At the height of the club kid days I was in junior high and high school on Long Island, with large bangs and way into grunge. I also loved 70’s disco and 80’s freestyle. I was far removed from the NYC club scene, even though I was only an hour away from Twilo, the Tunnel, The Limelight, Life,what have you. Hell, the first time I saw Amanda Lepore she was making an appearance at a fetish night at my favorite club Manray in Boston when I was in college.
The first and last last club kid-esque party I attended was Happy Valley, a few years ago and I loved it. People were really fucked up there, and looking awesome. I danced, met nice people, and there was always something to look at. Michael Musto ate cotton candy I gave him.
Interested in finding out what the status of the 90’s club movement was today, I headed to the first night of Amanda Lepore’s Big Top at Carnival. I arrived at 2AM with a very attractive friend.
Your senses are semi-assaulted immediately when you exit the elevator which is a very good thing. Red and black stripes and fun house mirrors are right in your face. The coat check girl was super nice, and there were drag queens immediately. It is not possible to have a bad time at Carnival, the decor is amazing, there are real carnival games run by shirtless men, vintage strip teases projected on a large screen, and you enter the light up floor dance area through the mouth of a giant scary clown! I forgot the porn star appearing as “The Strong Man” working the Man or Mouse attraction.
Due to my super late arrival, I missed the performances, but did get to say hello to the gorgeous Ivy Winters. She juggles, eats fire, walks on stilts, is a costume designer, and you can file her under hot girl realness.
A big plus of the night was the presence of the ultra glam, high fash,brilliant, super hot Ladyfag! She is one of the hosts of the party, and her hair is a legend.
The highlight of the night was my chat with one of the founding members of the Village People, Randy Jones. He loved the party. The reissue of his book Macho Man will be out soon.
Amanda was looking perfect, even when I took her pic at 3 am. When is she not? She is so gracious as well!
Kenny Kenny looked fantastic, and like me he couldn’t be bothered going in the very crowded elevator, and took the stairs to exit. No small feat in his shoes!
There were a lot of young kids who deserve an “A” for effort but not quite pulling together their looks properly. I was disappointed by the lack of people in the vein of traditional club kids or preferably Leigh Bowery; however I did arrive late so maybe I missed it? Maybe I need to get over the fact I will never experience what has already happened? There were many people there between 2 and 4AM who looked amazing or super cute, and they are featured in the slide show below. I just want more!
BlackBook has a blog post on the party that explores this subject with authority.
I KNOW WHAT KILLS ME 