Same Ol' Same Ol'

No new news New York wise - bit of a tongue twister that one. It's all so scintilating. We heart freelance work - especially when it comes from up north.

Play on, playas.

Some folks like to get away

Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind

I've seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
But I know what I'm needing
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind

I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line
'Cause I'm in a New York state of mind

-BILLY JOEL, "New York State of Mind"

New York, London...

Paris, Milan, Tokyo, I think it's in Japan...

I think it's more than a coincidence that Jimmy James' "Fashionista" is consistently one of my Top Played songs on me iPod. Is it because I've used it to open every fashion show at WETbar in the past year? Is it because every person I know has the rap memorized? Or is it simply a prophecy of sorts?

I think it's funny that the first "rap" in the song lists some of the more fashionable cities in the world. I think it's even funnier that it lists New York and London first.

I wonder if it's telling me something - and it's not talking about the wardrobe honey, that shit is in check.

Hey Baby, Look At Me Go...

..from zero to hero / you better take it from a geek like me / I can save you from the original dum-dums..."

So after my little break away from work, I came back with a sense of clarity. People's bullshit becomes more apparent; eupemisms disappear; you hold on to your friends with the new and improved kung fu grip. That plus, you're on your beats. And, I'm on them.

I've been a wheeling and dealing since I got back, finalizing contracts, negotiating terms and conditions and contemplating job offers. I may be in a New York state of mind. We'll see.

On tap:
-Deborah Cox tour
-Labor Day Weekend logistics
-Possible music festival
-Getting ol' Betsy fixed, she's been stuttering a bit - makes me worry
-Gomi and Jeanie 'Cha Cha Heels' Tracy

New favorite old tune:
"From Paris to Berlin," Infernal (it's so Ace of Bass, Base, whatever)

Title and first line from Jason Mraz' "Geek in the Pink"

I Hope You Know...

...I hope you know, that this is nothing to do with you / It's personal, myself and I"

So that song in all its versions became a theme song for the weekend. It wasn't so much in the meaning, but a soundtrack of sorts. E, DJ KC and I hit O-town for a brief weekend getaway. And, we had a fucking blast.

We all had been working so much and under the most stressful of circumstances that it was a much needed decompression. We ate, shopped and danced our asses off. We met up with some E's buddies at P-House (I know what you're thinking - STOP IT) and hit the dance floor. We sang along at the top of our lungs, jumped in the middle of dance circles and grooved like the bunch of retired ravers that we are. And, of course, we drank - heavily.

The chemistry between the three of us was brilliant. We discussed how on most trips, people tend to faction off into different groups. The three of us, however, seemed to be quite the cohesive trio. Even when one part broke off, the remaining parts stuck together.

Highlights:
-DJ KC playing Frogger on Orange Blossom Trail with a really close "Game Over" - scared the FUCK out of us
-DJ KC making out with a gay boy
-Veronica's "Someone to Hold," classic dance floor moment
-6:30am breakfast buffet - had not been to bed yet, walking around in sunglasses while it's still pitch dark outside
-shopping in Puma Outlet, getting reports on how the kids have been behaving badly over the weekend
-screaming at random woman trailing me in the Adidas Outlet "Why are you following me?"
-screaming at random family standing in a doorway (one of my pet peeves) "Other people fucking exist; move it."
-E's "Create-A-Parking-Spot" Service
-Jaeger
-Pear Vodka
-Mistaking a small child for a poodle

No, big girls don't cry - they laugh and giggle like little girls.

Dear Tyler,

Please take that fucking block off of your blog so the rest of us can read it and make fun of you.

Love Always,
Arman

Writer's Block

Just not in the mood to write right now. Perhaps I'll be inspired sometime soon.

The jPhone

Ok, you guys have heard me talk about me good friend JD. At any rate, JD is good for quite a few things, one of which is having the most bad ass piece of technology available and having it before anyone else. Yeah, my boy might as well be a Trekkie. At any rate, he had to be the first of the group to have the new iPhone. JUST HAD TO BE.

So, there he is with his brand new 8GB iPhone with over a zillion patents and its exclusive deal with AT&T just thinking he's a pimp. He calls to get the bitch activated, but first they have to deactivate his old phone. Now, before we get to the main punchline of the story, JD is a lot like me in the way that his lifeline is HIS PHONE. Neither of us can survive without it. I mean, I know we're not the only ones, there are plenty of y'all out there that would just turn to dust without the communication device, right?

But, I digress, they deactivate his old phone and then tell him it'll take about 48 hours to activate the new one. GOOKED. That's all I'm saying. They got his ass good. I don't mean to laugh cause that sucks, but something has to be said about the tried and true. I mean, it's not a cliche for nothing. JD said it himself, "I'm sitting here with a $600 paperweight."

Ha.

Holiday

"It's time for the good times / Forget about the bad times, oh yeah / One day to come together / To release the pressure / We need a holiday / It would be so nice..."

Less than 14 days and I get to take a much needed vacation. Five days of not worrying about ad deadlines, bookings, flights, deposits, sound checks, hitting goals, staying within budget, meal buyouts, technical riders, courtesy riders, screaming at folks to stay the hell away from my desk - NONE OF IT.

And, it's the best kind of vacation, too. Road trip. ROOOOOOOAD TRIIIIIIIIIIIP! That's all I'm saying. Where are we going? Why, the happiest place on earth of course! Well, sorta. I'm just glad some of my favorite people are coming with me to decompress - the Ferg, EBS, DJ Kim Crawford, possibly JD and perhaps one or two others. Hell to the motherfuckin' yeah.

Knowing me though, I'll be missing Atlanta after three days. However, for sanity's sake, I'm gonna take the full five days and be all smiley happy and shit.

Weekend Wrap-up:
Liquified event was amazing. We had a few glitches with the visual part of Sander Kleinenberg's set, but we won't go into detail. We followed the rider to the proverbial "T" is all I'm saying.

SKINtwo Fetish party was interesting to say the least. Most of us stood around trying to figure out how someone cleans neoprene and vinyl exactly.

On Tap:
The Muscle Pit Tour on Thursday with Robert Van Damme and Marcos Paris. It should be interesting. The "porn nights" have been getting more and more popular and Big Daddy is very encouraging about it.

On Saturday, we have Tiffany. Yes, of Celebrity Fit Club and "I Think We're Alone Now" fame. She seems really cool on the phone. We've dubbed the night "I (Heart) the 80's" and I'm going to buy the staff shirts with 80's icons on it - you know Transformers, Rubix cubes, Cabbage Patch Dolls, that type of shit. It should be good times.

All right, off to Tar-jhay to pick up some much needed supplies.

Title and first line swiped from the almighty Esther.

Snaps...

I totally have to give myself snaps for hooking up my friends Ad-Rock and the Ferg. I think they would be the perfect couple. I adore them both and they're both smart, personable and haaaawt. I get to plan the reception is all I'm saying. In Hawaii. Or London. All of my expenses must be paid by you two. That's all I'm sayin'.

UPDATE 07/05:
So, they finally met. And, Ferg who was very opinionated and talkative pre-Ad-Rock joining us for drinks, all of a sudden did a shut-the-fuck-up and couldn't do anything but smile and concentrate on the appetizers and his bellini. Uggh, my work is done. The rest is up to the chemistry gods.

WTF Was I Thinking?

So, yeah, months ago, I thought, the week after Pride is usually a ghost town in Midtown, let's book a liquified event and a Fetish party so we're guaranteed some revenue.

It's gonna be as busy as Pride. I'm hurting already - again.

Ferg, JD, E, slap me if I get ambitious again. Please.

(Sidebar: Thanks to the all powerful Tyler for sending positive thoughts to Atlanta for Pride; it really helped.)

Pride, Done.

It's over. Every year I look forward to Pride and every year I am over it by Saturday. This year was exceptionally busy and successful, not to mention chockful of stress. I won't get into any drawn out tirades because quite frankly, at this point, it's already done.

I love the staff at WETbar, they completely rallied when it was crunch time and handled themselves beyond expectation. Thanks guys, your hard work did not go unnoticed.

My LA family represented this weekend; to Patti, Andrew, JP and now the limey bastard Jules (technically he's from O-Town) I love you guys and thanks for being my cheering section when I could barely keep my eyes open.

To my divas Debby and Kristine, you two are my inspiration - hands down, "We Are Family" (dubbed the K & D remix by the staff) was the highlight of my Pride and I'm quite sure over 1200 other people's highlight as well. You two never cease to amaze me and I'm delighted to work with you over and over.

To Miss Deborah, always cool as a cucumber, always throwing it down like it ain't no one's business. You come in, do your warm up, turn the stage upside down and hit it right out the door. And, you know what? I ain't mad at ya'. You know why? Cause you gots da' hits. And, you did "Mr. Lonely." Yeah, that's my favorite Deborah song of all time. You did my second favorite too - "Things Just Ain't The Same."

Funny moment: There I was in the dj booth with Kio, Bill, Aimee, JN (the Managing Partner), LF (the owner) and several of their buddies. Deborah sings the first verse of "Mr. Lonely" and I have a moment. Not being able to restrain myself, i scream out "Work it out, bitch - you ain't sangin'!" Lee and james look at me with big ass smiles and I shrug and go back to dancing around with Bill. Ok, so not my most professional moment, but at least I'm passionate.

To my boys, Kio and Phil B. I couldn't have any one else behind my tables for the biggest weekend of the year. No worries, yeah? More table time is coming up for you two - no more extended performances I promise.

Finally, to my ATL family, JD, the Ferg, the Clanton, DJ Kim Crawford, Bill Berdeaux, Aimee ("I'm fucking invisible"), the rock EBS, Morganza; I truly would not have made it through those six days without you guys. Thanks for EVERYTHING. No, seriously. "You don't leave, 'less I leave; you don't jump, 'less I jump. You know how we do..."

All right kids, let's get geared up for the Anniversary.

DEJA VU

So, my friend Margaret was trying to get me to create a new "Pride Guide" like I did last year. Umm, well here's the thing - that Pride Guide was something I had written two years previous and because I was so busy last year, I just threw it on me blog until I had something to write that was fresh and new.

Yeah, hope springs eternal. So, in its entirety, the repost of a post that was a column from two years before that. Uh, yeah, it's still fucking funny damnit.


Pride Guide

It's here. It's fucking here! Pride truly is my favorite time of the year. A lot of work has gone into some of this year's nightlife productions so I hope you fickle fags like what we came up with. I was racing against time and had to rehash some stuff I had written in previous years with a contemporary twist. And, damnit, I'm a funny motherfucker sometimes.

At any rate, here's one of the Guest List/Fast Tracks from years past. It's funny how my advice still holds true today. Damn, I'm good.

PARK AREA GUIDELINES

Contrary to popular belief "The Bath House & Pool" you find on the Pride Map is NOT sponsored by a Membership Only Club. You will get arrested for those activities and all of your friends will laugh at you.

The same men you find in classifieds do NOT run the Massage Center found on the Pride Map. All personnel found at the Massage Center are professionals, have faces and do not announce their stats. We ask that you DO NOT bid on the personnel. You can not get a massage with full release.

The Operations Center is not there so you can get sex changes, penal implants, face-lifts, or wrinkles removed. And, no, your insurance will not cover it.

Scuba diving and skinny-dipping in Lake Clara Meer is NOT encouraged and is actually frowned upon. We will not be held responsible for any strange fungus growing out of any orifice as the result of these activities.

Religious Zealots: These people are there EVERY year. Remember, nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd; follow your mom’s sage like advice and ignore them. Getting suckered into a debate is just a waste of time. Think about it: Nothing you say will make them change their minds and put down their “God Hates Fags” signs.

***The best and easiest way to get under their skin is to have a photo shoot right next to them. Be sure to put on the cheesiest possible grin and then post the pics on the net. Even better, e-mail it on over to the Church they represent. (2006 Update: Post it on your blog or on your MySpace profile too!) Good times.


PARK FASHION FAUX PAS


If you have piercings and insist on showing them off, please remember that metal does get hot in the sun. Scarring may occur and let's face it, how attractive is that?

It may look cute when you have it on, but please consider humidity and heat as factors when deciding on your ensemble. We highly recommend reassessing your outfit if it includes any of the following materials: vinyl, velour, fur (real or faux)

Color coordinating your outfit with the frosty beverage you have in your hand is always fun. So when you're up at the Beer & Beverage kiosk, please note what you have on.

If you must incorporate a rainbow flag into your ensemble, we recommend bringing extra twine, duct tape, and/or super glue in case of those messy emergencies

In the words of Absolutely Fabulous vixen, Patsy Stone: Beware of wigs.

PARADE BEHAVIOR

Please be courteous of other hecklers during the Parade. Witty commentary does not have the same punch if repeated several times by different people.

Please be courteous of hangovers during the Parade. Bring enough aspirin for people within a five-foot radius.


Fighting for the free giveaways from each float is not necessary. There is plenty of lube and condoms available at local free clinics.


FOOD & BEVERAGE

For those of you that insist on bringing your own food to the Festival, we have provided a Safety List of things you should probably leave at home.

Sushi, Anything with mayonnaise, Jell-O, Crawfish, Sardines, Anchovies, Chitlins ,Brie, Fondue, Soufflé, Pickled Pig's Feet, Oysters on the half-shell, Pimento Cheese, Caviar and Toast Points


MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

For your convenience, we've also created a checklist of miscellaneous items you should bring with you to the Park.

Cell phone-communication is key
Sun block-eliminate premature wrinkling
Pen & Paper-be prepared, anticipate collecting phone numbers
Sun glasses-cruise without being caught while filtering out those harmful UV rays
Deodorant and/or perfume/cologne-self explanatory
Mints and/or chewing gum-also self explanatory
Designated Driver-safety first
Contingency Code Words-assign words for use in case of emergency, this way your buddy can pull you out of messy situations. (Example: "Have you seen Phoenix?" really means "Get me away from fag.")

Everyone up to speed?

Good. I hope everyone has a wonderful Pride. Please remember to be safe from crossing the street (look both ways) to driving drunk (call a cab) to your tricks (wrap it up). I'll try to post throughout the weekend, but we all know that's probably not going to happen.

Please Forgive Me

"If I act a little strange; For I know not what I do..."

Dear Ferg and Tyler and anyone else it applies to,

Please forgive me for:
-being too sassy/bitchy
-being unavailable
-being moody
-sucking at follow through as of late
-and anything else that is out of character

I heart you.
Arman

Title and first line swiped from David Gray's "Please Forgive Me."

I Used To Think This Day Would Never Come

"I feel so extraordinary / Something's got a hold on me / I get this feeling I'm in motion / A sudden sense of liberty..."

It's here! It's f'n here! It's Pride Week and I've got too much shit to do to be fuckin' with y'all.

At any rate, I had a really good decompression last night with da' boyz. Me, E, C and JD drank the house down and played pool at Amsterdam for a few hours. No drama, lots of shit talking and plenty of mini-bombs. Damnit, I needed that.

And, now it's time to "make it work."

Title and first line from New Order's "True Faith."

Are we there yet?

Pride is whooping my ass.

I had an interesting business opportunity come my way. Color me interested.

Details forthcoming.

Spent the Day...

So, I was at the club for 12 hours yesterday. I got there at 4pm to let Ash in so she can paint. Yeah, how about some of the HSL pageant contestants and committee were pulling up just as we got there.

We made it through the pageant with few fires to put out and then hosted Alex Lauterstein. Whoa, we weren't expecting the explosion of people that jampacked the club around 12:30.

The vibe was great and we had an overall fantastic night. I ended up getting out of there around 4:15am. Now, when people say they "they spent the day" doing this or that, I just think about what an exaggeration it is. I literally spent the day at the club. Yeah, I don't care if the place catches on fire right now, I'm so not going anywhere near there until Tuesday.

I'm in pain. The bags under my eyes are in pain. Wow, if this was a test for Pride, I just failed miserably.

Curse Missed Opportunities...

Am I a part of the cure or a part of the disease?

So, attention to detail must always be paid, but I've been fucking up recently. There, I said it. Recent events have made me off my mark a bit. Now, I'm not one of those fuckers that doesn't own up to their responsibility when they do something wrong; some times I actually enjoy calling myself out.

Now, here i am trying to make sure Pride Weekend goes off without a hitch. I don't want a single fucking ripple. So far, so good right? Umm Mary, get your fucking act together, you have two events booked for the Friday AFTER Pride. Huh? How the hell did that happen?

Yeah, a slight oversight. On one hand we have the makeup date to a previously contracted event and on the other, we have a night that is a part of a bigger whole in which the club is booked for the main event. Umm, my bad.

Does anyone see the irony in this aside from me? By all accounts, the weekend after Pride should make the Club a complete ghost town. I mean, all of Midtown might as well be closed. And, here we have two large scale events dueling it out for the aftermath weekend.

(Scratches head.)

(Blink, blink.)

Maybe Big Daddy was right, perhaps I'm too efficient at my job.

Title and first line lifted from Coldplay's "Clocks."

My Water Broke...

So anyone that knows me knows I've been obsessing over Pride Weekend this year. Hell, I've been working on this fucker since November of last year. Well, if Pride Weekend is my baby, then my water just broke. We're fourteen days away - FOURTEEN! There's still so much to do, so much to arrange! Where is my windmill?

At any rate, here's our final teaser before we roll out the "real" campaign. It's sharp, no? Looking at it objectively, I do have to say it's a pretty damn good lineup. It would have been me swan song so to speak if Paul Oakenfold and Danny Tenaglia were on it.

I ain't done having babies yet.

I'll Be Damned...

So, last night, one of the city's most reputable promoters paid me quite the compliment. He said "your pride lineup is amazing." I never thought I'd hear him pay another club / promoter / bar that kind of kudos. I was kind of shocked, still am really. Thanks BC, I'm honored. And no, we're not competition. We're simply throwing events on the same night.