Interview

Having toured Armory, Interview was going to have a quiet Friday night, and maybe watch a little Jimmy Fallon. That's when we got the call from Patrick Li and Emma Reeves that Li had an actual car, ready to go to Queens for the Vanessa Beecroft performance. We'd never been to Deitch's Long Island City space, because it is in Long Island City. On the way, Li revealed that he is a Contributing Editor to Interview, and that we were driving over the largest oil spill in America, in Greenpoint. Oh, the things we learn! (PHOTO: DONALD CUMMING AND FAB FIVE FREDDY, PHOTO BY DONALD CUMMING)

Launch Mediaplayer »

We pulled up to Deitch and it was like Woodstock, but even woodsier: Hoards and hoards of kids in plaids, bongs in hand (well, nix that last part) ready for some art, and a little Spring weather. Thousands of people, really. It turns out that people thought that because this was a performance  they had to show up on time. Well, we never! By the time we got there, it was sweltering, but relaxed. But to our chagrin, Jeffrey Deitch said we couldn't photograph the performance. Sorry, blog world. This was also the first time we'd seen a Beecroft performance in the flesh, as it were. It was amazing; the white bodies became completely sculptural. This time it was mostly African American women powdered up white, assuming relaxed Classical poses. Deitch Director Meghan Coleman said that this was the second day of the installation—which explains their obvious fatigue. Some of the tired young women looked like they were burping, or at least generally uncomfortable in the heat, and at one point a crazy woman with a white dove tried to mess up the whole thing. She was escorted out by security.

Back to Manhattan, and on to the John Bock performance at Bar 2000, the social/performance space commissioned for the weekend by Art Production Fund. We forgot our invitation but we found the place by circling the general vicinity in a taxi: as if signifying some kind of geographic magnetism, PR girls spread out all over the street in front of the West Village building. We're not sure why they were so vigilant—the performance was already over, and the open bar only had Campari—which, as the week's uniquitous sponsor, we imagine the free-loaders had tired of. Inside, Agathe Snow showed off a bold new hair color, and Kyle Thurman and Matt Moravec were pumped for their forthcoming Art Production Fund-produced show. Michael Nevin of The Journal was there too, and graciously invited us to a Chairlift concert later in the weekend at the gallery, which ended up being a real Sunday afternoon delight before the Artforum dinner at Bottino.

Interview is a little bashful about taking photographs, and when spotted Fab Five Freddy rocking red sunglasses, we just could not take it. So we asked the Virgins' frontman Donald Cumming to do us the honors (pictured above). Donald was there with friends Jen Brill (who was just living in her Christopher Kane gold-leather toed heels) and Rafael de Cardenas, and we quickly hightailed out of there to go to Beatrice. It was a tough night for everyone's favorite doorman and taste-maker Angelo, who explained that the night before the bar had seen twice the usual patrons, and on this night had to turn down a girl who, in her own words, "is on TV every five minutes." Even tougher for Cumming, who lost a Margiela sweatshirt in the melee. They're sold out: can someone help a brother out?

The next night Interview examined the mess it made, following up on its coverage of the X Initiative and Adrian Williams. Four floors of the former Dia Center were packed, with Interview Editor in Chief Christopher Bollen, Black Frame's Brian Phillips, and writer David Coggins. We headed over the beautiful Adrian Williams rehearsal at APF Lab. With three performers, the artist  played a glass harmonica; the guy on her left used a violin bow. Our favorite detail: a small window with blinds on the back wall, making the already-tiny Lab space feel even more compressed and Alice in Wonderland. Afterward, Yvonne Force explained that the performance  was about a young singer who lost her voice.

Across the street Deitch hosted openings by Ryan McGinness and Jon Kessler. At Kessler, Interview again became embarrassed to take photographs—this time, by handsome duo Mark Ronson and Simon O'Connor from Amazing Baby. Thanks again to Emma Reeves, for helping us with the visuals. Haluk Akakche was there—he was Isabella Blow's protegé, and he and buddy Victoria Aitken were sporting complementary Bunny and Magician hats. Aitken is the "riches to rags" hip hopper whose first song comes out next week. Whatever the tabloids say, she's sweet as the Dickens, and brought up better than the most Dickensian overlord. Check the new music out on her myspace.

We caught Haluk and Vicky again for rabbit stew at a Threeasfour-themed dinner at a friend's house, before heading again out into the night. Long story short: last stop, the Threeasfour-hosted party at BEast. The two-floor Sub-Mercer knock-off is a tough sell, but Interview loves the big tables upstairs, where friends Michael Stipe, Katja Rahlwes, and a bejeweled Terence Koh settled in with their respective boyfriends.