Coca Crystal

Coca Crystal (December 21, 1947 – March 1, 2016) was an American television personality, anarchist and political activist, connected with 1960s counterculture.[1] She was best known for her weekly cable-access variety show The Coca Crystal Show: If I Can't Dance, You Can Keep Your Revolution, which ran from 1977 to 1995.[2][3]

Coca Crystal
Born
Jacqueline Diamond

December 21, 1947
Manhattan, New York, U.S
DiedMarch 1, 2016(2016-03-01) (aged 68)
Rochelle Park, New Jersey, U.S
OccupationTelevision personality
Parent(s)Jack Diamond
Rita Dunn
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Biography

Born as Jacqueline Diamond on December 21, 1947, to Jack Diamond, owner of J. Diamond Furs and Rita Dunn, a former fur model.[4] She was born in Manhattan and raised in Mamaroneck.[4]

Starting in 1969, she was a contributor to the East Village Other (EVO) and the name Coca Crystal was created as her pen name.[5] She would write about politics, women's issues and personal events, many of which earned her the title "slumgoddess".[6]

In 1975 she adopted her sisters mentally and physically handicapped son, Gustav Che Finkelstein, after her sister was arrested and imprisoned for possession of Hashish in Morocco. Gus got a “executive producer" credit and his babysitter was interviewed on her show. She cared for Gus up until her death.[2]

Her cable-access, weekly variety show television show The Coca Crystal Show: If I Can't Dance, You Can Keep Your Revolution would always start out with lighting a joint, oftentimes she would be pulling the joint from a flower pot and then smoking it.[3] She would talk about protests, anti-nuke activism, local and world news with special segment called Newborn News and invite a wide variety of guests. Some guests on her show included: Philip Glass, Debbie Harry, Abbie Hoffman, Judith Malina, Cesar Chavez, Dana Beal, and Tuli Kupferberg of the Fugs.[3][4] One of her frequent guests, Glenn O'Brien went on to host his own long running public-access television show, TV Party after he appeared on Coca's show.[7]

In April of 1977, a woman claiming to be Crystal called the New York Times to claim the pieing of conservative activist and author Phyllis Schlafly on behalf of the Emma Goldman Brigade. Schlafly was attending a Women's National Republican Club event thrown in her honor at the landmark Waldorf Astoria New York.[4]

In 2013, a play written, via interview with Coca Crystal and titled If I Can't Dance You Can Keep Your Revolution: The Coca Crystal Story was performed by Danielle Quisenberry.[8] The play was shown at Emerging Artists Theatre, TADA! Theater, and part of the East Village Theater Festival at Metropolitan Playhouse in New York City.[8][9][10]

Crystal died of respiratory failure on March 1, 2016, in Rochelle Park, New Jersey, at age 68.[4] In 2006 she was diagnosed with lung cancer and had struggled with many treatments prior to her passing.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Forgotten Female Saints of the Counterculture". Flavorwire. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  2. Oldershausen, Sasha Von (2012-05-13). "Coca Crystal, a Wild Child Turned 'Unconventional' Mother". Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  3. Unconscious and Irrational (2009-03-21). "Coca Crystal's Dance Revolution". Unconscious and Irrational. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  4. Grimes, William (2016-04-02). "Coca Crystal, Avatar of Counterculture and Provocateur, Dies at 68". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  5. "RIP Coca Crystal". EV Grieve. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
  6. "Recollections, Crystal". East Village Other. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
  7. Hawkins, Joan (2015). Downtown Film and TV Culture: 1975–2001. Intellect Books. ISBN 978-1783204229.
  8. Maurer, Daniel. "On Stage, Coca Crystal Gets an East Village Other". The Local East Village. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  9. "If I Can't Dance You Can Keep Your Revolution: The Coca Crystal Story". allevents.in. Archived from the original on 2018-05-20. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  10. "One Woman Standing". Brown Paper Tickets (BPT). Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
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