London in New York

Approximately two weeks ago I made the following comment or shall I say rant on social networking site aSmallWorld.net in connection with a story about FameGame.com’s ranking system of the top New York social scenesters.

Andy Warhol is dead and everyone’s 15 minutes will soon be up. Make no mistake about that. As the economy unravels further and we head into a global worldwide “Depression” the relative significance of who and what is important on New York’s party circuit will matter far less. As far more folks find themselves living less glamorous lives, our willingness to celebrate the petulant indulgences of others will dissipate. Perhaps then fame will become based more on some substantive and real set of values and accomplishments rather than doing coke at Bungalow 8 or merely staying out too late at parties at high end boutiques. A change is coming. Our patience for focusing incessantly on such drivel will be eclipsed as family fortunes, savings and the social standing are wiped out from New York to Palm Beach and Europe by scumbags like Bernie Madoff and kin. The lives of many have taken a hit. Painful times are ahead for even those who once thought that they were shielded from reality for life.

My comment subsequently got picked up and “interpreted” by Cityfile and edited by NY Post’s Page Six. A friend asked me what it felt like to be in the spotlight. For some reason it felt more like I was in the mainstream media’s crosshairs with Cityfile’s diss of my work as “the man who hovers at benefits and other social gatherings” and “posts photos to his quirky website”. Despite having some devoted fans and stylish admirers, being quoted in the pages of Forbes Magazine, the New York Times, New York Magazine, Absolute Magazine, having my photos appear in nearly every society publication from New York to Palm Beach, including Town & Country, and appearing as a commentator on E! Entertainment Television in a profile of Forbes The 20 Most Intriguing Billionaire Heiresses as a commentator, Cityfile’s implication was that I am somehow “less” or perhaps even that we “crash” when the exact opposite is the case. We do not cover anything where our presence is not requested. The existing social order will not go down without a fight but you would think that they could be a tad more creative then recycling the same formula week after week, month after month and year after year and then knocking someone a tad more independent minded who has a slightly different take on things in his hometown, and who frankly has a reputation for taking the right photos and the ability to occasionally provide some insightful perspective. Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan are where I have spent my entire life but for stints in college at Boston University followed by three years at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a several years practicing law in Boston for the former Bingham Dana, now Bingham McCutcheon after spending nearly the first two years after law school at Weil Gotshal & Manges.

The thing is that I never claimed that social life per se was dead or over or that parties would come to an end and/or that nobody would pay attention. Nor am I am naive enough to think that poverty or a decline in the relative wealth of some in The Madoff Economy will make us all more sincere or spiritually inclined. In fact, its quite possible that the opposite will occur and that tough times will make us all a bit more scavenger like, especially if the current economic crisis deepens and leads to martial law. My point was simply that our tolerance or patience for continuing to read about the same 20 people we have thrust down our throats on a regular basis by PMC, Vogue Magazine and certain society publications, as being the most important New Yorkers on the social scene, will come to an end. David Patrick Columbia of New York Social Diary stated in the same piece that I was quoted in that “People will always care about the party circuit. In fact, they’ll probably care even more now, because the whole scene is . . . a diversion from reality. It’s always been about escape, and it’s gonna be even more about escape.” Agreed, people do want an escape, but does David understand that what we want is an escape from the over publicized bland nothingness that passes for meaningful social interaction in the greatest city in the world? The overly scripted New York social scene seems to exist to promote the celebrity of certain people whose sole claim to fame is their claim to fame. The escape we need is to turn a page on this diversion or at least modify it somewhat.

My prediction is that in more serious times, folks will focus on their basic needs, networking and survival. Hence readers of these publications and patrons of social events may in fact develop higher standards before they are willing to part with their hard earned and somewhat more scarce cash. Bernie Madoff and his kin/accomplices did not take money from poor people after all, but the scam has made some individuals relatively poor, impacted many other families in a profound way and will continue to create ripples among some of the most affluent in society, including those who usually are unaffected by economic downturns. Likewise, readers will simply turn away rather than read about the same over exposed society’s reality celebutantes. I certainly do not cheer or desire the demise of social interaction or the fortunes of those who make a living in and off of New York Nightlife, even if its not lost on me that there are increasing number of gold parties being held around Manhattan, where attendees sell their gold assets for some much needed cash. Increased social interaction, networking and promoting the common good are all things which may in fact sustain us in a more meaningful and necessary way.

A cultural re-awakening and re-enlightenment is what is needed in New York City. Andy Warhol is dead and the Studio 54 crowd that continues to have a lock on New York Nightlife and whom or what gets promoted and written about, needs to go the same route and step aside or get more creative for our culture to evolve.  ”Every aspect of Western culture needs a new code of ethics – a rational ethics – as a precondition of rebirth.”–Ayn Rand

Everyone’s 15 minutes of fame have turned into an hour, an overnight and now a Weekend at Bernie’s. While the formula worked for a while, its now a bit much if you ask me. This is New York City, the center of the Universe. Can we not do better than dragging around the same socialite carcasses on a nightly or weekly basis? Can we do better than importing LA’s culture of distraction embodied best perhaps on the pages of PerezHilton.com and now his east coast counterpart MicahJesse.com? Can we do better than those in publishing merely publicizing the every move of their BFF’s? Can we not find an alternate perspective and focus? In this reality based culture, can we instead focus just a little more on people who have actually accomplished something or are at least actually doing something with their celebrity or fame? Fame for the sake of fame only goes so far after all and is of limited interest, especially when you are trying to sell me a magazine for $5.95 or more and I have to look at the same faces doing the same irrelevant things week after week. I am no longer interested in reading about people who spend more money on a publicist to spread the word about their social significance and philanthropic deeds than their actual philanthropic deeds. There are some genuine New York stories out there that never get covered. But then again, we are living in curious times and the culture of distraction perhaps serves the purpose of shielding the general population from understanding what is happening to our country.

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