“Move Over, ‘Cause You’re Standing In My Light”
This past Wednesday I had a total blast going out to a CD release party for Legendary Rock God Ian Hunter. I was invited to this hipster hang by my pal Katherine, who produces Alice Cooper’s nightly syndicated radio program, appropriately titled Nights with Alice Cooper — thanks Katherine! The party was held in the John Varvatos clothing boutique on Spring Street down in Soho, so it was very swanky. Right away I ran into my old sidekick Tommy Rocker and his lovely lady Leona, and we got caught up on each other’s lives as party goers sipped refreshing Greyhounds (vodka and grapefruit juice, so tasty) and ate delicious bite sized snacks amid racks of fragrant leather jackets and overpriced jeans.
Dennis Dunaway (bassist, original Alice Cooper band) was also there with his wife Cindy, and I spent some time hanging out with them since I sort of know them already. It feels kind of surreal to say that, because I had such a hard crush on Dennis when I was 12 years old and Billion Dollar Babies had just been released. But the hilarious thing is that when somebody asked Dennis, “Do you know anybody here?” He replied, “Well, I know the band, and I know Gail.” Seriously.
The similarly legendary rock photographer Bob Gruen was also there. He is impossible to miss even in a crowd of rabid scenesters, because he’s on TV all the time and has such a distinctive look. Bob (along with guys like Mick Rock) took a lot of the photos of all the classic rockers — too many to name — which have become icons of the era. I have a few of his shots of my friend Neal Smith on display in the Chickpad. Bob has the eye, as they say.
About an hour into this festive shindig, Ian performed a short set of tunes from his new CD, Shrunken Heads plus an awesome rendition of “All The Young Dudes,” which is my favorite song of all time. That song changed my life, and I was standing about five feet from Ian when he sang it that night. It was so cool. Ian is one-of-a-kind and I will adore him until I die.