Chip Duckett's Birthday Wishes

Be My Rock Lobster: With Fred Schneider and Ronnie Spector

Here are some photos from last night at Rm. Fifty5, where Scooter and I helped legendary promoter Chip Duckett celebrate his birthday, along with an eclectic bunch of artists, musicians, celebrities and fan boys (try to figure out which category I proudly boast membership in!). We didn't remember the name of the lounge but Scooter thought he remembered the address, so when we saw a place that looked "right," we walked in. The first thing we saw after getting past the doorman was a huge poof of dark hair and matching dark sunglasses seated in the corner surrounded by a group of gay guys: Ronnie Spector, in the flesh and waving at us! As we furiously tried to find a place to stash our coats, Scooter noticed Fred Schneider of the B-52's standing to our right -- "Are you ready to pounce?" my friend asked -- and we knew I we were in the right place. (Who else but Chip is friends with Ronnie Spector and Fred Schneider?)

The birthday boy flanked by Daryl and me

The coat check was "for another party" (um, OK), so we just threw them on a chair and started to look for Chip when we ran into my friend Daryl, through whom I first met the birthday boy years ago at a Bananarama CD signing at one of Daryl's stores. As we were scoping out Ronnie -- I was concerned she might come early and then leave after wishing her friend well -- I noticed one of the gay guys sitting with her WAS Chip, so I immediately ran over to wish him a happy birthday.

At the exact moment Chip was introducing me to Ronnie -- she was warm and friendly and I was ALL TEETH and inexplicably started singing "You, Baby" to her (she's pretty out there, so joined in without missing a beat!) -- Fred Schneider came over to say hi to the head Ronette, which prompted a fury of photographers to descend upon our once-intimate group.

After they got all the photos -- naturally, Robin Bird was hovering around the action too! -- I was able to get a bunch of photos with Fred and Ronnie. When the flashes stopped going off, I asked Fred if it was true that the B-52's were going on tour with the Go-Go's this summer. He said no, but that they were doing some shows with them (I guess there's a difference!), then I tried to pick up on my "Mesopotamia" lost tracks conversation I think I started with him a decade ago. He seemed a lot more "on" it this time -- or did I imagine the other conversation completely? -- although he said there was really only one other track (the one I now have called "Adios Descondido"), which he said, "wasn't very good." He said it was originally less serious and had a different name. I forget what -- instead of "Goodbye Stranger" in Spanish, it was something like "Goodbye Red Rhinoceros" or something more comical -- but I'll ask him to clarify the next time I run into him. (He confirmed he lives on my street in Chelsea although he joked that now that we've met, I'll probably never see him again!)

Later, Chip introduced me to a wonderful couple, Hope and Susie, a writer/director/producer and a Broadway actress, respectively. Hope filled me on her current project -- a Twitter soap opera called "The P@ssionate and the Privileged" -- while Susie gave us the low-down on life on the Great White Way. We talked a long time -- we love 'em -- and then all agreed we needed to go home and get to bed.

Fred and Scooter

As we exited, Scooter -- who won't admit to being the fanboy that I am -- suddenly told me he wanted to get a photo with Fred. He turned around and the next thing I knew, he had his hood on and these sunglasses (I know Chip has an eclectic group of friends, but is he BFFs with Ted Kaczynski too?), then he tapped Fred on the shoulder. Fred was equally good-spirited and posed for a couple (I accidentally hit the lock button on Scooter's Blackberry -- oops), and then Scooter -- not realizing I had already brought up the whole "lost tracks of 'Mesopotamia'" topic -- launched into the whole thing again. Fred didn't miss a beat and seemed sort of circumspect about his whole career. While he thought it was cool that we liked "Mesopotamia" so much -- he isn't really, saying he only had two songs on it so seems as "removed" from the record as a member of the band could possibly be -- he said he'll pretty much do "whatever" makes people happy at this point.

We then said our goodbyes and headed home -- with just a brief stop at the bodega for Zingers (raspberry coconut for Scooter, vanilla for me) -- and both agreed it was a great party for a great man who is one of the most generous people I have met in my dozen-plus years in New York City. The only way the night could have been better was if Scootie and I had gotten our snacks at a Circle K.