Named one of the most anticipated nonfiction books of 2026 by the New York Times
"I loved this book.… A revelatory perspective on a formidable artistic movement whose history has been left to a handful of (male) gatekeepers."—Tanya Pearson, author of Pretend We’re Dead
"A riveting and beautiful account."—Thurston Moore
An intimate insider's account of New York's most radical cultural revolution and the women who obliterated every barrier in their path
In 1975 a young queer singer from Cleveland meets Nan Goldin and joins her in New York's bombed-out downtown, where something unprecedented is brewing. At Max's Kansas City and CBGBs, in derelict lofts and underground clubs, a generation of visionary women artists is rewriting the rules of creativity, sexuality, and power.
Adele Bertei didn't just witness the No Wave explosion—she ignited it. As acetone organist for the Contortions and Brian Eno's assistant, she was at the epicenter when punk collided with post-punk, when Lydia Lunch screamed her first songs, when Kathy Acker was penning her transgressive novels, when Kathryn Bigelow was making her first films.
No New York reveals the untold story of the boundary-pushing women who made No Wave possible: Nan Goldin capturing flash-lit portraits of gender fluidity, Barbara Kruger deconstructing media, Kiki Smith exploring the body's mysteries, Lizzie Borden challenging cinema itself. While mainstream culture wallowed in sexism and homophobia, these artists created something fluid, fierce, and transgressive.
Raw and gripping, No New York takes readers deep into the artistic and sexual experimentation of an era when everyone read Jean Genet, quoted Antonin Artaud, and believed true expression mattered more than money or fame.
Includes 55 rarely seen images of iconic musicians and artists that capture the look and feel of the era. Images are from Bertei's personal collection as well as well-known artists and photographers like Nan Goldin, Richard Prince, Vivienne Dick, Michael Granros, Marcia Resnick, and Julia Gorton.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Preface
Heaven and Hell
Nan, 1975
Peter and Lester, 1977
The East Village
Surreal Vertebrates
Contort Yourself!
Grandma’s Hands
Love in a Blackout
Poète Maudit Mischief
Kiki
Contortions Part II
Paradise Lost
Idlewildly 3rd Street
The Nova Convention
Le Faux Garçon
Anti-Fashion
Where Have the Gazelles Gone?
NO-llywood
Dancing the Wild Step
Berlin to Rotterdam
Poppies and Poets
Girl Gang Dreaming
Bloods Light
Bloods 2.0
Lock Up Your Daughters
Liquid Sky & the Crack-Up
Cabaret to Compromise
He(art)Lost and Found
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Photo credits
