Riding the Subway to Coney Island in 1987

This is a mindblowing time capsule of ordinary life: video of a group of friends taking the NYC subway to Coney Island in 1987. Because it was before mobile phones, they had to arrange to meet one of the group members in the first car of the train along the way.

The film was shot by Nelson Sullivan, a videographer who recorded the arts, music, and LGBTQ+ communities in NYC in this same ur-vlogging style.

Viewed today, Sullivan’s video record of his life represents a pre-Internet form of vlogging, while his frequently used technique of turning the camera to face himself clearly anticipates the modern selfie.

You can watch hundreds more of Sullivan’s films on YouTube, including a trip to McDonald’s (the most popular video on the channel), several RuPaul videos, a holiday party at Michael Alig & DJ Keoki’s apartment, and Keith Haring’s NYE party. Sullivan sadly died of a presumed heart attack two years later at the age of 41. (thx, caroline)

• Nelson Sullivan
• NYC
• subway
• video