Underground light-show artists quickly monetized their craft for commercial gigs

Evidence

Psychedelic or otherwise, light shows continued to proliferate. The folk rock band the Byrds performed with one at the Village Gate, as did Lothar and the Hand People, a group notable for incorporating a theremin. Working the lights for both, Cassen and Stern were otherwise cashing in. The pair took out an ad in Variety announcing their availability for discotheques, fashion shows, commercials, and bar mitzvahs: “They can convert any room into a kaleidoscopic world of movement, light and color” or “turn a sagging club into the hottest spot in town.” — J. Hoberman, Everything Is Now, 928

Categorization

• SEED: The instant commercialization of avant-garde techniques—underground light artists advertising for bar mitzvahs—is a neat case study of how subcultures become markets, exactly the reader’s core thesis.
• SHARE: For someone into NYC underground history: the Variety ad offering psychedelic light shows for bar mitzvahs is a perfect detail.
• CANDY: Psychedelic light-show artists advertised their services for bar mitzvahs in Variety.