Meet the Author: An Afternoon with Guy Trebay and Chris Frantz 

Guy Trebay has chronicled culture, both high and low, for decades, writing for The New Yorker, the Village Voice, Interview, Esquire, and Artforum. He has served as a style reporter and critic for The New York Times for the last two decades. 

In his new memoir, Do Something: Coming of Age Amid the Glitter and Doom of ’70s New York, Trebay details his upbringing, as well as the unique zeitgeist of 1970s New York City. With a Proustian touch, he is able to evoke richly detailed memories of an era now gone. 

Trebay will be in conversation with Chris Frantz, drummer for both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Guy Trebay:

Born in the Bronx, Guy Trebay was raised in an atmosphere of privilege on Long Island’s North Shore after his entrepreneurial father struck business gold with Hawaiian Surf, a wildly successful cologne company that capitalized on the optimism of the 1960s as marketed to “an adventurous new breed of men.’’ But behind the facade of material prosperity lay the emotional disarray of a household dominated by a charismatic, con artist father, a glamorous yet lost and careless mother, a family haunted by tragedy. By the time Trebay established a foothold at the fringes of Andy Warhol’s Factory and the diverse artistic tribes that thrived in Manhattan in that pre-digital era, his father had lost his fortune, his younger sister had been arrested for armed robbery and fled underground, the family house was in ashes, and his mother was dead.

Unschooled and on his own, Trebay became a striver, wending his way through a seemingly apocalyptic landscape populated by a vibrant cast of characters, including washed-up Hollywood screenwriters of the ’30s; Warhol superstars like Jackie Curtis and Candy Darling; fashion geniuses like Charles James; and emerging artists, filmmakers, writers, designers, photographers, and deejays who would powerfully influence mainstream culture in the decades to come.

Chris Frantz: 

Charton Christopher Frantz is an American musician and record producer. He is the drummer for both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, which he co-founded with wife and Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth. July 2020 Chris Frantz released a new book, Remain In Love.

In 2002, Frantz was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Talking Heads. Chris and his family have been longtime residents of Fairfield, Connecticut.

Do Something photo courtesy of Guy Trebay’s Instagram feed. Guy Trebay’s headshot photo: © Elena Seibert. Chris Frantz photo: Easton Courier