Lydia Lunch Papers
Call Number
Dates
Creator
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch, 1959) is an American singer, photographer, writer, actress, and spoken word performer of the New York no wave and punk scene. Lunch founded the no wave band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks with James Chance in 1976, and in her solo career has collaborated with Exene Cervenka, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Nick Cave, No Trend, and the Birthday Party. Lunch records and performs as a spoken word artist with frequent collaborators, and writes literature and underground comix, often with autobiographical content. She has also appeared in films by Richard Kern, Scott B, and Beth B, as well as written, directed, and acted in her own underground films. The Lydia Lunch Papers date from the mid-1940s to 2019 and consist of materials created and collected by Lydia Lunch documenting her artistic career and output as a singer, writer, photographer, actress, and spoken word performer in the New York punk and no wave scenes. Materials include press clippings, press kits, set lists, posters, magazines, performance promotional material, personal journals and notebooks, original writings for songs and spoken word pieces in various stages, commercial audiovisual material, and published writings. A significant portion of the collection is photographs taken by a variety of artists active in the 1970s through 2000s including Christina Birrer, J K Potter, Annie Sprinkle, Sheyla Baykal, Bart Frescura, Michael Levine, and Marc Viaplana. Most of these images are of Lunch taken for album covers and promotional material, but there are also images with others from her artistic circle including Emilio Cubeiro, Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins, Rowland S Howard, and Nick Cave. Lunch was also a photographer and a large portion of this collection contains her digital and print images, mostly of friends and from her performance touring locations throughout the United States and internationally. A significant amount of analog as well as digital audio and video recordings of Lunch's studio and live performances, both solo and with others are also in this collection dating from the late 1970s to the 2010s. Performances took place in clubs including the Knitting Factory, CBGBs, and the Kitchen in New York City, as well as in international venues in Spain, Germany, Australia, and Poland. The collection also contains the files and audiovisual recordings of friend, film co-star, and fellow spoken word performer Emilio Cubeiro.
Biographical Note
Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch, 1959) is an American singer, poet, writer, actress, and spoken word performer of the New York no wave and punk scene from the mid-1970s through the 2000s. She founded the no wave band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks with James Chance in 1976, and in her solo career has collaborated with Exene Cervenka, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Nick Cave, No Trend, and the Birthday Party. Lunch records and performs as a spoken word artist, with frequent collaborators, and writes literature and underground comix, often with autobiographical content. She has also appeared in films by Scott B and Beth B, as well as written, directed, and acted in her own underground films.
Arrangement
Organized into two series:
Series I. Photographs and Work Files
Series II. Performance and Studio Recordings
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials created and collected by Lydia Lunch documenting her artistic career and output as a singer, poet, writer, actress, and spoken word performer in the New York punk and no wave scenes. Press clippings, spoken word performance scripts, setlists, and promotional material for Lunch's performances at various venues around New York and internationally are in this collection, as well as material related to her writing, including project files, lyrics, notebooks, editions of her books in various languages, and manuscripts. There are copies of many of her albums and movies in this collection, which are only available for reference and not for viewing, spanning her entire career from the 1970s to the 2000s. This collection also contains a small amount of material on her friend and fellow spoken word performer, Emilio Cubeiro, some promotional material on Lunch's company Widowspeak, tour contracts and royalty statements, and Lunch family ephemera. This collection also includes photographs of Lunch, friends, and collaborators by various photographers active during the 1980s through 2000s, the majority of which were used for album covers and publicity material.
The largest portion of this collection is photographs created by Lunch dating from the 1990s to the 2000s. Her subjects included places, portraits of children, and images of her friends including Emilio Cubeiro, Gene Gregorits, Debi Mazar, Hubert Selby Jr, Foetus, Jerry Stahl, and Terry Kopenhager. Her photographs explore a variety of themes including simulated bondage, people handling and threatening others with weapons, and self-mutilation. Lunch also took images during her performance tours in the United States and overseas, including Switzerland, Germany, London, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, New York, and Prague. Lunch's documentation as an actress on various film sets includes digital images from The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things in 2003.
This collection also contains unreleased audio and video performances and studio recordings dating from the mid-1970s to 2010s. These recordings include live performances by Lunch, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Beirut Slump, and other Lunch collaborators in New York clubs including CBGBs, the Kitchen, and the Knitting Factory, as well as international venues in Spain, Germany, and Australia. This collection also contains recordings from performances by Lunch's friend Emilio Cubeiro and his band Hot Lunch from the 1970s and 1980s This collection has a small number of studio recordings of Lunch's songs.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
People
Topics
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Lydia Lunch Papers; MSS 590; box number; folder number or item identifier; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Lydia Lunch in October 2019; the accession number associated with this gift is 2019.077.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
Advance notice is required for the use of computer records. Original physical digital media is restricted.
An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Select audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact Fales Library and Special Collections, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Appraisal
Duplicate copies of commercial CD or DVD recordings (59 CDs, 2 DVDs, and 4 vhs) were transferred to the New York University Avery Fisher Center For Music and Media.
The following born-digital materials were blank and removed from the collection: FA_MSS_590_107; FA_MSS_590_30; FA_MSS_590_33
Bank statements, medical records, receipts, and duplicate promotional material and clippings were removed from the collection.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Original caption information, when available, was transcribed onto the new folders and were rehoused in appropriate size boxes. Rolled posters were sent to the conservation lab for treatment and housed in appropriately sized containers. Analog audio and audiovisual materials were assigned unique numbers, labeled, and physcially grouped together by format into new containers.
107 carriers were forensically imaged, analyzed, and arranged in Forensic Toolkit. New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity of the content.
CDs and DVDs with imaging issues were transferred to the Digital Archivist on 8/2/2021 for further analysis and possible future imaging: FA_MSS_590_36, FA_MSS_590_43, FA_MSS_590_44, FA_MSS_590_50-_53, FA_MSS_590_61.
Repository
Series I. Photographs and Work Files, 1947-2019, inclusive; 1976-2000, bulk
Extent
Extent
Scope and Contents
This series contains photographs of and by Lydia Lunch, press clippings, promotional material, writing files and books, spoken word scripts, and reference copies of her albums and movies. This series also contains a small amount of material on her friend Emilio Cubeiro, material from her company Widowspeak, tour contracts and royalty statements, and family ephemera.
Early Lunch family photographs date from the 1940s to 1960s and also include childhood ephemera. This series also contains files accumulated by Lunch after the death of friend, acting co-star, spoken word performer, and collaborator Emilio Cubeiro. These files include promotion fliers, photographs, and clippings related to Cubeiro's band Hot Lunch and his spoken word performances at CBGBs, the Knitting Club and other venues around New York in the 1970s and 1980s.
A significant portion of this series is photographs of Lunch by various artists active during the 1970s to 2010s including Christina Birrer, David Arnoff, Beth B, Sheyla Baykal, Bart Frescura, Michael Levine, J K Potter, Annie Sprinkle, and Marc Viaplana. Most of the photographs are portraits of Lunch for publicity and album covers. Some images also include Lunch with her bands, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and 8 Eyed Spy, as well as fellow artists and collaborators Henry Rollins, Exene Cervenka, Weasel Walter, Nick Cave, Rowland S. Howard, and JG Thirlwell. Lunch acted in a number of Richard Kern movies in the 1980s and photographs from the sets and film stills are in this series. Photographs created by Lunch dating from the 1990s to the 2000s make up the majority of files in this series. Her subject matter includes cemeteries, buildings, children, and images of friends and fellow artists including Emilio Cubeiro, Gene Gregorits, Debi Mazar, Ed and Kathy Joe Kramer, Hubert Selby Jr, Mark Hudson, Chris Hanley, Foetus, Jerry Stahl, Laura Gomel, and Terry Kopenhager. Her photographs are mostly portraits, addressing themes which include bondage, people holding and using weapons on others, sadomasochism, and self-mutilation. Lunch also photographed people and places during her performance tours in the United States and overseas, including Switzerland, Germany, London, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, New York, and Prague. Lunch's documentation of her work as an actress on various film sets includes digital images from The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things in 2003. Both the photographs of Lunch and by Lunch often contain themes related to bondage, sadism, self-harming, sexuality, and rape.
This series contains a sampling of Lunch's commercial video and audio recordings which have been retained for reference and not for viewing. These objects include record albums for Teenage Jesus and Jerks, Richard Kern movies, Lunch's albums, and other albums in which she collaborated or contributed to. Design proofs for CDs and DVDs from various projects are in this series, some relating to albums produced by her company, Widowspeak. This series also includes Widowspeak promotional brochures and announcements. A small number of performance contracts and royalty statements are also in this series.
The press clippings date from the 1970s to 2010s and include Lunch appearance announcements, performance and book reviews, and profiles on Lunch and her work. Posters and promotional fliers and brochures for her spoken word performances, musical performances, movies, book tours, album releases, and other public appearances date from the 1980s to 2019.
This series includes notebooks and handwritten notes for Lunch's lyric and book ideas, scrapbooks, manuscripts, drafts, and an address book with notes. Files also include plays and illustrated books written with Nick Cave and illustrator Mike Matthews; plays with Emilio Cubeiro; and also material related to her works Psychomenstruum, Paradoxia, Johnny Behind the Deuce, and Diaries of the Sexually Insane. This series also contains Lunch's spoken word performance scripts which included notated lyrics, notes, setlists, and stage directions, dating from the 1990s to 2010s. A small number of individual files throughout this series are on the planning of Lunch's performance touring in New Zealand, Australia, and Europe, including schedules, correspondence, and notes.
Arrangement
Files in this series with the same title are grouped together and arranged chronologically within that group.
Early Koch Family Photographs and Memorabilia, 1947-1965, undated, inclusive
Emilio Cubeiro -- Hot Lunch and Other Performance Promotional Material, Photographs, and Writings, 1960s-1980s, inclusive
Photographs by Rick Armstrong -- Lunch and Bart Frescura, undated, inclusive
Photographs by David Arnoff -- Lunch, Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Beth B -- Lunch, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Sheyla Baykal -- South of Your Border Images with Lunch and Emilio Cubeiro, 1988, inclusive
Photographs by Christina Birrer -- Lunch, Rowland S Howard, Henry Rollins, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Marcy Blaustein -- Lunch, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Chantal Coves -- "Agony" Cover with Lunch, 1981, inclusive
Photographs by Monica Dee -- Lunch with Man, 1985, inclusive
Photographs by Angela Egner -- Lunch Performing, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Bart Frescura -- Lunch, Tom Tully, Olympic/Paris, Torture Museum, 1997-2000, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Petra Gall -- Lunch, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Julia Gorton -- Lunch, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Peter Gruchot -- Lunch, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Lisa Haun -- Lunch, 1984, inclusive
Photographs for Richard Kern Movies -- Lunch and Others, 1986, undated, inclusive
Photograph by Michael Kennedy and Doris Kloster -- Lunch, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Marcus Leatherdale and Michael Levine -- Lunch, 1986, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Potter / Morris Collaboration -- Proof for Lunch Album, undated, inclusive
Photographs by David Naz -- Lunch, Unknown Woman Model, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Doralba Picerno -- Lunch, undated, inclusive
Photographs by J.K. Potter -- Lunch and Other Models, circa 1993, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Manfred Rahs and Marcia Resnick -- Lunch, 1984, 1990s-2000s, inclusive
Photographs by Ali Smith -- Lunch, 1999, inclusive
Photographs by Annie Sprinkle -- Lunch, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Chris Stein -- Honeymoon in Red Album Images, circa 1987, inclusive
Photographs by Stevenson -- Lunch, 1979, inclusive
Photographs by David Stoltz -- Lunch, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Wim Van De Hulst -- Lunch and Other Models, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Marc Viaplana -- Lunch, Elevator, undated, inclusive
Photographs of Lunch by Various Photographers, 1970s to 2000s, inclusive
Photographs of Lunch with Women Bandmates, Exene Cervenka, Bart Frescura, circa 1980s, inclusive
Photographs of Lunch with Weasel Walter, Nick Cave, Rowland S Howard, Eight Eyed Spy, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, and Other Friends, 1990s-2010s, inclusive
Commercial Lydia Lunch Recordings, 1978-2016, undated, inclusive
Press Clippings, 1970s-2010s, inclusive
Lyrics and Album Images, 1980s-1998, inclusive
Digital materials
Promotional Material, Posters, Event Programs, 1980s-2021, inclusive
Promotional Material -- Posters, 1980s-2021, inclusive
Writings -- Lyrics, 1980-1995, inclusive
Writings -- Adulterers Anonymous Proofs and Book, 1982, inclusive
Writings -- Illustrated Book Projects with Nick Cave and Mike Matthews, 1985-1993, inclusive
Writings -- Plays Written with Nick Cave and Tottenham, 1985, inclusive
Writings -- Manuscripts, Notes, Submissions, 1986-1987, inclusive
Writings -- South of Your Borders Manuscript Written with Emilio Cubeiro, 1988, inclusive
Writings -- Articles, Contributions, Drafts, 1989-1998, inclusive
Writings -- Psychomenstruum Manuscript Written with John Duffy, 1990, inclusive
Writings -- Incriminating Evidence -- English and German Editions of the Book, 1992, 2000, inclusive
Writings -- Paradoxia -- Drafts, Promotional Material, English and Foreign Language Editions of the Book, 1997-2011, inclusive
Writings -- Paradoxia -- Press Kit, 2005, inclusive
Digital materials
Writings -- Devil's Racetrack -- Manuscript, 1998-1999, inclusive
Writings -- Preacher Written with Ted McKeever, 1999, inclusive
Writings -- Vicera Short Story, 2000, inclusive
Writings -- Johnny Behind the Deuce -- Drafts, 2000-2001, inclusive
Writings -- Sex and Guts Written with Gene Gregorits -- Advertisement List, circa 2000-2003, inclusive
Writings -- Panties by David Naz, with Introduction by Lunch, 2002, inclusive
Writings -- Amnesia -- Proof, Book, and Related, 2009-2010, inclusive
Writings -- Will Work for Drugs -- Czech and German Editions of the Book, 2009, 2011, inclusive
Writings -- Drafts, Manuscripts, Lyrics, 2018, undated, inclusive
Notebooks with Notes and Ideas, Address Book, Diary, Scrapbooks, 1988-2003, undated, inclusive
Covers for Video, DVD, and CD Recording Cases, 1981-2010, inclusive
Contracts and Royalties, 1982-2013, inclusive
Diaries of the Sexually Insane -- Performance Scripts, Letter Contributions, 1985-1995, inclusive
Widowspeak Productions -- Notes, Promotional Material, Press Releases, History, Video Covers, 1985-2007, inclusive
Friend's Artworks, Memorabilia, 1987-1988, 2004, undated, inclusive
Torso Exhibition -- Notes, Images, early 1990s, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Cemeteries, Graveyards, Burning Building, Torsos, 1990-1995, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Australia, Prague, Madrid, Mark, Bart, Kat, 1994-1998, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Mark, Kat, McKeesport, Cemetery, Bart, Rogers Flea Market, circa 1996-1998, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch --JGT, Emilio Cubeiro Vermont, Egypt, Leo, Vanessa / Serbian Church, circa 1996-1998, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Kathy Jo Kramer Bus, Ed Kramer, Leo, Ramona and Jane, Oslo, circa 1996-1998, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Switzerland, Paris, Germany, Prague, London, Selby, Ian, Laila, Vanessa, Pittsburgh, circa 1997-2001, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Pleasant, Barcelona, Bern, US Tour, Loren, France, Color Tour, Mark Hudson, Rick, Bart, JG, Mia, 1997-1998, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Mark Hudson and Rick, Rochester / Vanessa, Gene, Tour, Italy, 1998-1999, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Tour, White Edwards, Kelly, Shadow, Jerry, Paul and Claudio, KAK, KJ, 1999-2000, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Selby Jr., Laila, Torsos, Smelly Guilt, Emilio Cubeiro, Elvis and Stacey, Shooting Range, 2000-2006, undated, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Harrisburg / Foetus, Margaret, Madge, Steve, Vanessa, Gillian, 1990s-2000s, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Jerry Stahl, Julie and Ed, Adult Motel Versailles, Leo, Detroit, Jane / Gypsy, Palermo, 1990s-2000s, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Laura Gomel, Voodoo Dolls, Backyard, Brent, Prague, Rick as Ray, Claudio, Rick, 1990s-2000s, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Gene Gregorits, Gene and Carmi, Portraits, Debi Mazar, Greece, Humbolt, 1990s-2000s, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Claudio, European Tour, Munich, Paris, Sabine, Poland, Bern, Terry Kopenhager, 1990s-2000s, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch -- Unidentified Images, 1990s-2000s, inclusive
Photographs by Lunch and Marc Viaplana, undated, inclusive
Correspondence, 1991-2000, inclusive
Australian Tour Documentation, 1994, inclusive
Fan Art, 1995-1998, inclusive
Spoken Word Performance Scripts and Set Lists, 1999-2015, undated, inclusive
Lunch and Gene Gregorits Spoken Word Performance Material, 2000, inclusive
Images for Album and Video Covers, 2001, inclusive
Digital materials
Lunch and Marc Viaplana -- Forensic Exhibit Material, circa 2001-2006, inclusive
Anubian Nights -- Press Material, 2002-2003, inclusive
Willing Victim European Tour Material, 2003, inclusive
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things -- Filming and Behind the Scenes Images, 2003, inclusive
Digital materials
Firefighter Training Images, 2003, inclusive
Digital materials
Real Pornography, and Ecstasy at the Mouth of the Abyss Projects -- Press Kit Material, 2006, inclusive
Digital materials
CD Design Artwork Files -- Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, and Beirut Slump, 2008
Digital materials
Lydia Lunch Retrovirus New Zealand Tour Material, 2015, inclusive
Lydia Lunch Retrovirus Australian Tour Material, 2018, inclusive
Blackout '77 Exhibition with Lunch and Juan Azulay, undated, inclusive
Head Gallery Spoken Word Performance including Nick Cave, Thurston Moore, Rowland S Howard, and Others -- Performer List and Scripts, undated, inclusive
Photographs -- Headshots of Friends, Unknown Groups of Male Portraits, undated, inclusive
Series II. Performance and Studio Recordings, 1962-2015, inclusive; 1976-1999, bulk
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Extent
Scope and Contents
This series contains analog and digital recordings of mostly unreleased live performances and studio sessions of Lydia Lunch, most dating from the mid-1970s to the 2000s. Live performance recordings include shows with Lunch's band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks at CBGBs and Hurrah's, Eight Eyed Spy shows, and also Beirut Slump's first performance, played at the Millenium. This series also includes Lunch's spoken word performances at the Knitting Factory, Bogart's, G's Club, Apolo, and other American and international venues. Some performance recordings include Lunch performing with other artists including Exene Cervenka, Mark Cunningham, Rowland S Howard, Debi Mazar, Hubert Selby Jr., Jerry Stahl, Wanda Coleman, and Emilio Cubeiro. This series also contains recordings of spoken work performances with Emilio Cubeiro and with his band Hot Lunch, often at New York clubs including CBGBs and the Knitting Factory. The series also has a small number of studio recordings of Lunch's songs.
Arrangement
This series is arranged in chronological order.
