New York is Hell

New York is Hell: Thinking and Drinking in the Beautiful Beast
Introduction by Peggy Nadramia

Benjamin DeCasseres (1873-1945) was an Ironist, Critic, Poet, Epigrammist, Polemicist, God. He announced his candidacy for mayor of New York as a “Cubist Candidate” in 1913, vowing to “legalize human frailties,” among other fine ideas. He was a comrade of H.L. Mencken, Charles Fort, James Huneker, George Sterling, Don Marquis and is a distant relative of Spinoza. His writing was published in a wide range of periodicals from Benjamin Tucker’s radical anarchist Liberty, to the mainstream Life. He could be found in the pages of the New York Times, among other newspapers, and even on the radio.This is a collection of his writing solely focused on New York, but mostly about booze.

Peggy Nadramia was born in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, was the editor of the award-winning horror publication GRUE Magazine, is one of the mixologists behind Cocktail Vultures, and also the current High Priestess of the Church of Satan.

CONTENTS

BRIDGE
Introduction by Peggy Nadramia · 11
Cubist Candidate for Mayor… · 15

BEAST
New York: Matter Triumphalis! · 23
The National New York Complex · 25
Caricature and New York · 29
The Physiognomy of the New Yorker · 32
The Resignation of New York · 34

CORNERS
The Psychology Of “The Avenue” · 39
Favorite Corners · 43
Lost Corners · 49
Summer Days on New York’s East Side · 52
The Four Corners of New York · 57
The Corner Where Traffic Cop and Fairies Meet · 61
Incandescents Declare the Glory of Manhattan · 64
Hot Tom and Jerry and the Ghost Cop · 69
Ave, Mouquineers! · 71
The Broadway Mind · 75

BUILDINGS
The Grandeur and Decay of Home, Sweet Home · 85
Odyssey of a Home-Hunting Ulysses · 91
Chivalry in Office Elevators · 96
Discovering Home Life in New York · 101
An Adventure In a Tenents’ Community Council · 106
Subways: The National Gym · 111

PEOPLE
The Exquisite Manners of the Newer Gunmen · 119
Have You Your Pet Burglar? · 125
Our Sublime Bums · 131
The Merry Suicides · 136
Mike and Priscilla : Cronies at Last! · 140
Psycho-Analyzing “Pop” Manhattan · 147
Keep Smiling! · 152
The Triumph of Shame Over Darwin · 157
Seven Lost Arts of Manhattan · 161
The Campaign for Civility · 167
Renaissance of the Masher and Swashbuckler · 171
Brains Under the Barber Shears · 176
Fancy Dress Revels · 181
Roughing It In The Big Town · 185
A Midsummer Night’s Scream · 189
A Midsummer Night’s Steam · 193

BOOZE
Polemic Against Sobriety · 199
The Last Night of King Alcohol · 208
Queer Phantasies of the Alcoholic Dimension · 213
All-Night New York in the Dry Season of 1919 · 219
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Unhappiness · 223
The Booze Venice · 227
Lost Booze-Trails · 232
Gentlemanly Sleuths of Prohibition · 237
Coney Island in the Desert · 241
“Wet” Parade Mottoes · 247
Hopes of the “Wets” · 252
New York’s Day of Dupes · 255
Spring Festival—Model 1924 · 260
The Coming Great Booze War · 264
Golden Elixer · 269

BARS
Elegy in a Malty Mood · 273
Red-Ink Days · 282
Resurgam · 291
Lüchow’s · 301
Mouquin’s · 313
Joel’s · 327
Jack’s · 341

DRINKS
Blue Moon · 355
Ward Eight · 356
Tom and Jerry · 357