Event Date and Time:
October 8, 2004 – October 9, 2004
Various times
Location:
Eisner & Lubin Auditorium, Kimmel Center
60 Washington Square South
The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality and the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at New York University Presents:
Sylvester: The Life & Work of a Musical Icon
October 8 & 9, 2004
Famous for his soaring falsetto and flamboyant imagery, Sylvester stormed the charts in 1978 with dance-floor classics "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Dance (Disco Heat)." Recognized as one of the first openly gay artists in disco and R&B, this legendary figure has received little critical attention . . . until now. On October 8 and 9, scholars, journalists, filmmakers, musicians and others will come together to illuminate the late SYLVESTER, one of the most unique artists in the history of popular music.
Schedule of Events
Friday October 8, 7 pm - Free Panel
Who was Sylvester and who does his legacy matter?
Cantor Film Center, 36 E. 8 St., Rm. 200
- Opening speaker: Joshua Gamson(University of San Francisco, author of the forthcoming The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the 70s in San Francisco): "Be Fabulous"
- Discussion on challenges in commemorating Sylvester in film and print biographies. With Tim Smyth (filmmaker, Mighty Real), Stephen Winter (filmmaker, Chocolate Babies) & Joshua Gamson
- Screenings: rare video clips; "Mighty Real", a documentary work-in-progress (dir. Tim Smyth, 2004); and excerpts from "The Cockettes" (dir. David Weissman and Bill Weber, 2002)
Saturday, October 9 : Free Panels
Lipton Hall, 108 W. 3 St.
Dusted Grooves: Rare Audio and Video Clips
10:00-11:30 a.m.
A special opportunity to listen to some of Sylvester's lesser-known recordings, including his early 1970s rock tracks with The Hot Band, Pointer Sisters and Betty Wright, as well as his never-before-heard private home recordings. Video clips include a live 1987 performance by Sylvester at The Sands.
Mighty Real: Memories and Reflections of Sylvester
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Friends and colleagues gather to reminisce about the late superstar. With Martha Wash (recording artist), Ed Shepard & Tom Martin (friends), Barry Walters (senior music critic, Rolling Stone), Tommy LiPuma (CEO, Verve Records) and others.
You are a star: Sylvester's impact on race, drag & celebrity
1:45-3:15 p.m.
A panel discussion w/
Judith Halberstam (USC) "Sylvester and the Gay Femininity"
Gayle Wald (George Washington U) "Saturday Night / Sunday Morning"
Lindon Barrett (UC Irvine) "Sylvester: A Place Out of Place"
David Roman (USC) "Sylvester and the Early Years of AIDS Activism"
Tavia Nyong'o (NYU) " Burn this Disco Out (In the Disco Heat): Sylvester, Michael Jackson, and Everynight Life in the 1970s"
Moderator: José Esteban Muñoz (NYU)
Disco Heat: Sylvester's Musical Legacy
3:30-5:00 p.m.
A panel discussion w/
Kandia Crazy Horse (rock music journalist) "Sylvester in the Black Rock Pantheon"
Josh Kun (UC Riverside) "Plugging It In: Sylvester’s Ghosts"
Tim Lawrence (University of London) ""Do You Wanna Funk? Sylvester, Patrick Cowley and Hi-NRG in the Post-Disco Era"
Suzanne Cusick (NYU) "“You’ve got to be the man now”: Thoughts on Sylvester’s Voices, and Sex" Judith Peraino (Cornell University) "Other Voices, Other Rooms: Sylvester's Discosexuality"
Moderator: Philip Brian Harper (NYU)
Saturday, October 9, 8 pm
You Are My Friend:
A Benefit Concert Tribute to Sylvester
Produced by Jason King
in association with Club Shelter and Sista Factory
starring
Martha Wash
Kevin Aviance
Billy Porter
introduction by JAMES EARL HARDY
& special guests
Eisner & Lubin Auditorium, NYU Kimmel Center, 4 fl., 60 Washington Sq. S.
Doors open @ 7:30 p.m.
DJ Freddy Sanon spins classics at @ 8:00 p.m, Show @ 9.
Advance Tickets: $25; Day of: $30; Students w/ID: $5
To Purchase Concert Tickets:
Ticket Central, 566 La Guardia Pl.
212-998-4949
Ticketweb Link
Concert tickets go on sale September 15
All concert proceeds benefit POCC
(People of Color in Crisis)
www.pocc.org
Official Sylvester Concert Afterparty 10.9
@ Club Shelter
20 West 39th Street
doors open @ 11 pm to Sunday at noon
$15 members $20 non members
ID required must be 21 to enter
Shelter info: 212 719 4479
www.clubshelter.com
For More Conference Information:
212-992-9540 or 212-992-8400
Conference Organizers: CAROLYN DINSHAW AND JASON KING
www.nyu.edu/fas/gender.sexuality/
www.sistafactory.com
Picture identification is required for entrance to all venues. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. All venues are wheelchair accessible, with a wheelchair-accessible bathroom.
This conference is made possible in part by major grants from The New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and from the Humanities Council at NYU. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this conference do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
A complete list of donors is listed in the conference program.
