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| The Entertainment Review |
| By: Ed Hamilton Publisher: Da Capo Press |
historical community of revolutionary artists living on the societal edge. At one time or another the hotels residents
have ranged from beat poetry icons such as Allen Ginsburg, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, to those that
they have influenced, including Boy Dylan and Patti Smith. More recently the hotel has housed the likes of Ethan
Hawke, Rufus Wainwright and Ryan Adams, which may help to explain the strange concert Adams put on a year ago
where he seemed to be completely out of his mind. This history and more is explained in Ed Hamilton’s “Legends of
the Chelsea Hotel.”
According to legend, the Chelsea Hotel has seen more than its fair share of cultural history. Madonna is said to have
photographed much of her naughty nineties book “Sex” while staying there. Leonard Cohen supposedly wrote the
song "Chelsea Hotel #2," after receiving a blowjob from Janis Joplin at the hotel, and Joni Mitchell likewise wrote
"Chelsea Morning" about her time staying there. It is also on record that the Chelsea is where Sid Vicious spent his
final tragic moments with Nancy Spungen.
Whether it is because the Chelsea is some sort of weird portal into another dimension, or perhaps because it is
haunted by the numerous ghosts, both the famous and the infamous, who have called it home, there is just
something about the place that seems to get inside of those who stay there.
One such resident, author Ed Hamilton, called the Chelsea home for roughly a dozen years. Hamilton first got the
idea for a book about the Chelsea by blogging about it. As the other residents speculated amongst themselves as to
just who the mystery Chelsea blogger was, Hamilton soon found himself digging much deeper into the hotel's
illustrious history.
For Hamilton, “Legends of the Chelsea Hotel” is something of a labor of love. The book begins with the residents
gathered in the hallway of the hotel after a fire that may or may not have been started by the hotel's telephone
operator, who is herself a rather eccentric character. Sadly, it ends with the inevitable realization that, like so many
other things these days, the Chelsea is about to become the latest victim of gentrification, or the restoration and
upgrading of deteriorated urban property by middle-class or affluent people, despite the rich history of the building.
There are far too many stories in this book to talk about any specific account, but it can easily be said that anyone
that has a hunger for true stories about the famous and some not so famous that range from the somewhat bizarre to
the downright insane, then this book will leave them breathless. With the truly odd collection of punk rockers, beat
poets and other colorful characters who populate the pages of “Legends Of The Chelsea Hotel,” anyone looking for
a strange story to get caught up in will find it here.
have ranged from beat poetry icons such as Allen Ginsburg, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, to those that
they have influenced, including Boy Dylan and Patti Smith. More recently the hotel has housed the likes of Ethan
Hawke, Rufus Wainwright and Ryan Adams, which may help to explain the strange concert Adams put on a year ago
where he seemed to be completely out of his mind. This history and more is explained in Ed Hamilton’s “Legends of
the Chelsea Hotel.”
According to legend, the Chelsea Hotel has seen more than its fair share of cultural history. Madonna is said to have
photographed much of her naughty nineties book “Sex” while staying there. Leonard Cohen supposedly wrote the
song "Chelsea Hotel #2," after receiving a blowjob from Janis Joplin at the hotel, and Joni Mitchell likewise wrote
"Chelsea Morning" about her time staying there. It is also on record that the Chelsea is where Sid Vicious spent his
final tragic moments with Nancy Spungen.
Whether it is because the Chelsea is some sort of weird portal into another dimension, or perhaps because it is
haunted by the numerous ghosts, both the famous and the infamous, who have called it home, there is just
something about the place that seems to get inside of those who stay there.
One such resident, author Ed Hamilton, called the Chelsea home for roughly a dozen years. Hamilton first got the
idea for a book about the Chelsea by blogging about it. As the other residents speculated amongst themselves as to
just who the mystery Chelsea blogger was, Hamilton soon found himself digging much deeper into the hotel's
illustrious history.
For Hamilton, “Legends of the Chelsea Hotel” is something of a labor of love. The book begins with the residents
gathered in the hallway of the hotel after a fire that may or may not have been started by the hotel's telephone
operator, who is herself a rather eccentric character. Sadly, it ends with the inevitable realization that, like so many
other things these days, the Chelsea is about to become the latest victim of gentrification, or the restoration and
upgrading of deteriorated urban property by middle-class or affluent people, despite the rich history of the building.
There are far too many stories in this book to talk about any specific account, but it can easily be said that anyone
that has a hunger for true stories about the famous and some not so famous that range from the somewhat bizarre to
the downright insane, then this book will leave them breathless. With the truly odd collection of punk rockers, beat
poets and other colorful characters who populate the pages of “Legends Of The Chelsea Hotel,” anyone looking for
a strange story to get caught up in will find it here.
