NYC Nightclub Empressario Lon Ballinger on his memoir, Party Boys

Guest: Lon Ballinger, NYC and Canadian Nightlife Empressario, on his memoir, Party Boys, How the Ballinger Brothers Built the Best Nightclubs in the World. Print review here: https://nysmusic.com/2024/10/24/party... An interview with the man responsible for some of the biggest nightclubs in the world, including NYC's legendary Webster Hal,l, which he ran for 25 years with his brothers. In the interview, he discusses how buying a pizza oven on a whim led to his creation of a string of Canada's most successful clubs, which then led to a 25-year reign as owner of NYC's legendary Webster Hall. It includes a bevy of memories of unforgettable performances and meetings with legends like by Prince, Ray Charles, Green Day, Lady Gaga and Tom Petty, as well as events like Madonna's legendary Pajama Party and the Clinton Inaugural bash. Also, Webster Hall's vital role in the birth of East Coast rap and EDM. "Reading is Funktamental" is a monthly one-hour show about great books written about music and music-makers. In each episode, host Sal Cataldi speaks to the authors of some of the best reads about rock, jazz, punk, world, experimental music, and much more. From time to time, the host and authors will be joined by notable musicians, writers, and artists who are die-hard fans of the subject matter covered. Expect lively conversation and a playlist of great music to go with it. "Reading Is Funktamental" can be heard the second Wednesday of every month from 10 – 11 AM on Wave Farm: WGXC 90.7 FM and online at wavefarm.org. It can also be found as a podcast on Apple, Spotify, and other platforms. Sal Cataldi is a musician and writer based in Saugerties. He is best known for his work with his genre-leaping solo project, Spaghetti Eastern Music, and is also a member of the ambient guitar duo, Guitars A Go Go, the poetry and music duo, Vapor Vespers, and the quartet, Spaceheater. His writing on music, books and film has been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, PopMatters, Seattle Times, Huffington Post, Inside+Out Upstate NY, and NYSMusic.com, where he is the book reviewer.