Interview first featured in East Village Beat, Boog City Issue 25 May 2005
I met Mariah Aguiar with her close friend Helen Wheels, at an early 90s downtown art opening, we were introduced by sculptor, Dana Greene (long time assistant to Colombian fine artist, Enrique Grau). “Greenie” Helen loudly yelled across the gallery, when she caught site of us. Dana had purposely got us witches together, we shared the same code of values, strong, determined to do things our way and we would never betray a sister, especially for a man! The two women electrified the room; I spent the evening bonding with the brazen beauties, Helen a songstress and Mariah a photographer. I became a fan of this dynamic duo that night.
A few months later I asked Helen and Mariah if they would participate in a reading I organized at CBGB 313 Gallery, Venus in Latex all proceeds to benefit Iris House (refuge for abused women). They immediately agreed and jumped right in. Helen would read an excerpt from a work in progress, We Took Dawn For Granted and Mariah would donate one of her photos (to be auctioned) vintage Debbie Harry @CBGB 1977, one of many that would illustrate their book. The book would be Helen and Mariah’s first person experience of the Rock and Rollers who survived the Punk years and many who didn’t. Helen explained, “We were fearless, never thought some of us wouldn’t come out alive, I am one of those survivors.” Helen and Mariah’s book concept came about by the two of them going through Mariah’s photos, remembering the Glory Days of CBGB! And it became apparent to both of them that so many people were dead, many good friends “had left the building”. They felt a need to tell their story, so no one would be forgotten.
CBGB history Mariah documented with her camera. And what a photo gallery she has, including, The Ramones, Patti Smith, The Dictators, The Sick Fucks, The Tuff Darts, The Damned, The New York Dolls, The Dead Boys, Jayne County, Nico and the list goes on.
How in the heck did Mariah, a 15-year-old shutterbug find her way to the East Village, I ask? “I was a kid reading Punk and Roxy Magazine, I loved the look, the music and I knew I had to be where the bands played, so I raided my piggy bank and took the train from Long Island to Max’s and CBGB”.
Mariah would sneak into the clubs, later hired by the Scottish manager Merve to work at CB’s, as, of all things, a BOUNCER…We laugh, Mariah was a 5’2″ 100 lbs blonde, who could talk anyone into anything, thus folks out of killing each other. “I found a home, I wasn’t alone anymore.” Then Mariah pauses as she becomes a little dewy eyed and continues “I remember Blondie sending me their first release, a little girl, their first release, I mattered… it came to my Long Island address, my poor Mom” we laugh.
So when did you first hook up with Wheels (lead singer of the The Helen Wheel’s Band and an award winning body builder) I ask? Mariah answers “Helen had been playing CBGB and I was blown away by her performance, such a powerful woman with a powerful voice…I couldn’t stop taking her picture, at this point I thought she must think I’m a stalker (we laugh, she continues)…One night I walked passed a crowd and all of a sudden, Connie, Dee Dee Ramone’s girlfriend at the time, had mistaken me for someone she had a beef with, before I had even noticed, Helen had prevented Connie from shaving off half my skull with a broken beer mug by physically grabbing me by the waste and pulling me out of her lunge!…Helen stood between us and looked her straight in the eyes and said ‘If I were you I wouldn’t fuck with me’ then Helen turned to me and said ‘You look too nice of a kid to get messed up with that shit’ and then she walked away, like no big deal” Mariah starts to laugh “The funnier thing about this story is that years later when Helen and I were out with friends she told the story about how we first met, I corrected her and said we first met when you saved me from Crazy Connie. Until that moment she didn’t realize that the star struck fan girl was me, she was my hero.”
Helen passed in January 17th 2000, not from illegal drugs but from legal medicine, malpractice (Helen caught an infection from unsanitary conditions at the hospital). “Down the rabbit hole” as Mariah puts it. It’s still hard to believe and unnatural that Helen is not sitting next to Mariah as we go through Mariah’s photos, the muse is silent and this is not fair but there are still stories to tell and they will be told.
We pause for few moments, missing Helen and then pondering the future of CBGB. Mariah interjects “Hilly is like a father to me and so many others….. Kids come from all over the Universe, they know this is where they can play their own music, tell their stories, be heard, MATTER! CBGB is more than a club, it’s a culture and a living history. Hilly Kristal keeps the dream alive and the kids keep coming.”
Note from EVE, There goes the Bowery, CBGB is in danger of being evicted please write, email and call the Mayors office and Land Mark Commission, lets get that damn dive land marked for future generations. All inquires regarding Mariah’s work email paulettepowell@gmail.com
POST NOTES: I wrote They Call Her Mariah in 2005. It was my pleasure to feature my dear friend in my East Village Beat column, Mariah Aguiar. Since that Boog City issue came off the press, May 2005, many things have permanently changed. Mariah left us a month later, June 29th 2005, CBGB, the church of Punk, doors slammed shut forever after Patti Smith delivered the last death throe song Oct 15th, 2006 and Hilly Kristal, creator and founder of CBGB, passed away from lung cancer complications (from 2nd hand smoke) August 28, 2007.
When I first heard Mariah was gone, befittingly from Hilly himself, “Paulette I heard terrible news, Mariah has suddenly passed away” It was unbelievable; only two nights prior I had dinner with Mariah at the East Village‘s Telephone Bar with Jacksonville‘s artist,Lee Harvey. Mariah was all smiles, still a beauty at 45 but looked 25, NO JOKE! And in, we all thought, good health, she never did drugs, was not depressed, most importantly had finally resolved her grief from Helen’s early exit.
At one of my darkest and I mean DARKEST period of my life (2002-04) she drug me out of my hole. Mariah was a living Angel! In all seriousness, one of the most compassionate, selfless and loyal human beings I have ever encountered. We both had hard knocks in recent years but our rekindled sisterhood was inspiring both of us to get back out there, we had lust for life. My column was very much meant to help jump start Mariah to finish a book project, a personal history of Punk Rock, told through her eyes and Helen Wheel’s voice, We Took Dawn For Granted. I hope eventually it will be published.
One more post note for the road, CBGB is credited for the gentrification of the Bowery that later bit the club back by becoming unaffordable for mom and pops, only huge corp owned retailers can afford a flagship on the Bowery.
It was Hilly who lobbied to make that little stretch of street “Joey Ramone Place” and it was Hilly who gave kids a community. Hilly was an accidental business man who created a perfect storm, enviroment, that gave birth to a music movement, PUNK ROCK that countless legends sprung from.
The law suit took its toll and I saw with my own eyes, Hilly fight the good fight, for CBGB and for his life… The stress wore him down, a contributor to his illness. I know because I along with my business partner, Richard Kave consulted with Hilly, wrote accurate letters regarding true market value of real estate on the Bowery, considering we did or were a part of the majority of the deals done at the time on the Bowery, we knew what the deals truly signed at, not spouting off inflating asking rents…Hilly used our information in court to dispute Muzzy and what other BS uneducated brokers spouted off (quoted by the Post and other tabloids) to brown nose LLs!
Now the dust has settled and it SUX…….RIP Hilly, CBGB on the Bowery we miss you. I really believe that CBGB was a sign, a litmus test, that our NYC, American capitalist society, is sick…..A lesson to be learned….. And that is, heartlessly treating human beings as money obstacles eats the soul of community and leaves us with nothing but a “Den of Thieves” who have no love, respect for our children or future of our NYC, East Village Community. For those who used to argue with me, and say, “progress”, what do you say now? Got news for all of those who participated in pirate booty, was it really enough to sell out your community and your soul? Cause the way I figure it, people, humans help you survive when currency no longer has value. We can only hope there will be another Hilly Kristal, who will nurture new generations of great artists!
The American Blonde 