We just published videos from the Coca Crystal Video Recordings and Papers collection:
Coca Crystal (1947-2016) was a journalist, television personality, and political activist. She contributed to the East Village Other, writing about counterculture politics with a strong focus on women’s issues. From 1977 until 1995, she created and hosted the cable-access variety television program The Coca Crystal Show: If I Can’t Dance, You Can Keep Your Revolution, which featured political commentary, music, guest interviews, and audience call-ins.
Episodes include interviews with Debbie Harry, Chris Stein of Blondie , Women Against Pornography, Abbie Hoffman, Michelle Shocked, Philip Glass and many more.
Thanks to Joe and Alberto for moving this collection through the pipeline, and to Don for helping us remove Aeon links when they were no longer needed.
A Huge Thank You to Carol, Joe, Alberto and Don! My sister would be beyond thrilled to know that her
video archives and papers will be forever preserved at Fales LIbrary for all the world to view and appreciate.
To think that maybe even 100 years from now, someone, somehwere, will appreciate her and what she stood for, is a true victory.
Thank you for this great public service. From her early years as the Slum Goddess while working at the Fig in its heyday and writing for EVO, Coca Crystal was in the middle of the best of what was going on in downtown culture, for the next 30 years. She had the great drummer Baba Olattunji on her public access show talking about how in Africa “It takes a village to raise a child” 20 years before Hillary acted as if she thought it up. She had Debbie Harry and Chris Stein on her show the night before they started the very first video made for a new cable channel, MTV. She had Cesar Chavez talking about organizing farm workers, and dancing with her during the outro. Tuli Kuperberg, of the Fugs, was a regular on her show. His poetry and songs were epic, and on one episode, he did a version of his classic song Nothing that was maybe the most meaningful and hilarious song ever. She had Country Joe singing “1 2 3 What are we fighting for…” Judith Malina of the Living Theater was a frequent guest, and Abbie Hoffman appeared whenever he had something important going on. I could go on and on, but you get the point. I will never have another have a best friend for 40 years; she is forever irreplaceable. I am grateful her image and essence are now preserved in your archive.
Coca was an amazing woman. Sometimes when I’m hesitant to speak up I find myself asking “what would Coca do?” She was super cool, super smart and also super kind and compassionate, an uncommon combination. I’m so happy her work is preserved.
In the late 70’s I directed “I Can’t Dance” from the second season forward for three years or so, making the trip every Wednesday night from Philadelphia. My cousin Jackie called me “Bobby Jo Cooper”. I am so impressed to see that the NYU Fales Library got this restoration done. As a video guy I appreciate the dedication and work it took to coax, pamper, and wrestle the old tapes into giving up their picture and sound for one more time.
I’m also thankful to have been a part of this show as a director. I loved Jackie and would do anything for her. For me it was a double win: I got to be with a member of my family on a creative video project and I was able to learn so much creatively, technically and artistically while directing a weekly show. It was a joy to do. Working with Jackie was so great. She was always organized and prepared – which was the reason the show was able to survive. Her beauty, talent, wit and humor came out every week on the screen. She was a wonder to watch, especially her ability to take live call-ins with no tape delay. She engaged beautifully with callers and would easily slam rude callers without missing a beat. I tried to do the best job I could (with the help of Bob Simon our audio guy) to make the show run smoothly, so that she could be herself to laugh, talk and dance.
On a family level my involvement began with our dad’s cousin Virginia. I am grateful who brought me together with her daughter Edna Meske and Jackie. She took us all to lunch and from there I became part of the scene. I palled around with Edna a bit and went to see her perform in the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall. Then I paired up with Jackie to do her show. Virginia was a fun and warm woman who loved New York and our family. I can see why she kept her family together.