Just imagine YT and the Internet existed in 1987. This is precisely what it would be like. Well, then again, who knows? Nelson was so far ahead of his time.
You could they were called pagers, But you had to call the operator first to tell them what the message was to send to the other pager classic- How could you forget the pagers come on :-]
Some comedian does this stand-up routine about how before mobile phones, if someone knocked on your front door everybody got excited wondering who it is and the whole family would run to the door to see who it was. Today, if someone knocks, everybody gets suspicious thinking, who on Earth could that be? How the times have changed so quickly. These days, people will ring you to let you know when they are coming over to your house, ring you when they are making their way over to yours and then ring you to let you know that they are outside your house. Sometimes, it feels like, how did people ever keep in touch before mobile phones.
@Eric Gregory I saw a recent video where someone went to his house and yes, it has changed. I'm sure to live in Nelson's old place costs some money these days.
What a time to be alive in NYC. Glad I was there, even just as a teenager at the time in 1988. The one thing the video can't convey is the wonderful, crisp but not freezing cold air and how it feels on an April day in NYC as we transition out of ice cold Winter into the Spring. It's still cold enough to wear a jacket yet you feel the warm weather isn't far off. Nothing could beat it.
The more I watch the more I believe in the most respectful way, that he was/is a time traveller. His personality, his face, it's so timeless. He looks like someone everyone has known some time in their life. When I watch Nelson I don't see a guy in the 80's, it's weird. He really has this look and way about him like he's been here before and that he'll be back or he'll always be here even. I've heard of someone being an "old soul" and that's Nelson but there's something more to it, something deeper that I can't put my finger on.
Nelson’s videos are probably as close to time travel as i’ll ever get in this life. I also believe he is/was a time traveler. Who else would Vlog for people in 2020 30+ years ago????
i feel teh same. nelson was a true original. as sad as his story is, he has outlived most of his peers and even become a legend in his own right. he was just as special as any great artist.
There is an addictive quality to his videos...it's the anachronistic vibe you get, and the "ahead of his time" quality in which he handled himself. RIP Nelson
I think what makes these videos so fascinating is the way Nelson stares into the camera. I'm not sure why he does that but it really brings the viewer into the scene.
Hugh Simon I believe he’s looking at his reflection so that he keeps the frame lined up right. He mentioned it in a video where he was going to another state to visit his Aunt.
The idea to use a fisheye lens back in the 80s was absolutely unheard of, but totally genius. It captures so much more of the big picture. There were people making video journals in the late 80s, but not everyday and this in depth. It wouldn't be until the mid 90s that fisheye lenses were much more common. So he was probably 10 years ahead of the curve here.
what a visionary and pioneer in so many ways Nelson knew he lived in interesting times, and he worked hard to capture more than a video freak-show, Sullivan himself died from a heart attack on July 4, 1989, just three days after quitting his full-time job so that he could produce his own cable television show of his footage.
I'd say he died from aids considering it was rampant in the gay community during the eighties and you can clearly watch his health decline in these videos
Unfortunately it would be counterintuitive to the very essence of his work. He mentioned before the entire point was the stream-of-conscious style of film, and that if someone came along and cut out the 'boring parts', it would ruin the image he was trying to capture.
Whenever the question pops up "If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would they be?" Nelson is always at the top of my list.
I remember NYC back then, completely different city. But by the end of the 80s and early 90s it was beginning to change. Nelson Sullivan was a pioneer, and way ahead of his time. May he Rest in Peace....
I remember the city so well in those days. The rickety cab rides, hitting potholes, the smell of pretzels cooking on the food carts....and I remember actually talking to people instead of looking at my phone. Those were truly the best times to live in...80's!
3:48 "I went to the store and bought chicken and stuff... I spent like... ELEVEN DOLLARS!" Now in 2018, "Do you have a couple dollars? I'm going to store to buy some chicken and I only have eleven dollars..." XD
i like to think Nelson is still walking in Central park in this exact time in some parallel universe, with his friends, just bringing us along for the ride.
I appreciate him because he recorded all videos giving lot of information about streets.. Like he already knows that future generation is going to watch his videos... Perfect vlog of that time without editing anything..
I like Nelson a lot, I like his content and the sheer quantity and quality of his vids are extraordinary. For me Nelson is still very much alive and well!!!
i binge watched a lot of his videos a few years ago...just watched one again the other day and got back into it. It's the obvious remark to make but it's still so remarkable he did all these video vlogs at a time when almost nobody was going to see it....we are so lucky he had the motivation...
video can be so provocative. I know it is only light that is captured But you have the impression that everyone on the planet is captured as well. Every loved one is somewhere there. You can crawl inside and try to find them. Even those who have passed...
Kids nowadays will never know what it's like to go meet someone but not sure if they'll be there or not. If they weren't they you just had to go home haha. Luckily his friends waited for him
he clog before RUclips even existed...where did he think all these films would end up??? these are valuable time capsules of another era.....who put them up on RUclips? thanks whoever did it
This channel is ran by his childhood friend, Dick Richards. He's in a few of these videos. Dick immediately secured all the tapes after Nelson passed as per his request.
Nice vibe this video brought me! I’ve been in NYC just once, and it’s wonderful to see Central Park and other places back in that day! In 88 I was a 9-year-old boy, wondering how big my school was! Couldn't imagine the world and somehow, this video has become our time travel!
So interesting....its a total contrast of things that never change and the subtleties of culture that do...for example: central park, the leisure, the skyline is very 2012....and then there's the aesthetic of the camera, the living in the moment vibe that is pre-tech boom....all so interesting...someone could write their thesis watching these videos
I was 14 when he made this video and lived in the Hudson Valley north of NYC back then but my school took a trip to NYC back then same time of year, who knows I might have walked right past Nelson and never knew it. Central Park is gorgeous
Everytime i watch some of nelson's videos i get caught in a different vibe, and it's a different but very good vibe. He was (and is) a pure soul and was the best youtuber before youtube. god bless him
If you're wondering about the lamppost - it's no longer there (replaced). I just checked google maps. The whole area looks transformed only recognisable by some older buildings.
![Tee Grizzley - Blow for Blow (feat. J. Cole) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wNLN5xsx5dc/mqdefault.jpg)
Everyone's in a good mood. The drug users, the drug dealers. Haha, he was so great.
i loved that line also lol
Wooooo
I dont think the drug users and the drug dealers were in good mood
Hysterical 😆
@@linusbodin1873 according to Nelson they were
It really feels like he’s vlogging for youtube
He was ahead of his time.. I often think is talking to us..
Just imagine YT and the Internet existed in 1987. This is precisely what it would be like. Well, then again, who knows? Nelson was so far ahead of his time.
Imagine if Nelson could write code , we would have legitimate time machines today!
To me Nelson is not dead I watch him here every day, hi Nelson
I always talk about him as he is, not as he was, each video is like a pleasant walk with a really good friend
back in the day when you had to make plans days in advance and couldn't text too see where people were at
You could they were called pagers, But you had to call the operator first to tell them what the message was to send to the other pager classic- How could you forget the pagers come on :-]
Some comedian does this stand-up routine about how before mobile phones, if someone knocked on your front door everybody got excited wondering who it is and the whole family would run to the door to see who it was. Today, if someone knocks, everybody gets suspicious thinking, who on Earth could that be?
How the times have changed so quickly. These days, people will ring you to let you know when they are coming over to your house, ring you when they are making their way over to yours and then ring you to let you know that they are outside your house. Sometimes, it feels like, how did people ever keep in touch before mobile phones.
mikey p or the person you're gonna hang out with calls you from a pay phone and tells you to meet up at this spot in 15 mins
video409 Or that as well :-)
Easy we just did it that's all!!!🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🐘🐼🐬🐳🐕🐅🐻🐄🐖
Little did he know, in 2019, Nelson has made it possible for us to "Time Travel" back to 1988 !
This is one of my favourites so far, Nelson captured the spirit of the day beautifully. I feel homesick for a place I've never lived.
Samantha Ferrari same here samantha
i feel nostalgic watching this
@Eric Gregory I saw a recent video where someone went to his house and yes, it has changed. I'm sure to live in Nelson's old place costs some money these days.
@@TheIndependentLens I saw a video recently, it's an art gallery now.
Same. Take me there
What a time to be alive in NYC. Glad I was there, even just as a teenager at the time in 1988. The one thing the video can't convey is the wonderful, crisp but not freezing cold air and how it feels on an April day in NYC as we transition out of ice cold Winter into the Spring. It's still cold enough to wear a jacket yet you feel the warm weather isn't far off. Nothing could beat it.
9:12 I typically look for shade of bring my own. But her comment encapsulates yours.
truer words were never spoken.
The more I watch the more I believe in the most respectful way, that he was/is a time traveller. His personality, his face, it's so timeless. He looks like someone everyone has known some time in their life. When I watch Nelson I don't see a guy in the 80's, it's weird. He really has this look and way about him like he's been here before and that he'll be back or he'll always be here even. I've heard of someone being an "old soul" and that's Nelson but there's something more to it, something deeper that I can't put my finger on.
He is how we want the world to be 💕
Nelson’s videos are probably as close to time travel as i’ll ever get in this life.
I also believe he is/was a time traveler. Who else would Vlog for people in 2020 30+ years ago????
@@dv640 amazing foresight!!
When i first found nelson i also recognised him but could never think from where
i feel teh same. nelson was a true original. as sad as his story is, he has outlived most of his peers and even become a legend in his own right. he was just as special as any great artist.
There is an addictive quality to his videos...it's the anachronistic vibe you get, and the "ahead of his time" quality in which he handled himself. RIP Nelson
Spot on description.
guy getting in cab at 2:54 looks so much like DeNiro....
Did u see how they both paused and connected eyes for few seconds. It really looks like Robert dinero.
Probably was, this is New York baby.
It's not De Niro. But maybe he thought Nelson was Al Pacino. Though Pacino is much shorter.
did u see how to they met without texting or callin each other?
Amazing how we did that back then, isn't it?
No?
I miss those days.
Papi Blanco you know you could memorize dozens of phone numbers too. Now I can barely remember one!
Zed Man Ha! I had forgotten about memorizing all the numbers.
The 80's rocked
"He knows because he's made a study of such things." I love that phrase
So, did anyone else have the same thought I did? "That baby is now almost 30 yrs old" :P
Yes and has no idea she’s in a video on youtube!
I haven't seen the baby yet I just started the video, and am reading the comments as the video plays.
@rock2418 so this December you are turning 31 then? Girl that is not old. I am 27 almost 30.
I'm that baby
JudyGurl
every time if there is a baby in Nelsons videos ,this comment pops out ,that and one about Nelsons death in 89....
I think what makes these videos so fascinating is the way Nelson stares into the camera. I'm not sure why he does that but it really brings the viewer into the scene.
Hugh Simon I believe he’s looking at his reflection so that he keeps the frame lined up right. He mentioned it in a video where he was going to another state to visit his Aunt.
That's exactly right, he used the reflection of the lens so he was watching what was happening beside him in the frame.
The idea to use a fisheye lens back in the 80s was absolutely unheard of, but totally genius. It captures so much more of the big picture. There were people making video journals in the late 80s, but not everyday and this in depth. It wouldn't be until the mid 90s that fisheye lenses were much more common. So he was probably 10 years ahead of the curve here.
Nelson saw beauty in everything. Such a beautiful soul.
Nelson good guy
yes he was
He's so calm
Albert was an asshole.
@@zzzboo290 Albert is an asshole.
what a visionary and pioneer in so many ways
Nelson knew he lived in interesting times, and he worked hard to capture more than a video freak-show, Sullivan himself died from a heart attack on July 4, 1989, just three days after quitting his full-time job so that he could produce his own cable television show of his footage.
You literally copy and pasted that from Wikipedia
Jan Koper So the fuck what its information! What are you the internet police ?
Someone does say that on each of his vids
Someone didn't want him to film. That's seems suspicious.
I'd say he died from aids considering it was rampant in the gay community during the eighties and you can clearly watch his health decline in these videos
i fucking love you Nelson Sullivan
People should make a full on film about Nelson, if done in the right way, it could be quite magical I think.
I read this in his voice
Unfortunately it would be counterintuitive to the very essence of his work. He mentioned before the entire point was the stream-of-conscious style of film, and that if someone came along and cut out the 'boring parts', it would ruin the image he was trying to capture.
Whenever the question pops up "If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would they be?" Nelson is always at the top of my list.
I might have been biking in the park that day...I hardly missed any nice sunny Sundays.
In the 80s you mean? So you've been to that park in the 80s?
Camera work at 6:12 when Eric Clapton begins to play. No phones, friends talking and smiling in the sunshine. Its beautiful; how life was meant to be.
He would have been 70 this year.
Great video of Central Park at the end of the 80s
I remember NYC back then, completely different city. But by the end of the 80s and early 90s it was beginning to change. Nelson Sullivan was a pioneer, and way ahead of his time. May he Rest in Peace....
I remember the city so well in those days. The rickety cab rides, hitting potholes, the smell of pretzels cooking on the food carts....and I remember actually talking to people instead of looking at my phone. Those were truly the best times to live in...80's!
seems so peacefully quiet outside his home
3:48 "I went to the store and bought chicken and stuff... I spent like... ELEVEN DOLLARS!"
Now in 2018, "Do you have a couple dollars? I'm going to store to buy some chicken and I only have eleven dollars..." XD
Jimmy Amato exactly!!!
so true
He said “Everybody’s staring at Albert’s big earrings, it’s so embarrassing.” Yet, I didn’t even notice them until he said that. Lol
Watching these gives me the same feeling as watching mr rogers neighborhood as a kid. I love his voice so much
Or maybe a bit of Mr Robinson's neighborhood?
"Liz wants to listen to the music for a minute."(someone plays Eric Clapton)"Minute's up!!"
I can't find any info on Liz
Hilarious!
Thank you!!!! I wish I could find more people talking about Nelson, he was a visionary
@@wandagetz966 She is alive living in MEXICO from what I've read elsewhere! Still looks great . mid 60's I would assume
Haha, I know, so funny of him!!
It amazes me that its so empty and its NYC. I don't think i will ever see this in my lifetime.
royaljatti it was so bad in nyc at the time people probably was scare
Evil Akuma it was guetto and still is but some areas are worse than others.
All the 2000 kids weren't born yet that's why
Sephardic Ladino it’s because it wasn’t really a touristy area yet. It was a just city. Now it’s infested
"Covid-19 has entered the chat"
Nelson has a beautiful soul n spirit. He lives on each time we watch his work. Every video he is soooo happy!!
i like to think Nelson is still walking in Central park in this exact time in some parallel universe, with his friends, just bringing us along for the ride.
He would've loved living in Paris!!! Oh how I wish he could've experienced it for a time.
Sheila Young he really wouldve
Nelson surely loved beautiful days
“minute’s up...” so deadpan
Just saw this one for the first time. Really good!
Can’t believe RuPaul lives with Nelson. That is so awesome 🥰
Also, Albert was always such an intriguing dresser. I love the huge hoop earrings and the kind of winched belt and buckle.
I have t left the house or socialized in a while, I really needed this walk in Central Park on this beautiful day.
I appreciate him because he recorded all videos giving lot of information about streets.. Like he already knows that future generation is going to watch his videos...
Perfect vlog of that time without editing anything..
80s Vlogger! 👍🏻🇺🇲
Nelson is so special in all of the videos... whatever you are I love you!!
Brilliant.
Genius.
Bravo!
I’m so glad I discovered these! What a gem
Wow. This is the one, the most beautiful. xo Nelson
Aww man he was awesome!!! His videos are the greatest thing to happen to RUclips. 🙏🏼
I like Nelson a lot, I like his content and the sheer quantity and quality of his vids are extraordinary.
For me Nelson is still very much alive and well!!!
He was a master with the camera. He should been makeing major films. But this is better anyway.
NightOwL News&Videos. He’s dead so he can’t
Nelson has the coolest friends. I like the two that are with him on this video so much. What a great video. thanks Nelson
Love this! It's a simply incredible time capsule, and what a beautiful day it was!! :)
I grew up on the 80's and wanted to go NYC after high school. Love to see what I missed a city with so much character
Central park before Home Alone 2
I love Nelson he reminds me of my friend Paul always had something to do and the simples thing could be so much fun with him
Playing eric Clapton in the park. Awsome
I noticed that too. Great song and singer.
Mark Schulz II now you’d hear some mumble rap
His friends are such new yorkers! Real new Yorkers don't exist anymore. Its full of hipsters now. I miss pre guilianni NY!
Dan Travels Giuliani changed EVERYTHING.
How was a real New Yorker?🥺
@@EM-ii5gv You had to be there.
Lol everyone sucks here 🤣
I’m a real New Yorker. Born in 1976, still
Living here!
So crazy to think my mother was only 2 months away from popping me and my brother out at this time ❤
We're 1988 babies :)
@@xBloodXGusherx Yes we are!!! 💖
"Nelson I dunno if I have enough food for you"....😐
I lost it. 😂
How does this only have 55k views????
Liz wants to listen to the music for a minute, minutes up , lol classic RIP Nelson i miss the 80s they were the best...
The Days before mobile phones seemed so pure.
i binge watched a lot of his videos a few years ago...just watched one again the other day and got back into it. It's the obvious remark to make but it's still so remarkable he did all these video vlogs at a time when almost nobody was going to see it....we are so lucky he had the motivation...
video can be so provocative.
I know it is only light that is captured
But you have the impression that everyone on the planet is captured as well.
Every loved one is somewhere there. You can crawl inside and try to find them. Even those who have passed...
I really cannot put into words or articulate what Nelsons videos do to me.
Nelson - a one off. I suppose we all are really. But you notice it more with Nelson. Lovely man.
This must’ve been before everyone on the face of the earth formed social anxiety
Seriously lol they’re all so social
Kids nowadays will never know what it's like to go meet someone but not sure if they'll be there or not. If they weren't they you just had to go home haha. Luckily his friends waited for him
Liz looked good :p
I love this!! Florent! My god, Meat Packing was cooler back then.
8:00 the other Nelson in the video (Nelson Benchimol) is on Facebook, I wonder if he knows about this haha
Did you tell him!? I would wanna know
Did you tell him?
Anyone ever ask?
he clog before RUclips even existed...where did he think all these films would end up??? these are valuable time capsules of another era.....who put them up on RUclips? thanks whoever did it
Blue Bird he wanted to use them for his own TV show. Didn't record them without a reason
This channel is ran by his childhood friend, Dick Richards. He's in a few of these videos. Dick immediately secured all the tapes after Nelson passed as per his request.
Was that Robert De Niro getting in the cab at 2:54 ?
He needed a ride!?!
Nice vibe this video brought me! I’ve been in NYC just once, and it’s wonderful to see Central Park and other places back in that day! In 88 I was a 9-year-old boy, wondering how big my school was! Couldn't imagine the world and somehow, this video has become our time travel!
He appreciates every little thing
I'll never remember how I got into these videos but they are so nostalgic
👍😍Love it. He was really something. 💞
I love that song. Wish they would stay more to listen
You forget this is 1988 after watching 5 minutes. So ahead of its time with the vlogging!
Such a nice video! You guys can't realise how lucky you were to be born in such a city and such a country
So interesting....its a total contrast of things that never change and the subtleties of culture that do...for example: central park, the leisure, the skyline is very 2012....and then there's the aesthetic of the camera, the living in the moment vibe that is pre-tech boom....all so interesting...someone could write their thesis watching these videos
I like traveling to the 80's with Nelson.
Admirable Nelson 😂
I wonder if that lamp post is still there..
I was 14 when he made this video and lived in the Hudson Valley north of NYC back then but my school took a trip to NYC back then same time of year, who knows I might have walked right past Nelson and never knew it. Central Park is gorgeous
Fan-Fucking-Tastic ! Thank you Nelson Sullivan !!!
Everytime i watch some of nelson's videos i get caught in a different vibe, and it's a different but very good vibe. He was (and is) a pure soul and was the best youtuber before youtube. god bless him
If you're wondering about the lamppost - it's no longer there (replaced). I just checked google maps. The whole area looks transformed only recognisable by some older buildings.
nicest walk ever Nelson 1:00oldest lamppost on earth
mindblowing
Love these videos. This was my teen years in NYC.
I'm so jealous of anyone who actually got to talk to Nelson Sullivan. If he was around he'd probably be the executive producer for Drag Race
I love how he describes what hes seeing
💙
man that's so quiet for new york and especially because those old mic. always picked up everything
unbelievable how the neighborhood has changed
Nelson has shown me things in his videos I've never seen before. Amazing.
Great vid. I was noticing how little things actually have changed. Besides seeing every 10th person buried in their phone :)
every 10th i see every 3rd now days lol
i saw that dog coming by @7:46 and just KNEW nelson would stop to get a close up of it LOL! love him forever!!!
Seeing this video makes me think of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day.”
You're going to reap just what you sow...