It was the 1970’s and New York was in all its ruined, decrepit, life-threatening glory. There were piles of garbage everywhere, burnt out, gutted buildings, rent-strike signs and prostitutes casually strolling Eleventh Avenue. And in those days, pimps were pimps—they wore day-glow, double-knit polyester suits, plumed hats and unspeakable shoes, their eyes sharp and their broad-collared shirts open to their…