Central to It All: A Look at Central Square, the Nightclub ManRay, and Twenty Years of Change

Date & Time:
April 27, 2022
7:00pm – 8:30pm
In Person
REGISTER HERE

Central Square in the 1980s was at the jumping-off point for a new beginning. Shops, restaurants, and long-standing businesses lined the square. However, the one area that was expanding greatly was in the realm of nightlife. Venues such as the Middle East, The Cantab Lounge, and T.T the Bears were bringing in both local and national performing artists. Joining these venues was a nightclub, Campus, on 21 Brookline St. In 1985, that space became ManRay. A nightclub that promoted what they called the “Art of Nightlife.” ManRay promoted dance nights for many cultures, sub-cultures, and scenes such as Goth, Industrial, Fetish, New Wave, and those in the LBGTQIA communities. Like the other music venues in the square, ManRay had a dynamic roster of artists and bands that performed there that included Divine, Peter Murphy, KMFDM, Sleep Chamber, and, most notably, Nirvana. 

Join Shawn Driscoll, author of We are But Your Children:  An Oral History of the Nightclub Manray (2021), us for a look into Central Square during the years of ManRay’s existence. Through presentation and a rich panel of speakers, we will explore the years of 1983 to 2006 and witness the growth and dynamic change within the square, through the lens of ManRay and its twenty years at 21 Brookline Street. Joining Driscoll will be:

Terri Niedzwiecki–Longtime Bartender, ManRay
MJ Pullins–Proprietor, Hubba Hubba
Emily Sweeney–Boston Globe Journalist, ManRay Attendee
Tony Lee (DJ Arcanus)–DJ (ManRay, Ceremony) ManRay Attendee
David “Daisy” Crowder–Bartender, ManRay

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Free Lecture: Professor Peniel E. Joseph to Speak at the CPL

Professor Peniel Joseph’s latest book, Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama.

Free Lecture at the Cambridge Public Library

Who: Professor Peniel Joseph of Tufts University
What: History of Black Power and the Civil Rights Movement
Where: Cambridge Public Library, Lecture Hall
When: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to the public.  Light refreshments will be served.

Joseph will discuss his book “Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama” as well as his work about the movement that was sparked during the civil rights era and its continuing legacy.

Joseph is professor of history at Tufts University, and author of the award winning “Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America, The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era and Neighborhood Rebels: Black Power at the Local Level.” He is a frequent national commentator on issues of race, democracy and civil rights who has appeared on MSNBC, CNN and NPR. During the 2008 presidential election, he served as a historical analyst for the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.  Professor Joseph’s essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Chronicle Review. He was recently named an Emerging Leader in Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Issue.

For those of who have seen Dr. Joseph speak you know he is not to be missed.  And those who haven’t will be in for a treat.  Dr. Joseph will be signing copies of his book following the program.

Take out one of Dr. Joseph’s books here.