CITY LIGHTS LIVE! Voluptuous Life: A Tribute to Mel Gordon

City Lights, Morbid Anatomy, and Strange Attractor Press present an afternoon in appreciation of the life and work of Mel Gordon
Moderated by Joanna Ebenstein and Peter Maravelis
with Maer Ben-Yisreal, Russell Blackwood, Ati Citron, J. Hoberman, Allison Lovejoy, La Pustra, Mark Pilkington, Jill Tracy, and Christina Ward
In celebration of the posthumous publication of
Cabarets of Death: Death, Dance and Dining in Early Twentieth-Century Paris by Mel Gordon - Edited by Joanna Ebenstein
Published by Strange Attractor Press
A spirited meditation upon three idiosyncratically macabre cabaret-restaurants in Monmartre each with its own grotesque portrayal of the afterworlds of Hell, Heaven, and Nothingness.
Purchase book here:
citylights.com...
Mel Gordon (1947-2018) was a professor of theater history, an author, historian, curator, stage director, and producer. He authored 15 books, over 130 articles, and several plays as well as directing many stage productions and had lectured all over the world. He was considered one of the country’s foremost historians of Grand Guignol theater with the New York Times, dubbing him “drama scholar of the fringe.”
To view a selection of books by Mel Gordon visit this link:
citylights.com...
Joanna Ebenstein is a Brooklyn-based artist, writer, curator, photographer, and graphic designer. She is the creator of the Morbid Anatomy blog, library, and event series and cofounded the now-shuttered Morbid Anatomy Museum.
Peter Maravelis is the event director at City Lights Booksellers & Publishers.
Maer Ben-Yisreal is Mel Gordon’s nephew. He is Technology Director at Ecole Billingue de Berkeley.
Russell Blackwood was the Artistic Director of Thrillpeddlers Theater a performance showcase for authentic Grand Guignol horror plays, outrageous Theatre of the Ridiculous musicals, and spine-tingling lights-out spookshows in San Francisco for more than 20 years.
Ati Citron is Associate Professor of Theatre, the University of Haifa, Israel.
J. Hoberman is a film critic, journalist, author and academic.
Allison Lovejoy is an award-winning classical pianist, composer, educator and cabaret artist.
Mark Pilkington is the founder of the independent publishing house Strange Attractor Press.
Le Pustra is an actor, singer, salonnier and creative director of the Weimar Cabaret inspired theatre play Le Pustra’s Kabarett der Namenlosen.
Jill Tracy is a composer, singer, pianist, storyteller and “musical evocateur” based in San Francisco.
Christina Ward is an author, editor, and publisher. She is the Vice President and Editor of Feral House, a publisher noted for their books on outré topics.
This event was originally broadcast on Saturday, April 27, 2024
Made possible by support from the City Lights Foundation.

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Thank you for having me!