10 Incredibly Interesting Inspired Word Facts
1) One of our venues, le poisson rouge at 158 Bleecker Street, was once the Village Gate, where jazz legends like John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Nina Simone, Herbie Mann did their thing and Aretha Franklin made her first New York appearance.
2) We've featured two Emmy nominated actresses, Amber Tamblyn and Jill Eikenberry.
3) One of our venues, 116 MacDougal St, is actually a converted coal cellar.
4) Our stage has been graced by a Golden Globe winner, Grammy winner, Obie winner, and Tony winner.
5) We produce a yearly breast cancer fundraiser, dedicated to the memory of the late Dorothy Geffner, the mother of IW founder Mike Geffner who died of breast cancer in 1972.
6) We've featured an American Idol finalist, Anwar Robinson, who placed 7th in 2005.
7) One of our venues, One and One’s downstairs Nexus Lounge, was a speakeasy during Prohibition.
8) One of our venues, The Soho Playhouse's Huron Club, was once a popular nightclub for the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine at the turn of the century. Prominent regulars included "Battery" Dan Finn and the infamous Jimmy "Beau James" Walker, known as "The Night Mayor" due to his predilection for jazz clubs and chorus girls.
9) One of our venues, 116 MacDougal St, was once The Gaslight Café aka The Village Gaslight, which showcased beat poets Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso in the late 1950’s and where Bob Dylan recorded his first album.
10) Series founder Mike Geffner, a former journalist, interviewed thousands of celebrities during his 30-plus-year career, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (for 10 days straight in Beverly Hills and Scottsdale, Arizona), President Nixon (twice), and Dennis Hopper (during a round of golf in Simi Valley).
