May 31, 2026
Robert “Bobby” Swope belonged to a talented cadre of
avant-garde visionaries—among them Arto Lindsay, Connie Burg, Mark Cunningham, and Gordon Stevenson—who first
crossed paths as students at Florida's Eckerd College in the
mid-1970s. This collective moved to New York City in 1977,
where they formed the nucleus of the No Wave movement
alongside other luminaries like Lydia.
Bobby first met Lydia at her birthday celebration in 1978,
where she was introduced to both Bobby and his sister, Liz.
Captivated by their energy, Lydia invited the siblings to join
Vivienne Dick and Jim Sclavunos in Beirut Slump, a side project conceived to run
parallel to her band, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. Bobby adopted
the stage moniker Bobby Berkowitz, a satirical nod to David
Berkowitz, the Son of Sam who had terrorized New York City from
1976 - 1977. Beirut Slump's tenure was brief—spanning a year of
rehearsals, a single release, and three live performances—the group
eventually dissolved as Lydia moved on to new frontiers.
Following his foray into the musical underground, Bobby
pursued a variety of professions before co-founding a successful
antiques enterprise with his partner. The business eventually
relocated to Pennsylvania, ultimately paving the way for Bobby’s
current chapter in Mexico City where this interview took
place.