“Nightclubbing: The Birth of Punk Rock in NYC" about the formation of the NYC Punk Rock scene at legendary New York City nightclub Max's Kansas City.
And a special bonus short film, “Sid: The Final Curtain," about the last live performance of the Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious featuring rare live footage of that September 1978 show and exclusive interviews from those who witnessed it.
“Nightclubbing: The Birth of Punk Rock in NYC" world-premiered at ‘Dock of the Bay’ Film Festival in San Sebastian, Spain, on May 5th, 2022 where it won the Judges Special Mention award. It is the first-ever documentary about the renowned New York City nightclub Max's Kansas City (1965-1981), which had an indelible impact on the worlds of music, fashion, art, culture, and the creation of the city’s Punk Rock scene.
As legendary singer and Max’s veteran Alice Cooper — who signed his contract with Warner Bros. Records at the club — says, "A million ideas were launched back there." He’s referring to Max's Kansas City’s famous back room, where Andy Warhol held court and artists, actors, filmmakers, models, writers, assorted criminals, and countless musicians — from Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground to David Bowie and the New York Dolls — made an indelible mark on music and the world. Max’s was also an early safe haven for the city’s LGBTQ crowd, including Candy Darling, Holly Woodlawn, and Jackie Curtis, and presided over by transsexual DJ Wayne / Jayne County.
Max’s is where David Bowie first met Iggy Pop — who ended up bloody and being taken to the hospital (by Alice Cooper) after a particularly lively performance. It’s where Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious played his last shows, backed by members of the New York Dolls and The Clash. It’s where Aerosmith and Bruce Springsteen were signed to Columbia Records by Clive Davis; where Bob Marley and the Wailers played their first American shows; where Debbie Harry waitressed; where the fledgling Beastie Boys first fought for their right to party; where Madonna first got an early taste of the city’s nightclub scene. Sex and drugs weren’t only commonplace in the bathrooms but in the entire club.
Over the years, the club’s clientele included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Jim Morrison, Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Joan Baez, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Janis Joplin, Nancy Sinatra, John Cale, Brian Jones, Todd Rundgren, Sid Vicious, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Jane Fonda, Warren Beatty, Divine, Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Al Pacino, Federico Fellini, Stanley Kubrick, Mel Brooks, John Waters, Twiggy, Halston, Lemmy, Bianca Jagger, Betsey Johnson, William S. Burroughs, Sam Sheppard, Timothy Leary, Robert Mapplethorpe, Annie Leibovitz and even New York Mayor Ed Koch.
And it’s all covered in "Nightclubbing: The Birth of Punk Rock in NYC," with unique archival footage and exclusive interviews with Alice Cooper, Jayne County, Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, longtime music journalist / Patti Smith Band guitarist Lenny Kaye, photographer Bob Gruen, Max's Kansas City band booker Peter Crowley, Elliott Murphy, late New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, Warhol superstars Penny Arcade and Ruby Lynn Reyner, Suicide’s Alan Vega, Bad Brains H.R. and Dr. Know, Stimulators’ Denise Mercedes and Nick Marden (and their then-12-year-old drummer, future Cro-Mag Harley Flanagan), Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French, D Generation’s Jesse Malin, Blondie’s Frank Infante, the Dead Boys’ Jimmy Zero, The 'B' Girls / New York Junk / Stiv Bators’ girlfriend Cynthia Ross, Joey Ramone’s brother / The Rattlers Mickey Leigh, Shrapnel / Monster Magnet’s Phil Caivano, Punk Magazine founder and Ramones album cover illustrator John Holmstrom, Mink Deville’s Louis X. Erlanger, American Hardcore author / filmmaker Steven Blush and a who’s who of New York’s rock scene of the time, including Neon Leon, Leee Black Childers, Marty Thau, Peter Jordan, Donna Destri, Sonny Vincent, Phillys Stein and the fabulous Jimi LaLumia.
"Nightclubbing: The Birth of Punk Rock in NYC" will be the 6th acclaimed music documentary for Spanish filmmaker Danny Garcia and will add to the list of respected music documentaries he has produced and directed.