December 29, 2007
Holidays and Cheap, Freeloading People
For Christmas I went to visit my 2 brothers in Boston. The doctor one lives in Rhode Island, and my eldest brother lives with his wife and 2 daughters. I stayed at the Marriott Hotel with my ungrateful boyfriend in the downtown shopping district, and the 3 days I was there was spent enjoying quality family time. I was able to reset my internal clock and by 9pm, I would pass out in bed. By 7am I am (cheerfully!) up and ready to go. I love my family, because they are all very well-read, extremely intelligent and successful people who know how to treat people right.
On that note, someone else had to be on social party-business duties in Chicago while I was away. He went through the SAME SHIT I always go through. Frustrated by mooching friends who seem to have no clue about getting a job and basic social skills such as buying a drink. This is the email I received:
After last night, I am so 100% in agreement with every complaint you've ever had about freeloading people on your tab. It's unreal. Where were these people raised? Say what you want about my gutterpunk friends, and you might count the silverware after they leave but I've never come across such brazen rudeness among anyone anywhere else but this scene. And I think I can say I'm pretty well fucking traveled in different social circles.
It's sad but maybe we have to write a guide to nightclub etiquette. To wit:
1. Do not enter a nightclub expecting to drink with less than $10 on your person. If you go out so often that you can't afford to bring more, perhaps you should go out less.
2. When a person buys a round, it is classless to get the next round for yourself alone. If you have to sneak away to do so, you're not fooling anyone.
3. When a person buys a round, you should probably not order any drink you wouldn't pay for yourself.
(this one's for you): 4. Someone leaving their credit card with the bartender does not mean everyone's drinking free all night.
Seriously, we should do an experiment: neither of us buy any drinks for anyone other than ourselves for 30 days. See who's still our BFFs in the whole world after that. I expect that the results will be astounding, yet utterly predictable.
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December 18, 2007
Brave the Storm
Linda Redd walking out of the party drunk, mean and still drinking |
One of the many many crazy outfits at the Escada ball |
Saturday night, against all warnings, I take my poor car all the way from my cozy downtown home all the way to the very windy, icy and blinding white expressway called 90. At a trudging 30 miles per hour, I finally make it to my good friend Angie's bday party on 92nd Street, because that's my girl and there's no way I would miss that. There were actually a good crowd of people who braved the snow and showed some love. Afterwards we meet Craig Loftis at a vogueing ball at 101st and Halsted held by the House of Escada. He told them 5 Magazine was coming and would be taking pictures. What normally would be a bunch of hissing queens swiping their claws at me, all gave me their most glamorous and come hither smiles whenever my camera went even an inch of my eye.
At 6am me and my boy head back to Miss Linda Redd's house for more of the same all night/morning partying with about 6 other people who refuse to let the night end.
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December 16, 2007
December Release Party!
I busted my ass getting the December issue release party together. What's cool about this party is that the 2 stars of the issue (Gene Hunt and The Sound Republic) actually played for the event. We held it at Celebrity on North Avenue, where my boy has a new Wednesday residency. After multiple texts, myspace bulletins, personal emails and harassing phone calls for people to come out, I head to 71st and State to A&G Food and Liquor to stock up on chicken wings (200 pieces), 2 pounds of barbecue and hot sauce, 2 ginormous bags of fries, combos and all the accompanying food shit you need to serve your shit. Then it's off to the party supply store to buy red and green balloons, a giant 5 balloon, and random cute things to make the club look nice. We are rushing rushing rushing, and by the time I get home, all I can do is jump in the shower and wrap on some old slutty green top before heading out the door with a truck full of supplies.
J. Cru (the other resident DJ along with Rees) starts cooking up the food and a bunch of us get the place ready. I am worried we have way too much food. Rees plays, The Sound Republic come in and do their thing, and superstar Gene Hunt does his grandoise finale set. There are lots of people at the party, certainly more than I expected! Many new faces, and a wonderful mix of north and southside heads. Refills of chips, chicken, fries, candy, shots of this and that, pictures and pictures. I made sure to greet everyone at the door with a big thank you and hug, because I think there's not enough of that at parties anymore. A host is a host is a host. Hello.
By the end of the night there is a significant dent in the chicken population, and there is a line of brothers waiting in front of the kitchen for J. Cru to cook them up some take home chicken! Me and my girl were on wrap the food up duty, until eventually we get bored and help clean up. All in all a great success and I'm very proud :)
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December 11, 2007
Frankie Knuckles
me, Frankie, Elbert Phillips and Andre Hatchett @ Zentra |
The Frankie Knuckles party at Zentra was AMAZING!!! I'm so happy it pulled through, because I was really concerned that the place would get crazy packed and gross. But for some reason, Frankie seems to carry this positive energy in every room he spins at. People were loving him. And George Jackson and Craig Loftis spun incredible sets as well. All 3 DJs were a great combination.
Needless to say, the line outside was half a block long, people were waiting for over an hour, and there was list and door drama for days. People "not" on the list, dress code bs, etc. Sigh. I tried to stay by the front door for as long as I could to make sure my people got in, but eventually one door guy (who I swear I will kill while he is sleeping), told me to leave the area and that "It seems like your list is the one giving us all the problems!" Um...hi! I have hundred and hundreds of people on my list, what do you expect? (I sent him mental hate vibes everytime I walked by...)
Inside the club it was simply mayhem, but good mayhem I would say. Craig Loftis had me and Andre Hatchett "guarding" the booth, since Frankie's usual right hand man Judge wasn't there that night. I tried the polite way of getting people off ("Let me help you get down"), while Andre had the more gangster approach of "Get down, you can't be here!" Regardless, people were still all over that booth. I was just happy to be in an elevated space away from sweaty bumpy jumpy people. Trying to get a drink from the bar was like taking a trip to mecca, so I sent my slaves to get my libations. I wish a had a fly swatter as a prop that night, so I could swat bad people.
A lot of people are pissed off at Zentra, and I wish they would understand that the front door staff is not reflective of the whole club staff. The bartenders are the shit, and the upstairs security are all darlings. Deephouse page is snapping, and they have a very legitimate point about how some were treated. I hope something can be done because Zentra is like my home...
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December 7, 2007
Staying in is Bliss
I have been sick, and thus have been staying in since Sunday. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, (had to go out and promote Wednesday) and Thursday... working by the computer, tv dinners, watching black and white Hollywood films, Law & Order, CNN and the trashy E! Channel. Luigi my dog snoring on my lap, my foot massager on high and everything is right in the world. No pesky running around club to club, no million people whose names I'm sorry I can't remember bugging me about their hernia and how it needs to be written about in the magazine, no moochers. Just me in my warm and cozy home. Let me enjoy it while it lasts...
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December 1, 2007
Procrastinating and Liquor
I hate deadlines. The December issue of the magazine is featuring Gene Hunt on the cover, followed by an article on new school darlings The Sound Republic. I interviewed the latter, and it was a long 2 hour conversation. Transcribing a 2-hour interview verbatim prior to writing the article is not my cup of tea, and I found myself indulging in all kinds of procrastinata such as vacuuming, internet nothing and complaining.
Aside from that, I am working on promoting the December issue release party slated for Wednesday Dec. 12th at Celebrity (North Ave./Wolcott) with the above guys DJing. I have also been given the honor of hosting the Frankie Knuckles party at Zentra on Friday December 7th! I'm very excited about this, and it is Frankie's first time playing at that venue.
Saturday afternoon there is a live broadcasting of Chicagohouseradio shows (5 Magazine's and Get Down Saturday Night's) at KStarke Records. As we set up, Lloyd Dev and Brett Morrison bring a bottle of 100 Anos Tequila which they had sampled at the liquor store. And some cups. It was all downhill from there. One shot and I didn't even know my name. As I do my radio show, I randomly turn on the mic (smart people know NEVER to let Czarina near a mic, especially when she's been drinking) and make attempts at being coherent. Not so successful. Me and my DJ Reesie Peesie get done while Lloyd and his crew do their show... they seemed pretty tore up too. Later I to go to Mz. Nicky's party, then the Attic's awesome fabulous party at The Pleasure Dome on 75th. WOW. What an amazing party, amazing vibe....everyone was wooping and hollering and just vibing. Emanuel was just banging out the tunes and all of us were loving it!
Thursday afternoon me and my dancer girls get a personal training session, and I am still bubbly from the night before. Correction, WASTED. Running up and down stairs, jumping rope, big blue exercise ball booty gyrations, I try not to hurl.
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