Thursday, May 29, 2008

Celebrity


This diner has celebrity. It was Andy Warhol's favorite Hell's Kitchen hangout back in the olden days. This celebrity helped those who wanted to save it from a wrecking crew. It now sits in the Catskill Mountains and has been lovingly restored. When I first saw the diner on the hill, a local knucklehead informed me that it had been moved all the way from Hollywood, which seemed ridiculous to me. He also told me the town had paid for the diner and the move, which was also not true.


Frank "Tobacco is my favorite vegetable" Zappa and what looks like a bottle of the popular fragrance Opium. But it's one of the other Opiums that use the original's celebrity name. I could never wear the original, but the lighter versions I like--they're softer without being too far removed from the original. I did see Frank once, and years later, I saw Dweezil perform. He did a couple of his dad's songs and it was an excellent show.


Here is an old news photo of the diner in it's other life. It was used as a setting for scenes in many TV shows including Law & Order and Seinfeld. Diner-loving preservationists wanted to save a bit of Americana, and they did. The pie and coffee is on Ched should any of you care to visit the Munson. (Located less than four miles from the Chedwick University campus.)