Gene Palma was the famous street drummer, who could do a mean “Gene Krupa” and entertained people for decades in midtown. He also had a cameo in “Taxi Driver” ©Matt Weber
A Somewhat Famous Man “Gene Palma” 1988
Gene Palma was the famous street drummer, who could do a mean “Gene Krupa” and entertained people for decades in midtown. He also had a cameo in “Taxi Driver” ©Matt Weber
Black and White Street Photographs of New York City by Matt Weber 
I think that is Gene Palma, the street drummer who was an authority on Gene Krupa´s style.
Is Gene Palma (NYC Drummer) dead? I’m a native New Yorker and knew him as a famous New York attraction For many years. A really fun and grest all around guy. If he’s not dead in 2017. I’d imagine he’s quite old. If he passed away does anyone know of what? I’m seriously interested. He was certainly a piece of my formative yesrs in the 1970’s. Thank you for any assistance you can give me.
Sincerely,
Douglas
I think that he passed away
Is Gene Palma (NYC Drummer) dead? I’m a native New Yorker and knew him as a famous New York attraction For many years. A really fun and grest all around guy. If he’s not dead in 2017. I’d imagine he’s quite old. If he passed away does anyone know of what? I’m seriously interested. He was certainly a piece of my formative yesrs in the 1970’s. Thank you for any assistance you can give me.
Sincerely,
Douglas
Sadly not. Gene Palma was born on June 2, 1924. He died on October 17, 2005 at 81 years old. We know that Gene Palma had been residing in Holmes, Dutchess County, New York.
I lived in the Chelsea Hotel in 86′, and photographed Gene in my bathroom. He brought his resume written on an old piece of dirty card board. He was a sweet guy, and told me he did his hair with shoe polish, because Rudy Valentino did it that way. A true NYC character!
When I was 16 I worked as a messenger with Gene Palm and was shocked when I saw him in Taxi Driver. I’m pretty sure our boss at the time let him go as he bumped into a client who was wearing a white raincoat and the shoe polish in his hair ruined the coat. Funny back them we didn’t see him a a NY treasure but more of a eccentric which I he was as well. I was just talking about working with him at dinner and goggled “street drummer in taxi driver” and found this and other sites that have remembered him.
Type Gene Palma!
I miss this guy. I saw him frequently on B’way. He’s one of the people that made NYC a great place until Reagan gave birth to Yuppies.
Took a photo of him in Chelsea in the mid-90’s…didn’t know him and didn’t remember him in Taxi Driver. I just thought he was a weird looking man… I remembered this photo as I was watching Taxi Driver last night on TV.
I was taking a summer school journalism course at Columbia University in May-June 1975. I lived in a room at the corner of West 80th and Riverside Drive. I use to walk up to Baskin-Robbins Ice cream (forget the street. Is it Amsterdam ?) and I saw a guy playing drums on the sidewalk in front of Baskin-Robbins. So when I saw “Taxi Driver”I was shocked to see the drummer, Gene Palma, in a cameo roll.
Also, I walked down Broadway and I saw political posters on a building for Pallentine (?) for president. I had never heard of the guy. I didn’t know a movie was being filmed there. Of course that building turned out to be a location in “Taxi Driver.”The building was abandoned. Maybe they had already filmed there and left. What memories!
Kevin