The 3 Day Rave

Don't let a little $14 million investment fool you -- Pseudo and it's parties continue to be seriously hip and trashy. After telling the guard at the door of 353 Broadway, "Pseudo" you will walk into a gas-station-like entranceway, park your butt in a chair and have to answer a few questions. Was this Monty Python all over again? So I complied and gave my name, email and birthdate. Some people, like filmwriter Larry Carty were even asked "tough" questions like "Who is the president of Microsoft?" You'd think Pseudo didn't need to continually accumulate free content, yet they stationed people filming throughout the party. The guy filming guests walking up the stairs and through multi-mirrors were a bit much. On the main floor were video shows, loud music and art installations. Downstairs, a large group was forming to "see the pictures." I asked the bouncer what the deal was. "You have to be picked. Step back!" Gabriel Synder of The NY Observer came out looking a bit stunned and said, "wow. the pictures are amazing." Funny since it was Pseudo's guise of creating the ever-coveted VIP room and the "pictures" were outside on the walls of the rest of the space! I was amused, additionally by the otherwise-naked-but-credit-card-clad woman running around, the sea-creatured-headdressed school of guests, pleatherd bartenders and a man who gyrated in front of a paint-splattered wall with a fish on his head. Meanwhile, upstairs was a 20' long sea creature-lizard-dragon-man slithering along the floor as another grunger held his tail and played with it, whip-like. Nat Finklestein, who did the book "Andy Warhol: The Factory Years" had an art installation of video stills of a naked woman with a monitor flashing animations behind it. As he explained his art to me in the dark, I could only make out his "Die Yuppie Scum" t-shirt. As I past the port-o-john's for the three-day 24/7 rave I decided this must be the East Coast Burning Man. One floor even further down (Dante's inferno) were shiatsu massages, a naked man examinging himself with a digital camera, a band set, Mendi tatoos and other tent-like carnival acts all set in a big white plastic 'moon walk' ala Razorfish's authentic Moon Walk at their May Day party. In the back of the space a young man screeched out his tormented comedy monologue as other bored attendees/participants stared ahead. Well. Having seen enough for one night, I headed home to rest up for Breakfast at Psuedo's rave!