No New York

Named one of the most anticipated nonfiction books of 2026 by the New York Times "I loved this book.… A revelatory perspective on a formidable artistic movement whose history has been left to a handful of (male) gatekeepers."—Tanya Pearson, author of Pretend We’re Dead "A riveting and beautiful account."—Thurston Moore An intimate insider's account of New York's most radical cultural revolution and the women who obliterated every barrier in their path In 1975 a young queer singer from Cleveland meets Nan Goldin and joins her in New York's bombed-out downtown, where something unprecedented is brewing. At Max's Kansas City and CBGBs, in derelict lofts and underground clubs, a generation of visionary women artists is rewriting the rules of creativity, sexuality, and power. Adele Bertei didn't just witness the No Wave explosion—she ignited it. As acetone organist for the Contortions and Brian Eno's assistant, she was at the epicenter when punk collided with post-punk, when Lydia Lunch screamed her first songs, when Kathy Acker was penning her transgressive novels, when Kathryn Bigelow was making her first films. No New York reveals the untold story of the boundary-pushing women who made No Wave possible: Nan Goldin capturing flash-lit portraits of gender fluidity, Barbara Kruger deconstructing media, Kiki Smith exploring the body's mysteries, Lizzie Borden challenging cinema itself. While mainstream culture wallowed in sexism and homophobia, these artists created something fluid, fierce, and transgressive. Raw and gripping, No New York takes readers deep into the artistic and sexual experimentation of an era when everyone read Jean Genet, quoted Antonin Artaud, and believed true expression mattered more than money or fame. Includes 55 rarely seen images of iconic musicians and artists that capture the look and feel of the era. Images are from Bertei's personal collection as well as well-known artists and photographers like Nan Goldin, Richard Prince, Vivienne Dick, Michael Granros, Marcia Resnick, and Julia Gorton.

Adele Bertei is a renaissance artist whose fearless creativity has shaped underground culture for decades. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1955, she moved to New York in 1977 and became a pivotal figure in the No Wave movement. An original member of the Contortions, included on the seminal No New York album produced by Brian Eno, Bertei also starred in underground films including Born In Flames by Lizzie Borden; opened for writers like William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Kathy Acker; and toured with the Bloods—America's first openly queer all-girl band. She's contributed vocals to recordings from Thomas Dolby to Whitney Houston, and to international hits like “Just a Mirage" and "Hyperactive!" Her books include Peter and the Wolves, Twist: Tales of a Queer Girlhood, and Universal Mother. She lives in Los Angeles.

Preface Heaven and Hell Nan, 1975 Peter and Lester, 1977 The East Village Surreal Vertebrates Contort Yourself! Grandma’s Hands Love in a Blackout Poète Maudit Mischief Kiki Contortions Part II Paradise Lost Idlewildly 3rd Street The Nova Convention Le Faux Garçon Anti-Fashion Where Have the Gazelles Gone? NO-llywood Dancing the Wild Step Berlin to Rotterdam Poppies and Poets Girl Gang Dreaming Bloods Light Bloods 2.0 Lock Up Your Daughters Liquid Sky & the Crack-Up Cabaret to Compromise He(art)Lost and Found Epilogue Acknowledgements Photo credits