Downtown Boy

In the infamous year 1977 – the year New York City went bankrupt and the serial killer Son of Sam reigned – Frank moved to the city with his friends, started a band, and got a job at CBGB, rubbing elbows with Blondie, Talking Heads, the Ramones. But would he survive the year out?

This episode can be enjoyed on its own, but if you missed Part 1 of Frank's story, we recommend listening to that before you hear this.

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Frank Damico is a writer, performer, storyteller and visual artist. He wrote and starred in the solo shows First Kill and The Severity of My Solitude, and he’s appeared on stages all over New York City and beyond. He was a frequent host and storyteller in the early days of The Moth, and he co-created The Moth’s community outreach program with me and ran the program for seven years, bringing the power of storytelling to thousands of underserved and vulnerable individuals. Frank has also taught poetry and storytelling with Poets & Writers and other groups, and he lives in the Hudson Valley with his dog Ramone. You can follow him on Facebook where he regularly shares his writings.

Huge gratitude also to our resident artist Pernille Clifforth who has beautifully illustrated every episode of this series.

Also big thank you to Paul Dreux Smith for making the music and mixing this episode. Big thanks to Christina Thyssen for being my story editor for The Way Back, and to my associate producer, Vix Jensen, as well as our production volunteers, Aviva Barry<