"The West Side is the Best Side": A Photo Essay Tribute to "Hell's Kitchen" NYC and the West Side of Charleston, WV.
Starring Aziza Al-Tawil and Billy Jack Watkins
"The Mystery of Aris San": A Brief Memory of the "Sirocco" and it's Remarkable Owner
When I was twelve or thirteen years old we were hired by Aris San to perform at his club "Sirocco" which was literally straight across town from the now defunct "Greektown 8th Avenue" district which was on West 29th St. The old Armenian Quarter was also not far from there on the East Side. My mother was already having woes with the NYC school board over the right to home school me and we were thinking of leaving town at the time. Our joint shows at the time involved "Laziko" with fire on our heads as an opening-if I'm not mistaken-we opened with that at his place. I remember my mother saying this nightclub was oft a hangout for the actor Anthony Quinn (I've since heard that Telly Savalas also frequented the place). I also remembered a musician with what seemed to almost be what they refer to now as a "Jewfro." I remember the audience was great and we were treated well by the management even though I was not fully aware what a huge ...
