Club Superheroes try To Save Our World (Part Nine)

[cpnews]

Starring Robert ‘Batman†Bookman And David “Robin†Rabin (See Part One)

This is the last of a nine part interview which deals with the legal climate and crisis facing the New York club industry. The slaughter has just begun. With a few exceptions, nightclubs are going through some hard times and the uncalled for harassment by city agencies will result in a bunch of closings this fall. That means out of work porters, bartenders, security guards, waitrons, accountants, etc. Loss of tax revenues, taxi receipts, beer, liquor, napkin orders, and eventually loss of some tourists. Almost every city in the states wants these dollars, but this and the previous administration seem determined to snuff out responsible adult fun. The agenda seems simple: a coddling to the real estate interests which see clubs as problems. I urge organization, use of the considerable marketing skills and tools available to our society to identify and campaign against lawmakers who are not club friendly. Come election time we will identify the evil do’ers so you can make educated choices.

I am constantly reading in other blogs and periodicals about Matt Levine. I tip my hat to the young stud as in a very short time he has gotten his name and that of his project out there. Although some of the press has been unfavorable, and some of the blogs would rather be snarky and tell him to go to helldridge rather than give him a chance to be right or wrong, I personally would like to weigh in and say that I think it’s gonna be fun. Maybe it won’t be right for me or lots of the contributors to super trendy blogs, but as a small place with what I perceive as a dedicated core crowd, I think it’s going to be all things to some people. Isn’t that true with most places anyway? Those who love Marquee probably aren’t the same people who pledge allegiance to Santos. One place is all about selling tables while the other has no tables to speak of. One of the best bottle hosts in town told me, ‘Matt is going to kill it. He has a large crew of spenders and certainly enough people to buy into his shtick to ensure success.’

Matt is attacked for having an ego, for talking about himself and his project for dropping celebrity names… so what? What promoter worth his weight hasn’t been through this stage? I commend him. Although he has taken a few hits and has put his foot in his mouth a few times… so what? People are talking and I will, if he lets me, be glad to check out the place and make up my mind when I’m there. The club industry is packed with people just like Matt, but he’s getting grief cause he’s young and brash and has dared to be self promoting. That‘s his gig. Its what he is supposed to do. I like him. I find him to be respectful, honest, and most important enthusiastic. These are qualities decidedly lacking in most of the players today. The sense of entitlement so common in most promoters is not found in Mr. Levine. He’s out there pushing, working hard, and even though he’s been taking some hit’s he has never hit back. Indeed, I read something the other day where he humbly admitted to making some misstatements and felt he had learned a valuable lesson. A club owner admitting wrong? Now that is something new! He is certainly an easy target but at least he’s a moving target. I’m thinking of making him my vice presidential running mate. Go get them Matt. I can’t wait for the Eldridge.

Steve Lewis: How do I go further with this? Is there an officer in charge of this whole thing? Is there a policeman? Can he sit down, you being there, can we sit down?

Robert Bookman: They’re not going to talk to us.

SL: I mean, that’s what I’m finding.

RB: I sent an email this morning with the name of the assistant commissioner who is in charge of civil enforcement, Robert Nessner. When you speak to the NYPD’s Public Affairs office, at least you have the name of the person you’d like to interview.

SL: I think we will use this interview to get this all out, and maybe there are more questions to answer. I started it because I feel that I’m outside in the industry enough and know enough about it to raise questions. And if I’m raising questions, maybe I can get some answers from the police department, who are elected. We elect these guys. I think they’re obligated to enter in a debate with us.

David Rabin: You bring up the police. The PBA really wants to do paid detail, obviously. The officers all want to do it. The only person blocking it is the head of the police department.

SL: Well, commissioner Kelley is very against it, very much, and that I’ve know for a long time. Josh you had a question you wanted to throw in.

Josh: Yes. Our situation now, we’ve talked about the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea; the opening salvos have been fired. It doesn’t look like we’re going back. Buildings are starting to be put in the ground and stuff is going up all around, and at the same time you said these neighborhoods were sort of by default. And you were also talking about the people on the sidewalk because of the smoking ban, they’re on their cell phones. Cell phones aren’t going away, the smoking ban is probably not going away. What’s next? What happens?

RB: I don’t think there’s anything you can do to change things. These are huge economic forces that are at stake, and I think it will require it to get a lot worse before it gets better. I think that there needs to be a continuation in the reduction of the number of liquor licenses in the city, which we’ve started to see in the last year for the first time since prohibition. There’s actually a decrease in the number of liquor licenses in the city. I think it’s one point something percent, but I think that’s dramatic.

SL: The city will cite the tragedy of the World Trade Center as the year we lost the most liquor licenses as the statistic.

RB: Yeah but they have more than recouped. We’re gonna need to see a reduction in tax dollars and the numbers of employment that are paid by the hospitality industry.

Josh: Would that economic downturn help?

RB: Well, no because they’ll just chalk it up to the economic downturn. It’s when our economic times are good because our industry is retrenching in size and tax dollars and number of people employed. When things are on the way up, then I think people will start listening to us. I don’t think there necessarily needs to be legal changes. There needs to be attitudinal changes on the part of the elected officials saying, ‘Listen, this is important. It maybe a nuisance but it’s important.’

SL: There has to be a Las Vegas approach.

RB: Even Giuliani said how to present nightlife stuff; he would tell these people in these cool Manhattan neighborhoods where a lot of filming is going on that it would be obtrusive to them. Streets would be closed off. He would say it’s an important industry for our industry. You’re going to have to take it and live with it.

DR: We’ve asked for that office. We’ve asked for the equivalent office to the office of television and film. They have the mayor’s office of television and film. We’ve asked repeatedly for a mayor’s office of nightlife so there’s someone paying attention, some overall agency that we can go to and say, ‘Hey look, we are a $10 billion economic engine.’ The film industry is a $5 billion engine, by the way. ‘We need a hand. We need someone to cut through the red tape. We need someone to listen to our problems and to help us navigate the system so we can be good neighbors, provide these jobs, and provide New York City with this reputation as the city that never sleeps.’

Good Night,

Mr. Lewis

Interview conducted and written by Steve Lewis.

Interview has been edited and condensed by Jessica Tocko.

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