FREDDY HERKO: WHAT A WAY TO GO

On October 27, 1964, Herko was strung out and homeless. He went to Johnny Dodd’s apartment and took a bath. It is unclear whether he was brought by Dodd, or just showed up. Some accounts say Herko invited a group to watch a performance. According to Dodd, Mozart’s Coronation Mass was playing as Herko emerged from the bath and danced naked in the loft, “occasionally making a run toward the windows. At the time Dodd wondered whether this was going to be the „suicide performance“ that Herko had been promising his friends during the weeks prior: „It was obvious that Freddy had to do it now: the time and the place were right, the decor was right, the music was right.“ As the music climaxed, Herko leapt through the open window. It was five flights down to Cornelia Street below.