MAXIM / QUICKSILVER PARTY 6-29-03
The past week has been busier then expected. I didn't get to hit all the events I had planned. I've worked on three jobs for Maxim alone, and some from other clients. I also spent a lot of time working on my paintings. That having been said, here's what I did when I wasn't drawing.
Now on to the Maxim/ Quicksilver Party...
The rain sucks. It's been really bad on the East Coast recently, and it didn't let up for the Quicksilver/ Maxim party on the U.S.S. Intrepid Air craft carrier. JEN and I trudged through the rain to the 46th street and the West side highway for a day of damp confusion.
Let me try to explain the scene to you. The party is taking place, on the flat metal landingpad 5 flights into the sky, in a torrential downpour. There is a skateboarding half pipe, covered in netting and completely water logged, no way in hell anyone is going to be skating on that. Here and there are small tent/booths, for the various sponsors of the event. One tent has a bunch of various heighted ramps, all soaking wet, and the ground in-between them is puddle. A few kids with boards try to go up them and fall on their asses, very dangerous and pathetic. Cylindrical coolers of free snapple "apple" (which tastes like how dog urine smells) are placed amongst the puddles in between the tents. The coolers are full of melted ice and rain water, with randomly bobbing bottles.
There was a security check to get in, but it was one of the worst I have seen, they checked my bag, but didn't even open my camera bag (which probably has the capacity to hold 5 saturday night specials). I walked through the metal detector with my wallet and keys, with no problem, and no pat down. We got to the event late, apparently Tony Hawk had already taken off considering there was nothing for him to do there except sign autographs in the rain so I can't blame him. We went down stairs to one of the museum floors of the ship, I've never been there, so I was pretty impressed. It is packed with a lot of war planes and exhibits about how an aircraft carrier works in battle, and the history of the intrepid. The weird thing was the combination of tourists, and skaters looking at the exhibits. I saw a lot of pro skaters walking around who I recognized but didn't know by name. I got a photo with one whom I remember seeing on MTV's Jackass. We then went back to the roof, to the Maxim booth where they had a pile of gift bags they were loading onto a cart. I asked how I could get one, and they said, "All the bags are reserved for VIP's, you don't have a purple bracelet, you aren't a VIP." I was like, "I work for Maxim." They were like "What do you do for Maxim?" I was kind of taken aback, "I do the comic strips." I said,
" They invited me, I am a VIP." I didn't know about this purple bracelet. "They must have put the wrong bracelet on me or something."
They didn't believe me. They told me to go down and try the VIP room on the next level of the ship. Now this is more like it! SO THERE IS A VIP ROOM, EH? I can bullshit our way in there ME THINKS.
So we go down stairs and locate the VIP lounge, which is a combination of the bough of the boat, open deck, and the front left room-reserved for private parties (I asked at the information desk, they told me that when the ship was operational that room was used for meetings). I got to the line and the little security troll wouldn't let us in. "The room is packed to capacity!" she said. "Let me see your bracelets!" We didn't have the purple bracelets. I'm like, "You don't understand, Maxim invited me. I work for Maxim." I was one of many people trying to get in, but I guess I sounded more legit then the 14 year old kid who kept yelling "I have a subscription to Maxim!"
Some security guard told us there was a second entrance. We got to the second entrance and this time it was a male security guard. He, of course asked for the purple wrist bracelets, which we didn't have. I explained the situation, at the same time, two large breasted bimbos were explaining their situation. He said, "Eh, just go in, but I didn't let you in." THANK YOU BIMBOS WHEREVER YOU ARE! So we got in. Now it's open bar, free finger food, and all the skaters you would ever want to meet. I looked myself over and realized that the only dry area on my body was a tiny patch below my crotch. I was completely drenched, hoodie, T-shirt, hat, jeans- - -soaked. Now we are sardine can packed with skaters and half dressed chicks. I get us some drinks, and we stand in the wings, trying not to let security see that we don't have the purple bracelets. There are security guards all over the place in the V.I.P room. If I knew who the skaters were by name, it would have been much more fun. I was pretty clueless as to who was who, and we were wet and miserable so we decided to get back to Long Island for the surprise Jen's dad had promised we would like. Jen then found out that the gift bags that we saw in the Maxim booth had been brought down here and were waiting just outside the V.I.P door for guests to take as they left. Jen took two, and I got another, and we jetted. I swapped my hat for the dry Quicksilver hat from one of the giftbags when we got on the train and I caught a few Z's. Sleeping in wet gear sucks.
Just another day in the life of an Art Juggernaut.
-Cojo