Billionaires for Bush: Billionaires Gone Wild
Theme Party Roundup: Billyburg gets creative
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The Billionaires for Bush stake their claim…
In this world of strife and financial distress, there is one group that aggressively supports the status quo.
As billionaires with political connections, this well-heeled organization brings
a contrary message to most street scene activists. Unlike Greenpeace, Moveon.org
and the other fringy freaks, this group is confident that the world is headed
in the right direction.
Profits are up, Wall Street is doing well and corporate tax loopholes multiply while enforcement wanes. Protecting polluters and wars for economic gain are just fine by them.
Always well dressed in ball gowns, bow ties and bowler hats, this group stands
out in the sea of sign-waiving hippies. "Eat cake!" they taunt as
the lefty radicals cry about peace, equal rights and the environment.
I came upon the Billionaires at their annual winter gala - The Billionaires Ball - which brought together New York's monied elite with a variety of conservative jet-setters from around the country and, disproportionately, Texas.
With inspirational speeches from the elegant Iona Biggayacht and the group's
leader, Phil T. Rich, with music by the, formerly, Hungry March Band, it was
a most decadent night for these enlightened activists and their unlimited budgets.
With several hundred in attendance, several who stuck out included Seymour and Alotta Benjamins, the esteemed Robin Eublind and public relations guru Pam Perd. Additionally the "Bush Babes" (a GWB groupie troupe) and some young Saudi "Chics" made eventful appearances adding excitement to a most successful night.
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The next winter event came in mid-February when the billionaires rallied to
the defense of one of the true powers behind the US's current throne. Again,
sporting the latest in Billionaire-Wear, the growing ranks of billionaires poured
out to support "Bushes Brain", the President's chief political strategist,
Karl Rove.
Knowing that the radical Sierra Club was staging a whine-fest over World Trade Center dust, the Billionaires were there to keep things in perspective.
With warm greetings from the corporate party crowd filing into the event (mostly Wall Streeters, Attorneys and Fox News execs), the Billionaires for Bush brandished signs proclaiming allegiance to their well oiled President and his ilk. With the type of admiration that happy investors reserve for a top salesman, the B4B's bragged of the genius of Bush's political advisor and chief puppetmaster.
With
signs proclaiming "Re-elect Rove", "Taxes are for little people"
and "Blood for Oil", the Billionaires eventually became too numerous
to remain at the party's entrance and were asked to move to the fenced-in protest
area with the Sierra Club. Realizing the irony of the situation, the Billionaires
agreed and, soon, the polar-opposite groups were prodding each other with their
placards and puns.
"Shame, shame, shame" chanted the (unoriginal) Sierra Club. "Buy
your own President" mocked the Billionaires. 
The situation turned weirder when one of the "Roveys", a little-known group of Karl Rove fanatics, pulled up in a limo.
As a devoted Star Trekkie may dress as a Klingon, this Rovey uses costumery
and makeup to transform himself into a Karl Rove. Fooling the crowd, TV cameras
and the security staff who tried to usher him into the building, the Rovey hammed
for the cameras, shook hands and made his way over to the protester corral.
Turning their hostile attentions away from each other, a welcoming cry erupted from the Billionaires while the Sierra Club stood stunned, hapless in the presence of their chief nemesis.
Chortling at the greenies' gullibility, the B4B's extended well manicured hands
and fragrant embraces towards this well-financed fanatic.
With the Sierra Club recovering to a tired reprieve of "Shame-Shame-Shame!", the pro-Bushies had seized the moment and a foothold in the radical NYC street scene.
With the Republican National Convention in New York City in a few months, you
can be assured that there is more to come.
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More photos in the gallery (Protests Section)
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It's been an exhausting winter…
With
most of NYC in the throes of cabin fever with the usual winter nightlife doldrums,
the in-the-know costume crowd has been experiencing back to back to back theme
parties like no season before.
More consuming than normal nightlife because they are more fun, tend to go later and require more creativity and planning, theme events are becoming more and more popular. In NYC, for sure, there are multiple types of costume oriented theme parties every weekend… If you know where to look.
In a rapid-fire February into March succession, we experienced three super-creative
parties all staged in or near the hip Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Looking
back, it seems a kaleidoscopic dream of crazy costumes, random theatrics and
colorful bonding like no other winter season that I can remember.
First up was one of the best parties in recent memory. A fundraiser for the Burning Man theme camp "Whirligig", the "Plush til You Gush" party was a whole load of furry fun staged in a most unique private loft chock full of eclectic art and fabulous trimmings. With ultra-creative crazies mixing with the camp's "Groove Hoops" hula-hoop performance troupe, amazing vibes, cheap drinks and back to back performances yielded to a "where did the time go?" 6AM morning.
For this party, the "plushy" costume theme urged furry themes but
any form of effort was welcomed. Yes there was much fuzz and the occasional
animal costume, but there was also a whole variety of eclectic dress best described
as the 'Burning Man look".
The following week, the Madagascar Institute staged a charity fund-raiser for
an injured leader. The Madagascar Institute is one of the most dynamic Brooklyn
based artists' collectives and regularly stages theme parties and hysterical
creative events. A few weeks before, they had staged a bizarre contest called
the "Idiotarod", a take-off of the famous Alaskan dog race "Iditarod".
Featuring human "dog-teams" pulling shopping carts and a "musher"
across the Brooklyn Bridge to the race's conclusion at Union Square Park, the
event was a success except for one notable glitch.
Prior to the race, back at the studio, artist Christopher Hackett was fashioning a starter pistol out of a pipe, some confetti and a low-grade explosive. In an ironic accident that ultimately ended up as front-page news, the would-be MC of the Idiotarod was hospitalized when the make-shift gun blew up in his face. The NYPD and, ultimately the FBI were not amused.
In a comedy of paranoia that received hourly updates on CNN, NY1 and many other
news networks, reports screamed Terrorism! describing Hackett's mishap as a
bungled bomb-making attempt. Several accounts even indicated, most ominously,
that maps of the Brooklyn Bridge were discovered at this alleged bomb factory.
Ultimately, the reports quickly petered out as the true nature of the story
emerged.
As a well-loved leader in the Brooklyn art scene, the community rallied to Hackett's cause. Left with considerable medical bills (few in the Brooklyn artist world still have health insurance), a number of fund-raisers, including the "Best Idea Ever" theme party were arranged.
Harkening back to the Idiotarod calamity, the "Best" Idea party was to be all about those really great ideas that went terribly wrong. Citing such things as Evil Knievel's Snake River canyon debacle, ill-advised fashion trends and, subtly, Hackett's own episode, party-goers came out in a hysterical array of ill-advised themes.
Personal
favorites included the "Her-Peas Kissing Booth", Mrs. Tell (complete
with apple on her head) and Piranha Beach. With a number of performers, a DJ/dance
floor and interactive art instillations, the Madagascar folk kept folks rocking
until the early morning hours.
Next up was Johnny America's "Cartoon Nation" event. In an industrial
area just east of Williamsburg, this event rose to the occasion and did well
despite its undesirable locale and recent glut of theme parties.
Trotting out a mixture of obscure and well-traveled cartoon themes, most people
who made the trek came in costume with an abundance of attitude. Featuring several
go-go acts, some energetic Groove-Hoopers, an inflatable Bugs Bunny-esque party
tent and a regular supply of dry ice fog, this party was a comfortable and quirky
delight.
Costume favorites included the Vampiric Sponge-Bob, the Keith Haring World Trade Center and Underdog.
Ultimately
this three week costume binge kept going. Shortly after that there was a "Heaven
& Hell" party a "Daisy Duke Hoe Down" and, on Easter weekend,
a "Bunny Hop". It seems that this trend is here to stay.
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More photos in the gallery's Theme Parties section Section
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