Not at all reminiscent of the East Village streets of the late 1970's, the swank party to celebrate Blondie's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame brought to mind the old bromide, "Punk is dead! Long live punk!"
EMI, Chrysalis Music Publishing, and Marc Jacobs all chipped in for the event, and producers Brian Feit of BMF Media Group and Mary Park of
mixed elements of New York's new wave with more current touches. For the punk purist, there were still some traces of the gritty days of CBGB's filling Stephen Weiss Studio. Under a perpetual loop of film images from Blondie's heyday (including clips of fellow artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring) provided by Doug Tirola of 4th Row Films, the appropriately edgy attendees seemed like they were at a family reunion of sorts.
The designers at SC3 Group drew inspiration from Blondie's iconic Parallel Lines album cover and covered an entire wall of one of the V.I.P. rooms with wide strips of black and white self-adhesive vinyl in vertical lines. Elsewhere, dark wood trays, candles, and furniture sat in parallel opposition of each other. Red carnations arranged in globe-like balls mixed with glass tubing in cylindrical vases. Upstairs, in another V.I.P. area, zebra-patterned throws dotted sofas. And red Chinese lanterns decorated the deck off of the upstairs space and drew partygoers into the unseasonably warm March air.
As DJs Lady Bunny and Johnny Dynell spun Blondie tunes, celebrities spent a little press time in front of a white-paneled wall with "Blondie" written in block letters—but no sponsor logos—before they signed the wall with a permanent marker and headed into the party proper. There was a little marketing inside: Absolut, another of the evening's sponsors, had a bar of ice labeled "Absolut Debbie" with a large ice guitar protruding from the top.
New York Caterers provided small bites that included mini cheddar cheeseburgers with applewood smoked bacon, iced jumbo gulf shrimp with horseradish cocktail sauce, and grilled.phparagus, wild mushroom and caramelized onion quesadillas. And stylist Sam Spector dressed Eye5’s staff (who also delivered the invitations) as early punks—of sorts—with tight black shorts, fishnet stockings, black All-Stars, gloves, and special edition Marc Jacobs t-shirts with Debbie Harry's image silk-screened onto the front. Make-up artists from M.A.C. (yet another sponsor) gave them early-80's-style thick black eyeliner.
—Jeff Long
Posted 03.15.06
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