Tuesday, May 02, 2000

Who's that Style Icon?


Media players come and go, but one with real staying power (despite his jet-setting travel schedule) is Michael Tchong and Iconocast, his weekly newsletter. In true Dorothy Parker fashion, his team coordinated a "Vicious Circle" dinner for press only to gather 'round a long, rectangular table in this instance, and joke, jibe, jostle and participate in all-around jocularity on Tuesday, May 2. Understanding the strength in carrying a theme through, the Iconocast held this soiree at the W Hotel's Icon restaurant, serving (what else?) Icon Ravenswood red wine. I was lucky enough to sit right in the firing line between Saul Hansell of the New York Times and Tim Mullaney of Business Week, as they argued vehemently with MediaMap's Jim Pearce about PR people and methods. Fortunately, dinner came to the rescue and we slurped our soups, devoured our steaks and guzzled more wine (well, not quite with such voracity). Michael spurred us into discussions on topics such as privacy and the Associated Press. Tara Long of NetStartCapital.com and MSNBC's Jane Weaver started a rousing debate over music copyright in light of Napster. Well, after all that Vicious talk, I was ready for my own nap-ster!

(N.B. I contribute to Iconocast weekly.)