Living with Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog

A Real Chelsea Commercial

     We came home Wednesday to find the block in front of the Chelsea lined with movie trucks.  Inside, they’d put down cardboard to protect the marble floor of the lobby.  It was impossible to get an elevator, and upstairs, we found that the movie people had commandeered four floors, including ours.
     Hmmmm, must be a major motion picture, we thought something that requires the hip, Bohemian élan of the Chelsea to give it a little street cred.  A gritty crime drama, perhaps.
     “So what are you guys shooting?” we asked one of the film-crew members who seemed less than fully occupied. 
     “Oh, just a Tylenol PM commercial,” the hipster dude informed us.
      Incredulous, we asked, “Why do you need to shoot in the Chelsea?”
     “No reason, really,” the guy said.  “It’s just people lying in bed.  Could be anywhere.” 
     There would be no reference to the Chelsea. Which is actually probably a good thing since what would a real Chelsea Tylenol PM commercial look like?  Would they cast an actress and show her washing down the pills with whiskey?  Tylenol PM: less painful than throwing yourself down the stairwell. -- Ed Hamilton

Piri Thomas Update

Poet and author Piri Thomas said on Tuesday that there have been no decisions made either way in the 1.2 million dollar struggle between himself and his stepson David Elder.  Thomas would only say, "I don't know what happened to justice."  So far, calls to Elder's attorney have gone unanswered.  According to the calendar posted at the LA Courthouse another hearing is scheduled for 9/10/2007. -- Sherry Mazzocchi

The Signs They Are A-Changin'

A bevy of new signs have sprung up on the facade of the Chelsea Hotel.  Although they seem to be the work of the same culprit they come from many different sources.  We would only suggest that any future banner makers check with their dictionary or spellchecker before executing their work.  Nevertheless it's the thought that counts and the sentiment is near universal in the hotel.  Keep up the good work, outlaw banner makers.

Older Resident Shows Spunk

I suppose by now everyone in the building has heard rumors of the recent incident in which an older lady – we’ll call her Spunky—attacked a staff member with a broom.  Spunky was checking out the vacant room next to hers for signs of paranormal activity – a valid concern around here – when the staff member came in and ordered her out.  Bristling at what she perceived as a tone of disrespect; Spunky moved swiftly to teach him some manners.  Though intending a mere love-tap on his shoulder, the staff member unwisely moved his head in the way at the last moment, causing Spunky to brain him full on the noggin with her broom.

     Dazed, the staff member staggered off and called the cops, and soon they arrived five strong, to restrain the small woman.  Luckily, they decided not to arrest her. 
     The reason I bring this up is that it serves to demonstrate that many of our residents, especially the older ones, have needs that the new management must take special care to address with the sensitivity they deserve.  I think I’m safe in saying that Stanley Bard probably wouldn’t have allowed  the episode to come to that.  One of his main talents was in mediating such disputes as this. 

       In fairness, I must add that Spunky mentioned that the new desk manager (or whatever he his) Glennon was understanding when she talked to him after the fact.  Maybe there is some hope for this place after all.

Psychologist Wanted for Thankless Job

     Stanley gives one of his last interviews in his role of “Goodwill Ambassador” in the prestigious German weekly, Die Zeit.  Since we don’t know German, we had a couple of German filmmakers translate some of it.  Anyway, the tidbits we gleaned is that Stanley studied bookkeeping and psychology, and that he ran the hotel, with a little bit of bookkeeping and a lot of psychology.  Unfortunately, by this point, Stanley probably wishes he had focused more on the bookkeeping.  But it may well prove the psychology that is BD Hotel’s Achilles Heel.
     Also, in response to BDs claims that they don’t want to change anything, but just clean the place up a bit, Stanley says, “Suddenly we’re supposed to be dirty.” 

     One thing that’s not reported in the article is that while Barbara Nolte was conducting her interview with Stanley, David Elder was chasing Stanley through the lobby to monitor what he said, and to make sure that he, Elder, was quoted as well.  Our minds wandered as the filmmakers translated Elder’s typically inane prattle about fisheads, greed, and dog poop.  Strangely, he didn’t say anything about Piri Thomas, and we don’t know anything more, though by now the judge has hopefully ruled in favor of the legendary writer --- and has sent Elder to sleep with the goldfish in the pet shop of his choice.  (Well, they already know about Piri Thomas in Germany anyway.)
     Or maybe he can just go live in one of those big, leaky aquariums developers keep throwing up around the city.   -- Ed Hamilton

Another Friday, Another "Chelsea for Sale" Rumor

Over at The Real Deal, the speculation is that Andre Balazs is interested in buying the Chelsea.  Hmmmm, we hear that Balazs is having trouble finalizing deals he's already involved with.  Back in June when Balazs was over here at the Chelsea he should have been worrying about the lack of sales down at The Beaver House. Maybe Balazs is spreading himself too thin.  Remember, Stanley Bard is the majority owner and the last time I checked he said the hotel is not for sale. It would take a real financial slight of hand to sale a building that you don't own.

Chelsea Hotel co-owner Marlene Krauss says the famously bohemian building is not for sale, but questions remain after developer André Balazs was spotted mingling with new management in the lobby earlier this summer. Some speculate that the hotelier, who restored the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood to rave reviews, might be interested in purchasing the Chelsea. But Krauss has denied rumors of Belezs' involvement. Renovations to the building, built in 1883, could cost as much as $50 million. more [NYO] (Source: The Real Deal)

Last Friday's rumor was at curbed.com.

Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake Remember the Chelsea

     This week's issue of NY Mag asks what led to the suicides of Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake? The couple had been together almost 12 years in what the author, David Amsden describes as "... a radiant, obsessive love, a bond formed in no small part by their almost religious belief in the concept of bohemia." 
     It's true that Duncan valued bohemia.  In August 2006, she wrote on her blog, The Wit of the Staircase, about the destruction of the Gramercy Park hotel and predicted, "I bet somebody does this sort of hatchet job on the Chelsea Hotel next..."  And now her fears, paranoid as they may have seemed at the time, appear on the verge of becoming reality.
     The Chelsea Hotel was an important place for Duncan and Blake, as it is for so many artists and others. On June 16 of this year, Theresa left a comment on Living with Legends, when she learned that Stanley Bard had been ousted:

Terrible news, I have had a bit of anticipatory anxiety about this for years.....
They are turning the Puck Building, where my office was for five years into condos.
Happy Birthday Stanley, you are one of the low gods of New York City.
God bless you Chelsea Hotel, you brought me good luck and big love.

Blake and Duncan loved the Chelsea, and fit right in here, madness and all. Here’s a quote from a happier time in their lives, from an interview in Living with Legends:

I remember before we went to bed we were making out in the window, looking out at the street filling up with snow, it was almost completely quiet and we were overlooking  the electric Chelsea Hotel sign, and how it was lit up and haloed by all this snow, and I remember later the wild noises that the hotel made late that night, like some madman in the basement playing a church organ made with the hotel's old radiator pipes.

Unfortunately, in an otherwise perceptive article about Blake & Duncan’s tragic deaths, author David Amsden quotes the above passage in full without mentioning its source, Living with Legends.He does mention other blogs from which he gleaned material though, fairness dictates that he mention ours as well. I feel safe in saying that, if this interview had been published in the New York Times, Amsden would have cited the source.But I’m sure this is just an unintentional oversight on his part and that maybe he will act to correct it – at least in the online version.

(Photo: editrrix)

The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen (of Mean)

Chris Shott's piece in Tuesday's New York Observer was a very disappointing read. There is little new information and some recycled quotes from his earlier piece. Marlene Krauss continues to be in shrill denial mode:the hotel is not for sale; Andre Balazs is not associated with the hotel. And I'm sure Stanley is still the "Good Will Ambassador," whatever the hell that means.
     Actually, there is one revealing piece of info: Marlene says that renovation of the building could run as high as $50 million! Is the building in that bad a shape? What else could she be talking about if not a gut renovation? I'm really asking.
     Anyway, Chris, were' waiting for your indepth expose of Marlene's recent descent into paranoia. Last week, she had rent-a-cops (by some accounts armed) who looked like rejected extras from the Sopranos stationed in the lobby in case Stanley and David rode in from New Jersey to steal paintings off the wall at gun point!
     Or maybe she felt she needed her own Mafia to counter the sinister Bohemian mobsters who left a goldfish head in front of David Elder's door.
     Hey Marlene, I hear the title "Queen of Mean" is up for grabs, now that hotelier Leona Helmsley has departed for warmer climes. -- Ed Hamilton

Chelsea Guest Sent to Pod, the "Replacement" Hotel

Now that BD Hotels is running the Chelsea, what exactly happens when a guest is unhappy?

On August 4, Thomas B. checked into the Chelsea and here’s what he had to say. It's a pricey place for what they offer.  Rooms are big, but rundown, first room they gave me was horrible, after some complain they gave me another one, which was somewhat better.  At above US$200/night you expect way better rooms/bathrooms.  The bed though is good, with clean linens.  People at the front desk are not very nice either.  I moved to another hotel.

So, I e-mailed Thomas B. and asked him where he went after he checked out of the Chelsea.  Here’s his reply: “After Chelsea I went to the POD…” 

Hmmmm, he left the Chelsea and went to the POD, a hotel owned by BD.  It could be a coincidence, as they’re involved with about 20 hotels in New York, but if I were Marlene Krauss, I’d start asking BD a few questions about their customer service protocol. Call me crazy, but I feel certain Marley wants those Eurodollars to remain at the Chelsea. Afterall, she's not a shareholder up at the POD.

(Oh, by the way, we all know what Stanely would have done if Thomas had told him he was unhappy.  He would have sat Thomas down and convinced him that actually he was the happiest he had ever been in his life -- and then Thomas would have lived here for the next 20 years.)

Ethan Hawke: "Chelsea Hotel is the last man standing"

Remember a few months back with Ethan Hawke stopped by to give David Elder a piece of his mind? He recalls that day in an interview with the Daily News. Kudos to Ethan for keeping the Chelsea Hotel and the hostile takeover in the news. Maybe he'll take Jen Carlson's suggestion and buy the hotel!

"I went over there to do an interview. I saw Stanley Bard, the manager, and I said, 'What the hell's going on?' I just love Stanley. He's taken care of me my whole life. And I love that place. Chelsea Hotel is the last man standing. It's the last beacon of, 'Not gonna fall to corporate America.'