I Guess Art Really Does Imitate Life

I got the chance to attend Russell Simmons's book release party last week. My roommate who's tied into that scene brought me along. It was at this lounge called Stereo in the West Village. It was a very cool place. I had never been there before. The party itself wasn't all that spectacular (it was a Tuesday night after all), but it was definitely interesting, especially for a poor grad student who generally doesn't find himself in such circles. Russell Simmons was there meeting and greeting people and chatting about his new book, "Do You". I met him and shook his hand. I didn't say much. I just congratulated him on his new book. He's different in person than I would have imagined. He's extremely low-key, almost demure. Some people (famous or not) have a such a large presence regardless of their actual physical stature. When they walk into a room, you know it. Russell Simmons was not one of these people. He was just making his way through the crowd pleasantly greeting his guests. He was probably the most casually dressed person in the room. He's at a point in his career where he doesn't need to impress people anymore. If he wants to throw a party and show up in whatever he happened to be wearing that day, he's Russel Simmons. He can do that.

What was most interesting, however, was the crowd that showed up. My roommate is a publicist, so she gets invited to such things, and there was no shortage of other industry folk present: publicists, entertainment writers, fashion designers, etc. There were also several minor celebrities, but since I haven't owned a television in about three years, I didn't recognize any of them. But I was able to glean that there were people from TV shows like the Apprentice, America's Next Top Model, and MTV, among others. The place was full of beautiful people draped in impossibly trendy attire. Although I thought I was looking pretty hip that night, it was clear that no one else was impressed: "Oh you can't introduce me to someone famous? Yeah, you're not worth my time". But that didn't at all concern me. I was able to drink for free and spend a little time on the dance floor, and that's all I really needed.

The best part of the evening was when you exited the lounge, you immediately found yourself on a red carpet, replete with waiting paparazzi. Of course, I was no one special, but my roommate's friend, however, was of interest. So after not saying more than two words to me the whole evening, when she caught sight of the cameras, she shoved her purse in my hand so that she could run over and attend to her adoring fans. After striking no fewer then four poses, she grabbed her purse and thanked me. Although I was beginning to feel uneasy due to her sudden acknowledgment of my existence, fortunately she immediately returned to ignoring me completely as we walked to fetch a cab.

New York is a great city. There are so many almost surreal experiences that happen here on a daily basis. The parties and circles and attitudes that you watch everyday on television actually happen in real life, and it's interesting to sometimes be a fly on the wall and observe these things unfold.