Franc Palaia
late 1960s- early 70s
I didn't live in Soho but was there several days a week photographing walls, exhibiting, doing street performances. I was the first to photograph Hambleton's black shadow figures and captured early SAMO graffiti. I exhibited at Razor gallery, OK Harris and others.
Artist (photographer, sculptor, muralist)
I lived in Elizabeth and Jersey City NJ but was in Soho all the time. I liked the gritty, funky, organic feel about the nabe and interesting to see the very slow but distinctive gentrification going on all around.
Parking tickets. but I wised up and got commercial license plates and that allowed me to park almost anywhere without worries.
It was fun bumping into famous people like Woody Allen, Paul Simon, Andy Warhol, Basquiat etc.
Soho was an amazing phenomena, culturally, physically, economically, socially, politically and a major example of how cities can be re-born, raise up from the ashes (literally) and become a great place to live