Coca Crystal Video Recordings and Papers
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Abstract
Coca Crystal (1947-2016), born Jacquline Diamond, was a journalist, television personality, and political activist. Beginning in 1969, Diamond contributed to the East Village Other under the pen name Coca Crystal, writing about counterculture politics with a strong focus on women's issues. From 1977 until 1995, she created and hosted the cable-access variety television program The Coca Crystal Show: If I Can't Dance, You Can Keep Your Revolution, which featured political commentary, music, guest interviews, and audience call-ins. This collection consists of issues of the East Village Other and other underground publications, recordings of The Coca Crystal Show on 1/2 inch open reel, U-matic, and VHS video tapes, and biographical and promotional materials about Coca Crystal and her show.
Biographical Note
Coca Crystal (1947-2016), born Jacquline "Jackie" Diamond, was a journalist, television personality, and political activist. Beginning in 1969, Diamond contributed to the East Village Other under the pen name Coca Crystal, writing about counterculture and politics with a strong focus on women's issues. In 1975, Diamond adopted her sister's young son, Gustav "Gus" Che Finkelstein.
In 1977, she created the cable-access variety television program The Coca Crystal Show: If I Can't Dance, You Can Keep Your Revolution, which ran until 1995. TheCoca Crystal Show featured political commentary, music, guest interviews, and audience call-ins. Some of the show's sketches included Sinsemilla Stret: The World's Only Consumer Video Pot Report, Radical Walking Tours with Bruce Kayton, Newt News, No Nukes, and Archive Tapes. The show usually began with Coca Crystal lighting a joint and ended with her and the show's guests dancing together. Regular contributers included photojournalist Charlie Frick, music journalist Leslie Kandell, Pam Lloyd, poet Vincent Titus, journalist Nancy Borman, Mike Chance, Bud Bogart, Lannes Kenfield, poet Tuli Kupferberg, journalist Jim Buckley, talent coordinator Maureen Ivice, Marty Brown, activist Bruce Kayton, environmental educator Steve "Wildman" Brill, director Ed Caraballo, Beanie the dog, and Judith Malina, Steve Ben Israel, and Jasmine Vegas of "The Living Theatre." Gus Finkelstein also made several appearances on the show and was often referred to as the "executive producer."
In 2012, the Metropolitan Playhouse awarded a Certificate of Appreciation to Coca Crystal. In 2013, Danielle Quisenberry portrayed Crystal in a one-woman show performed for the East Village Theater Festival at the Metropolitan Playhouse.
Coca Crystal passed away in 2016, 10 years after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into four series:
Series I. Written Works includes issues of the East Village Other, Overthrow Magazine, and other underground publications that Coca Crystal and her contemporaries contributed to. This series is arranged chronologically.
Series II. The Coca Crystal Show: If I Can't Dance, You Can Keep Your Revolution includes recordings of Coca Crystal's cable-access telivision show on 1/2 inch open reel, U-matic, and VHS video tapes. This series is arranged chronologically.
Series III. Biographical and Promotional Materials includes telivision appearances and interviews by Coca Crystal, as well as recordings of events that she went to, on U-matic and VHS video tapes. It also includes a Certificate of Appreciation awarded to Cyrstal by the Metropolitan Playhouse in 2012. This series is arranged alphabetically.
Series IV. Polar Bear News includes recordings of the news segment, which was created by a friend of Coca Crystal.
Content Description
This collection consists of materials created and collected by Coca Crystal documenting her career as a journalist and television personality. Included in the collection are issues of the East Village Other, Overthrow Magazine, and other underground publications that Crystal and her contemporaries contributed to; recordings of her cable-access telivision show, The Coca Crystal Show: If I Can't Dance, You Can Keep Your Revolution, on 1/2 inch open reel, U-matic, and VHS video tapes; biographical and promotional video tapes about Coca Crystal and her show; a Certificate of Appreciation awarded to Crystal by the Metropolitan Playhouse in 2012; and recordings of Polar Bear News, created by a friend of Crystal's, on U-matic and VHS video tapes.
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Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Access to audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact special.collections@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Coca Crystal Video Recordings and Papers; MSS 468; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Jill Diamond, sister of Coca Crystal (Jackie Diamond), in December 2016; the accession number associated with this gift is 2016.058.
About this Guide
Processing Information
At the time of accessioning in 2016, materials were rehoused in archival boxes. In 2021, the collection was further arranged and described by an archivist. At this time, 16 U-matic tapes were temporarily separated from the collection due to mold concerns. The cases of the remaining videotapes were lightly cleaned to reduce dust and risk of contamination. Several dirty or broken cases were replaced, and photo documentation was retained of the tapes' original housing.
In 2022 the moldy U-matic tapes that were isolated in 2021 were cleaned by Preservation staff. These items are currently isolated from other items by housing them in a polyethylene bag with a desiccated board and RH monitor strip. If this strip indicates an RH greater than 50%, contact the Preservation Department immediately. Do not open this packaging without contacting the Preservation Department.
