Fear City

Written by Gary Lachman, who, as Gary Valentine, was an original member of Blondie, this fold-out map and guide draws on his firsthand experiences. It offers an insider’s view of the clubs, streets, and landmarks that defi ned New York’s underground music scene between 1974 and 1981. Fear City highlights legendary venues like CBGB, where Blondie, the Ramones and Talking Heads performed. It traces key locations in the Bowery, East Village, and Soho, including the Blondie loft and Max’s Kansas City. Lachman’s personal stories blend with punk history, covering performances, fashion spots like Trash And Vaudeville, and cultural hubs such as the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church. Fear City introduces readers to influential figures of the era and paints a vivid picture of New York’s creative underground during a transformative period.

Author Biography

Gary Lachman is the author of many books on topics ranging from the evolution of consciousness to literary suicides, popular culture and the history of the occult. He has written a rock and roll memoir of the 1970s, biographies of Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, C. G. Jung, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Emanuel Swedenborg, P. D. Ouspensky, and Colin Wilson, histories of Hermeticism and the Western Inner Tradition, studies in existentialism and the philosophy of consciousness, and about the influence of esotericism on politics and society. He writes for several journals in the UK, US, and Europe