There was a free opera performance in Central Park that night and Eric Conrad called up Nelson to invite him along. Nelson joined Eric and Hapi Phace and recorded their trip uptown on the subway in 1987. Video by Nelson Sullivan
I love that line. She had no clue that normal people would actually want to take pictures of random things. Now if we hear that sentence it usually means a fight is about to break out.
What's so especially magical about this priceless footage are all the quiet moments in between, when people were unguarded and unselfconscious, traveling from place to place, biding their time, making offhand jokes and comments quietly and quickly forgotten, completely living in the moment. It's what captures this time and place more than anything else.
I hope these are picked up by a company and win an Emmy! That would be so awesome! These are great videos. They really show how real everyone was in the 80's instead of how people portray them on films now. We were never all in fluorescents and perfect curled hair. We just tried to survive another day! Thank you for releasing these!❤❤
me when they get on the subway: "wow look at that old car!" them: "oh this is one of them new cars!" i adore these videos. I love my city, and wish i could see it during this time period. Thank you for these videos
I love to take a stroll through 1987 New York , open a google maps in another tab and wander along the most recent shot. It is almost the same but really not :)
This should’ve been obvious, but i was watching and wondering why the footage looked weird and I realized it’s bc no one has phones. No ones connected to anything else. They’re just walking. So weird as someone born in the 2000s.
@@jerseygraffiti6096 True... but I think that since Nixon warmed to China.... slowly America was drained of manufacturing and innovation and culture.... By the 90's we saw Walmart slaughter manufacturing as they brought tonnes of cheap Chinese goods to the market..... everybody in the 90's was talking about how unfair walmart behaved.... everyone was talking about protectionism and anti-dumping laws.....
I know it's impossible but I wish we could see new Nelson videos forever and ever. They bring me so much joy. What a gem. 💎 Thanks for the new upload. 🙂
Dick Richards passed away. He was the one making the 5ninthavenueproject RU-vid videos from Nelson's old camera collection. I dont know if there's anyone else who could or would take over Dick's project, but if they did there's a chance we could see more. Dick also got sick and had to stop so theres most likely more of them that we dont have on RU-vid.
I like to think that Rupaul is living the life Nelson Sullivan had intended, entertainment wise not super model drag queen. So in a way, ever time you see Rupaul's drag race it is like a part of Nelson
Lady:”what are you taking pictures for ?” Guy who’s filming: “to show who ever is watching in 2020, when there’s a global pandemic, what the world looked like in the 80’s” Lady: “wow, really?”
I was in New York that very summer. Riding the subway, going to the World Trade Center, the Dakota and Greenwich Village and Broadway. Wish I had seen Nelson and his camera.
I wish I grew up in the 80s and 90s but sadly I had to be one of the first to be born into the 21st century. I know I would probably have trouble figuring things out but still I would give it a shot if I could ever go back
@@avalondreaming1433 However, you would have definitely noticed his camera setup, as it was extraordinarily large for what he was doing with it at the time.
Even the home cooked meals are cooked with processed bs, there’s really no escaping the poisonous food here unless you’ve got the money to buy everything fresh. If you’re single or a couple it’s doable but that can be quite expensive for a family.
I miss the times when ppl hung out together and ran into each other in the street or somewhere and made plans. I miss how people would talk to each other instead of looking in their fucking phone but I'm so happy for technology or else I wouldn't have met Nelson. 💙
@@winecrimesfoodandtime7119 indeed they have. Whenever I take a trip to my daughter's elementary school, I'm in awe. So many far little porkers running around. And my daughter gets picked on for being thinner which is weird.
I would’ve loved to meet Nelson and his friends... his filmmaking is really inspirational. I wish more people would just film the world around them, instead of focusing on themselves...
Ian V. Raybeck I love travel vlogs. Just videos showing the world and not them. I don’t even take pictures of myself. I only take pictures of something I think I would love to look at on a bad day. Something beautiful.
Thanks for sharing this. I love the bit when he's waiting for the guys and he films all the sights around him - it's like a music video of everything nearby, like some sort of heartbeat of the city. He had so much talent.
I love the sounds back in the 80's. I remember them. Everything seemed so exciting back then and had such positive associations. It reminds me how much more often you would see people hanging out together back then.
The city still had character and vitality back then. It was grimy and sometimes unsafe, but it had not been overtaken by trust fund kids and billionaires. All of the old institutions that made the city great have been replaced with large corporations.
7:57 “I have a token.” Remember those?! I saved one when the MTA switched to cards. Tied a leather string around it to wear as a necklace. Think I’ll dig it out if my treasure box and wear it this summer, 2020. Will be thinking of you Nelson!🌹
I was born 2 years later... isn’t it crazy looking at old footage knowing the world turned without your existence with people you’ll never cross paths with, but you really wanna be there!!!!
@@harrymonk6 hey some of us are fat for reasons we can't help. Ill, disabled, and on medicine that causes weight gain. Plus from a family with fat genes. I eat less than everyone I know and never eat fast food or soda. Please stop judging. Yes, the majority of fat people are lazy and do overeat. But not all. People like you make me think I should never show my face in public since everyone will assume I use a wheelchair because I'm fat, and not vice versa.
dude is playing The Police! The audio nelson captured is just as important as his video. You hear songs of the day, of the time references, small talk and ambient noise. Incredibly imporant media. So many songs to get clearance for throughout his catalogue! if ever YT decides to get legal. Love his work as do many.
Yay a new Nelson video! I fall in love with Nelson more and more watching his vids. I would have loved to have been his friend in the 80s in NYC. Even now I would love to be his friend and in a way I feel like I am his friend. I go with him everywhere he goes and when he talks to the camera i feel like I'm chatting with an old friend. I love and miss the 80s and 90s so much. Forever in my heart Nelson and forever you will live on through your legacy 🌈💜🌈
Those 2 men in the old beat up car REALLY wanted to be on camera. They pulled up even closer, after obviously turning down that street just to see Nelson and what he was doing. 30 years later and no one takes any notice when someone is filming. Probably wouldn't see a car like that in NYC either.
I wonder if Nelson ever filmed inside Tower Records. Back then I used to shop religiously there with my cousin and our friends. We would first go to Crazy Eddie and B. Dalton visible in the video. Discorama, Record Runner etc Miss those shopping places and the small t-shirt, poster shops on W8th. So different now, not very exiting anymore We were Queens NY guys in our early 20's dreaming of living in Manhattan. The Fall of 1987 I entered FIT and lived in the city for 2 years in the late 90's. Living in Brooklyn ever since and still in my beloved NYC. These videos take me back to fun times.
I was 22 back then, the 80's were my favourite time, so much fun, great music, great nightlife. There was a 60's revival time between 86 to 89 in Melbourne and Sydney, so dressed in mini skirt and long boots and went to see a lot of garage bands that were influenced by the late 60's. I would of loved to have met Nelson and Blackout. Thank you for the videos :)
Yes you're right about that 60s revival. I was in my teens back then and the miniskirt came back. Even channel 9 had a new weekly soapie called "All the way" which didn't last long. Lol.
Love, love and love Nelson Sullivan videos like this one here. Thirty years later and Astor Place looks essentially the same as I remember it. I miss that period. Thanks for the video!!
I like to look and see what has changed as well. I miss those days. I was feeling nostalgic and went to the Pyramid club a few weeks ago. When they have their 80's nights and I squint my eyes, it takes me back.
8:21 The subway fare was $1 back then. As of August 20, 2023 the base fare is now $2.90 😡. 8:57, 9:16 Back when the R62As were new. Single units and now they are configured into 5 car sets.
This is gold. These people are funnier and more real, just being themselves, than most entertainers I've ever seen. The rough shape of NYC in '87 makes me cringe and feel wistful at the same time. My little world was actually quite fun in those days, and I can see it there knowing when it was filmed and seeing some of the people just being the way they are, most not smug or fake, overly proud of doing the same damed thing the next person is with their phones. It's ironic that I need the technology today to watch this yet see within it, the problems it has caused. Not that it was any surprise.
Those trains are still in use today. I’ll remember the number 1856 for the next time I’m in that area. Would be cool if that specific car is still in commission.
I wish I was born before the technology age took over. Just so I could experience what Nelson experienced. No body is holding up there phones to take selfies or any of today’s bs.
No one is forcing you to use it you can put it down anytime and just get a flip phone but bet you won't do that you like Smartphones or else you would not use it daily
Terry Henderson Jr actually your wrong I would prefer not to own a cell phone at all but in today’s world it’s in a way needed for jobs since I am a small business owner. All I have is Facebook I only use that for my business page I don’t have instagram, pintrist, Snapchat, Twitter or any other social media sites they probably have now. I spend my time reading, having fun with hobbies. When I made This comment I wasn’t talking about my own self I was talking about the entire world because we as a worldly population would be much better off without social media.
@@shelbyvbthesnake should I be honest, I think all the social media hype will fade away in a couple of decades, just like now we see more and more people quit social media or gen z being learned to not be on the phone with other people (it's considered rude by most of the people I know of my age and I'm 19 years old). It's just because it's all very new, we're addicted to it. But when we'll be used to it, we will go back to using it in a more lenient form. So don't worry, we won't be on social media for long.
Everybody is so nice back in the late 80's and there's barely any vehicles on the streets. I fuckin miss these days,thank you Nelson for giving me the opportunity to relive the late 80's again.
I was 10 in 1987 and always remembered how fun it was growing up but now looking through my own family videos and these umm nevermind! It would be horrific to go back and luve in 1987! Lol
