Episode 24: KEVIN CARPET
Multiple nights a week for the last four decades, Kevin Carpet has rolled himself up in a body-sized custom carpet and placed himself in bars, clubs, and the streets of NYC for folks to step on, bounce on, take pictures with or... whatever they want really. We talk to Kevin about stepping out at legendary '80s nightspots like Danceteria and the Peppermint Lounge, the ins and outs of his profession and obsession, fashion, kink and consent, how he compares to other human carpets worldwide, and his wildest and most famous encounters. It's everything you wanted to know about being a human carpet but were afraid to ask!
Follow Kevin Carpet on Instagram.
Things discussed in this episode & extras:
- Danceteria. Some very cool images of party flyers and other cultural events of the 1980s NYC underground.
- Twistin’ the Night Away. Read about the early history of the Peppermint Lounge, where Kevin Carpet used to work as a bouncer, as a gay nightspot and birthplace of The Twist.
- No Stilettos. Kevin talks to nightlife denizen Brock Colyar for The Cut.
- Cloth Talk. Fans and detractors of K. Carpet share their experiences over at the RavesNYC forum on Reddit.
- St. Marks Place. The Guardian surveys the history and cultural makeup that make this block in the East Village “America’s coolest street.”
- New York's "Hipster Wars" An interesting piece explaining the new “politically transgressive” (barf) downtown Manhattan art/literary/fashion/culture scene centered around a tiny area of lower Manhattan known as Dimes Square. Kevin often appears at these events.
- Speaking of Dimes Square. NME profiles the buzz bands of the Dimes scene which are giving major electroclash/Strokes revival/rich kids slumming it vibes.
- A Tale of Two Carpets. NYC’s other human carpet, Georgio, tells his side of the story to the New York Times.
Tracks in this episode include:
Peter Richard “Walking in the Neon”
Sisters of Mercy “Dominion”
Skatt Brothers “Walk the Night”
Madonna “Everybody”
