RuPaul's Life at the Jane West Hotel in NYC 

Nelson Sullivan died from a heart attack on July 4, 1989, just three days after quitting his full-time job to so that he could produce his own cable television show of his footage. Rest In Peace Nelson...

The way that Nelson filmed his friends....capturing a shot of these guys through the window, making sure to get a shot of them walking off down the street at the end....it's almost like he had some sort of foresight or premonition of the notoriety and major role in NYC culture that RuPaul and Michael Alig would later turn out to have. It's so sad he never lived to see how big his friends became and what a historic significance his footage would have for the next generation.

All of these videos capture a unique moment in time when starving artists and broke drag queens could afford to live in Manhattan for a brief couple of decades, a period in time which will probably never happen again.

I love how Ru's voice never changed!

Just looked at their website for this hotel. You can see the Hexagonal shaped tower of the room they are in in photos. It says that survivors of the Titanic stayed in the hotel until the end of the American inquiry. The hotel was completed in 1908. In the 1980's & 90's it was part of downtown NY's Bohemian culture which explains Rupaul, Trade and others living there. Their hexagonal room is on the top floor which was the Seance Room during the Spiritualism movement of the 1920's, 30's & 40's.

It is honestly-to-God humbling to see RuPaul be so generous when he had so little at the time, and it is obvious that he never forgot from where he comes. I want to thank you so much for providing these treasures from an era that should never be forgotten. Thank you.

Trade is the OG Pit Crew!!!

I miss that New York.

This is why I love RuPaul. He is REAL!!! And so loving all the time. "I know i don't HAVE TO, I WANT to" classic Ru love.

I cannot believe he lived in that amazing turret at the top of the JANE WEST HOTEL . Wonder how much it was a month back then? ..LOVE

This is a beautiful mix of wildly edgy and blissfully simple/innocent.

RuPaul was a doll, so beautiful. Love getting to see him just being himself before he made it big. You can see he just shines with his big heart.

What I loved about RuPaul and these videos,, these very early stages of his life.,, even though he probably didn't have much money or any or fancy clothes he was always so soft-spoken, full of life! You can feel that energy, and sense of humor within, even for the little means that he had he was already very refined in his personality just the Simplicity of the way he carries himself made him already so elegant at an early age he was definitely born for success!!!❤😎🤴🏽📷🎬💰

I am so confused about that bathroom setup.

As a non resident, it's interesting to see the same area on Google maps today and see how totally gentrified the area became. That ratty old building on the opposite corner is now an Hermes store!

This is what NY truly was... miss it.

"put your hands together for Traaadeee"

I have mixed emotions watching this. On the one hand, you see the desperate poverty these people faced. The dirty, squalid area they lived in, and how obvious it is that even a candy bar or bottled water meant so much to them. And yet, they persevered, and although I don't know what happened to the backup dancers, RuPaul was lucky enough to have made it out of there and become famous & wealthy. Unless you lived in those times, without the internet & cell phones, you don't know how tough it was.

Nelson's dog gave this video the ending it needed!

Aww look at little baby Ru...

The amount of space you could rent back then, for suck little money blows my mind. There were still neighborhoods, grit, and crime on the island of Manhattan. I wish I could get in a time machine and go meet lady Ru at the Jane!

Shirtless Guy is WALKING ART. He’s so beautiful.

The shirtless guy was shirtless in every video

When NYC was NYC , this is the one I know , I went to school in the lower east side , real , raw place ... you could be whatever you wanted to be, the one now is a Epcot center version for the Uber rich and clueless tourists

Wow! These videos are so nostalgic, and so inspirational to just live and be yourself...life is an awesome adventure...Thank you!

Gotta go through hell to get to heaven. Rupaul amazed me with his positive attitude...that's for sure!

Lovely speimen, walking around with his t-shirt dangling out of his pocket! I remember those years down on Gansevoort St., Florent in the middle of the night, etc. I wish those days would return!

33 years ago. Wow.... fabulous living space.

All of this is long gone now. It's hard to believe NYC ever had room for this kind of living.

I love how RuPaul explains how Fred Rogers became Trade. lol I always wondered. woof.

I have now a deep appreciation for programs shown in my community channel in my local cable tv back in the day. I used to think they were alternative, being polite, or weird, being blunt. But they were ahead of time.

i lived there in 2000 just before they redid it...... i could write a book.

That elevator sounds like something out of a horror movie! Hahah

RuPaul look where you are today! .NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE ANYONE.

Freddie. I remember his face and body.

BOY , Ru has come a LONG way!

To me watching this takes me back to the the time in NYC when I grew up, when the Village had character and wasn't gentrified.When you could shop at UNIQUE and The Antique Boutique, get a lunch at Dojo's and still wind up with some cash in your pocket...the meat market was seedy and fabulous.

New York was so special during those days. In the gay scene AIDS has already gone into full tilt so various venues started to lose attendees. The clubs were still going but people were being a lot more cautious. The level of freedom was astounding compared to today. Yes, you could smoke weed in the club and do a line or two discreetly. X was starting but had not really taken hold so people were social and fairly "normal". It was all about dancing and not just modeling and posing. Limelight, Mars, Tunnel, Boy Bar, Club USA (early '90's) and the list goes on and on.

Thank you for posting all of these.

Thank you for sharing, I'll always remember you this way.

Amazing, What a treat on so many levels. Thank you!

bless u 4 preserving those fun days unforgettable

5:12 holy shit the Jersey City skyline was fucking tiny then.

wow I just find all these videos soooo facinating- thank god Nelson taped all this history...and thank you for posting and sharing with everyone!

AMAZING FOOTAGE!

Gotta say these videos are amazing.

I wonder if Ru remembers any of this and if he has watched any of these.

Wow these videos are amazing... I’m from UK and am a dweeb for social changes, economics, evolution of cities and times, these vids really show a recent time in history I kind of remember (pre mobile phones, internet) but seems a long time ago now. One for the archives!!

The contrast between a young baby faced Ru vs today's wise Ru. Ru knows these videos are on here!

Love this! To have access to that roof and that view! The opening shot is of what was or would become, Florent!

Amazing footage

started from the bottom now we here i love ru

An amazing moment in time. You can see the potential energy in Ru and his wonderment of life.

Trade. A very nice guy.

This video is SO amazing. Loved watching it and seeing a slight insite of what NYC was like then and what RuPaul was like at that time also. When they said the date of this video, I gagged! haha my mother was in labor with me.

watching this makes me smile

wow. this is amazing!

You gotta have deep love for 'Star Booty' and how sweet and cute Ru Paul really is.

RuPaul is soo soft spoken. cute.

NYC in 1986....bet is was AWESOME!

I LOVE THIS!!!

It's a hotel now and no longer an SRO. The rooms have a/c, but I think they still have communal bathrooms. You can check it out online. Look for either the Jane St. Hotel or Hotel Jane, I'm not sure.

Historic! This is special.

History: When the elevator door sounds like a velociraptor 😆

ru in the raw! this should be in the national archives! fearless, a pioneer, totally reckless, what a mess of a genius that rupaul is!

so fascinating!

Nelson is in love with the shirtlesss guy.

Historical and Hysterical !!!

That boy in the jeans without a shirt is so yummmyyyyy....he reminds me of the 80's so much, and what life once was, I miss the feeling of the 80's and 90's, granted I was only a kid, but its that feeling.....more freedom and open will and want, before technology changed everything!

Ru is stylin' - love the look he put together here.

omg Ru looks SO cute in this video!!

2:07 dang, that toilet was truly a throne! you had to climb to sh*t!

I absolutely love Ru. Living in England and coming from a mixed race background with strong religious beliefs, I sought inspiration from both Ru Paul and Julian Clary. I wanted to look like them, have their confidence, good looks and charisma. They have both inspired me throughout my childhood in to adult hood and I hold a very special place for them both for giving me the courage to be me.

Rupaul :"Trade! like World Trade Center" :)

Very good camera work, all things considered. Very keen "eye". Must've been a film student.

This looks like it was a fun life, I wonder how he lives now that he is rich and famous. He is one creative person. I love how he can transform himself and what I have seen of his shows they are great. I wish him much more success.

Nelson knew everyone!

The NYC I wish I knew.

Look at little ru!

shangela sounds like rupaul

The shirtless guy is really hot. LOL

is the hotel now a fixed up higher start hotel or is it still a temp housesingn type place? i like this video... love to look back at the history of our lives and think wow that people in the video had no idea what wonderful things an blessings they woud see in the future.. notice how Ru was still even back then kind of an anchor person.. he walked in the middle and the other 2 guys were at his side..... are there any more videos of Ru from back in the 80's 90's etc? if so please let me know t

It's wild for me that the front door opens onto the toilet - raised no less 😅

so were is nelson sullivan today? thanks to him we have so much ru history.

the street hustler is kinda hot

Live it up

7:50 Nelson speaks of how the neighborhood used to be worse ... if only he could see it now.

I literally came across a video by Nelson Sullivan a few days ago and its opened a beautiful world... Just wondering if anyone could tell me who he is? Was Ru his muse or one of many? I genuinely need to know everything.

I remember when I lived in N.Y.C., I never wanted to go anywhere else. Now, it has become an overpriced overdeveloped uninteresting city of mostly rich boring people.

wow ru came a looong way

What's so ironic is that this space they're living in today would cost them around $10 million.

What a kick ass flat too.

With the way he keeps putting the camera on him, Nelson must have had a thing for for shirtless guy.... not that I blame him! Grrrr!! lol :)

THE GOOD OLE DAYS

I love this. I find this lifestyle so interesting. Of course, it must've had a ton of hardships but it seems so fun and strengthening.... or maybe it's just because I'd want to find hot men like Trade haha. Anywho, this is such a remarkable collection of recordings.

This is the NYC of my childhood. I had finished my freshman year of highschool in 1986. Emperor Bloomberg has turned my city into a mall for Wisconsites. There is no grit. No truth, only money and the stench of clean, which started with Ghouliani.

Gotta love that elevator.

oh gosh, look where they lived

Shirtless boy was FINE! Wonder what he looks like 30 years later? Probably like the rest of us. Oh to be young back then again. Was such a wonderful, fun, free time period. What happened? We got all oppressive again.

The Jane has changed as much as Rupaul has.