Gerry Visco
helps save the world and improve all of our lives
media: photography, text, performance
If you ask Gerry what she’s doing, you better get ready for a pretty long answer. A writer, performer, photographer, fashionista, and radio show host on WKCR FM, she regularly covers parties, art events, and the arts for New York Press in a weekly column and has also published stories and photographs in The Village Voice, Try State Magazine, Gawker, the New York Sun, New York Magazine, New York Blade, $pread Magazine, and other publications in print and online. She’s shown her photographs at Gallery U in Montclair, New Jersey, Envoy Gallery, and Artflux. She’s performed and done readings at the Inner Beauty Parlor curated by Joseph Keckler at Envoy Gallery, the Sex Worker Literati Series at Happy Ending. And yet the most important thing she has ever done in her life is moving to New York City 1974 and never leaving it. She has been following the art and night scene’s development since and she is my most valuable source for this feature. In other words: if you are an artist in New York and Gerry hasn’t heard of you, you better pack your bags.
What’s happening in New York?
What’s happening in New York? Well a lot is happening. NYC is a city where everyone is extremely busy, so much so that it’s hard to find a network of people to just hang out with, although I do have lots of friends. But usually I see them sporadically and it’s hard to assemble them all in one place at one time because they’re all crazy busy too. If I’m performing in a show, chances are good my friends are performing in a different show the same night and so we can’t see each other. Things are expensive but it’s exciting living here, and there is lots to do. Luckily, not all events cost money, and because I cover nightlife for New York Press every week, I never pay admittance for anything. But rents, food, and transportation can be quite pricey. People tend to work long hours to pay for everything and usually everyone has so much going on that it’s hard to relax. New York is a huge city and it’s easy to escape here, but there are smaller enclaves and social circles where you get to know everyone. For example, hanging out in the gay scene in Manhattan, you see a lot of the same people all the time. That’s true in numerous groups and social sets. I’m having more fun than ever in New York City these days and doing all kinds of interesting stuff, but as a result, I sleep very little and have very little free time, which is extremely frustrating. For me, spending the weekend at home where I can do some work is a luxury since during the week, I’m out most nights or working on a deadline.
You have witnessed the whole development of the NYC art world through the decades – 70s, 80s, 90s, etc. What has changed over the years – can you make a retrospective?
The art world has gone through a lot of changes in New York City but one of the major difference between the 1970s and now is the cost of living here has become so expensive that many artists cannot live in New York City or they’ve had to move to Brooklyn. As a result, art in Manhattan is de-emphasized except as something to see in a gallery or a museum. Also, the art scene shifts around over the decades. During the 1960s and 1970s, Soho became the cutting edge center for Artists. Then, things shifted and the East Village and Lower East Side became the place where artists lived and worked, More lately — during the past decade, Williamsburg has become important and in the last couple of years, artists live in Bushwick. As for the type of art, styles and art form expressions often go in cycles, but I’d say there’s a lot of interest in performance art and conceptual art in New York City at galleries and even museums — for example, the Marina Abromovic show at MOMA being a primary example and the Tino Sehgal show at the Guggenheim recently. There are many more galleries in New York City than there used to be and people are showing their art in places other than galleries — like their apartments, stores, and smaller galleries that have sprouted up. Of course, that means the artists are often making no money from their art, but it is being shown. The larger art galleries in New York City during the past decades made it difficult to break into the art world due to an in-groupism, an elitism, and a very narrow taste but nowadays, there are more opportunities to get your work shown and to break into the art world with much less of the snobbism of the past. There is still a “higher end” group of artists who have developed relationships with the more established galleries, but lots of smaller and newer galleries have emerged on the Lower East Side and in various parts of Brooklyn. A few of my friends have been showing work up in the Bronx, and also Long Island City in Queens has an interesting assortment of more avant guard museums and art spaces. PS1 is linked to MOMA now but they still show interesting work. Although a lot of the non-profit organizations have experienced cut-backs during the past few years, due to the economic crisis, lack of money ironically tends to revitalize the art scene and right now, New York City is full of artists, galleries, museum shows but many of us are struggling to live here.
Who is in your top 5 New York artists of the decade?
It’s hard for me to say what my favorite colors are, my favorite flicks, and my favorite musicians, although we’re forced to make these types of decisions on Facebook. So naming the top 5 New York artists or my favorites is even more difficult. There are some artists who I’ve known as friends and then you have the “famous” artists, the ones you see in museums and who make a lot of money selling their work. The latter group are the ones who have broken through the barrier to become well-known, either through talent, connections, or sheer will and determination. I admire any artist who continues to produce art even if they haven’t ever sold anything. That takes faith and the desire to express themselves. Both my parents were musicians who stopped performing when they weren’t able to succeed in their careers. My sister is an artist who hasn’t been pursuing her work lately while raising a family. I’ve only come to visual art recently and I plan on producing art no matter what happens. You can’t please everyone. Naming 5 artists strikes me as an artificial grouping. I can mention some art shows I’ve been to that impressed me but I don’t idolize any one artist. I was pleased to be photographed in the nude by the controversial artist Andres Serrano, for example. I’m always amazed at my friends who are on the scene who don’t know his work. But people make certain artists into cult figures which is the tendency for human beings to appreciate only a few of the talented. The rest of us are fighting to get attention and hopefully we will but until then, the morons in the media and art world don’t recognize that there is plenty of talent out there. Either a musician is making a million dollars or he’s making ten dollars, there’s not much in between. The same is true in art. For example, Nan Goldin is spoken about in reverential tones. Her work is good, but her success is partially being in the right time and the right place and being intelligent enough to document it. I know Nan — we both went to the gay club The Other Side in Boston during the early 1970s. But she had the foresight to photograph the people who went to the bar, and many of those people are dead now, due to AIDS, drugs, and other causes. Now Nan is a celebrity and when I wrote my email in her book at one of her shows, she never replied nor did she reply to my Facebook friending attempt, even though we were friends in the 1970s. Was Dash Snow one of New York’s top artists? I don’t know, but we’re all sad he died which makes his work have even more resonance. If I like something, I like it. I don’t need the hype of art critics to validate my passions. I can say, however, that there’s lots of exciting stuff going on in New York City art-wise, and I am open to it all.
Has the art world been idle for a while? And what is the reason for its revival?
I address this question in the earlier section about the decades of NYC art but I do not think the art world has ever been idle here. However, the proliferation of art spaces and small galleries has been liberating. There are many more places to show art nowadays so it inspires people to create more and it allows more venues to see the work.
Are the 80s back in New York?
No, the 80s was a time of yupped out celebration of money. That was also happening in New York City a few years ago, prior to the economic crisis. The introduction of the insanely expensive “bottle service” at the nightclubs, outrageously high rents, celebration of yuppie consumerism — this was the trend prior to the economy going down. Now, even the rich in New York City are cutting back and although there are still luxury stores, restaurants, and clubs, there are fewer of them and they offer more bargains. The 80s had some very annoying elements — in particular, the adulation of Ronald Reagan by the American public, and the adoration of brand names and designer goods, which has resulted in the annoying globalization of the world culture. In order to afford New York City rents and the lifestyle during the past decade or two, you had to be a doctor, lawyer, financier, or be born into money. If you were an artist or in a non-profit industry, it was really difficult. It still is, but at least the celebration of crass consumerism and money isn’t promoted as much as before. I think what’s really going on in New York City now is a nostalgia for New York City during the 1970s, when it was dangerous to live here and it was possible to be a pioneer in the art world. Just the fact that I moved to New York City in 1974 and I’m still here makes me a demi-celebrity.
Before it was Studio 54 where every celebutante in the art scene could be seen – which is the cult place now?
I totally disagree that Studio 54 was where every celebutante in the art scene could be seen. Studio 54 was a club full of posers and true artists, intellectuals, and cutting edge types went there very rarely. Most of the time, the shithead door people wouldn’t let us in. Women were discriminated against there, no matter how fabulous they were. Rich people loved Studio 54, gay dudes on quaaludes and coke, actors, and other people looking to show off and party. Yes, famous artists like Andy Warhol went there but it was not a club that attracted people who were in the process of creating new work and experimenting. Clubs like the Mudd Club, Danceteria, Area, and even the Limelight and the Tunnel were funkier and had a far more interesting cast of characters. Warhol had already sold out and turned his back on the scruffier art world by the 1980s, which as I mentioned was all about money and coke in those days. Nowadays, the yuppies go to places like Avenue, the Boom Boom Room, the Standard, and other expensive vacuous joints in the Meatpacking District — which is an area which is actually spoken of in deprecating terms by the so-called “downtown” crowd — the more cutting edge types, who might live anywhere in NYC these days, whether it’s Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, and other assorted neighborhoods. I’m a former West Sider who lives on the Upper East Side. Nowadays, the scene is all about parties held at various venues which tend to change often, since they’re chased out by overly high prices, dwindling attendance, or other factors. One party that has been consistently popular is Vandam on Sunday night, hosted by Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny. My friend Gregory Dinwoodie hosts parties at the Hudson Hotel which have lately become very popular since there’s also Kell Calco there. It’s all about the hosts and promoters these days and parties, most of which don’t last too long. Artist Kenny Scharf was having great parties called Cosmic Cavern at his studio but he’s back in LA now. The Danger and Rubulad were great parties but they’ve become mainstream and more dull nowadays. Venues which often hold fun events include Glasslands, Galapagos, various loft parties out in Bushwick and Williamsburg, the Marquee is one of those larger clubs that has some fun parties, Santos Party House has music events, the Bell House, Poisson Rouge holds a lot of interesting shows and events. The Delancey has become a bit tired, but there are still some parties there. But the big nightclub/disco of the past has become passe, which is why I do not go to Cielo or Pacha. We’re waiting for a venue that will be the center of partying and art, but it’s not here right now. The Giuliani and Bloomberg administration has made it difficult to operate a successful club that will attract the interesting populations that used to thrive in NYC. There are lots of small bars and places that get fun people, of course but it’s now about the parties and finding out about events on Facebook.
Tell us a story about New York you haven’t told anyone else. With all the gory details.
There are LOTS of stories, but I’ve told most of them to everyone, since I’m a big talker. One of the more amusing stories was the time a jogger broke my nose in Central Park because she felt I didn’t do a good enough job cleaning up dog shit on the bridle path. She accosted me and I told her to eat it and unexpectedly, she punched me in the nose and broke it. She was arrested and I sued her, successfully. I can name a million other similar stories, but they’ll all be in my memoir.
You are writing your memoirs right now. What could we expect? When is it coming out?
I have been working on various versions of my memoir for the past ten years. But now it’s time for me to make some time and sit down and write them. I’m too busy living my life, struggling to make money, and creating art, performance, and my weekly column in New York Press to write the book. I’m hoping to devote some time this August, but already I’ve been deluged with other projects. It will be a funny tale of the picaresque, a tragi-comedy, about a middle class girl from the suburbs of Boston who travels to New York City and lives a life on the edge, having lots of fun and getting into all kinds of scrapes and dealing with all types of crazy people. But that’s an oxymoron: crazy people. All people by definition are crazy, other than me!
Could we expect the downtown art night-life party history of New York?
There will be plenty of night life party history, the art scene, and other elements, but keep in mind that I have always lived uptown and worked uptown. Going downtown was something I viewed as being a conformist, a follower. In retrospect, I wish I had moved downtown because now I’ve had to break into the social scene all over again. But I’ve had a very full life, with lots of men, experiences, parties, and even day jobs. I’ve pursued careers in several fields, like publishing, fashion, academic, acting, and sex work, so there’ll be lots to talk about.
A rent girl? What kind of rent girl have you been? Have you had any celebrities as clients?
When I first moved to New York City, I had to pay the rent. So I found a way to do it. I’m writing about this era of my life and won’t go into detail now, but let’s put it this way: I have a lot of experience! As for celebrities, well yes, I’ve seen some well-known people, but not mega-stars.
You have been through a lot – a lot fun, parties and shows. What has been the toughest moment for you?
I have terrible taste in boyfriends and have had three long-term live-in relationships (one being a 2 year marriage), with men who were abusive and impossible to live with. That’s why right now, I’m not seeing anyone and won’t until I achieve what I want in my career. I’m not giving up my career for any man. I attract jealous, possessive, violent men and I need to protect myself from that tendency. I also am not great with my finances and have struggled to pay the rent and my bills. Even now, my rent is two months behind. I am not living a luxurious life style at all (I cook and buy my clothes at thrift shops), but expenses are high and my salary is low. Other unpleasant experiences include being raped three times and robbed. Worst of all is having to work a day job for the past 25 years or so. I’m doing work which in itself is not intrinsically interesting and I have to spend the whole day at it, which prevents me from pursuing full-time all the stuff I love like writing, acting, and photography, let alone my athletic pursuits like yoga and swimming. I’ve managed to create a day job that works well, but in order to do my own work, I often only sleep 4 hours a night.
How do you juggle it all? All projects, jobs, different responsibilities?
That’s the problem. I do juggle it and can’t believe how well it’s going. I decided 5 years ago that the only way I could truly pursue my own work was to give up sleeping and doing housework. So, now I often go to bed at 4 or 5 AM and get up at 9 or 10, then go to the day job. I work after I eat at midnight or so. I could do much more with self-promotion and finding bigger venues and outlets for my work, but I don’t have the time. Ultimately, I need to find places and opportunities where I can get paid for my artwork, writing, and performances so I can transition into those careers full-time. Don’t forget, I have lots of friends and an active social life, too!
You fight for the porn rights of the elderly – how exactly and why?
I have developed a character I call Miss Juicy Geraldine who is an 85-year-old sex advocate who appears to be a doddering senior citizen but then transforms into a lively, dancing, stripping woman who talks about dildos, sex toys, and bukkake. People are sexual creatures and that continues into old age. Older men are allowed to be sexual but the women are criticized and viewed with disgust when they express their sexuality and that is totally unfair. Older women are also automatically viewed as boring just because they’re old. I do think a lot of people once they hit 50-something make themselves boring and they get stuck in a rut. As they age, they continue to allow themselves to become less active, creative and vibrant. They look horrible and dress dowdily. They make themselves become less sexy. Well that isn’t going to happen to me, no way no how!
What is gerrification?
Gerrification is a movement that is sweeping the country and the planet. It’s designed to help save the world and improve all of our lives. If you become Gerrified, you’ll look better, you’ll feel better, and you’ll have more fun. All it involves is looking like me — platinum hair (a wig is fine), cat-eye glasses, outrageous clothing. Some of my demands include free plastic surgery, more parties, less work, gin in the water system, and access to lower cost but fabulous fashions. Up with dildos down with sex, up with Facebook down with cellphones, up with gin down with water, up with parties down with work, no more 9 to 5 it’s 2 to 7. Up with Gerrys down with yuppies. Gerrification NOT gentrification.
