RuPaul's Life at the Jane West Hotel in NYC

[@JinLA310]

The way that Nelson filmed his friends....capturing a shot of these guys through the window, making sure to get a shot of them walking off down the street at the end....it's almost like he had some sort of foresight or premonition of the notoriety and major role in NYC culture that RuPaul and Michael Alig would later turn out to have. It's so sad he never lived to see how big his friends became and what a historic significance his footage would have for the next generation.

[@user_kH9bw3ns1]

It was just love 🥰. I don't mean to be dismissive. I'm just celebrating that this love is more beautiful than any fame or outfit Ru could ever wear. Their friendship and love for each other is so gorgeous. I totally agree, it's wild how important his personal films are for us!

[@Nightbird.]

Nelson Sullivan died from a heart attack on July 4, 1989, just three days after quitting his full-time job to so that he could produce his own cable television show of his footage. Rest In Peace Nelson...

[@TheHolyMongolEmpire]

All of these videos capture a unique moment in time when starving artists and broke drag queens could afford to live in Manhattan for a brief couple of decades, a period in time which will probably never happen again.

[@onlyplayaseattacoswiththei9433]

@movie end what kind of artist?

[@ugighcvgi3084]

Insert Redletter Media Meme Here lol he literally was begging for a quarter for pizza??? Affordable

[@DylanRomanov]

Rich people can barely afford NewYork at this point

[@vikingsong2068]

They were squatting.

[@TheHolyMongolEmpire]

@@vikingsong2068 yeah which means it was super affordable…

[@Saiege]

I love how Ru's voice never changed!

[@juliencastle2953]

It's higher now no? ^^

[@ExposingZionistEvil]

It is honestly-to-God humbling to see RuPaul be so generous when he had so little at the time, and it is obvious that he never forgot from where he comes. I want to thank you so much for providing these treasures from an era that should never be forgotten. Thank you.

[@TheIndependentLens]

Just looked at their website for this hotel. You can see the Hexagonal shaped tower of the room they are in in photos. It says that survivors of the Titanic stayed in the hotel until the end of the American inquiry. The hotel was completed in 1908. In the 1980's & 90's it was part of downtown NY's Bohemian culture which explains Rupaul, Trade and others living there. Their hexagonal room is on the top floor which was the Seance Room during the Spiritualism movement of the 1920's, 30's & 40's.

[@ruiponce]

I stayed for a couple of weeks at the Jane around the time this video was shot. More than part of the bohemian scene, I remember it as a dump full of junkies and prostitutes, with a strip club in the basement and shared bathrooms down the hall, complete with empty crack vials in the showers. Still, it wasn't (too) dangerous - even friendly at times - and it offered rooms in the West Village for 12 dollars per night!

[@r.marian6277]

How cool! Thank you for sharing this bit of history!

[@SJF15]

The top room where they lived is now a rooftop bar.

[@greg7656]

@@SJF15 The auditorium of this hotel is where John Cameron Mitchell first staged Hedwig & The Angry Inch. I saw it there

[@_Just_Another_Guy]

Wow, it seems this hotel has got a lot of history behind it! I wonder if it's haunted...

[@TheSeeeTeee]

I miss that New York.

[@tymillia]

This is why I love RuPaul. He is REAL!!! And so loving all the time. "I know i don't HAVE TO, I WANT to" classic Ru love.

[@dbmnfinity1]

This is what NY truly was... miss it.

[@johngalt5411]

RuPaul was a doll, so beautiful. Love getting to see him just being himself before he made it big. You can see he just shines with his big heart.

[@suws315]

This is a beautiful mix of wildly edgy and blissfully simple/innocent.

[@rhymeandreasoning]

I cannot believe he lived in that amazing turret at the top of the JANE WEST HOTEL . Wonder how much it was a month back then? ..LOVE

[@GG-yn6jw]

What I loved about RuPaul and these videos,, these very early stages of his life.,, even though he probably didn't have much money or any or fancy clothes he was always so soft-spoken, full of life! You can feel that energy, and sense of humor within, even for the little means that he had he was already very refined in his personality just the Simplicity of the way he carries himself made him already so elegant at an early age he was definitely born for success!!!❤😎🤴🏽📷🎬💰

[@allloveable]

Aww look at little baby Ru...

[@mistahkrazy805]

Nelson's dog gave this video the ending it needed!

[@Nightbird.]

I have mixed emotions watching this. On the one hand, you see the desperate poverty these people faced. The dirty, squalid area they lived in, and how obvious it is that even a candy bar or bottled water meant so much to them. And yet, they persevered, and although I don't know what happened to the backup dancers, RuPaul was lucky enough to have made it out of there and become famous & wealthy. Unless you lived in those times, without the internet & cell phones, you don't know how tough it was.

[@GiveMeAnOKUsername]

Nightbird Couldn’t they have got proper jobs?

[@davidjames666]

trade (shirtless white guy) moved to florida where he is a physical therapist

[@Nightbird.]

@@davidjames666 Thanks for that update. So many of these wonderful people are now lost to disease, poverty and age..that it's wonderful to hear some are doing OK. People don't realize what hard lives these people had..they just see the fun and glitter.

[@davidjames666]

Nightbird just sorry it took you 7 years to get a reply. BTW, his real name is Frederick Rogers.

[@Nightbird.]

@@davidjames666 Thanks for this info. I forgot I had written this 7 years ago. My how time flies. Were you also part of this group or generation? RuPaul says he doesn't like watching these videos..and I can't blame him since people don't realize what a hard life these people had trying to survive.

[@billydavis7367]

Wow! These videos are so nostalgic, and so inspirational to just live and be yourself...life is an awesome adventure...Thank you!

[@manmelt4037]

The amount of space you could rent back then, for suck little money blows my mind. There were still neighborhoods, grit, and crime on the island of Manhattan. I wish I could get in a time machine and go meet lady Ru at the Jane!

[@Madmen604]

1986 New York, when they were about to be hit by the AIDS pandemic.

[@CarlosSDCA]

Trade is the OG Pit Crew!!!

[@jeffmdawson]

"put your hands together for Traaadeee"

[@deetee609]

I am so confused about that bathroom setup.

[@dtrn254]

33 years ago. Wow.... fabulous living space.

[@ggfatale351]

Shirtless Guy is WALKING ART. He’s so beautiful.

[@armandtoledo6706]

Nelson certainly gave Trade most of the camera time when he was in the videos

[@jhuang230]

I have now a deep appreciation for programs shown in my community channel in my local cable tv back in the day. I used to think they were alternative, being polite, or weird, being blunt. But they were ahead of time.

[@jockboy69]

Lovely speimen, walking around with his t-shirt dangling out of his pocket! I remember those years down on Gansevoort St., Florent in the middle of the night, etc. I wish those days would return!

[@erikadowdy686]

BOY , Ru has come a LONG way!

[@macfries101]

That elevator sounds like something out of a horror movie! Hahah

[@boyblue922]

wow I just find all these videos soooo facinating- thank god Nelson taped all this history...and thank you for posting and sharing with everyone!

[@ohmusicsweetmusic]

i lived there in 2000 just before they redid it...... i could write a book.

[@mariaager1924]

Do it! I’d love to read it!

[@scottread]

As a non resident, it's interesting to see the same area on Google maps today and see how totally gentrified the area became. That ratty old building on the opposite corner is now an Hermes store!

[@trannyforce]

An amazing moment in time. You can see the potential energy in Ru and his wonderment of life.

[@missroxybrooks]

This video is SO amazing. Loved watching it and seeing a slight insite of what NYC was like then and what RuPaul was like at that time also. When they said the date of this video, I gagged! haha my mother was in labor with me.

[@Serrasongs76]

To me watching this takes me back to the the time in NYC when I grew up, when the Village had character and wasn't gentrified.When you could shop at UNIQUE and The Antique Boutique, get a lunch at Dojo's and still wind up with some cash in your pocket...the meat market was seedy and fabulous.

[@lisam8483]

Serrasongs76 Long live Antique Boutique!

[@ai-man212]

I love how RuPaul explains how Fred Rogers became Trade. lol I always wondered. woof.

[@drerector]

Does anyone know what ever happened to Trade?

[@chazb1660]

Love this! To have access to that roof and that view! The opening shot is of what was or would become, Florent!

[@3506Dodge]

All of this is long gone now. It's hard to believe NYC ever had room for this kind of living.

[@billlombard9911]

3506Dodge it was a real place , not this Epcot center version now

[@SJF15]

Hotel is still there, I stayed there recently.

[@elbertivory2006]

RuPaul is soo soft spoken. cute.

[@missapril1956]

Trade. A very nice guy.

[@erichudson2009]

what happened to Trade

[@JTINY10]

watching this makes me smile

[@ColinYapp]

New York was so special during those days. In the gay scene AIDS has already gone into full tilt so various venues started to lose attendees. The clubs were still going but people were being a lot more cautious. The level of freedom was astounding compared to today. Yes, you could smoke weed in the club and do a line or two discreetly. X was starting but had not really taken hold so people were social and fairly "normal". It was all about dancing and not just modeling and posing. Limelight, Mars, Tunnel, Boy Bar, Club USA (early '90's) and the list goes on and on.

[@Keeng_Aman_Duh]

Gotta go through hell to get to heaven. Rupaul amazed me with his positive attitude...that's for sure!

[@MsHelloWorldtv]

started from the bottom now we here i love ru

[@billlombard9911]

When NYC was NYC , this is the one I know , I went to school in the lower east side , real , raw place ... you could be whatever you wanted to be, the one now is a Epcot center version for the Uber rich and clueless tourists

[@TheCreativeChicC]

NYC in 1986....bet is was AWESOME!

[@TT-cl7iu]

The shirtless guy was shirtless in every video

[@oranjelibertine]

Wow these videos are amazing... I’m from UK and am a dweeb for social changes, economics, evolution of cities and times, these vids really show a recent time in history I kind of remember (pre mobile phones, internet) but seems a long time ago now. One for the archives!!

[@MakeupArtistBillyB]

Amazing, What a treat on so many levels. Thank you!

[@shadearistotle1136]

Nelson is in love with the shirtlesss guy.

[@mariaager1924]

Do you blame him?? Lol

[@armandtoledo6706]

Nelson always gave Trade more attention regardless of who else was in the video

[@trentigalaxy]

ru in the raw! this should be in the national archives! fearless, a pioneer, totally reckless, what a mess of a genius that rupaul is!

[@nagsheady7701]

Ru is stylin' - love the look he put together here.

[@vangoghmatisse1]

RuPaul look where you are today! .NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE ANYONE.

[@MrFalconford]

Thank you for sharing, I'll always remember you this way.

[@GettingLean99]

That boy in the jeans without a shirt is so yummmyyyyy....he reminds me of the 80's so much, and what life once was, I miss the feeling of the 80's and 90's, granted I was only a kid, but its that feeling.....more freedom and open will and want, before technology changed everything!

[@jansmiths8629]

bless u 4 preserving those fun days unforgettable

[@TheHolyMongolEmpire]

5:12 holy shit the Jersey City skyline was fucking tiny then.

[@BoysLikeMeee]

You gotta have deep love for 'Star Booty' and how sweet and cute Ru Paul really is.

[@welling1]

Amazing footage

[@chardvnnay]

I wonder if Ru remembers any of this and if he has watched any of these.

[@hristostancheff]

He’s said on his podcast that he’s seen them but he doesn’t like watching them or talking about them

[@lexibeardall6324]

@@hristostancheff do you know why?

[@joey4725]

@@lexibeardall6324 why?

[@uncleavi2002]

Nelson knew everyone!

[@johnnyatab]

Gotta say these videos are amazing.

[@bartolomeestebanmurillo4459]

The contrast between a young baby faced Ru vs today's wise Ru. Ru knows these videos are on here!

[@medavog]

AMAZING FOOTAGE!

[@seeldee]

Thank you for posting all of these.

[@1GovernmentHooker]

omg Ru looks SO cute in this video!!

[@AmaanStorm]

I absolutely love Ru. Living in England and coming from a mixed race background with strong religious beliefs, I sought inspiration from both Ru Paul and Julian Clary. I wanted to look like them, have their confidence, good looks and charisma. They have both inspired me throughout my childhood in to adult hood and I hold a very special place for them both for giving me the courage to be me.

[@ccarozzo75]

wow. this is amazing!

[@SlimShaney08]

Look at little ru!

[@Chuckscott]

Historical and Hysterical !!!

[@GenderFun]

I LOVE THIS!!!

[@oneandmanyjimmyjames]

Historic! This is special.

[@jaywholoveseveryone1721]

2:07 dang, that toilet was truly a throne! you had to climb to sh*t!

[@JordanDurell]

This looks like it was a fun life, I wonder how he lives now that he is rich and famous. He is one creative person. I love how he can transform himself and what I have seen of his shows they are great. I wish him much more success.

[@Pfunk64]

It's a hotel now and no longer an SRO. The rooms have a/c, but I think they still have communal bathrooms. You can check it out online. Look for either the Jane St. Hotel or Hotel Jane, I'm not sure.

[@fearedgenius7020]

I lived and worked at the Jane West between 1983 and 1986. That may have been me behind the front desk at 0:38, but I can't be certain. Living and working there was rough. New York City in the 80s was savage. The west village / meat packing district was not for the faint of heart (but not as bad as the lower east side or the south Bronx). And if you lived at the Jane West, every day was a fight for survival. Kids now may not understand how hard it was. That octagon penthouse had a number of tenants during my time. There was a drug dealer and also a group of people who pooled the rent money. I'm not sure I remember running into Rupaul. I was drinking and doing a lot of drugs in those days. But I'm certain Rupal never gave me any problems, and I would have appreciated that.

[@j.dalesmith8953]

The NYC I wish I knew.

[@Wanderlustwaltz]

History: When the elevator door sounds like a velociraptor 😆

[@miguelsgoliveira]

so fascinating!

[@markz570]

Freddie. I remember his face and body.

[@LETMEINGUYS]

the street hustler is kinda hot

[@paranoidhumanoid]

LOL. That's why his name is "Trade"...

[@greg7656]

@@paranoidhumanoid Didn't you watch the video? Ru named him after the World Trade Center, though of course had a double meaning. But he wasn't a hustler, he was a dancer

[@theshypersistence]

It's wild for me that the front door opens onto the toilet - raised no less 😅

[@jaytops]

June 8th 1986. Ru was 25. I was 15 on the other side of the planet. Now Ru's a superstar, and all I have is IBS. 😆

[@flyfly2850]

Rupaul :"Trade! like World Trade Center" :)

[@Ajewa]

What a kick ass flat too.

[@JustNess78]

With the way he keeps putting the camera on him, Nelson must have had a thing for for shirtless guy.... not that I blame him! Grrrr!! lol :)

[@meetmeinva]

7:50 Nelson speaks of how the neighborhood used to be worse ... if only he could see it now.

[@poppyisyourmommy6956]

Rip

[@MsHelloWorldtv]

shangela sounds like rupaul

[@billhughes8726]

Shangila sounds like an EXCEDRIN commercial.

[@ditmaseagle1296]

THE GOOD OLE DAYS

[@ParkerJoey]

The shirtless guy is really hot. LOL

[@idiosyncraticparadise1655]

wow ru came a looong way

[@IIKTOMII]

I love this. I find this lifestyle so interesting. Of course, it must've had a ton of hardships but it seems so fun and strengthening.... or maybe it's just because I'd want to find hot men like Trade haha. Anywho, this is such a remarkable collection of recordings.

[@johnnyatab]

Gotta love that elevator.

[@Pfunk64]

that looks like the hotel riverview on jane street. the survivors of the titanic were housed there. it was a single room occupancy hotel and was the home to some colorful characters. and rats. oh, the rats. it's since been renovated, though. i used to call it the 'chicken coop'.

[@chrisconnolly9903]

I literally came across a video by Nelson Sullivan a few days ago and its opened a beautiful world... Just wondering if anyone could tell me who he is? Was Ru his muse or one of many? I genuinely need to know everything.

[@jimwayland1106]

+chris connolly Google him, or look for 5ninthavenueproject videos here on youtube.

[@candycane520]

+chris connolly He was a mentor for Ru and the other club kids. He took them and allowed them to progress in NY. He was also a person was interested in documenting the club kids in the 1980s. He was going to make his own show featuring these videos on this channel but he had a heart attack and died in 1989 before the release. Every detail of his life is on this channel.

[@chrisconnolly9903]

Thank you!

[@beandipgirl7151]

candycane520 what does it mean by mentor?

[@seywhut2985]

Shirtless boy was FINE! Wonder what he looks like 30 years later? Probably like the rest of us. Oh to be young back then again. Was such a wonderful, fun, free time period. What happened? We got all oppressive again.

[@hisnameisdrew7051]

what's its like being old?

[@seywhut2985]

Like being young but with more doctor visits. LOL

[@hisnameisdrew7051]

+seywhut2985 I fear getting old my family say I'm weird. I feel like life is over by 30?

[@seywhut2985]

We just talked about this tonight. If we could go back in time where would we start. The most of us said 30.

[@hisnameisdrew7051]

+seywhut2985 the more you know lol. I guess I'm looking at it from a young naive mind I guess time will tell lol.

[@ghstbird3338]

Oh My‼️ That ..... Trade hulk-of-a-boy 😍......... He is fine looking and so SO damn taste. I would have drop to knee or lay on my back to greet him. What has happened to "Trade" ?

[@AlexRiversMusic]

Sam dé Rothchild Same girl same

[@wellardsmith3629]

I'd guess he is around 65 or so now...

[@chemica1smi1e]

"traaaaade.." hahahah

[@Majeed.]

Live it up

[@johnnyatab]

I remember when I lived in N.Y.C., I never wanted to go anywhere else. Now, it has become an overpriced overdeveloped uninteresting city of mostly rich boring people.

[@Dadacomero]

oh gosh, look where they lived

[@armandtoledo6706]

After watching these videos for several years it's apparent who Nelson favors in his videos. Trade gets more camera attention then anybody else..including Rupaul

[@annalee-rw9es]

Sorry but Trade was not filmed more than others, I think ur the one stuck on Trade because RUPAUL is on more than Trade and there are several other people who were filmed a lot more than Ru even like Lahoma, Mike Musto and his friend that short little guy his name is on the tip of my tongue dang it he is the only one that I believe is stuck up !!!