Provocateur Is So Crowded That Nobody Goes There Anymore
Provocateur's Mike Satsky wants the throngs itching to get into his club to know it ain't gonna happen. Responding to an Eater post on the city's toughest doors, he said "you miscalculated our 'chance of civilian entry' to be 18%...it is between .05 and .1% depending on the time of night and the number of 9s or 10s you are with." Who is making the cut?
Well, no one we know personally.
And certainly not any group of would-be revelers being herded like cattle toward the club's entrance that includes a more zaftig member. As Steve Lewis wrote over at Blackbook, even the "very well-known wife of a well-loved [club] owner" who had already arranged a birthday celebration at the Meatpacking District venue was denied entry along with her friends when bouncer Brian "Geffie" Gefter spotted an undesirable in his midst:
"Little Geffie canceled my birthday there while I was standing at the door in front of him b/c he didn’t like the 'short, fat one' in my group.”
Let's not even imagine the response that would greet cast members of fall 2009's hottest pop culture grease fire Jersey Shore.
Minutes after I wrote a jokey post about the soon-to-open Provocateur attracting Sleazeside Heights types back in December, Satsky and a crew of co-owners and investors called our office demanding a retraction. And while we weren't prescient enough to expect such a melodramatic response and record it, we did get an email from Satsky lackey Sasa Nikolic:
"Hey [redacted] – We have an emergency on our hands. I just read Billy’s post about PROVOCATEUR which is extremely negative and insulting. The project is a $5 million dollar upscale venue which has already received great reviews in the Post and BlackBook Magazine...Can you take this down this post? We would love to have you over and show you the space but my clients are furious at the moment…
Please let me know your thoughts…
Thanks,
Sasa Nikolic"
Clearly the Provocateur team's demand for fawning publicity from outside sources is at odds with its own obnoxious and, one would hope, self-defeating self-promotion.
But when ownership includes Lionel "KyKy" Conille, who is allegedly in trouble with the SLA and IRS (to the tune of over 300,000 owed dollars), that cliche about bad publicity starts looking pretty good. In which case, you're welcome.
Photo via Tana Lee Alves/WireImage.com
Vassili Verrecchia Shows Off His Favorite Things In His Paris Home
While his brother, Timothee, runs the NYC office, Vassili takes on the Paris-based side of things. To gain some insight to what inspires such a creative and entrepreneurial spirit, we asked Vass to show off some of his favorite worldly and sentimental possessions in his Paris home. See where Vass's travels have taken him...
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Jon
May 10, 2010
3:23pm
To add to their financial problems, I have heard from two sources now that Provacateur is under intense investigation by the NYPD for having drugged drinks, as more than 5 people have come forward claiming this. Things could not be going worse for the club, or the team behind it. Legal and Financial trouble clearly spells that the end is near, this could be one of the biggest failures of a nightlife venue ever.
Guest
May 10, 2010
3:25pm
Was here the other night and the place was EMPTY by 2 AM, legit less than 20 people left... Was kind of funny, but so sad... If they had taken the right approach with the place it might have done better... The best was that they paid top dollar to get a big name DJ (Kaskade) and people all still left by 2 to go to Oak or wherever else they ran off to. Clearly shows these people are getting what they deserve, and that the one essential thing in nightlife is to build a loyal base and to stay loyal to them, something these two have not learned.
pat BURKE
May 10, 2010
4:50pm
Lets get the same community board (who shut down the JANE) involved. Satsky's club (STEREO) two years ago was shut down by the DEA & NYPD for drugs AND a murder right on front of the place. In the Hamptons 2 years ago his club (LILLY POND) was raided by 4 separate Govt agencies (East Hampton Town Police, Hampton town code enforcers, NY State Troopers AND the DEA) after a photo appeared of Conrad Hilton (very underage) partying inside. When a club is issued a licquor license they have an obligation to acomodate the community that issues it. Satsky shouldn't even be in business especially considering his past creepy venues. No matter though, as mentioned earlier, EVERYONE goes to 1OAK after primetime because the door and atmosphere is friendly SHUT PROVOCETAEUR DOWN
Guest
May 10, 2010
6:11pm
Look for an upcoming investigative piece in a BIG NY Magazine/ Paper coming next week about Satsky & Provacateur... Get your PR people on it, won't help, no shot of getting this story killed!
Hernandez
May 10, 2010
7:55pm
I seen many of the biggest nightlife impresarios in NYC there the other night, including Justin Lee, the heir to LEE Jeans and Denim, Inc. and also the heir to a hedge fund - conglomerate. Justin alone had 20 women with him (many shiksas) and he probably spent 80,000$ just on the shots (he was passing out shots to everyone). I saw Justin order 12 bottles of Grey Goose, the vodka, all different flavors. He was very well dressed in a fine bespoke suit and spending lavishly. Clearly, the recession is over.
jon
May 10, 2010
9:10pm
they r on their way out... lousy party, coupled w peddling drugs and a**hole ownership...not a good combination... havent heard a good word about them yet...soon enough they will be waiting on line and not getting in at oak and other clubs...best of luck to these losers, however the SLA, IRS and NYPD wont be as kind...
Billy the Idiot
May 11, 2010
5:06pm
[www.satskyandgefter.com]
Billy the Idiot
May 11, 2010
5:17pm
HA HA !! IF ANYONE KNOWS MIKE SATSKY AND THE OTHER PERSON IN THE PICTURE, YOU WILL KNOW HOW MUCH THIS IMAGE IS MAKING MIKE SICK!! HA HA HA. HE WENT TO THE POST TO GET PRESS AND THEY PUT UP A PICTURE OF HIM AND THE PERSON HE HATES MORE IN THE WORLD THEN HIS OWN MOTHER!!! AND WE ALL KNOW HOW MUCH HE HATES HER.
Mike Satsky is a DB
May 11, 2010
8:55pm
little geftie!! He is such a douchebag. Gefter steals purses.
Provacateur sucks ass
May 11, 2010
9:58pm
wow, the exact same thing happened to a party i was invited to, where they wouldn't let in some members of the group because they didn't "look" right. and the music sucked and place was full of cheesiness and eurotrash. if there are no gays at all in a nightclub (and i didn't see any), then how cool can it be?
the truth
May 15, 2010
5:19pm
i find all of this absolutely amazing. All the people that are writing this stuff probably can't get into the venue. i dont work for them or cosign anything they do and when i've gone there the crowd has been the best ive seen in a long time. Maybe all of you need to get better looking or taller girlfriends. its not supposed to be for everyone. thats the point. Its not about the money. they want nothing but good people. stick going to oak and avenue where you probably still have trouble. Welcome to NY ladies and gentlemen. Not everything is for you