There are two great shows you should check out on the Bowery right now. Neither one of them is at the New Museum, but both involve some of punk music's great figures. The first is a small collage show entitled "The Spirits Are Alive and Well" by X front woman, Exene Cervenka. The pieces are nostalgic and eerie with the old photographs and personal ephemera. My favorite is on the right, the one with the pinochle card box! That show will be up until July 18th at 195 Bowery. Very, very cool.

Secondly, one of the absolute MASTERS of rock photography, Bob Gruen has a retrospective up at the Morrison Hotel Gallery at 313 Bowery. 280 photographs, including an installation of a a bedroom replica, from the 70's, the walls covered top to bottom with some of Gruen's magazine photos. The show is incredible, and you will most certainly recognize the iconic images of John and Yoko, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Led Zepplin, KISS....the list goes on and on. Last week I attended a guided tour/lecture of the exhibit, another great one for VH1's Save The Music Foundation. Photos under the cut.

Bob Gruen with Legs McNeil at the Rockers exhibit

Bob Gruen

Bob Gruen

Exene Cervenka