RuPaul's Dangerous Photo Shoot with Randy & Fenton in 1986
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- Five stories above a New York alleyway, RuPaul climbs from roof to window to reach the "crumbling elegance" of an abandoned building for this dangerous photo shoot with photographer Liz Lizard in 1986. Video by Nelson Sullivan
It's like Nelson knew Ru was a star. Bless Nelson.
My gosh, the atmosphere of these videos are amazing!
foefproductions Yeah, exactly - this is the type of atmosphere that makes a lot of go, "wow, why weren't I there ..." - but really, this is type of life that cano be anybody's if they express their creativity and seek the company of others who do that too.
Froufrou Deluxe Beautiful🦋
Absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!
Ian Mangham awesome 😎
It's so weird I feel so calm watching these and reflective and happy
Most of the folks in this video are entertainment superstars today. Mind blown. I'm obsessed w/ all of Nelson's videos right now.
oh man, same.
im just mesmerized by them
Robert Curry ❤️❤️❤️ the music too!!
I can't put my phone down!!!
I've learned about RuPaul but who are the other people?
@@ZairaL03 Nelson Sullivan: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Sullivan.
Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Wonder_(company).
I continue to be completely charmed by Nelson's views of NYC in the 80's. It was as gritty and tough as reputed, but knowing that this group of artists (kids, really) were running around the Village, meeting each other and making the future brings a smile to my face and warms my heart. I wish I could go there and see them, run into them, and watch it happen in life. NY, while still a fab city, just isn't that city anymore and it makes me a little sad.
If I had a time machine, 80's New York would be my first stop. The atmosphere and vibe seemed unique, but I can't find words. Did you live in New York during those times? If so, please tell me what it was like. Thanks
Justin Hopkins New York at this time was so gritty. It's amazing how homogenized NY has became. I miss the little aspect of "Danger" when walking the streets! It's hard to explain, but NY was such a different place back then. You could still be an artist and poor and find a place to live in the village or the Bowery.... now.. huh... good luck. This time was the end of an era for NY before all the change. Makes me miss It!
Aaron Bandy there are different parts of new york city, 5 different boroughs. nelsons videos don't cover them all. there was always more affluent parts of the city and abandoned parts, like where they did this photo shoot
Yall do know that NELSON DIED AND HIS LAST VIDEO WAS In 1989 he died of a sudden heart attack on july 4th 1989 he died 3 days after he quit his full time job cause he got an offer to produce his videos on a cable show he was about to become famous !! its so so sad!!!
Sadly knowing what I know now about what it takes to become as famous as a few of the ppl in these vids (RuPaul especially) Nelsons sudden death seems so shady to me.. But I love his videos.
@@lostboi210 why shady?
@@lostboi210 meh, It's not like heart attacks are rare.
@@DinkLover69 do some research into what it takes to reach the level of fame RuPaul and Michael Alig reached after Nelsons death... Ya must be a boomer to be so dense...
@@lostboi210 I mean that's all kind of irrelevant since it was a heart attack, almost the most common naturally way to die. Calm down dense lil boi.
i remember this time. i was there. i miss new york like this. 70's 80's new york city was my home. hung out lower east side. the pyramid was my club. didn't realize how fortunate i was to be growing up in that place at that time.
I also love The Lowa The Pyramid was awesome bck in the day's. It's changed so much watching while still under quarentine due to THE CORONA/COVID-19 CHAOS 5/15/20
I'd hate it. Loud, dirty, self obsessed, vacuous, pointless and ugly.
did you ever see basquiat? i can’t believe he never shows up in nelson’s videos. you would think they’d be at the same place at some point from 85-88
@@pumpkinlyd4409 i agree with you but i also find it interesting and somewhat artistic.
Really? It terrifies me loll I'm a kansan girl born and raised in big outdoor spaces...the darkness and claustrophobic essence to his videos freaks me out...
there's a sight you don't see anymore..tons of abandoned buildings in NYC! in a way, I miss that though. something unique and gritty about it.
Sean Gallagher oh Sean I saw them in the East Village in the eighties. The poor blacks and Hispanics living uptown struggled to keephold on to their apts until greedy landlords developers where buying the properties in the early nineties and try turn black Harlem into white Harlem. we cant thank mayor Koch for this development Up In Harlem and in the East Village and elsewhere where he allowed 90% of the single room occupancy known as SROs to be condemned and not forced the slumlords to repair them so these these condemned properties War sold Pennies on the dollar too Greedy investors and Developers. and these developers paid for Koch's reelection campaign it's obvious
Sean Gallagher come to Detroit we’ve got thousands of em
George Plagianos 😡 the only group of people I detest besides prejudiced ones are slum lords,scum of the earth,,adults and babies have died by huge numbers because the slumlords wouldn't,t supply basic human. Ne
Basic human rights,such as plumbing and black mould to rundown walls ans right down through overhead lighting.my family buried a baby girl on her first birthday and if I hadn't,t got out of the last place I was stuck in for 13 yrs,I,d be dead.i received a cabin from senior housing just in time though 2 doctors don,t think I,lever recover completely.i,m lucky I didn't,t die like my bird,and three kittens( mama cat survived and gained 4 pounds since) .well I never talk on this subject because I get triggered( or my buttons get pushed as we say) out of control.i apologize if it triggered anyone else but something's should not be kept quiet .
Clearly you did not live in them otherwise you would not be saying you miss it....rose tinted spectacles
i think I'mma start documenting my life. Ru is an inspiration to me seriously. He is the reason I started loving myself because back in the day I use to be a hot mess. I wanted to die and later in life I realized that life could be a lot worse. His soul is just so positive and I love him for that. Honestly I do.
TaRon Thomas awww!!
For some reason i feel bad about the person filming because I know Ru is happy now and has a lot of money, but I hope Nelson was happy before he died.
Hope all is well friend!
I know it's been 2 years since you posted TaRon Thomas, but did you start documenting your life? I'm so happy that you were able to start loving yourself! Hopefully you'll see this and maybe you can share some of your videos! All the best
@@lj2609
I was just wondering the same thing!
I feel like this nyc doesnt exist anymore. Grateful someone like Nelson caught it on camera forever.
I would just love to see the images she captured.
, yes 🆗
Who's she?
Liz Lizzard ( Liz Brown )
The tweet linked was deleted ☹️
Josef Fritz Eier Kitzl oh thankyou
The sense of constant movement is amazing directing/camera work by Sullivan. These videos are a magic diamond in the wilderness.
in 1986, as a English 25 year old New York beatnik trapped in the body of a frustrated, small-town 10 year old girl in Northern England, a dedicated follower of street fashion, Madonna, 'Fame' and all things urban American, I dreamt of being part of the fabric of THIS world; a world I just KNEW was out there! Turns out I was right. Does it look like what I imagined I was missing in NYC? I think it does. Did I miss a party I wasn't old enough to be invited to? I think I just might have!
Credit once again to Mr. Sullivan, who, instinctively, stays mostly silent and behind the lens for this one. It's like sneaking behind the scenes at a big theatre before a big, exciting production. I finally got my V.I.P. pass! Why isn't this precious archive material better known?
6:50 OMG !!!! That girl and RuPaul was jumping from window to window, spider-man style.. literally risking their life for some photos......I probably would have fainted
linus karlshammar A true artist will risk it all just to express the soul.
@@chrisavenport6456 u won't have a soul after a fall like that lol
@@cv2594 yes you will
no on e would ever have invited you lol
This is such a trip. I took a break from reading Ru's 1995 autobiography to watch some videos from the part of the book I'm at & there's a photo in there from This Day's shoot ! How wild is that
Rose Redd not wild at all. they obviously developed the photos and kept them...duh
Matt W you must be a lot of fun at partys
How I didn’t even know he wrote an autobiography, wow I gotta look into that!
I am so happy all of this was documented.
a balm for the soul
HERSTORY. Wow.
I miss the 80s. Wow everything was so magical and grungy. True bliss...
I can find grunchy. Magical idk.
OMG I LOVE THESE VIDEOS, THERE ADDICTIVE. AMAZING BODY OF WORK. THANKS FOR POSTING.
I don't know, there is some thing addictive about these Nelson's video, feels like you are on a trip!!
Oh my god this takes me back. In San Francisco we had art studios in warehouse that people lived in and the rent was 1 cent a square foot because they were empty and unused. There were scenes like this of Freaks, Artists and Queens all over the country. New York was the epicenter of All Queer Creative Movement. You kids missed out... making fashion out of used clothes and free boxing treasures.
Nelson did so many incredible and exciting things, but my favorite videos are the ones where he's just recording small gatherings like this. I love watching everyone interact with one another and listening to the way they spoke. These videos really are a time machine.
These videos are giving me so much hope
I love that he is able to find interesting things in “boring” places like the mall. His take on the sculpture is perfect
Just so emotional right now. I don’t know why. God Bless You RuPaul, Nelson, and all of our LGBTQIA+ ROYALTY Past; Present and Future 🙏🏾😘😘😘
The photographer is gorgeous , she's stunning
My heart was in my mouth the whole time I was watching this! You've gotta have some steady nerves to climb over that balcony-love Nelsons fly on the wall style. Ru's look here is now being channelled by drag artist Christeene, amazing how Nelsons videos are influencing a whole new generation of drag!
Fenton, Randy, and Ru have been friends for soooooo many years. These are the brains behind the global success of RPDR. This shows what loyalty in the business gets ya!
Liz seems like such a lovely person. It's crazy how you could be an artist and just afford your own place back then. I definitely moved to NYC at the wrong time.
god bless nelson sullivan. thank you. treasures.
These videos are absolutely fucking amazing! I watched them till my phone died last night, then had dreams I was in the 80's partying with everyone from the videos 🥰
These videos are awesome and Rupaul was a lil cutie and still is. Thank you Nelson for your gift to us. Rest in Peace.
Ru Paul seemed to be genuine and now he is like a robot.
Wow these are taking me waaaay back! In Sydney I lived in buildings just like those .. they're mostly gone now :( So sad .. that's why I don't live there anymore .. the Sydney I knew & LOVED is gone.
Thankgod (Nelson) for these videos. I'm so sad he didn't live to see these amazing artists grow & become the dream they wanted .. and HIS dreams.
Ru as we all know is so gorgeous .l there is something about him when he's young ... he's so smooth & gentle & beautiful to look at .. which is the same now, but such innocence & brains.
They really are a time gone by, & it saddens me. I'm not one to let go of the past very easily. So much freedom back then & you're young & you have either no fear or less fear anyway. Unless you had a "NO!"button that switched on every now & again is the only way any of us survived these times. Others pure luck or mix of both.
I have to say, not very long in when Ru is doing his makeup there is a shot panned back where we see his whole body, on the stool leaning into the mirror .. those legs! SUCH an epic shot.
I'm LIVING for these videos. I'm not sure why I'm only finding them now, perhaps it's a region thing, & they now are available to watch in Aust?? I just would have loved to talk with people as we were all as a collective watching this unfold.
Love you Ru Ru ., and Nelson you are sorely missed my dear. xxx
MissFlux I dunno why but I just wanted to tell you I enjoyed reading your comment. 😇
How magical.
I WISH I LIVED IN THIS TIME SO BAD
thankful for Ru and other icons that paved the way for how i live now BLESS UP!!!!!!
I used to love the way NY was papered up with notices and announcements/graffiti
BRAVO NELSON BRAVO! the camera work in this video is Amazing and thrilling,,,,,i have never been scared of heights until I watched this video. Nelson you blew my cover, you made squeal like a girl in fear! Nelsons camera work in Genious!
I love Dick! The touch of color in the video, my sweet friend Dick Richards! thanks for this amazing journey back in time.
This is blisteringly raw entertainment on a historically uncompromising level. The flourishes of the old World Trade Center added another layer of authenticity. Nelson's videos, particularly with Ru Paul, should have its own room at The Museum Of The City Of New York...
Thanks so much for posting this. I'm so happy to have been there during these colorful years. I was living on E 7th at ave D. I did some work on the exposed brick in Miss Liz flat. I think she is back here in Portland,OR Sean
Oh You are so lucky! I was a teen stuck in TX until my first visit in 1992. That must have been something else, living there at that time.
Wow these videos are amazing!!! They are true historical documentaries!! THIS is the real true setting for "Rent"!!!!!! Thank you for creating and saving them and posting them!!
Fenton and Randy and Ru and Dick Richards . . . Nelson
always captured the BEST!!!
It’s nice to know that Randy and Fenton is still together until today. It’s been so long.
I need these videos upscaled and made into a documentary on RuPaul's journey.
Mama Ru has always been beautiful, fearless and fabulous.
Lizard such a doll. Beautiful, sweet and cute. Such a babe.
I love that she basically just showed Ru Paul how to do her bouffant hairdo IRL
Always loved RuPaul but I gained some more respect for him watching these vintage videos ❤
RuPaul literally built his empire from the ground up!
Really enjoyed. Great to have this document of East Village in the 80s when Nelson pans the neighborhood.
2:58 *Liz Lizard opens the door* "wow, that's a great beehive. I wonder how she does it..." 3:25 *Liz Lizard gives me a step by step tutorial* It's like she read my mind 30 years ago!!!!
THE TWIN TOWERS AT THE 11:11 MARK.
wow
🥺
would love to watch this with Ru!
crumbling elegance....
we love all u fab nyc heroes of 1986....
💕🎥 Nelson Sullivan made history - if he only knew 💕
Holy Jesus, I can't believe you all crossed that gap. That was terrifying! Thank you so much for these videos :)
Just a millennial trans guy binging these vlogs before their time. I love his camera angles. This man is an artist. And I appreciate the creation of grandiose amongst Ru and the men and women in these videos even and especially when they didn’t have much to their names. It seems to romanticize life. The spirit of people like them lives on in true hipsters, obscure artistic people, young poor students etc. It’s still there. It feels a lot like the hipster kids in my college town.
Rupaul and the owners of World of Wonder so long ago is amazingggg
this video is such potent inspiration. RuPaul is a golden example of how to shape your own reality. this video feels like my friends and i working together on our projects
This is crazy! Wow! Hopeful teens now with full careers !!! And the way he filmed NYC AMAZING!
Where is Liz Lizard now?
She passed away in 2015
@@ahzootube I believe she's still alive. There is a liz lizard that passed but she looks nothing like Nelson's Liz.
That's a lot of faith in bricks you could probably pull apart by hand.
Such a young Ru
Nelson was way ahead of his time ❤and RuPaul is living proof that you could be anything you want to be if put your mind to it,,❤
We love you Nelson!
"what's that word for when you want to jump from high places?" Ha. Was JUST thinking about that myself.
Who ever would have thought then that Ru Paul would be as beloved, famous and as uber-successful as she is now?!? Love seeing these early years.
AMAZING TIME CAPSULE CAPTURED ON VIDEO.
Ahhhhh love Ru Paul 💕💕💕💕💐💐💐💐💐🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💕💕💕💕
1:44 those cinematography skills, so good!!
amazing videos...huge thnx
raw talent at its best.
I love these videos. I am so glad that they were captured and are now available for people to watch. I can't imagine not having the internet and so being able to watch these amazing videos.
ru was so real for stepping over that drop. i could never
RuPaul looks awesome!
Still learning to sissy that walk 😆
Subscribed... Wow.. amazing capture of a wonderful scene back then. Thank you. Beautiful. Ru was just a baby..
Ru has always been Ru...authentic!❤️ I have to say though, traversing over to that abandoned building had my gut in my throat!😮😳😱
so inspiring seeing young Ru and how it all started out, thanks for sharing!
Nostalgia of when we could embrace our individuality and love ourselves as well as embrace other individuals.
You still can????
This is amazing footage, it really takes us then and there!! Love it Nelson, great work!
I would love to see these pictures from that day!! Thank you Nelson for your video. 💜
Watching this now during a pandemic sure makes me miss being in the city making things happen, talking to people. The past few months I’ve been watching a lot of RuPaul.
What a BEAUTIFUL glimpse at RU in the beginning.
Thank you for putting this out there. What a piece of history.
11:11 it's called Call of the Void, Randy
That probably has a lot to do with RuPaul's success; not being a drinker/drugger. He seems to have taken what he was doing pretty seriously.
I'm fucking HOOKED I love you NELSON GOD BLESS YOU. God is happier with you in his kingdom
Very Unique Characters... thanks for sharing... 30+ years ago hey...
Wonderful, thanks for sharing.
Wow, really special.
NYC looked scary and dirty AF
David's yeah now it’s full of pussys and wanna be douchebag washouts. Lol
I lived there at this time and it was horrible I hated it
Yes it was a unique energy (and it's a boring place now!) but the reality is that at this time NYC was ugly and hellish
@@grai I don't understand why some people romanticize the grime and crime of '70s/'80s NYC. The city nearly went bankrupt during those times.
It’s like Nelson knew how important the footage would be some day. How interesting and great it would be to look back.
Liz Lizard is so cool, I love her
Brings back memories 😊
The gifts keep coming from 5 Ninth avenue Project! I thought Randy & Fenton were Mormons lost in the rubble at first glance. Also I would love to know the backstory on the cat Liz had to deliver.
this is the best set of vids ty Nelson ♥️
I adore RuPaul , I would love to see a documentary... Does anybody know if one exists?
you are watching it
I just LOVE that shot @11:12 !!!
I just discovered your channel and these videos are great, I love videos from the past it's like a time machine
Oh my god I really want to be in this time period these videos bring me so much joy I didn’t know I was missing. The woman describing how she puts her hair up to Ru🥺
Ru was/is super tall 😂
Rutall
The lady photographer was a SMOKE SHOW!