Profile: Kenny Kenny
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If you have been to any club worth its salt in New York City over the past three decades, then you have undoubtedly run into transter Kenny Kenny (who these days can frequently be seen clad in high heeled zipper boots and a fur lined bomber hat, even in August). Kenny Kenny, the ubiquitous and fabulous queen of New York nightlife has run the door at The World, Red One, Palladium, USA, Limelight, Sound Factory, Spa, Plaid, and more recently HOME to name a few. He is now more focused on running parties such as Ultra, Buckingham, Distortion Disco, and Happy Valley Tuesdays.
Kenny Kenny got his her start as a Club Kid running with the infamous Michael Alig and his crew in the late 80s/early 90s. But the days of Club Kids were numbered, and Kenny Kenny eventually became a door fixture for the next two decades. His first door was Susanne Bartsch’s SAVAGE which he ran with Gene Crell and partied with some of the greatest including Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Faye Dunaway, Debbie Harry, Bette Midler, etc. Certainly Peter Geishen’s limelight was one of Kenny Kenny’s biggest gigs in the late 90s, when Peter and Steve Lewis basically ran the entire New York scene.
But our fondest recollection of Kenny Kenny was when he she was at Spa. For those of you who never ventured inside, it was a truly tremendous club with a super eclectic crowd and a great layout (which you can see part of in the movie Made, starring Vince Vaughn, P. Diddy and John Favreau). But we digress…the point of our story was that as you neared the front of the line, Kenny Kenny would start taking notice of you, and checking you out. And at the moment he started to let your party in, he would line up everyone in your group and scan them from head to toe, scrutinizing each and every little fashion detail. He himself had been involved in fashion his entire life, studying it along with textile design at the Dublin National College of Art and Design and starting his own line under Rachael Auburn in London. If Kenny Kenny spotted a fashion faux paus, it was generally something you could not recover from, and that was the end of your night…it was true hilarity!
We just can’t get enough of Kenny Kenny, and will stop by HOME on occasion just to hear those whispery words out of his puckered pressed lips “You look FAB-U-LOUS dahling!” When you hear that from Kenny Kenny, you KNOW you’ve still got it, the bitch wouldn’t lie.
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July 31, 2007 1:12pm
It makes me feel good to know that Kenny Kenny is still around. God knows a lot of his friends unfortunately bit the dust awhile ago.
July 31, 2007 1:13pm
It will be a sad day in nyc when he leaves the scene.
July 31, 2007 7:30pm
YEY for Kenny Kenny! This was my favorite post yet!
July 31, 2007 7:34pm
I like how he (she?) has remain relatively low-key. I had never heard of kenny kenny until now, however nanette lapore, richie rich, and the Heathrettes seem to love the spot light. kenny kenny seems to just want to keep it real, and that’s cool.
July 31, 2007 7:36pm
Low-key? um i’m not sure if the painted face is low-key lol.
August 4, 2007 10:03pm
He’s the original fierce badass.
[...] is one of your favorite photos? Favorite shoots? Seducing Kenny Kenny into letting me take the photos I knew we could take. Snapping J-Lo while performing a turn on the [...]
My friends and I had like / dislike relationship with dude.
We never personally knew Kenny,..so we couldnt “hate” him, but he / she really was a asshole to a lot of people. People who overstood the scene, were “connected”, understood the scene, and in fact - helped make the scene in ways trendy types would and will never understand.
I think at times (not all times) door people and club kids abused their power, and 15 minutes of popularity.
Sometimes when Kenny was at the door (ex: The World), we would get in. No problem, Sometimes, we didn’t get in, or had to wait (Red Zone).
We were young urban kids (male and female) from the rough area’s of Brooklyn. In our youth we were on some ole’ ” Ohh..its because we are black” shit. We felt like, why is this muthafu-ka’ discriminating, and being selective when he / she more than likely has the same thing done to them?
Why do we have to wait to get into a club that plays good music? Black music?
We simply came to have a good time, go home and come back again. We didnt care about a guest list. 15 - 20 bones was not a problem. Hip Hop clubs in that era were prone to mad drama. They werent diverse musically, and nor were they diverse in terms of the crowd, so sought out places we “thought” might be open to have people who just wanna have a good time and party.
Long story short, no hatred against Kenny.
My peeps and I are grown.
Some of us have families and do the family thing only. Some of us have careers AND families - yet still live a active social nightlife, but on another level. I’m almost sad to say, (drumroll) we control and judge who attends our events.
(Yea yea muthafu-ka’.. I know..the irony.)
Once and a while when we get together, and the conversation turns to our “clubbing” days, we look at that era, as a good time in our youth.
BUT…….
If I ever saw Diane Brill again..I swear, i’d have my wife smack the dookey out of her instantly.
(laughing)
-Ron Art
November 9, 2008 5:17pm
Fierce and Fabulous!! The first time we were introduced was at the door of Palladium on some random thursday in 91.. That night is still one of my favorite memories…..my how time flies
January 19, 2009 12:43am
Ken was just a prick. I remember how rude that prick would be to people just trying to get into a club. The best was if you were a guy and when Ken would say you can\’t get in with him, and see how much of a dick he was to make some non-relationships to split up, when the girl would go in while the guy would go home or elsewhere. Not to mention the rude comments about your outfit and you could be wearing really good cloths but the prick just wanted to disrespect you to look like his scrawny ass was someone special. I used to see Ken in all the Clubs, Limelight, Palladium, Redzone, The Tunnel, Webster Hall, etc. Man I guess the fun part was the memory of the verbal abuse. Going home talking to your boys and girls and saying man that dude is a prick. I think he gets off on that ole stupid shit. I don\’t see any updates, is this clown still alive?
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February 28, 2009 12:28pm
Kenny on numerous occasions claimed me to be a stalker, which is interesting..and most likely a turn on for him being he likes to hang out in parks and porn shops, cruising for sex with old men ( he even states so in one of his songs/music- which is obviously a knock off of Gary Neumans “Down By The Park”), hence Gary 49…
Recently I got the shaft at the door by some blonde door hag during fashion week…the process of entry at Vandam that night was- door staff favorites of the week: (pick and choose)- being I was on Marinol and drank a forty I decided to wait in the Brooklyn-Jersey line- my inactive mind, and heavily sedated chemically induced peaceful manner left me there for over an hour in the cold, eventually I got bored and lashed out calling the very phoney and sweet acting door cunt a bitch( she was very good at acting like she was nice and cared to those she was snuffing). Generally I get hooked up at the door in one of the many (Klubz), I wasn’t sure if it was my passive demeanor or that nights particularly weird vibe- but things didn’t go right. I waited in the line thats for the unacceptable/under priveleged. I realized as I stood there that the evenings production (it was fashion week)..was about effect and making people wait- while the elite of people who work in the cities finer retail stores and fashionista’dah-dud scenestars…and people in wigs and make up get escorted in. Making those people feel special and not like rejects is a priority. Although the H and M- Gap crowd- that were in the Brooklyn-Jersey line with me are seen as handicapped. I have to agree, and to take this writing one step further- I had a hard time understanding the door people. The last 3 times over the past two months I went to Vandam there was no entry process- and no cover…each time I went I was disappointed. I like Susann B, I think she’s hot- sexy- interesting and sweet person for playing den mother to people who could almost have no place in the world (boys in girls clothes- wigged out psychotic club trolls, and generally identity morphing people- that seem to be invisible once the club and make up is removed).
However the scene in New York is lame- the streets close down closer to 11- the music is fucking joke- its gayfag top 40 remixes of celebrity persona’s who use others and real artists to appear cool or even interesting, the crowds generally don’t move- not because its packed, but because they have no soul, obviously lack and are spoon feed pre-programmed mixes of major label music desinged to seem cool, which seems paid for and from a record pool/play list.
In the end- the extra wait is more exciting than the anti-climatic exit. The fashion industry is a re-run…most designers work for K-Mart and Target…
Maybe the suffering fashionista’s that dictate style at K-Mart and Target could hand out cards could hand out business cards/and fashion tips to those wait patiently for hours to get in under some blonde hags approval.
God knows they(I) could use the advice.
June 13, 2009 11:10pm
I saw him on the street two or three weeks ago, and let me tell you all, his daylook leaves much to be desired, I’ve never known him, thankfully, my older friends despise him and his attidude.