MAGICAL MEMORIES: The Clean Machine, The Marlin and Barbara Hulanicki on Miami Beach
By Deborah DeSilets
Yes, the Marlin Hotel on Miami Beach at 12th Street means a lot to me. And the Clean Machine, the place that handled all my laundry for 20 years as much. I once did a painting entitled Angels Sail Their Laundry as that was how I felt about those folks washing my laundry—absolute angels! Well, that painting hangs in Jane Pittman’s house. Now the pieces are in place to tell a story of terrific crossings. At the Marlin, The Laundry and Jane all converge today in a mélange of memories—Merlin’s in the mix! Aligning memories together like magic.
Last week I produced a woman’s tribute show for Barbara Hulanicki at the Sagamore Hotel on Miami Beach, March 10-April 5th in honor of Woman’s Appreciation Month. After the show I deliver some overdue laundry to Jose and Oscar, Father and son, who were both there chatting about their windows. Oscar asked if I could help with some art to jazz up the place. Of course, I said! And soon after brought Barbara by to see if this would interest her. It did! Of course, it did! The clean machine is across from the Marlin where she got her first start with Chris Blackwell, infamous Island Records producer, in the design of a string of hotels for Miami Beach. She too had been coming to the Clean Machine for years! Oh my! It really felt like a family reunion, and we began to work on ideas, measuring the area, and going to Kinko’s to check out the banner sizes.
Driving Barbara around and talking it hit me that the recording studio I mad my music in was the one she designed. of course, I knew this, but just then I really got it!!! It was also the location of the South Beach Studios. For varied reasons but both places on the same block were my stomping grounds: the Marlin for Music sessions and the Clean Machine for laundry; and then one day in 2006 when I was recording a tribute album for my sister Anne, they collided. Oscar put a tiny player piano from his childhood on the wall of the clean machine. Odd I thought as I noticed it and asked him about his interest in music. A few days later while recording a song at the Marlin Joe Galdo, the original drummer for the Miami Sound Machine, popped in and spoke. “Those tunes need a child’s piano.” He nodded at me. And—as if on cue— I walked out of the Studio and to the Clean Machine. There I asked Oscar if I could borrow his piano. I brought the piano back to Joe, he dug the tone of it, and agreed for $100.00 to lay down a few tracks with the player piano. It added a perfect lifting, haunting, melodic line, and tone to the songs. Joe always said I should meet Barbara; and told me all about her work with Chris, and the designing of the studio, and the Marlin. I adored the silver leathery chairs so shaped liked whipped topping. And it was enormously fun to record in the rooms with so much color. I have photographs from so many great sessions and so many hours spent there. Really some of the happiest moments of my life. I do thank Barbara for that place in my heart.
And it made the Tribute to Barbara all the more real. I realized life has a way of aligning the dots sometimes to make a star. In this case the corner of 12th and Collins takes the spot.
In 2009 I did a photoshoot there for SOFI Magazine. Jane Pittman would be the makeup artist for the photo shoot. As luck would have it, I called jane about Barbara’s show. It took a 30-phone conversation to unravel that Jane had become a make-up artist because of BIBA cosmetics in the Bergdorf-Goodman in New York City. Jane and I are having dinner with Barbara this upcoming week. A wonderful bowtie to the gift of appreciation that I have them.
What a wonderful realization of the wonder FULL dots that thread our lives’ together!
I will get the art up on the doors of our launderette—The Clean Machine—and that will be a wonderful day in Miami Beach for me and Barbara and Jane when we get our photo finish at the Marlin steps. The thrill of the occasion is amazing!!!
Please read about the Sagamore Exhibit at
queerguru: Barbara Hulanicki : Fashion Legend and Design Icon
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For more about Jane Pittman Make-Up artist go to www.idomakeup.com
For Deborah Desilets : I HOPE YOU WILL COME! PLEASE ENJOY THE FOLLOWING SONG LINKS..THEY WERE RECORDED LAST AUG 14, 2012 IN TALLAHASSEE WITH DANNY STILLWOOD, DEB BERLINGER, KEVIN ROBERTSON, MARK PATTON AND SCOTT CAMPBELL. ENGINEERED AT LOG CABIN STUDIOS KRIS KOLP my first session away from the Marlin.
http://soundcloud.com/daffodil007/believe-me-14/s-Ddq6P
http://soundcloud.com/daffodil007/garden-2001/s-RpSXt
http://soundcloud.com/daffodil007/america-17/s-H6bdj
http://soundcloud.com/daffodil007/my-darling-3/s-z0sTI
http://soundcloud.com/daffodil007/let-my-shoulder-be-your-pillow/s-NtFlc
http://soundcloud.com/daffodil007/ill-come-to-you-1/s-24iQf
http://soundcloud.com/daffodil007/love-me-forever-1/s-xm9ME
http://soundcloud.com/daffodil007/alone-tonight-5/s-Kdzw8