Leonard Abrams: Difference between revisions
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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In 1976, he started working as a bicycle messenger and moved to the East Village.<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&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT105&dq=East+Village+Eye+%22leonard+abrams%22&hl=en |title=A Cultural Dictionary of Punk: 1974-1982 |date=2010-06-01 |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 highlighted NYC's [[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 a January 1982 interview with [[Afrika Bambaataa]] by the writer [[Michael Holman]] the term was summarized as “the all-inclusive tag for the rapping, breaking, graffiti-writing, crew-fashion-wearing street subculture.”<ref name="auto"/> |
In 1976, he started working as a bicycle messenger and moved to the East Village.<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&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT105&dq=East+Village+Eye+%22leonard+abrams%22&hl=en |title=A Cultural Dictionary of Punk: 1974-1982 |date=2010-06-01 |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 highlighted NYC's [[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 a January 1982 interview with [[Afrika Bambaataa]] by the writer [[Michael Holman (filmmaker)|Michael Holman]] 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"/> |
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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Revision as of 03:01, 29 May 2023
Leonard Abrams (December 19, 1954 – April 1, 2023) was an American journalist. He was the founder of the East Village Eye.
Early life and education
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
In 1976, he started working as a bicycle messenger and moved to the East Village.[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 highlighted NYC's 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 a January 1982 interview with Afrika Bambaataa by the writer Michael Holman 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
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.[1]
References
- ^ 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" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Rombes, Nicholas (2010-06-01). 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" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-archives-of-the-east-village-eye-go-to-the-new-york-public-library