Founded by editor Leonard Abrams in 1979, the East Village Eye was an “avant-pop” hybrid magazine-newspaper dedicated to documenting the cultural discourse and happenings of the East Village. Each month until 1987, a rotating ensemble of contributors presented and discussed events, news, issues and notable persons involved in the energetic local art, music and fashion scenes. In fact, the publication was not merely a site to record the distinctive community’s goings-on, but actively shaped and added to the now infamous character and energy of the East Village in the 1980s. The EVE featured artists such as Keith Haring, David Wojnarowicz, Barbara Kruger, Colab and Kiki Smith; musicians like Run DMC, Rock Steady Crew, Beasties Boys and Iggy Pop; and fashion designers and influencers Animal X, Patricia Field, Betsy Johnson and Manic Panic. This collection now functions as an invaluable time capsule, transporting readers to the bygone underground cultural scene of the East Village circa 1980.
The December/Xmas 1980 issue features cover art by Lee Quiñones and a back cover tribute to John Lennon, who was assassinated the same month. Inside, Janet Patterson interviews girl-group the Slits, deeming their work real “women’s music”: “… they do music while they are doing their lives, about their lives, which don’t end or begin with anything, but include indefinitely.” Susanna Sedgwick reviews the seminal early group show at ABC No Rio “Animals Living in Cities,” which addressed the ignored ecosystem of urban environments. On page 10, Colab bought a full-page ad to promote their art project, the A.More Store on Broome St. Additionally, the magazine presents a two-page feature on the obscure, overlooked artist Richard Tyler of the Uranian Embassy accompanied by his graphics. Christof Kohlhöfer contributes with “Party Drawings” on the last interior page. The magazine also includes opinion editorials and book reviews considering the neighborhood’s beatnik past and its correlated and continuing junkie culture—what’s “hip” still very much a polemic. Like most issues, the “Pooper Scooper” gossip column, in addition to several other articles, catalogues recent music shows and art exhibits with attitude.
