100 New Yorkers of the 1970s

A journalist assembles one hundred short profile interviews, conducted in the late 1970s for a free New York weekly, that sketch notable residents of the city’s arts and media scenes. Each entry pairs backstage anecdotes and personal recollections with a compact magazine-style portrait of actors, singers, dancers, writers, musicians, and broadcasters. The author interweaves reflections on his own early-career apprenticeship and reporting methods, describing the practical work of landing subjects and writing cover stories. Recurring themes include the mingling of fame with ordinary urban life, a surprising unpretentiousness among many figures, and practical advice about not wasting one’s life.