MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

FIONA O’BRIEN

Through the pain of a recent loss, rising comedian Fiona O’Brien keeps her sense of humor intact as she reveals her likes and dislikes, including how quality control at Cadbury would be her ideal job

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHELLE DUNLEAVY

Where did you grow up?  In Sutton, Dublin, in Ireland.  Where do you live now?  In Toronto, Canada.  How long have you lived there?  For five years.  What do you like about it?  Tim Hortons.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?  At my mom’s house. What’s your claim-to-fame?  Being a shit-cool mother fucka.  What comics follow you on Twitter?  Among others, Rosie O’Donnell and Lisa Lampanelli.  Who’s your favorite female comic?  Joan Rivers.  Who’s your favorite male comic?  Tommy Tiernan.  What makes a good stand-up comic?  Confidence, and faith in yourself.

ADVERTISEMENT

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work takes the audience on a year long ride with legendary comedian Joan Rivers in her 76th year of life. Peeling away the mask of an iconic comedian, the film is an emotionally surprising and revealing portrait of one the most hilarious and long-standing career women ever in the business.

What performer are you inspired by?  Joan Rivers, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams.  What’s your favorite film?  Jaws.  What’s your favorite comedy film?  This Is Spinal Tap.  What’s your dream job?  Quality control at Cadbury.  Will you ever retire?  No.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Lego.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why?  Egypt, because I love the Egyptian history.  What’s the last thing that you watched on TV?  The Sound of Music.  What’s the craziest thing that you ever did?  Gate-crashing a wedding with my friend.  What’s your favorite book?  Watermelon by Marian Keyes.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHELLE DUNLEAVY

What’s the best concert you ever went to?  Tina Turner.  What did you learn from your parents?  That you can’t stop tomorrow from coming.  What’s your best characteristic?  My sense of humor.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Playing around on my phone.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  Keanu Reeves, but only if he was a mute.  Who do you admire, and why?  My mom and dad, for loving us unconditionally.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be, and why?  My dad.  He died this year, and he was my favorite person.  Where would you go in a time machine, and why?  Back to the day before my wedding.  The “why” is obvious.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN TRUDEAU

What would your last meal be?  Ice cream.  What do you worry about?  Money.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  My daughter said a trumpet.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A wolf.  Who depends on you?  My favorite child does, and also the other two.  Who are you closest with?  My sister, Orla.   What would your autobiography be called?  Are You Feckin’ Serious?  What music do you listen to when you’re upset? The Pointer Sisters.  What’s on your bucket list?  To write a book.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Not visiting Ireland as often as I could of.  Can you tell me something that you never told anyone else?  Yes.  Where can we see you?  At www.fionaobrien.ca, on my Facebook Web Series, on YouTube, on Twitter, or at a comedy club!

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Interviews

MICHAEL TRONN – PART 1

In a two-part exclusive, founding club kid, artist and promoter Michael Tronn tells us what South Beach was like before the Versace era, before letting us into the elite world of some of New York’s and Miami’s hottest clubs

PHOTOGRAPH BY NATALIE CAROLE

Where did you grow up?  In New York, across the street from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  How long have you lived in South Florida?  I moved here in 1997, but I was visiting here since about 90’ or 91’.  What was South Beach like then?  My first trip was fairly spontaneous, and I knew nothing about South Beach except that it was a cool, secret spot for New Yorkers and fashion people.  This was before Versace, before Lincoln Road—the place was virtually a ghost town.  Back then, the Versace mansion was a run-down apartment building for seniors.  Ocean Drive was lined with elderly people in plastic chairs sunning themselves with reflectors under their chins.  The only things that were going on then were photo shoots and some very hedonistic nightclubs, such as Warsaw and Paragon.  Why did you move here?  I decided that if I could get a good job at one of five companies that I was interested in, then I would move permanently—and I did.  Liquid hired me to be the new creative and marketing director, and I stayed in Miami from then on.  What part of South Florida do you live in?  When I’m in Miami, I live in South Beach.

ADVERTISMENT

VERSACE BOOK – ONLY $9.99

What do you like most about living here?  The ocean, the air, and the amazing memories that I have of South Beach’s heyday, such as the beginning of Wynwood.  Where do you hang out in South Florida, and why?  I don’t hang out at any one spot like I did in the past, but I find that Wynwood is the most interesting neighborhood.  In some ways, Churchill’s is my favorite.  What’s your claim-to-fame?  I was one of the co-creators of the “Club Kid” scene in New York.  That was in 1987.  I also promoted and/or launched many notable clubs in New York such as Tunnel, The World, the Red Zone, Mars, The Saint, Studio 54, Roxy and MK.  In Miami, I’m known as the director of Liquid, building and launching the Ice Palace Film Studios, launching Crobar and promoting ANTHEM Sundays there, opening the restaurants Rumi and Studio, and for having my own art space in Wynwood.  How did you come up with your name?  People think I made my last name up, but Tronn is an old Russian family name.  Whose fashion look do you admire, and why?  I much prefer style over designer clothes, and I always have.  My favorite style idol is Iris Apfel.  She’s 100 percent unique and real, and she dresses only for herself.

What’s your favorite place that you’ve lived?  It’s a tie between Miami from 1991 to 2006—there was never anything as amazing as that, and I don’t think there ever will be again—and New York in the 70s and 80s.  That period was New York’s golden age in so many ways.  What New York venues do you miss that are gone?  Palladium, The World, Area, Danceteria, Mother and Studio 54.  What are your favorite events that you’ve produced in New York, and why?  Well, I’ve produced over 1,000 events, but three New York events stand out: one, a hair-sculpture completion at Tunnel (we had salon tables in the basement… the creations were amazing).  Two, the opening night of the “It” party at The World (I had the entire first floor done in tin foil as a tribute to The Factory, the entire stairwell—including the floor—was painted with the sky and clouds as a tribute to Magritte, the top floor was designed and decorated red as a tribute to Diana Vreeland, and I had mountain climbers rappel down the face of the building while the crowd waited for the doors to open).  And, three, the opening Night of Crobar New York (the production was over-the-top, and we had 15,000 people).

PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM SCULLY

What South Florida venues do you miss that are gone?  Warsaw and Paragon.  Warsaw is a heartbreaking loss.  At least the site of the original Paragon became Level, and then Mansion [it closed in 2016].  But Paragon really is the best venue in Miami.  What are your favorite events that you’ve produced in Miami, and why?  Once again, there are three major standouts: the Grand Opening of Crobar, which was insane.  I had a $70,000 budget, and I staged a car wreck out in front with live models—people still talk about it today.  The “White Starz” party at The Coconut Grove Convention Center, where I not only transformed the entire space, but I had Yoko Ono perform in between the sets of Junior Vasquez and Tony Moran.  And “GUIDO” on Fridays at Liquid, which was in the VIP lounge.  We had immersive themes there each week, such as a “Bollywood” wedding, and it became the place for major fashion launches.

Stay tuned for PART 2 next week…