St. Vincent (Annie Clark)

For seeing that and supporting those dreams, even though he didn't know anything about music.

He called himself a cultural desert, which is not wholly inaccurate, right?

He'd drive me to school and we'd listen to Rush Limbaugh and then my mom would drive me to school and we'd listen to you.

So it was a very...

Very different kind of experience, right?

But I do, I credit him with really giving me the tools to learn how to be an artist and giving me the space to do it.

Sure.

It actually started as a text message to one of my best friends.

I actually just texted him, New York isn't New York without you.

And I thought, oh, wait a second, I could use that.

That's a nice sentiment, but let me just squirrel it away and use it in a song.

And I think, you know, I lived in the East Village for 10 years in a rent-controlled apartment.

But, you know, when you're walking around the East Village, you're like, oh, man, that's where Arthur Russell used to hang.

And, oh, that's probably where Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, you know, used to sit in Tompkins.

And, you know, you're surrounded by...

not just the ghosts of your heroes, but also sort of the ghosts of your former selves, right?

Like, oh, that's the bodega where I fell in love.

Like, oh, that's, you know, that's the bar where we broke up, whatever.

You're just completely surrounded by memories on every single street corner.

So yeah, that's New York.