"Big Tune began as the brainchild of DJ/producer/emcee—Vitamin D and Hip Hop visionary/event producer --Jonathan Moore, in 2004 with the purpose of bringing emerging and established talent to the forefront. After three years of hosting thriving local battles in Seattle, they forged a creative partnership with Red Bull and the event evolved beyond a beat battle into a dynamic national producer program."
Over 800 people packed Highline Ballroom Wednesday night to see the 16 regional finalists battle it for Big Tune 2008 supremacy and me and a crew were right in the thick of things. It's rare that I'm out at hip hop events but this was something any beat lover could appreciate. These kids were so inspiring... dropping a ton of completely original tracks as well as some others that made use of some really clever samples. Best and most unexpected sample of the night had to go to Beat Makers (aka Country Club) who worked in Rosemary Clooney's Mambo Italiano. Straight up awesome! Besides the young guns, we were also treated to Ghostface Killah, Alchemist and the recently reunited Digable Planets who gave us what we REALLY wanted by playing their 1992 jam, Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat). I don't know how old they were in the early 90s but these cats still look young.
As for the 17 year-old winner, C-Sick, he earned the respect of everyone in the room as well as the chance to spend some time at Red Bull Studios in Santa Monica with either Common, Nas, Lupe Fiasco or The Game. Watch out world, this kid is gonna be big!
I first heard about Pittsburgh mash-up DJ, Girl Talk, in Detroit last May and finally got to catch the live act at the All Points West Festival in August. I was so impressed with the energy of the performance at APW I vowed not to miss Girl Talk (aka Greg Gilles) again. Me and a crew hit up the 2nd of 3 sold out shows at Terminal 5 and had a ridiculous time. So many people have been hating on Girl Talk but I must say, I'm leaning toward the party-rocking-hipster DJs these days - they are bringing the FUN back to nightlife and I'm all for it. I can't tell you how many times I've been to electronic music parties recently and found myself utterly bored by the music and the vibe. And... I know I'm not alone despite what many so-called pundits will admit publicly. Where else are you going to get 2 Live Crew, Journey, Notorious B.I.G., Kelley Clarkson and others all in one sitting? Awesome.
Definitely check out the videos below and get on Girl Talk's website to download his mix (pay whatever you want) if you haven't already.
As fate would have it, the very same day I gave notice to Unilever, Travel Zoo announced ridiculously low fares from NYC to Belize. Never one to pass up a chance to travel or soak the sun, I booked (for $200 RT!!) and decided to head down alone for 6 days for some r&r before starting my new job. It's a tiny country with only about 320,000 people but it has a rich history and diverse culture. Once part of the Mayan, and very briefly the Spanish Empire, it was most recently affiliated with the British Empire, prior to gaining its independence in 1981 (from Wiki). In 2007 I started my summer travel adventure in Caye Caulker so this time I opted for the other, more developed island, Ambergris Caye. You may not realize it but you've definitely heard of this island before... probably as early as 1987 when Madonna sung about it in "La Isla Bonita" or maybe more recently in 2001 when Fox aired the Temptation Island reality show. Either way, my blog will not be the first pop culture mention for the 25 square mile island.
I decided to do things a bit differently this time around. For your viewing pleasure I actually created a movie to entertain you and for your reading pleasure I'm going to forgo the day-by-day account and share some highlights by topic instead. Enjoy!
Average Time To Bed: 8:00 pm.
Average Time to Rise: 6:15 am (followed by a 4-mile run on the beach every morning!)
Best Meals: Lobster burrito at Waraguma; Puttanesca-style Cobia (fish) at Wild Mango's; Rice/Beans/Stew Chicken from a street vendor in Central Park; Calamari & Shrimp Salad in a light Peanut Sauce at Blue Water Grill; Creole Conch @ Lily's.
Best Drinks: Iced Mocha @ Island Perk; Michelada @ Cholo's Sports Bar (zinga!)
Biggest Disappointments: Getting a bad Magnum (which must have been melted and frozen many times in transit to the island); Not having a hammock at my hotel.
Biggest Surprise: Being treated to a snorkeling session by people I had met 20 minutes earlier.
Best Raining Morning Activity: 60 minute therapeutic massage.
Most Intense Moment: Having a sea version of a vulture swoop down above my head to try and steal the chum from the sharks I was swimming with!
Most Cathartic Moment: Sitting on my balcony listening to Dixon set thinking about myself, my goals and my purpose in life.
Best New Travel Friends: Patty & Todd from Boise; Yousef & Ahmed from Jordan; Mohamed from Lebanon; Andrew & Miguel from Ambergris Caye; Jennifer and Tenisha from Portland; Girls from San Antonio; Little Girl (name unknown) from Ambergris Caye; Roy Elvis from Ambergris Caye; Elliot and Samantha from NC.
Oddest New Travel Friend: B**** (name withheld) from Jersey City who within the course of a few hours told me everything about his: estranged daughter, crazy ex-wife, drug addictions, millions made, millions lost, views on free trade, thoughts on the bailout, food interests, sex life, rent, social security payments, etc.
The world's craziest party, Circo Loco, finally made it's way to New York City... and just in time for Halloween. You may remember hearing about this party from my two trips to DC-10 in Ibiza in 2006 - which still sit in my top 5 clubbing adventures ever [Trip #1, Trip #2].
I got out to Williamsburg via the L train which might as well have been the Greenwich Village Parade for all of the drunk, costumed freaks that were piled inside. The venue, Supreme Trading, was just a short walk from the Bedford subway station but it took me 45 minutes to get through the entrance and coat check lines. Admittedly I was somewhat annoyed to start the night but once I saw the 7,500 sq ft space with a main bar room, outdoor area and two large galleries, I knew we were in for a good night. It was gritty, raw, had a truly underground vibe and went LATE...a combination not found very often in NYC these days.
Andrew Grant, the only American resident at DC-10, was already rockin the main room when I got there. He played dirty tech for about two hours and then handed things off to Cirillo who kept things moving nicely. He and Tania (who only played sporadically) played until sometime around sunrise (6:45ish) and then handed things off to a mysterious DJ who I later found out was Tania's boyfriend, Tatto. I thought the music up until that point had been good but was hoping someone would send it to the next level with some BIG ROOM BANGERS. And Tania's bf was just the man to do it. He literally tore the room apart by cranking out one monster bass line after another. The last few hours were pure bliss - a big room full of crazy party people smiling and grinding it out to some wicked beats. It's not easy to replicate the Circo Loco vibe outside of DC-10 but the room had a sky light which allowed the sun to pour into the dirty a$$ room for the last few hours once again proving that daylight is not the enemy of 24-hr party people. When they finally ended the party at 9am everyone in the room was soaked with sweat and covered with gnarly party sludge having just endured the elements of an 11-hour Halloween marathon... yet everyone wanted more.
I have to give a lot of credit to ReSOLUTE and Sheik'n'Beik for throwing a monster bash. It was one of the best parties I've been to in NYC in a long time and not one I'm going to forget anytime soon. Word on the street is that Supreme Trading has been taken over by party-minded management... I can only hope they bring the ReSOLUTE and Sheik'n'Beik boys back for round two.
David Mancuso is now a dance music legend but when he first moved to NYC in the 1960s he was simply a music and electronics enthusiast who happened to have a large loft in an industrial section of Manhattan. At first "The Loft" was used to play records for a small group of friends but by 1971 David was playing host to regular parties. What made his parties unique then was that he kept them "invitation only" and spent a lot of time thinking about "the vibe" and how to avoid using a traditional nightclub business model. For him, it was all about the music and never about money. His success at keeping his parties both underground and legal for so long is quite amazing. Beyond creating his own incredible events in the 70s, David Mancuso can also take much of the credit for many of the most famous venues of the disco era (e.g. Paradise Garage, The Gallery and The Saint) as they were modeled after The Loft. In addition, his parties and music served as a huge inspiration for an entire generation of DJs such as Francois K, Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan, Danny Krivit, David Morales and Nicky Siano who cut their teeth as party-goers at The Loft.
Believe it or not, the 64-year old is STILL throwing parties a few times a year. I was lucky enough to score an invite to his latest party which was held at a Ukrainian community center in the East Village from 6pm-12am on a Sunday. From the minute we walked in, I knew it was not going to be like any party I had ever attended and I mean that in the best possible way. True to original form, David didn't mix any records and while he was switching from one to the next, the crowd stopped dancing to applaud. He also still uses vintage equipment including Klipschorn speakers which were sprinkled in a circular pattern around the room. The volume was kept quite low (compared to what I'm used to!) but the smooth and crisp analog sound was more than enough to tickle our ears. The track selection is exactly what you'd expect if know anything about David Mancuso - lots of 70s disco and house jams - all happy and groovy. A few track IDs from the night: Afro Medusa - Pasilda, The Police (Unknown Remix) - Voices Inside My Head, Musique - Push Push in the Bush, Damon Harris - It's Music.
The vibe was great - with people of all shades, shapes and sizes grooving around the room - dancing in the middle and talking on the sides. A BYOB policy was in full effect and its such a respectful environment that people leave their drinks at side banquet tables all night without incident. Later in the night they even had a sizable buffet dinner. I had an absolute blast. It was so great to get "back to basics" and dance dance dance and smile smile smile for an entire night out. The way it should be.
If you're not already familiar with the work of UK street artist, Banksy, you need to take a minute to get acquainted by reading my short blog post from last year. Traditionally known for his distinctive graffiti and stencil style of art, he's taken an interesting turn with his first official show in NYC. The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill is a fake store/restaurant located at 89 Seventh Ave South (near Bleecker) which started as a project to draw attention to the relationship between humans and animals. The Wooster Collective website has a direct quote from Banksy himself:
"New Yorkers don’t care about art, they care about pets. So I’m exhibiting them instead. I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming, but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing. I took all the money I made exploiting an animal in my last show and used it to fund a new show about the exploitation of animals. If its art and you can see it from the street, I guess it could still be considered street art."
Me, Lloyd and Christina went down this afternoon to check it out and it was simply awesome. I find myself bored with so much art but this was right in my wheel house - unique, creative and post-modern in both concept and delivery. The idea of an artist taking over an ordinary commercial space (with a parody of sorts) is simple yet so unique and effective (for me at least)! I've included some of the pictures of the installation I found online but it's worth noting that the work is all Hollywood-quality animatronics (mechanised puppets). There are swimming fish sticks, chicken McNuggets bobbing their heads into BBQ sauce and a chimp scratching himself and watching primate porn, among others. Really, really cool stuff. It's showing thru Halloween so if you're in NYC... get there!
FYI you should also check out Banksy's new street art around town as well - we stopped by Houston & MacDougal and Grand & Wooster. And to top off the day we had a Russell Simmons sighting in SoHo - he was cruising the streets on his dope old school bike!
The original Love Parade was held in Berlin in 1989 just a few months before the Berlin Wall came down. It started as a political demonstration for peace and international understanding through music and has since evolved into a showcase for electronic music and rave culture (PLUR) in cities throughout the world. This year was the fourth LoveFest, San Francisco's version of Love Parade, which drew over 100,000 people!! Click here for a bird's eye view.) Many of my friends had made the trip the past few years and after having such an amazing time in San Fran last year for Halloween, I was looking for any excuse to head back. LoveFest was absolutely incredible from start to finish.
Betty and I got to town late Thursday night (and were greeted by three of my favorite people ever - Gal, Steve and Casey - aka The Sheep!) and then spent Friday cruising around town shopping, sipping wine and feasting on oysters. Yes, it's a tough life... I know. We spent the evening enjoying a relaxing dinner at home with Angelina Jolie and an old friend, Artemis. Then... the weekend got underway.
We started things off with a pre-game and costume prep session at Casey and Steve's before heading over to Mighty for Lee Burridge's GET WEIRD party. The night couldn't have been better as I was surrounded by tons of friends and lots of weird. Lee absolutely assaulted the club for multiple hours. Lots of love to the Listed Productions crew who threw a great party which included a sidewalk DJ set-up and RV party-mobile that provided a much needed break in the sweat box action inside. The first trip back home to SF for Moon Beam (the gay dog marionette) who was adopted by my baby daddy (John Dill) during a visit earlier this summer was a resounding success. Some called his performance awe inspiring.
No rest for the wicked as we had to be up at 9:30am to get ready for the actual parade. Our crew was lucky enough to secure spots aboard the Listed "Get Spacey" float which had Lee Burridge, Three, Bill Patrick, Jason Emsley, Dory, Hac Le, Naveen G, Mike Khoury, Nikita and Tim McCormack. Everyone got dressed to the nines including Bill wearing a bumble bee matrix spandex suit and Lee in a full space robot costume (to start) and a unidentifiable dress and wig outfit (to finish). The float had a few difficult moments with lost sound and a lost wheel (ha!) but we made the most of it rockin all the way down Market Street. Sometime around 3pm the floats all parked near City Hall and a massive 100,000+ party raged on. Every type of music, vibe and crowd was represented which was extremely refreshing. We had a blast cruising around the perimeter taking it all in before finally landing back at the mothership which was GOING OFF! The six hours that followed are a bit of a blur but the highlights include: skateboard tricks, a dance-off with a homeless dude, a pair of cock-eyed sunglasses, a power drill, a big green frog, astronaut ice cream, space fairy push-ups, the debut of the San Fran Book of Bad Ideas, Hannah's "hole" decals, saving Lee's space slipper from certain death, "fishing" with The BoBI... and so many more! I went home after the parade, most others FORGOT TO GO HOME.
Sunday = Funday. Let's do it again! Betty and Casey started the day with Bloody Mary's while Steve and I polished off a bottle of Champers with breakfast. Then we went to Gal's to meet the rest of the boys for an 11am pre-party before the Castro Street Fair. I made the move from Champers to Cava Guava and was lit up like a Christmas tree by noon. Lovely. The boys moved on to the street fair while Betty and I resumed the party pole position at the infamous club, The End Up, where party goers had been chugging along since the night before. I had always heard great things about this legendary club but I had no idea it had such a massive outdoor space. I think my friends and I like to pretend we love dark and dirty hell holes, but when given the chance to party outdoors during the day, I realize that's all bullsh*t. The End Up DEFINITELY gets my vote for Best U.S. Club.
We arrived just as Billy and Lee were starting their annual 8-hour tag team set which was filled with filthy tunes. Throughout the party I oscillated between busting a move inside and running around causing trouble outside. Some of the more hilarious moments included: a pathetic air horn, the big hands, the coochie duster (of course!), an appearance by the dirty mo*fo rabbit, Nadia Gone Wild, two lost children (last in the care of Dane'lle and Jason Elmsley!), Moon Beam's Bollywood-esque dance under the waterfall, a late evening massage, Nancy's ketadventure, one ridiculously hot girl I never talked to and lots of new friends. I called it quits after The End Up but surprise, surprise many others FORGOT TO GO HOME (again).
Jigga What? Jigga Who? In fairness I think the Louis Vuitton Millionaire sunglasses launched in 2005 but I still beat Jay-Z to the punch! And now these things can be found at every cheap sunglasses table in NYC. If anyone wants to buy me a pair of the real thing, they are modestly priced at $1,250 on eBay.
Two of my dear friends - Jane and Eugene - got married last weekend in a beautiful upstate location. So many great friends were there for an amazing, happy day filled with dancing, drinking (vodka!) and absolutely delicious food. Couldn't have been better. Congrats guys!
I also got to spend some time with my nephews for their big birthdays - Aidan (2) and Anderson (5). Lots of fun was had in the bouncy castle and playing with dinosaurs (-:
New York party people had been anxiously awaiting Minitek, New York's first electronic music and innovation festival, since promoter Jenny Tan made a dramatic announcement at one of her underground loft parties earlier in the summer. By all accounts the festival organizers were ill-equipped for the event which led to a lot of outspoken complaints and extremely mixed reviews. If you're interested in the minutia, I'll let you read the links below and decide for yourself. In my opinion, the Minitek peeps screwed up almost everything they possibly could but I still had a blast at the day sessions in Coney Island. All told I heard Insideout, Camea, Afternoon Coffee Boys, Exercise One, Jeremy P. Caulfield, Steven LeTigre, Heidi, Audiofly, Tiefschwarz vs. M.A.N.D.Y., Bill Patrick, Butane, Fase Music Sender, Konrad Black, Guide Schneider, David Squillace, Guy Gerber, Richie Hawtin and Francois K. Pretty damn incredible for $40 (I got in on the EARLY pre-sales). Musical highlights were definitely Audiofly, Tiefschwarz vs. M.A.N.D.Y., Bill Patrick, Guy Gerber and Francois K.
The Book of Bad Ideas was out in full force on Saturday and has since gone global with it's own Group on Facebook. The typical shenanigans were abound during the day but it was the D-train ride home that night that was most entertaining as we had an entire subway car full of locos. We read aloud from The Book, did the Macarena, put the rainbow umbrella hat on a random, old Chinese man, gave out lap dances, doused people with a squirt gun and then later solicited bad ideas from a bunch of innocent bystanders on another train. Only ONE person actually offered up an idea and it just so happened to be Ronnie from Bravo's "Make Me a Super Model". No, I'm not kidding. Zollie still owes me her pictures otherwise I'd have one of me and Ronnie posted here.
Sunday was even more eventful as I busted out the full Proptainer and set up camp as soon as I arrived. Bill Patrick of Robots fame was getting the day off to a great start musically with some awesome tech-house. I did a full booth re-design with a blow up doll, marionette, chicken head and chalk scribbles among other things. I'm to DJ booths what Xzibit is to shitty cars. Next up on MTV: "Prop my Booth"! After the early after hours sets, the crew stole a couch and decided to officially set up our own Prop HQ. Our cool factor hit a new level when a VIP section was actually created around us... yup, the ropes went up around us and we took over from there! The rest of the night was filled with wicked tunes and coochie dusting - what more can a girl ask for?! On a sad note, I do need to have a moment of silence for my fallen blow-up doll, Peter North, who apparently met his demise while crowd surfing during Audion's set Sunday evening (see picture above). (-) Minitek Review for PESSIMISTS
The party that originated at Downtown Miami's Pawn Shop during Winter Music Conference (2005) finally made it's way north. The NYC edition featured three back-to-back parties that spanned 30 hours, 2 boroughs and a few bodies of water. I didn't get totally nutragous and do the whole thing but I did at least manage to hit up all 3 parties.
Part I:OVERBOARD BOAT PARTY on the Paddlewheel Queen with Steve Bug + Adultnapper. Steve Bug and a boat is definitely a lethal combination...especially after dark. He dropped some seriously dirty, booty-grabbing bass lines all night long. Delicious! The gays got me into some trouble (as usual). Damn you, Jim!
Part II:SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR DEGENERATES @ Rebel with Dan Berkson & James What live + Kate Simko live + Mr. C + Martin Landsky + Three + Taimur Agha + Crazy Larry + Francis Harris. I made an appearance on the early side to catch the end of Taimur & Larry's set and all of Dan Berkson @ James What's live set. No 30hrs straight for me... this weekend I need some sleep!
Part III:AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL @ The Yard with Cassy + Joel Mull + Nikola Baytala + Matt Dear + Steve Bug. The party started at 10am but I spent my morning warming up at home with some Guitar Hero. By time I got there at 2pm, Matt Dear was playing some good tunes for the mostly sedentary crew that had partied straight through from the boat and Rebel. Joel Mull came on after Matt and played some hardish techno that got people off their a$$ss and movin and then handed things off to Cassy (a resident at Berlin's Panorama Bar and one of my new favorites!). She definitely lived up to the hype with her impeccable taste in music and an indescribable 'x' factor. Her set was amazing and I REALLY appreciated the way she smiled and made eye contact with the crew of dancing fewls in the front. Steve Bug closed the night out with a set full of smooth and sexy house jams and a smattering of dirty bombs. It was much different than his work on the boat, but equally awesome.
I loved this party for so many reasons but what made it extra enjoyable for me was the fact that I was flying semi-solo (not many of my usual partners in crime were there) so I spent a lot of time meeting new people and connecting with party pilgrims I had met previously in passing. There were a lot of familiar faces from The Old Miami (who recognized the Book of Bad Ideas!) which helped bring that *special* vibe to the party. It was so nice to feel that great energy that only happens when everything - music, crowd, venue, puppets, etc. all come together (and seems to be so elusive in NYC lately).
I have friends that throw parties. I have friends that DJ parties. I have friends that convince alcohol companies to sponsor parties. I have friends that curate art exhibits. I have friends that like to Make Party.™ I have a wild streak. I have a marshmallow blaster. I have party puppets. I have an affinity for dressing up and acting like a fool in public. I have friends that take pictures...
I'm not sure how or why the party gods decided this weekend would be the true test of my ability to Make Party™ but the results are in and let's just say I've assured myself a spot in party heaven for my tireless devotion. 4 days, 8 parties and 38 hours logged...all on the sober-ish tip. It all started on Pier 84 after work on Thursday night with a sunset, a rain storm and a dancing cop... and ended Sunday with a mustache glass and a flying, communist chicken. Sometimes I amaze even myself!
Party 1: Stadenco & John Dill @ Sunset Thursdays (Pier 84). There was sun, there was rain and there was also an on-duty police officer doing the cabbage patch. That's all I'll say about that. Party 2: Adam Freeland @ Hiro. I heard break beats and Swamy talk about drinking piss.
Party 3: All Points West Festival @ Liberty State Park, NJ. There was a great ferry ride, there was (more) rain, there was (more) sun, there was a black plastic cinch sack jumper on Joel, there was beer (although you had to drink them in beer jail and could only have five per person), there was an amazing view of the Statue of Liberty and NYC skyline, there was a RIDICULOUS performance by mash-up DJ, Girl Talk (don't miss the video below), there was lots of love during Underworld and lots of sadness during Radiohead. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Radiohead's live performance but have decided I don't like to listen to sad music in public. Party 4: Steve Lawler @ Cielo. The drums are back, b*tch! Every time Steve comes to town I head out with Lloyd to check him out and I'm never disappointed (see last year's boat cruise). Some tribal haters were glad to see the drums go a few years ago but then started hating on him for playing electro. Personally I've enjoyed all of Steve's incarnations over the year but I'm happy to report he was bringing the booty-rumbling baselines last weekend and Cielo was a rockin!
Party 5: Grace's 3rd Birthday Dance Party @ Liar's Pad. Yes, you read correctly. A 3-year old had a dance party and one of NYC's best underground electronic DJ's was on the decks. I haven't seen that many first pumps since PVD in the park! Grace got a bunch of birthday gifts including her first REAL record player and records from Joel, Nancy and Colleen and her first We Came to Make Party™ t-shirt from me. Awesome.
Party 6: Classic Rock BBQ @ Park Avenue Lounge Rooftop. After last year's R&BBQ, Spoony and Dave decided to mix things up and hit us with some Classic Rock this time around. The PAL is always a good time especially when you actually get to see the light of day!
Party 7: The Meth Rocket BBQ. Much love to Kendra & Deanna for their hospitality at this large and in-charge Bushwick rooftop with full DJ set-up and lots of cool peeps. The evening's tech-noise was provided by locals Kendra (whose classics set was the highlight!), Stefny, RJ Valeo, Eric Coultier and Montrealian, Pheek [Archipel]. It was pretty wicked to sit on a couch with friends kickin it to outdoor summer beats.
Party 8: Sean & Colleen's Going Away Red Party @ The Porch. You knew I'd save the best for last. The bad news is we were saying goodbye to two of my favorite nerds in the world... the good news is we are really good at Making (Going Away) Party™. So many hysterical things happened throughout the day not the least of which was the mustache glass which everyone put over their upper lip to create a hilarious series of photos (see below). Even a rubber chicken and a real chameleon got in on the mustache action! Speaking of rubber chickens, the one in question also tried to take flight off the 2nd floor balcony however his parachute failed to function properly (ahem, Sean!). Apparently my motor skills were also not functioning properly as I tried unsuccessfully to throw Mr. Chicken 'Stache back up to Lisa for additional flight attempts (ahem, Me!). There was also a FREE TIBET protest, couture socks by Dill, the highly anticipated second appearance by Moon Beam (the gay dog marionette), a serious make-out session, a hot straddle photo shoot and a party long pants-on, dance-on with Karen. I'd be remiss not to mention the boys on the decks who kept my a$$ movin all day - Stadenco, Lloyd Alvarez, Eric Andrew and John Dill - love you guys! Miss Nine also graced us with her presence although her looks and her beats weren't as SMOKIN HOT as everyone had promised. Don't get me wrong, I'd still... oh never mind! And last but not least... smoochie smoochie to Jen, John and Lisa.
Girl Talk @ All Points West (INSANE!!)
Name your price for Girl Talk's "Feed the Animals" mix here: CLICK ME
Pictures from All Points West, Grace's Birthday Party and BK BBQs:
Pictures from Sean & Colleen's Going Away Red Party:
I'm feeling lazy and not in the mood to detail my debauchery from the last few weeks but I'll still give you the highlights:
--2 going away parties --3 extra delicious dinners with friends: Korean BBQ, Ethiopian and Italian --1 extreme karaoke session --1 Martin Gore (Depeche Mode) DJ set @ Hiro --1 weekday afternoon visit to the roof of the Hotel Gansevoort --5 fun hours with Dandy Jack @ The Bunker --1 day at the nude beach --1 hang out session with the work girlies that ended in laughs and digits --12 lazy hours spent doing nothing on a Sunday --2 hours of r&r aboard a schooner on the Hudson River --1 visit by the crazy mo*fo wabbit from Paris --1 boozy MILFY birthday brunch --1 Booka Shade bonanza --1 new marionette named Moon Beam (the gay dog) --1 grape thrown off the chest of a certain someone on the mezzanine at Irving Plaza --3 hours of catching up with my Peru boys (+ Gaby!) --1 Kim Stolz (America's Next Top Model) spotting @ Stiletto
For those who were following the ridiculous Turkish wedding stories from June... I have a few extra pictures to share. These are a handful of the photos that showed up in the Turkish society magazines, one of which is called DIVA... buwahahha!
Everybody has one summer date with a huge red circle around it - that one party they look forward to all year round. For me it's Saisha's pool party which this year was aptly named the Shagtastic Summer Swim-A-Thon for Sinners. In years past I've done a lot *in the name* of the party - pulled off one of a kind diving board stunts, been electrocuted and lost 12 hours due to overly baked baked goods. This year I took my commitment to new levels providing enough shagtastic sinning for everyone in attendance...ha! The SSSfS will definitely go down in the record books for that reason and those listed below:
--Miss Pool Party 2008 - the babe-alicious, Sai --A swim-up vodka, hookah and whip-it bar (what?!?!) --The Spiderman slip & slide --An ALL GIRLS hot tub --An ALL BOYS volleyball game which ended with some naked laps around the front yard (apparently this is the only thing they could think to do when we banished them from the hot tub - ha!) --Guest appearance by Connor Paolo (who plays Eric van der Woodsen on the hit CW show Gossip Girl) --Lester, the underwater molester --Seeing a fire crotch in a saran wrap diaper --A pool full of people in tin foil accessories --Googley eyes on tatas, in the toilet, on cups, on shirts, on glasses...everywhere! --Bikini bottom headwear --A lethal spank which drew blood (sorry Keith!) --A full on pool dance party (finally!) --Amazing music by Kevin, Mike, Tony, Lloyd, Jymmi and Joel! --Saran wrap mummy diving --Underwater misbehavior --Out of water misbehavior --An impromptu dance party in Penn Station
Thanks to Sai and Dale for the amazing hospitality and to everyone else who had a hand in my sinning! A big apology to the Chief Hooker for my lack of attendance on Saturday night... I was sooo hungover before I even got back to the city.
Saturday was so inspirational that the sinning continued on Sunday with an afternoon visit to the Stiletto party at Ono (at the Hotel Gansevoort) with Julie and friends. I should have known continued boozing was going to lead to more trouble... and oh boy did it! Somehow we managed to score an invite from a friend to go party on the massively pimp, Forbes yacht docked at Pier 60. I never thought I'd board a yacht bigger than the ones we chartered in Turkey but at 151 feet Mr. Forbes outdid us! The shenanigans continued (obviously). I'll spare the details (and the crew members) in case this entry turns up on a Google search (-; After that it was off to east village for Kim's birthday at The Porch. And more shenanigans. Do you see a pattern here?
I've been trying for the last two years to get my Costa Rican friend, Oliver, to get his a$$ to NYC but he is still playing hard to get. However, this time he at least sent me the next best thing... his BFF, Sergio, who I first met during my visit to CR in 2007. Sergio's first night in town, we wasted no time grabbing dinner at one of my NYC faves, Miracle Grill (catfish tacos!), and then hitting up the Beige party at Bowery Bar a notoriously fabulous, Tuesday night spot for the boys. Joining us for dinner and debauchery were Julie and Melissa (who was in town for work a boondoggle) as well as some of the new friends we made during NYC Pride a few weeks ago. We drank and ogled the hundreds of hot hots for a few hours and then called it a night before trouble crossed our path.
Wednesday night after work Sergio, Julie and some other members of my tribe gathered on Pier 54 to catch Si*Se as part of the Hudson River Rocks free summer concert series. As expected lead singer, Carole C, looked hot and the band rocked it. We stayed for a few Yerba Buena songs, which was definitely enough to get my attention. They have an extremely unique sound (African-rooted Latin) and a wild lead singer, CuCu Diamantes, who at one point took a seat to shoot Patron while a lip-syncing midget took center stage. And you should have seen the slinky, tinfoil-ish dress she was wearing - whoa! The music by both bands was great and the setting couldn't have been better as we were treated to a blistering sunset over the Hudson.
My crew isn't satisfied with just one party in a night so we made our way uptown 30 blocks to Pier 84 for Sunset Thursdays hosted by Flawless Media. One might think that P.D. O'Hurley's is a suspect place to host an Ibiza-inspired event but it turns out the pub actually has the largest patio on the west side! Selectors for the night were local house faves, Down Deep, and Trent Cantrelle from LA. The weather was incredible, the music jackin and the crowd full of smiling faces...especially when Jilly, Sai, Sergio and I danced in the nearby fountain. We rocked it out until midnight and then made a quick getaway back to Chelsea to catch some zzz's (it is a school night, ya know!). Sergio, Si*Se and the sunset - it doesn't get much better than that! Lots of love to Sergio for such an awesome few days!
Ahhh, Asbury Park. Thanks to dear friends, Justin & Jilly, our crew always has a home away from home in AP. Every single trip I've taken has been filled with food, fun, love and laughs and this weekend was no different. Many thanks to the hosts who have created something truly amazing and to all of "the friends" who give a little of themselves to the house with every visit.
A few highlights: --A lovely day of haze rays at the beach with Nora, Karen and Lester the Molester (puppets on pretzels on parade!) --The Asbury Park 4th of July Parade Awards Ceremony (#1 Best Pet!!!) and the convenient arrival of the getaway car --Delish burgers --Michael's birthday roast --Spectacular fireworks on the beach --Bangin beats in the AP cave --The "Pants Off Dance Off" --Finally getting THE BIG BED! --Nora's sore paddle ball arm --Aged Gouda orgasm --Gabi aka Elvis aka the most quiet baby ever --A canoe ride gone wrong --Tee ball with Grace --Movie time on the couch --[INSERT WORD] CREW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a really, really tall order to top 2006 but somehow, some way we managed to do it.
My Pride really didn't start until Sunday at 3am when me, Nora, Anne and Julie woke up to pre-game and head over to Alegria at Webster Hall. As expected the main room was packed like gay naked sardines - it was so hot that literally the walls and the stairs were sweating. The good news is that Ric Sena rented an additional, massive AC unit, parked it on the street and pumped it into the upstairs balcony. Downstairs was truly unbearable so we went upstairs, perched ourselves in the front row of the balcony with a stiff, cool breeze at our backs and got the party started. We danced and danced and danced... made friends, fan'd 'coochies' and other private parts, danced and danced some more. It wasn't until around 8am that the main floor had some breathing room - we finally jumped into the middle of madness. We spent the next few hours between our two spots and danced our little tooshies off - so much fun! I even ran into a few old friends from some of the first Alegria and Evolve parties I attended. We lasted in the sweat box until 10:30am when we saw the sun was shining outside and heard that some of our peeps were gathered on a roof deck in the east village.
After a short stint on the hot rooftop we decided that SHOWERS were a MUST. Anne went back to her place and Nora and I cruised back to mine to cleanup and rest (we lost Julie a few hours earlier). We did manage to shower but somehow decided that margaritas were a better choice than sleep. So... off to Cuba Cafe in Chelsea where met a fully-rested Zivy and a slightly rested, Julie. After some food, margaritas, mojitos and a downpour... we created a spontaneous dance party in the restaurant that spilled outside. I'm not quite sure how it happened but I wound up on the sidewalk outside the restaurant screaming at every passerby to "congo congo congo!" The only problem was that I was trying to get them to "limbo limbo limbo!" Whatever! I quickly revised my chant and proceeded to make a few hundred Pride revelers and innocent bystanders limbo under me and Julie's linked arms. It was definitely a big hit with everyone! Well, except this one guy who said, "stop touching me... don't talk to me... get out of this neighborhood." Umm, ok weirdo!
After we did the limbo and Nora found her gay baby daddy, we went to the Parade. But first... we bought a bottle of champagne, I convinced two hugging strangers to pose for a steamy photo shoot which ended with them both laying flat out on the street and I took pictures of myself in the reflection of some random dude's sunglasses. Oh yeah...the parade! As soon as we got to the Parade on 5th Avenue it started to rain...hard. So we did what 97% of people would not do... and we jumped INTO the parade and started marching south. We surveyed a few nearby floats and groups but decided nobody was hot enough or cool enough to deserve us. The disgustingly hot black guys on the W Hotel float were the first contenders but they were way too bitchy. Then we found a group of 20 of the hottest hot hots we'd ever seen and joined their group. It wasn't for a few blocks that we realized why everyone was cheering so loud for us (I mean, them)... they were PORN STARS. Perfect! We finished out the entire parade route drinking champagne, jumping on and biting the butts of the porn stars, putting stickers on #$@?s and otherwise acting silly. And at that point the day was only getting started.
Pinching Porn Star Butts
Champagne Celebration
As we walked up Greenwich Ave in our post-parade bliss (and SOPPING WET clothes), I saw a cute guy standing against an apartment building door so I did the next thing that popped into my brain... I took his hat off, kissed his bald head and wished him a Happy Pride. He LOVED IT and promptly invited us inside to his friend's party filled with models, photogs and a bunch of other fabulous people. And they welcomed us with open arms (as well as yummy Pimm's, white sangria, prosciutto and melon) despite our wet poodle appearance. After some indoor mingling we went back out to the sidewalk with my baldy friend to re-start the "limbo limbo limbo" game from earlier in the day. It was a big hit again...and this time no weirdos! I also vaguely remember jumping on a moving golf cart, flashing my a$$, jumping on someone's back and whipping people with a belt. Sometime around 7pm we realized we had to make the move to The Porch...we said goodbyes, collected some phone numbers and invited our new friends to join us later.
We started to walk east but encountered a major problem... we couldn't catch a cab. Now a lot of people would walk or take a train in that situation. But we are resourceful so instead we decided to hitchhike. Yes, hitchhike! It was reminiscent of my hitchhiking adventures on the mean streets of Moscow. Lucky for us this kind gentleman (who happened to be going to Alphabet City anyway) stopped and told us to jump in. The only downside to this plan was that he had a two-seater and Julie, Nora and I had to fit. Did I mention we sent drunk Zivy to class about an hour earlier? So back to the story... there were three of us for only one seat. But, not to be deterred we climbed in and made our way. This dude was beyond cool - super friendly, bumpin the R&B, not giving a sh*t when we passed cops, inviting us to a BBQ next weekend and telling us to pass the good karma forward when we thanked him profusely for his kindness. AWESOME. Homeboy dropped us off at the door of The Porch where we joined the party I was co-hosting. The day/night continued on and on and on. I remember dancing on the couches, being taunted like a bull by Sean (and picking his skinny ass up over my shoulder!) as well as some other assorted silliness. Some of the guys we had met at the previous party even showed up! We finally called it quits sometime after midnight when I just couldn't keep moving any longer. Just another 24 hrs in the life, I suppose!
Lots of love to Nora, Anne, Julie and Zivy who were wicked partners in crime! And some more love to John, Jen and Lisa who we missed dearly. Thanks for the hook-ups at both venues!
In separate but related news - two friends of mine (the sheep from The Bizarre Bazaar) got married on a float in San Francisco's Gay Pride Parade. For those who don't know, California recently legalized gay marriage. Click here to watch footage from Steve & Casey's wedding on the local San Fran news! Congratulations boys - so happy for you!
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