The self-described climax of the Howl! Festival this weekend was the sixth annual Low Life event, led by East Village husband-and-wife team Johnny Dynell and Chi Chi Valenti of legendary 1990s clubs Jackie 60 and Mother. This year, the spectacle paid tribute to the neighborhood as it was during The East Village Other’s glorious run from 1965 to 1972. (Between this and The Local’s retrospective of The Other, the underground paper might just be making a comeback.)
On stage, performers and personalities like Heather Litteer, Zoe Hansen, and Tabboo! of nearby Pyramid Club paid tribute to counterculture icons like Ed Sanders and the Fugs, the Slum Goddesses, the Yippies, Jackie Curtis, filmmaker Jack Smith, and others. Watch The Local’s video and you’ll see it was anything but a drag.
