THE BROOKLYN BOHEMIA OF '80S AND '90S
Revisiting Fort Greene at a party, a documentary and working on a book
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/brooklynboheme
Spike Lee recently hosted a Soul Slam party in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park that attracted some 30,000 people. DJ Spinna alternated between cuts from Prince and Michael Jackson’s vast catalogs to the delight of the huge crowd. The backstage area served as sort of a reunion for artists, who either used to live the neighborhood, still reside there or live close by, including Rosie Perez, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Rock, and behind the scenes figures from music, film and art. I lived across the street from the park for about ten years and lived in Fort Greene, or the adjoining Clinton Hill area, from 1985 to 2017. Basically I spent most of my adult life in these brownstone dominated hoods. It’s where I developed as writer, got involved in film and met my wife. When I moved into a garden apartment in a brownstone near the park in ‘85, the building was empty and the landlord had a hell of time getting anyone to rent the top floor. In the ‘80s homes in the area went for $250,000. Much of that same real estate now sells for $1.5 million and up these days.
From the mid-80s to until around the early ‘00s Fort Greene/Clinton Hill was home base to what I called “The Brooklyn Boheme,” a couple of generations of African-American and Latin creative talent that included jazz musicians, authors, actors, clothing designers, dancers, cartoonists, poets, painters and entertainment business types. Inspired by Spike’s party, I’m finally working on a long overdue book on those vital, exciting, and ambitious years.
I did a film, Brooklyn Boheme, about the area in 2012. Just posted the film for rent or purchase on my #thenelsongeorgemixtape Vimeo page along with several bonus videos and outtakes. The link is at the top of the page.
In my research I found a very comprehensive 1992 piece from Entertainment Weekly on the area with some lovely pictures taken on the streets and in the park. Looking forward to diving back into that era and the magic made there.
