Falling down

[cpnews]

"Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up." - Chinese proverb

Alice falls down the rabbit hole and her dress poofs up like a parachute.

Alice: "Well after this I should think nothing of falling down stairs." - Lewis Carroll

It begins, the fall, without the Yankees in the playoffs, without my pal Arthur Weinstein, without stability of any kind in the always unstable world of clubs. A swift summer of discontent ends with DJ AM and Travis Barker falling from the sky. We wish them the speediest and most complete of recoveries. The economy has faltered far beyond what I had feared, and brokers blowing bonuses on bottles has changed to brokers looking for coat check jobs. With little to fall back on, clubs on the edge are rethinking their business models while slashing payrolls. The election seems to be going poorly for those in camp Obama, as America seems content to fall for the half truths and hate; and if it’s not about race then it wouldn’t be a race, it would be a walk in the park. Now I usually don’t express my political views but I’m mad as hell and sick of the bull. In the words of Sergeant Prendergast from that 1993 flick "FALLING DOWN". ‘They lie to everybody, they lie to the fishes.’

Please forgive me as I’ve been working way too hard to bring you the Aspen Social Club as reported on Grub Street last week, and the girlfriends down in Puerto Rico while I’m here - so I’m a bit peeved. Rather than get falling down drunk I figured I’d blow off some steam. I went out Saturday night and hit a few joints, and here's what’s up. Eldridge is a hit, maybe the haters won’t agree but it's everything it promised to be. It's got a solid crowd of attractive people still willing to spend cash money. The door is tighter than a Donald Trump pre-nup and an extremely energetic Matt Levine caters to every whim of his loyal followers, while ignoring his detractors. The point is that Eldridge is not for everybody, but since it holds like a hundred people that’s a good thing. Mr. West is off to a great start, again catering to a small but devoted following. Fashion Week went faster than you can say Christian Louboutin, and gave the scene a boost through the worst of weeks. Yes, and I went to visit Michael Alig up in Coxsackie Correctional Facility but I’m just not ready to speak about it.

This coming Sunday we’re going to toast and roast the dearly departed Arthur Weinstein, I’m the emcee and I guess I’m going to say a few words. I expect an eclectic turnout of club royalty, drunks, backyard celebrities and creatures of the night. It's a 5pm thing on the roof of Highbar and you must RSVP to me here or on Facebook. I was doing my fall cleaning and I found a letter Art sent me while I was in the joint. He sung my praises and told me to get the f... out already. He told me the club scene was dead and the only thing I was missing was the Twilight Zone series. He told me I was a mad man, a guy who would take the worst club and make it a hit through hard work and determination. Too many of the operators work too little. They expect to open their doors and the crowds will come in to see their smiling faces. Few offer their patrons much more, and the fare seems standardized throughout the industry. Some blog-trotter said that the scene ain’t dead until Steve Lewis says so. He was being sarcastic and he shouldn’t hold his breathe for a proclamation. Maybe my optimism is unwarranted. Isn’t that the thing about optimism, it always seems too… optimistic. I think a purge of much of the people running clubs today and a closing of some joints might be just what we need. A leaner, keener, more innovative scene that rewards creativity and difference might bring true the "golden age of clubs" prediction I made about eight months ago. Newbies, with fresh ideas will replace the dial it in management of the last decade. Someone once said that "snowmen fall from heaven unassembled". It will take people with vision to save the night. I’ve always liked this time of year as the night gets longer everyday and that’s where I spend most of my time. Goodnight.

Good Night,

Mr. Lewis

Written by Steve Lewis.

Edited by Jessica Tocko.

More...