international news _ 20th March, 2006
Pacha New York Chief Dismisses Sex & Bust Rumours
Text by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)
Manhattan club king Eddie Dean chatted to Skrufff this week about the his latest high profile venue Pacha New York and insisted tabloid stories of sex scandals and relentless policed busts, are false.
"The truth of the matter is, we are in 100% great shape with all the authorities and that's been shown from what happened on February 4th when Erick (Morillo) drew 4,000 people throughout the night at the same time as the Mayor's Citywide Task Force held an inspection," said Eddie.
"They rolled up in a fleet of minivans and cars and swept through the club with a fine tooth comb and after they left we didn't get one single summons which, quite honestly is unprecedented."
The Task Force (comprising 25 different licensing authorities including cops, firemen, liquor license crews and health officials) didn't interrupt or stop the party at all, he continued, save to congratulate the club on their clean bill of health.
"The inspector said he was shocked and very pleased and impressed at how orderly and clean the place was," he chuckled.
They do this throughout the City routinely, and with us being the new guy in town they're watching us closer than others," he added, "But I've been operating venues in New York City for 16 years and my liquor licence record is a public record. We're known by the authorities," he said.
Eddie also laughed off tabloid tales of debauchery, complaining "the people who wrote these stories about police raid and people having sex in stairwells are same people who wrote that we have girls dressed in body paint and Jacuzzis in the club- it's total disinformation that's incorrect. I don't quite know how they get away with these stories but they're just not true."
He also agreed with Larry Tee's recent assertions that New York nightlife is generally returning towards its former glory, though cautioned that the infamous no dancing cabaret laws remain a serious threat for all unlicensed dance venues.
"If you're in a pub or a hotel bar and anybody starts dancing it's illegal and the City has inspectors that go round writing summonses for it," he confirmed.
"The first one is a slap on the wrist- they'll fine you a hundred bucks, but if you get caught a second time they'll empty your club out and actually padlock it. The second fine is very significant and they will not let you open again until you pay it. That's an archaic law that I know they're looking at restructuring," he added.
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