Conversations

A Historic Playback in Room 80 with Chelsea Hotel Resident Music Historian William Benton

If the walls ofThe Hotel Chelseahad ears, they would be able to solve mysteries and unveil secrets. They would also whisper the echoes of music made there, inspired by a cast of characters with a seductive and bohemian history.

The iconic Hotel Chelsea sign adorns the front of the building on 23rd Street

William drops the needle on a record playing on Wrensilva M1 console

“People of all ages come here because they’ve read about the hotel in her book. It’s a testament to her spirit and the power of her writing. The hotel is practically a character in the book.”William Benton

“I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel / You were famous, your heart was a legend / You told me again you preferred handsome men / But for me you would make an exception”Leonard Cohen

With a Wrensilva M1 console as the centerpiece in one of the hotel’s legendary rooms, music and stories filled the space during a recent listening session for friends of Wrensilva curated by doorman and resident music historian, William Benton.

The Velvet Underground’s 1967 debut albumThe Velvet Underground & Nicowas produced by Andy Warhol and features his banana print

Both Nico and John Cale of theVelvet Undergroundlived at the Chelsea. “If there was one quintessential Velvet Underground song,” William ponders, “I think it would be ‘Venus in Furs.’ With John Cale’s droney viola and Lou Reed’s signature poetry… it all comes together.”

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