Manic Panic Divas Celebrate 30 Years of Punk Fashion

Manic Panic celebrates 30 years.

1n 1977, I was a closeted gay, anxiety ridden, acne plagued teenager in a very bland rural high school in Northern California. I became aware of the “Punk Rock” movement via an article in either ‘Time’ ‘News Week” or one of the other popular “news zines” at the time, which I would look at during my lunch break, having few friends and certainly no “cool” friends. God, I longed to be one of the beautiful people.

On July 7th, 2007th, 33 St. Marks place, or rather the sidewalk in front of this address, had its share of ghosts from the past as Tish and Snooky of Manic Panic made an appearance to toast the day with New York Chocolate Soda and many old friends. It was 30 years ago on this site that Tish and Snooky set up shop.

It was summer of 1977 when the two native New York sisters began selling underground fashions here to many of the up and coming celebrities of the Punk Rock era. Celebrities themselves and co-owners of Manic Panic, a multi national line of hair dyes specializing in vivid hues of every color of the rainbow and beyond, the sisters have operations in Japan and have recently opened a store in Venice Beach, Ca. If their success continues, we can expect to see hair of every color, as we currently do in many urban areas, become accepted into the mainstream.

As it was 30 years ago, and before, East 8th St. still retains its hip, vibrant atmosphere. The block between 1st and 2nd Ave. is lined with unique boutiques, tattoo parlors, underground clothing stores and head shops, and, thankfully, the Gap on the corner at 2nd Ave. seems to have failed. With the recent closing of CBGB’s, and , perhaps even worse, the real estate business going on with The Chelsea Hotel, another nail is driven into the coffin of an era, perhaps two, perhaps three.

How long can the East Village retain its hipness? The space at 33 East. 8th St. seems vacant, at present, and although it has seen an incarnation or two since Manic Panic expanded elsewhere in 1989, perhaps another trend setting boutique will appear there. With society ripe for major social change, one can only hope we see the East Village flourish again to become the vibrant center for such change as it has so often been.

Source : www.manicpanic.com

All photographs property of phillipnyc