure, 2019, oil and graphite on canvas paper; Lucas Michael, G5CR, 2017, neon; Dawn Mellor, Southend Beach, 2013, oil, Tipp-ex, and marker pen on linen; Jimmy Wright, Griffith Park, LA, 1973, graphite and charcoal on graph paper; Seth Bogart, Faggots, 2019, ceramic; Mike Kuchar, Liquid Dreams, circa 1980s–1990s, pencil, pens, felt pens, and ink on paper; Scott Hug, Untitled (STH_PW_003), 2018, collage; Jeff Grant, Snow and Holes, 2018, archival inkjet print, staples, and clearlay; Karen Finley, dickless, 2018, ink on paper. Images courtesy the artists and Fierman gallery. Special thanks to David Fierman and Rachel Mason.

CLUB 57 AT MOMA — OPENING NIGHT

Eric Marciano—director of The Age of Insects and four other films in MoMA’s collection—reports from the opening night of the museum’s new exhibition CLUB 57: FILM, PERFORMANCE, AND ART IN THE EAST VILLAGE, 1978–1983:
 “The reception at MoMA was stunning! I know that we will never again see that group of people together in one place at one time: Andre DegasDavid IlkuJohn KellyDavid ByrneBianca BobChris TannerAlexa Hunter (Disturbed Furniture), Tessa ChuaBob CarrithersMarty AbrahamsAbel FerraraMichael HolmanScott Covert, Henny Garfunkel, Scott Wittman, Art Labriola, M. Henry Jones, John Waters, Tish & Snooky (Manic Panic), Kenny Scharf, MoMA curators Ron Magliozzi and Sophie Cavoulacos, and guest curators Ann Magnuson and John “Lypsinka” Epperson were among the many in attendance. (Ignacio Valero—who was covering the bike path attack downtown—and Bill Brovold were unable to attend*)
“MoMA went all out. Truly a deep dive into one of the great scenes that was occurring in tandem with other great scenes. The show reveals an energy and crazy intensity in the art—people expressing themselves in an analog era when it took time to do art. Such an eclectic group came to admire and celebrate the work and reminisce about those vibrant (and dangerous) days. The Lingerie Family painting from The Age of Insects is one of the seminal works, with a video of Frank Holliday‘s eye taking the place of the lost original.”
Two days before the opening, participating artist Richard Hambleton died at 65.
CLUB 57: FILM, PERFORMANCE, AND ART IN THE EAST VILLAGE, 1978–1983, through April 1.
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, 11 West 53rd Street, New York City.
*Bill BrovoldVictoire Taittinger, and Barlo Perry starred in The Jimmy Donahue Story (1982), written and produced by Ignacio Valero and Eric Marciano, and directed by Marciano—a participating artist in the CLUB 57 show.
Ann Magnuson at Club 57, circa 1980. Photograph by Robert Carrithers.
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