Talk of the Town - Model behavior March 14 2001

Last week I spoke with Teresa Keller, one of the partners from the Atlanta-based modeling outfit, The Madison Agency. She hipped me to a model search being held at the Buckhead nightspot Makos, which her agency was pulled into with radio station Q100. My initial skepticism was how credible could a model search be at a nightclub, especially when it's the spot that Atlanta swinger Celeste Fox has made so popular? Hmm!

Nevertheless, I needed to scout talent for an upcoming event I'm producing, so I went. I can honestly say that there were more horny men in this place than potential models. The visuals on the TV monitors from the club's ladies night and thong contest certainly warmed the environment, as did the beer girl at the front door. Whew! All I'll say is that it is truly the girl-next-door type tits-and-ass place.

For the benefit of those who don't know how the bizz works, aspiring models over the age of 21 might as well get daytime jobs or be cast off as auto show girls or beer girls at Hooters. Unless you look 13 and have the body of one, most reputable agencies simply aren't interested, especially when one's measurements are of the 40DD-24-no-ass-at-all variety. Sorry ladies, I don't make the rules, but there are only a handful of advertisers an agency can market those types to, one market being older male and female execs looking for a hookup!

Since I was already in Buckhead, I used it as an excuse to check out another spot I've never visited, Chaos. I was impressed. Visually it was quite nice, and I liked the fact that there were separate speakeasy areas, separate from the dance floor.

With its pristine white decor, Chaos seemed more appropriate for a hip, late-night downtown spot than it did for Buckhead. The music was bumping and so were the hunnies, literally. Imagine the scene: Men just feeling the vibe, dancing solo, sipping on syrup with random girls coming up to them, giving them an upright lap dance then immediately leaving them for the next fellow. It's quite the setting, especially if you're the dancing type.

With the weekend here, I was looking forward to the opening of Joe Walters' Night Vision show at Solomon Projects. If you get a chance, check it out. It's amazing that this man has found so many things to do with tea, which he uses to stain his works on paper.

Joe lives in Charleston, S.C., and has as strong a passion for seafood as I do art. One of the more interesting highlights for me, outside of meeting one of Atlanta's most talented video artists, Sara Hornbacher, was discussing with Joe and gallery owner Nancy Solomon the way oysters are roasted and served on shovels at a James Island restaurant in South Carolina. I would drop the name on you, but folks seem sworn to secrecy over it. I guess those who are supposed to know, know.

Completing my week was the Sunday night Sexy Birthday Celebration, with a midnight call time, for Tony Phillips and Stephon Malbon of the marketing firm Persaud Brothers and ''Jezebel's Cydney Hummel at the Fountainhead Lounge in East Atlanta. I went for a few reasons, but mainly because Tony is a first-class guy who has always genuinely supported my efforts; secondly, he never overhypes a party; and lastly, perhaps like you, I wanted to see who in the hell, besides myself, would be there.

As expected, it was a crowd of hipsters. Attorney Donald Woodard held court upstairs, along with Tony's beautiful wife Brandy Phillips, and the underground diva Stephanie Deakins was in full tow with the Solstice Group's Amy Jurkofsky and the Persaud Brothers' Lori Giles.

I had the chance to speak with Alan Godfrey, one of the club's owners, about bad service at a few of the new restaurants in town and the skinny on what's happening with his new spot over at the Biltmore. If you know Alan, you know he's a man of few words, so I don't have the full scoop yet — give me a sec.

Hug a dread.??

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