Quiet Life
Quiet Life was a small nightclub in Brooklyn, New York, which operated from October 1989 until March 1990. They Might Be Giants performed at the club, and John Linnell lived in the club's building.
History
Quiet Life was established by Matthew Hill in October 1989. It was located at 18 Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This was the apartment building that Matthew shared with Nick Hill, Brian Dewan and John Linnell. Nick and Dewan were involved in the club's operation with Matthew.[1] Linnell described the venue in 2003: "There was highly unlicensed alcohol selling going on down there... Nice place."[2]
The club was located on the building's ground floor and could be accessed by a basement entrance. It operated only on Saturdays, and had a five dollar entry fee. The space was arranged with rows of old wooden school chairs facing a small stage. The walls were decorated with Dewan's clock shrines and glow-in-the-dark taxidermy sculptures. The building was originally a funeral parlor before it was reorganized into apartments. It was reportedly the favored funeral parlor of the Brooklyn mafia in the early 20th century. Some rooms retained floor drains from when the site was used for embalming.
They Might Be Giants presumably played a number of shows at Quiet Life. The band's only known show was a New Year's celebration on December 31, 1989, where they played an acoustic set under the name Count Drinkalot. Brian Dewan opened for them. In 1989, John Linnell played a short solo set of his State Songs at Quiet Life, opening for the Maudlins.
Quiet Life ceased operation immediately after the Happy Land fire on March 25, 1990. The incident, and the city's subsequent crackdown on unlicensed clubs, lead to the closure of many similar nightclubs in New York. Alternative newsweekly The Village Voice wrote a full-page article on Quiet Life, which was unfortunately published days after the club shut down.
They Might Be Giants' 1992 music video for "The Guitar" was partially filmed in the Havemeyer St. apartment building. The video shows the former Quiet Life space, and some of Dewan's sculptures. On June 13, 1993, Nick Hill broadcast his WFMU show "The Music Faucet" live from the building. The show included performances by Brian Dewan, Laura Cantrell, Amy Rigby and They Might Be Giants.
Gallery
1990 flyer of upcoming Quiet Life shows. None of the shows dated after March 25 took place.
The Village Voice article, March 27, 1990.
