LOOP CELEBRITY CRIMINAL SUMMER PARTY 8-4-04
Every summer Loopnyc.com throws the most kickass theme party to celebrate their new bag lines. This year I had designed these Electric Guitar bags for them, as well as these bags that sort of resemble musicians.
This year the theme for the party was "Celebrity Criminal." The object was to come in costume, of a celebrity who has done time.
I was trying to figure out which celebrity criminal I resemble. None came to mind, I checked out some celebrity mugshots online. Still nothing. I was thinking it would be cool to buy a crazy wig and be Charles Manson, I was going with two hot chicks so they could easily be some of Mansons Helter Skelter crew. But the girls didn't want to do that. My friend Stella was going to be Paris Hilton (but with big breasts) and her friend Jen was going to be Nikky.
I ended up going with Elvis. I don't even know if Elvis ever got arrested for anything, I guess I just assumed he might have, and either way, the costume would be easially readable,and easy to find last minute.
My friend Savark I invited, (as I do every year) because he's fucken hallarious. He wouldn't tell me what he was going as.
I got to the city in the morning and went down to Men's Warehouse. I wanted to get a new suit for Vern's wedding, and I figured I could use if tor my Elvis costume as well.
I got fitted. I walked in there with the shabbiest clothes, and 1 shorts and a shirt Eric Finkelman had send me from www.freekingofpop.com that read "Loving children, not fucking them" something like that, a Michael Jackson joke.
Anyway, the beauty of that I was dressed like this as a sort of an experiment- cause later in the day I walked out of the store in the suit. It was totally wierd, when I was wearing the shit clothes, nobody paid me any attention, like just another annomous face in the crowd, but with the suit on it was like I was important or something. People were actually moving out of my way for me instead of crashing into me.
Well, back to that morning. . . after I got fitted for my suit I wandered over to ABRACADABRA that famous costume shop on 21st street. I went to the wig section in the back. They had three styles of Elvis wigs. The $10 cheap wig, the $30 middle priced wig, and the $80 expensive wig. The cheap wig was all sold out. The middle priced wig looked like shit, and the expensive wig was dope as hell but I wasn't going to pay $80 for a FUCKEN ELIVIS WIG! The guy told me that last month they sold like 50 of the top price Elvis wigs for some kind of female Elvis impersonator convention in Vegas.
I left with my $30 wig and big yellow Elvis glasses, picked up my suit and shot up to Loop for the big party.
I met up with Savark on the roof, he had been working for a company that designs costumes for plays and had access to any wardrobes he would want to use. Peacemealing from the costumes of many of the stockpiled characters they had in thier warehouse he put together the ultimate Rick James costume.
Stella and her friend Jen came without costumes. I'd say about 90% of the party was costumeless, but Savark and I really made the scene. Savark especially took the cake. He got the DJ to play Superfreak. He stood on a chair and started lipsynching. I pushed him to get on the speaker and he did. He climbed up onto the speaker and became the star of the show. I took pictures inbetween my laughter and wiping the tears from my eyes.
I got lots of photos, and made all of my friends pose with the Electric Sling.
Just another day in the life of an Art Juggernaut.
-Cojo
P.S.
The real Rick James died two days after the party - Savark later said he was glad to have given him a final tribute.