December 14, 2017

RESIDENTS: Nile Rodgers

One of Tudor City's more musical residents was Nile Rodgers, the producer/songwriter/ performer hybrid, who lived in the enclave during the '70s. Here is his story, in bullet points.

Nile Rodgers, 2011
❇ Born in the Bronx, 1952. First makes his name as a member of the '70s disco act, Chic.

❇ After Chic disbands, Rodgers reinvents himself as a music producer, and his first mega-hit is Madonna's breakout single, Like a Virgin. He goes on to produce the biggest names of the 1980s ‒ David Bowie, Duran Duran, Debbie Harry, Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross, and the B-52s. A workaholic, he also finds time to co-write hit records like We Are Family, Le Freak, Rapper's Delight and Get Lucky.

❇ Publishes his autobiography, Le Freak, in 2011. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, April 2017. Currently, he's about to tour Australia and New Zealand with Lionel Ritchie. Check out his fun website here.
Nile Rodgers, 1986.
Around 1970, Rodgers moves into a Tudor City studio. He later reminisces
It was a little cubicle ‒ exactly eleven by thirteen ‒ in Tudor City. I could have stayed in a really great apartment in the Bronx for the money I was paying, but I wanted to put myself in the right frame of mind. I was really going to make myself better.
In 1972, his fortunes change after landing a job touring in a Sesame Street revue. Rodgers ditches the studio and rents one of the penthouses in No. 5. He is all of 20 years old.

We don't believe he lives there long, but he apparently never forgets it, tweeting the following in 2015. The haunted part is news to us.



2 comments:

  1. I live in #5 on the 21st floor, just below the PH floor. I've had a couple of unexplained occurrences happen. The latest just a couple nights after the Tudor City Greens dinner at the steakhouse. It was after 3am and I was woken by the sounds of wooden planks being depressed - like when a heavy footed person walking on a wooden floor - five or six sounds. I didn't think anything of it since it was by the window so I thought it might be the floor reacting to the arctic weather. Five minutes later I almost hit the ceiling when I heard a loud crash. I turned the light on and saw that the mini George Foreman grill that was on top of the five foot refrigerator was on the floor. Spooked and my hairs standing on end I gingerly went to the "kitchen" area -mind you - this is a 300 ft apt and the kitchen is next to the window. I picked up the grill and inspected the top of the fridge - there was nothing there. The grill is heavy - it took alot of force to have that happen. I went back to my Murphy bed in the opposite side of the studio, needless to say I didn't sleep the rest of the night.
    A similar occurrence happened that time a year ago, but a small plastic bowl flew off the fridge and landed on the floor- I thought it might be a mouse? But there were no droppings and I don't think a mouse could climb that high. Plus it's been a long time since I had an unsolicited pet.
    Now Nile Rogers thought the PH apt he rented was haunted.

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    1. Has anything else happened? I live in 5 Tudor City. So far nothing weird. But one of the hall porters told me he'd seen a ghost in the laundry room and another one said that the conference room is haunted.

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