Leonard Abrams: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American journalist (1954–2023)}} |
{{Short description|American journalist (1954–2023)}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}} |
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{{infobox writer |
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|name=Leonard Abrams |
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|image=Leonard Abrams.png |
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|caption=Abrams in 2017 |
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|birth_date={{birth date|1954|12|19}} |
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|birth_place=[[New York City]], U.S. |
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|death_date={{death date and age|2023|4|1|1954|12|19}} |
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|death_place=[[New Jersey Turnpike]], U.S. |
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|occupation=Journalist |
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|alma_mater=[[Fordham University]] |
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}} |
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==Early life and education== |
==Early life and education== |
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Abrams was born on December 19, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a furrier and later a securities trader. His mother was a bank executive.<ref name="auto">{{Cite |
Abrams was born on December 19, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a furrier and later a securities trader. His mother was a bank executive.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/arts/leonard-abrams-dead.html|title=Leonard Abrams, 68, Chronicler of 1980s East Village Art Boom, Dies|first=Alex|last=Williams|work=The New York Times |date=April 13, 2023|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> |
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Abrams studied literature at [[Fordham University]].<ref name="auto"/> |
Abrams studied literature at [[Fordham University]].<ref name="auto"/> |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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In 1976, he |
In 1976, he moved to the East Village and started working as a bicycle messenger.<ref name="auto"/> In May 1979, the first edition of the ''East Village Eye'' was published'','' with Abrams credited as editor-in-chief.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rombes |first=Nicholas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mh1pU7N4ss8C&dq=East+Village+Eye+%22leonard+abrams%22&pg=PT105 |title=A Cultural Dictionary of Punk: 1974-1982 |date=June 1, 2010 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-4411-0505-9 |language=en}}</ref> It covered topics such as the emergence of [[punk rock]], [[hip hop]], and fashion as well as the burgeoning art and nightlife scenes that were centered in the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]] neighborhood during the 1980s. The cultural magazine was in circulation from May 1979 until January 1987. The magazine had a total of 72 issues.<ref name=":0">[http://www.hyperallergic.com/161064/the-east-village-eye-where-art-hip-hop-and-punk-collided "The East Village Eye: Where Art, Hip Hop, and Punk Collided"] by Tiernan Morgan at [[Hyperallergic]] November 12, 2014</ref> The ''Eye'' was most influential in the early 1980s, filling a gap after the closure of the [[SoHo Weekly News]] in 1982 and before the rise of [[Details magazine]]. The ''Eye'' is said to be the first publication to print a comprehensive definition of [[hip-hop]] in an interview in the January 1982 issue. In the interview by the writer [[Michael Holman (filmmaker)|Michael Holman]] with [[Afrika Bambaataa]] the term was summarized as “the all-inclusive tag for the rapping, breaking, graffiti-writing, crew-fashion-wearing street subculture.”<ref name="auto"/> |
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Abrams shut the paper down after being stressed by the extensive work of running it, the lack of money that the paper generated, and the changing dynamics of the area caused by gentrification which forced out artists.<ref name="auto"/> |
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In 1987, he oversaw [[Hotel Amazon]], a regular Lower East Side hip-hop party which featured acts such as [[Public Enemy]], [[De La Soul]], [[Queen Latifah]], and [[A Tribe Called Quest]].<ref name="auto"/> |
In 1987, he oversaw [[Hotel Amazon]], a regular Lower East Side hip-hop party which featured acts such as [[Public Enemy]], [[De La Soul]], [[Queen Latifah]], and [[A Tribe Called Quest]].<ref name="auto"/> |
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In 2008, he wrote and directed the documentary ''Quilombo Country'' which tells the story of villages in Brazil founded by fugitive slaves.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2008/film/reviews/quilombo-country-1200470338/|title=Quilombo Country|first=Ronnie|last=Scheib|date=September 24, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite |
In 2008, he wrote and directed the documentary ''Quilombo Country'' which tells the story of villages in Brazil founded by fugitive slaves.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2008/film/reviews/quilombo-country-1200470338/|title=Quilombo Country|first=Ronnie|last=Scheib|date=September 24, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/movies/19quil.html|title=State of the Village|first=Laura|last=Kern|work=The New York Times |date=September 19, 2008|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> |
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In his later life, Abrams had a business importing Mexican religious items.<ref name="auto"/> |
In his later life, Abrams had a business importing Mexican religious items.<ref name="auto"/> |
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In 2023, Abrams sold the archive of the East Village Eye to the [[New York Public Library]].<ref>https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-archives-of-the-east-village-eye-go-to-the-new-york-public-library</ref> |
In 2023, Abrams sold the archive of the ''East Village Eye'' to the [[New York Public Library]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-archives-of-the-east-village-eye-go-to-the-new-york-public-library | title=The Archives of the East Village Eye Go to the New York Public Library | magazine=The New Yorker | date=February 7, 2023 | last1=Gold | first1=Hannah }}</ref> |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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Abrams died of a heart attack while at a rest stop on the [[New Jersey Turnpike]] while returning to Queens from a business trip.<ref name="auto"/> |
On April 1, 2023, Abrams died of a heart attack while at a rest stop on the [[New Jersey Turnpike]] while returning to Queens from a business trip. He was 68 years old.<ref name="auto"/> |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrams, Leonard}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrams, Leonard}} |
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[[Category:1954 births]] |
[[Category:1954 births]] |
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[[Category:2023 deaths]] |
[[Category:2023 deaths]] |
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[[Category:American journalists]] |
[[Category:20th-century American journalists]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Journalists from Brooklyn]] |
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[[Category:21st-century American journalists]] |
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[[Category:Fordham University alumni]] |
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[[Category:Deaths from congestive heart failure]] |
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Latest revision as of 18:39, 25 June 2024
Leonard Abrams | |
|---|---|
 Abrams in 2017 | |
| Born | December 19, 1954 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 1, 2023 (aged 68) New Jersey Turnpike, U.S. |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Alma mater | Fordham University |
Leonard Abrams (December 19, 1954 – April 1, 2023) was an American journalist and the founder of East Village Eye.
Early life and education
[edit]Abrams was born on December 19, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a furrier and later a securities trader. His mother was a bank executive.[1]
Abrams studied literature at Fordham University.[1]
Career
[edit]In 1976, he moved to the East Village and started working as a bicycle messenger.[1] In May 1979, the first edition of the East Village Eye was published, with Abrams credited as editor-in-chief.[2] It covered topics such as the emergence of punk rock, hip hop, and fashion as well as the burgeoning art and nightlife scenes that were centered in the East Village neighborhood during the 1980s. The cultural magazine was in circulation from May 1979 until January 1987. The magazine had a total of 72 issues.[3] The Eye was most influential in the early 1980s, filling a gap after the closure of the SoHo Weekly News in 1982 and before the rise of Details magazine. The Eye is said to be the first publication to print a comprehensive definition of hip-hop in an interview in the January 1982 issue. In the interview by the writer Michael Holman with Afrika Bambaataa the term was summarized as “the all-inclusive tag for the rapping, breaking, graffiti-writing, crew-fashion-wearing street subculture.”[1]
Abrams shut the paper down after being stressed by the extensive work of running it, the lack of money that the paper generated, and the changing dynamics of the area caused by gentrification which forced out artists.[1]
In 1987, he oversaw Hotel Amazon, a regular Lower East Side hip-hop party which featured acts such as Public Enemy, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, and A Tribe Called Quest.[1]
In 2008, he wrote and directed the documentary Quilombo Country which tells the story of villages in Brazil founded by fugitive slaves.[1][4][5]
In his later life, Abrams had a business importing Mexican religious items.[1]
In 2023, Abrams sold the archive of the East Village Eye to the New York Public Library.[6]
Personal life
[edit]On April 1, 2023, Abrams died of a heart attack while at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike while returning to Queens from a business trip. He was 68 years old.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i Williams, Alex (April 13, 2023). "Leonard Abrams, 68, Chronicler of 1980s East Village Art Boom, Dies". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Rombes, Nicholas (June 1, 2010). A Cultural Dictionary of Punk: 1974-1982. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-4411-0505-9.
- ^ "The East Village Eye: Where Art, Hip Hop, and Punk Collided" by Tiernan Morgan at Hyperallergic November 12, 2014
- ^ Scheib, Ronnie (September 24, 2008). "Quilombo Country".
- ^ Kern, Laura (September 19, 2008). "State of the Village". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Gold, Hannah (February 7, 2023). "The Archives of the East Village Eye Go to the New York Public Library". The New Yorker.
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