Ruth Polsky

Ruth Polsky (1956 - Sep 7 1986) was a pioneering booker and music promoter in New York City. She died after being crushed by a runaway cab on the steps of the Limelight club in NYC.

"A driver for a car service has been charged with running a red light after his vehicle collided with a taxicab that spun out of control, struck and killed a woman in front of the Limelight discotheque in Chelsea, the police said yesterday. The victim, who was killed instantly Sunday night when the cab pinned her against the front of the building at 47 West 20th Street, was identified yesterday as Ruth Polsky of 90 West Houston Street, according to a police spokesman, Officer Joseph McConville" [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50713FE3B580C7A8CDDA00894DE484D81 ,"New York Times"] Sep 9 1986

During the period 1979 (?) until her death Ruth was talent buyer at Hurrah and then Danceteria in NYC, also promoting shows at The Ritz and booking bands out across the country. In this role she was crucial in breaking many, particularly UK-based, post-punk acts in the USA, including tours for The Smiths, New Order, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Sisters of Mercy, The Birthday Party, Cocteau Twins, and Chameleons UK. She worked closely with Shirley O'Loughlin [http://www.girlmonster.info/zine5.htm] at Rough Trade to bring in The Raincoats, Delta 5, Young Marble Giants, Cabaret Voltaire, The Go-Betweens, The Slits and The Pop Group for their US debuts. Ruth booked the Joy Division USA tour in May 1980, which was canceled after Ian Curtis' death. Other bands that got their first USA break via Ruth are A Certain Ratio, Echo And The Bunnymen, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and Gene Loves Jezebel.

Notes 1979-1986

Ruth is quoted after attending Elvis Costello's first USA shows including the notorious "April Fools Day Marathon" on April 1 1979. [http://www.btinternet.com/~perrymp/bb/docs/bb202120yrs.htm]

Ruth wrote [http://www.heavyhenry.com/body_lovpolsk.html an article] on Lene Lovich for The Aquarian in July 1979.

Ruth booked Simple Minds into Hurrah for a show on Oct 24, 1979 where the band were filmed by "The Old Grey Whistle Test", giving them crucial UK tv exposure. [http://www.simpleminds.org/sm/dvds/stl/stl1.htm]

Ruth's close relationship with Stiff Records led to a package show "Taking Liberties" at The Rainbow in Finsbury Park on Feb 21 1981 featuring NYC bands The dB's, The Fleshtones, Raybeats, Bush Tetras, The Bongos, and Polyrock. Live tracks recorded at the show of all except Polyrock were released on a Stiff compilation called "Start Swimming". [http://www.thedbsonline.net/discography/compstartswim.html] " [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905E6DC1739F933A15751C0A967948260 NY Times article] "

Ruth managed Certain General from 1984-1986, and released "Will You" on her own S.U.S.S. label. [http://g150.home.mindspring.com/cg/product.html]

Ruth contributed photography to the Sisters Of Mercy 1985 album "First and Last and Always"

Morrissey dedicated The Smiths' single "Shoplifters of the World Unite" to her memory. [http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showpost.php?p=394046&postcount=29] [http://www.soundopinions.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5511&st=400&p=175770&#]

The Virgin Prunes dedicated their 1986 live album "The Hidden Lie" to her - "If this is a goodbye LP then it's a special farewell to Ruth Polsky." [http://www.limbos.org/newrose/newrosebaby.htm]

On Dec 5, 1986 New Order played a benefit for Ruth at the Roxy in NYC, encoring with Joy Division tunes "Atmosphere" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart" - the first time they'd played them live since the band ended.

Dish

A story was told by her dad at her funeral of how Ruth fellout of a car when she was a baby, but was retrieved whenthey drove back looking for her.

Ruth was later engaged to Paul Conroy, the general manager of Stiff Records.

Ruth almost managed The Smiths in Feb 1984 [http://foreverill.com/interviews/post87/firsttour.htm]

"Ruth was the first to place monitors around a club and play video for the dancers. She had willed her records to the ARChive, but goulish record dealers camp out on the steps and buy them off the family." [http://www.arcmusic.org/data/today/sep/sep14.htm "The ARChive of Contemporary Music"]

I worked with Ruth Polsky at Hurrah, and am not sure what her part may have been in the placement of the video monitors over the dancefloor. I was told that this was the brainstorm of Ron Jaegger who helped run the club. Ron then deputised one of the bartenders (Charles Libin) to run the video. Charles invited me (Merrill Aldighieri) to screen my feature, "Love Among the Mutants" to accompany the performance of Joy Division. I assembled a collection of video and experimental films I made and began improvising a non-stop projection to interpret the DJ's music. I started doing this about a week before the screening of my feature, because I did not like the change in ambient light that happened when the monitors were turned on in the middle of the evening for a single presentation. I wanted to create a visuel tributary that could run with the music. I was invited to be a fulltime staff employee. Ruth often told me about the groups she was booking, and I began videotaping all the groups who played the club. (http://artclips.free.fr/vj-bandlist.htm) One of the videos I made was of a performance of The Raybeats with George Scott and guest singer, Richard Hell. George Scott was then Ruth Polski's boyfriend. A few months later he died.

References

Persondata
NAME=Polsky, Ruth
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Music booker/promoter
DATE OF BIRTH=1956
PLACE OF BIRTH=New Jersey, USA
DATE OF DEATH=September 7, 1986
PLACE OF DEATH=NYC