Was there ever a better time and place to be than NYC in the late 70s? Our TVs blazed with Walter Cronkite showing footage of a city going to ruin with graffiti and crime. Riots and fires in the Bronx, a garbage strike, a fierce mayoral election and a city on the verge of bankruptcy as the President denied it a loan.

But underneath so much was happening… A bunch of misfit kids were making what would later be called punk rock while rap music was bubbling up nearby. Studio 54 and the discos thumped away while gay men cruised the Christopher Street Pier as a deadly virus began to circulate among them. Meanwhile, the “Bronx Bomber” Reggie Jackson battled with Billy Martin and led the Yankees to a World Series victory with 5 home runs. Magic.

And that’s what I think of when I listen to “Rapture” by Blondie. The painting takes “Rapture” literally: Blondie's man from Mars eating cars, played here by Ray Walston—Uncle Martin from My Favorite Martian doing double duty as Mr. Hand from Fast Times, because why not use the same guy twice. Fab 5 Freddy gets his verse too.

Acrylic and ink on paper. Measures 20” x 26”