Cyndi Lauper's childhood home. My Dad grew up on Long Island... and at one point, his nuclear family lived with my great-grandparents. They lived close to Cyndi's childhood home in Ozone Park, Queens. Here's Cyndi mentioning it in this article: "In our own apartment, downstairs from Nana and Grandpa, we would usually turn the 'Yule Log' on television. Channel 11 had it every year. But I remember that night, at Aunt Gracie's and Uncle Vinny's, we didn't need a yule log to warm us because we had one another. And that was a tradition growing up. I saw us as a closely-knit family in our two connected houses made with shingles that looked like the color of Good and Plenty candy."
Cyndi talks about growing up Catholic in Ozone Park
St. Mary, Gate of Heaven Catholic School. Next to Ozone Park, Cyndi was enrolled here as a kid. She’s talked about being kicked out of school when her mother got a divorce. Many years later, Cyndi and Ed while in Flyer played a dance here in the 70’s. Eddy: “As we know, Cyndi has a rebellious side. When we played here she decided to wear a school uniform. When she came on stage, she had it hiked up high like a mini skirt. The shirt was disheveled and of course the hair was in pigtails. Needless to say the Nuns were not amused and afterwards let us know that.”
St. Mary, Gate of Heaven Catholic Church (next to the Catholic School) is one of the churches Cyndi attended as a child. I took these photos when I was last in Ozone Park and tried to imagine her thoughts when gazing upon these powerful symbols. Construction began in 1904, 120 years ago.
Cyndi Lauper AND my Dad's childhood carousel.
Cyndi: “I’ve been going to the Delacorte since I was a little kid.” This is an outdoor theatre in Central Park, not far from the bench dedicated to Cyndi’s father-in-law. Just off of 80th Street on the southwest corner of the Great Lawn. It is best known for The Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park production.
Cyndi spent two years here before dropping out. Thank you Assistant Principal Stan Turetsky for sharing this photo of Cyndi performing in the talent show. Possibly the first pic of Cyndi performing publicly?
Belmont Park horse racing track in Queens. One of Cyndi’s first jobs… hot walking the horses to cool them down after races.
Not far from the Stonewall Inn and GJWTHF subway is Trude Heller’s nightclub: now Bagel Pub!! 🥯 A TV dance show was broadcast here in the 60’s AND Cyndi & Ed Wenzel played here with Flyer in the 70’s, which was primarily a lesbian bar at the time. This is where Cyndi was introduced to the gay community … + they loved her 🌈 So much for landmarks! Want a schmear?
The Ansonia: where Cyndi would work with vocal coach Katie Agresta. When she lost her voice in 1977, she found Katie training singers here… Cyndi went here for many years to rehabilitate and eventually master her voice. Ironically right down the street from the Beacon Theatre where Cyndi did her ‘Home For The Holidays’ shows.
Club 57 was THE place to see rising acts from 1978-1983. Both Cyndi and Madonna performed here before becoming superstars.
Made the pilgrimage to the ORIGINAL Screaming Mimi’s: the store where Cyndi worked before her big break. It’s been verified that the first store opened in 1978 & then expanded to include next door 3 years later. The current occupants want nothing to do with inside visitors, understandably.
Screaming Mimi’s is still around but now in a 3rd location. Check it out for some amazing vintage outfits and accessories!
The Record Plant in NYC. Who recorded here?
Cyndi Lauper (She’s So Unusual), Bruce Springsteen (Born To Run), Fleetwood Mac (Rumours) plus… Prince, KISS, David Bowie, Blondie, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses…. AND John Lennon recorded Imagine here before he was shot arriving home from this studio :(
Manhattan recording studio… where ‘She’s So Unusual’ was recorded! The Plant was once called The Record Plant
She’s So Unusual: Coney Island, NY… Then and Now: 40 years later!
Sadly the Wax Musee has been torn down.
It’s been 10 years since our first visit to Coney Island. If you ever want to go to Coney Island, please do it SOON. It has changed sooooo much even since our last visit and it’s changing all the time. There is NO evidence of the SSU album front cover (the parachute jump from the back cover is still there!) Even the building that REPLACED the Wax Museé building has now been torn down. I took a shot here of all that is left from the blue buildings. Trying to recreate anything 40 years later is basically impossible. All new construction seems to be focused on baseball 😒 Time stops for nothing or no one ⏰
PS: my first visit to Coney Island was in 1987 and I had no clue that the She’s So Unusual cover shot was done here, so I completely missed my opportunity to see the ’World In Wax’ 😢😢😢
Coney Island. The Parachute Jump: the “Eiffel Tower of Brooklyn.” Riders were belted into a two-person canvas seat, then hoisted to the top, where a release mechanism would drop them, the descent slowed only by the parachute.
The Starry Night: Vincent van Gogh at MOMA.
Cyndi’s ‘She’s So Unusual’ shoes: at the National Museum of American History (?): website says currently not on view
Girls Just Want To Have Fun!
“I come home in the morning light”, still on Gay Street
Did you know that this famous scene was filmed very close to the ‘F*R*I*E*N*D*S’ apartment? Just a few streets down. This street hasn’t changed much in 4 decades!
This scene with all the girls was filmed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The fountain is hardly visible in the clip but what a scene these art goers must have stumbled upon outside The Met in 1983!
This is the Christopher Street subway station, confirmed by Cyndi as the GJWTHF scene.
Another mystery solved! This sculpture is still around 40 years later. The director had these girls ALL over Manhattan 🏙
You’d never know that this was David Wolff’s office when he managed Cyndi through ‘She’s So Unusual’ ! How interesting is that history?!
A young Cyndi with the Queensboro Bridge in the background. Maybe symbolic of a Queens kid taking on Manhattan 💪 The Queen from Queens!
"Dear Joe + David, this is so sweet, xx Cyndi Lauper"
Cyndi liked that we visited the sites of the Time After Time video shoot in 2015 (30 years later)… she signed this in 2016 over dinner. All of these locations are in New Jersey.
Tom’s Diner: Roxbury Township, NJ
Tom's Diner has been torn down.
It USED to be at: US-46 & US-10 Intersection, Roxbury, NJ
Time After Time: Morristown Train Station
Morristown Train Station
Time After Time train station: Morristown, NJ
Cyndi behind the scenes working on the Time After Time video with director Edd Griles
The Thread Building is where Cyndi lived with David Wolff
For whatever reason, Dave Wolff + Cyndi moved offices, probably around the True Colors album. This building housed their next office.
The Power Station… where Cyndi recorded the True Colors album.
The ’True Colors’ video was filmed here in Queens.
A Night To Remember: Then (1989) and Now (2015)
2023: Photo and video of location for the ‘I Drove All Night’ pic sleeve and ‘A Night To Remember’ album. We returned since we had just walked the Manhattan Bridge!
I got the photographer’s permission to use one of these photos for the InductCyndiLauper campaign: and he told me they were scouting these locations on bikes. The cameras were running on battery and he only got about 16 shots in before everything died. Thankfully Cyndi was a total professional of course… and they made this happen QUICKLY.
Again, this area has changed significantly and renovations are being done on most surrounding streets. This will eventually be modernized so make your pilgrimage SOON.
‘A Night To Remember’ album cover back image
The ‘Heading West’ picture sleeve was shot at Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, but it’s the Manhattan Bridge pictured. This area has been completely tourist-ified!
Hey Now!
‘Stay’ Music Video
Kinky Boots: First run on Broadway @ Al Hirschfeld Theatre
Cyndi said in an interview that her career truly took off at The Record Plant due to She’s So Unusual (pictured on the left side of this photo) and took off AGAIN with Kinky Boots The Musical, right around the corner! (pictured on the right side of this photo). Pretty valuable real estate:)
Cyndi singing ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ live in Central Park, NYC
Strawberry Fields is a 2.5-acre landscaped section in New York City's Central Park, designed by the landscape architect Bruce Kelly, that is dedicated to the memory of former Beatles member, John Lennon. It is named after the Beatles' song "Strawberry Fields Forever" written by Lennon
Cyndi being interviewed on Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel
THE Studio 54 that was world famous in the 70’s is still around but has been reincarnated several times. After it was closed down for tax evasion, it reopened as a club and Blue Angel played their last show here. Later bought up by Roundabout Theatre for Broadway shows, Cyndi appeared here in ‘Three Penny Opera.’
Saw this Grammy outfit when it WAS on display at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, but I’m told it’s no longer being featured. The ring? It’s here at THE MUSEUM: see Exhibit #1
Cyndi did the promo shoot for her ‘Bring Ya To The Brink’ album at a trailer park in Connecticut. The little deer was borrowed from Bambi Arnold’s yard, included on the album cover, and is now resting peacefully here at The Museum: see Exhibit 1: The Collection
Before and after: 2008 vs. 2023
This particular trailer has since been torn down and a new one stands in it’s place
The Sound Emporium is one of the most famous recording studios in Nashville. Cyndi Lauper's country album DETOUR was recorded here... as well as Dolly Parton, John Denver, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow etc. etc
Cyndi’s Women In Rock shoot featured in Billboard Magazine 2018… I visited The United Palace in 2019. Built in 1930, it was one of five Loew’s ‘Wonder Theatres’ across the boroughs and New Jersey
To see this actual outfit in The Museum, click on Exhibit 1: The Collection
My 3rd Cyndi concert was Madison Square Garden in 1986 for the True Colors Tour. This incredible concert dress was on display at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando, Florida… but it has since been moved to another Hard Rock Location: Unknown.
Cyndi’s Hollywood Star: Awarded 4/11/16
Pioneertown is in the middle of Nowhere, CA… near Joshua Tree. Still had to go b/c this is where Cyndi did her promo shoots for the Detour album as well as the filming for the Funnel of Love video
Cyndi’s ‘Funnel Of Love’ video and pic sleeve were shot at Pappy + Harriet’s Bar & Grill. Have a meal here AND see the spots Cyndi took her promo photos for the DETOUR album.
Promo shoot in the women’s restroom
Tunnel Of Love Video location
Not the exact dirt road, but close enough: somewhere out in the desert by PioneerTown. We didn’t have time to look for the exact spot.
Cyndi Lauper's Manhattan apartment... Of course we weren't invited in ;)
This outfit WAS at the Rock Hall… now moved to The Smithsonian
ICONIC
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame NO LONGER houses Cyndi’s iconic red corset and skirt from the ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ video
True Colors Residence, a housing site for LGBTQIA teens who were granted a safe living situation through Cyndi’s own charity www.truecolorsunited.org
Cyndi sitting on her father-in-law’s bench… we finally found it 😂
Thank you Nick Naro for Cyndi-site-hunting with us today! David and Nick were saints while we looked at hundreds of benches 😇
The Chicago Theatre has a signed poster from Cyndi's appearance during the She's So Unusual 30th Anniversary Tour
Cyndi performed at the 2006 Gay Games at Wrigley Field for the closing ceremony
Cyndi at the Stonewall Inn 🌈
Historic site: historic person!
Cyndi has performed AND presented a few times at the lighting of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center
World famous Radio City Music Hall: a regular venue for Cyndi
Lots of Cyndi concerts here BUT also where Wrestlemania 1: ‘Rock and Wrestling’ was filmed in 1985 :) RIP Lou Albano, Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Iron Sheik and Andre The Giant