Bob Gruen at his own party / Photo by BP Fallon www.bpfallon.com
Wearing a black smoking jacket and maroon ascot combo, the man of honor was packed tightly in with 100 or so well-wishers. On stage with her ensemble, Bebe Buell performed a few numbers. A good portion of the crowd was made up of women half Gruen’s age, eager to give him a birthday hug. Referring to his surfeit of attractive young female friends, Gruen said, “Yeah, I’m lucky that way.” Smiling, he added,“I’m married to one.”
Giving the bouncer a breather, veteran punk rocker Jesse Malin kept his eye on the door for a few minutes. Not that it was a velvet rope scene. These stalwart old rockers have never been afraid of a little riff raff. If you tapped one of Gruen’s guests on the shoulder, there was a good chance you’d be face-to-face with a rock ’n’ roll cult figure. A man wearing a gold-brocaded 18th-century naval tunic turned out to be Buddy Bowser, the original New York Dolls sax player.“Bobby’s like my brother.We go back forever,” he said, before letting out a deep mysterious chuckle. Seminal punk fixer Leee Black Childers was snapping pics with a digital camera. Sixty-eight years old and looking every bit a gray-haired Southern gentleman, Iggy Pop’s former manager is still a firm believer in the lifesustaining power of three chords and a basic 4/4 beat. “Rock ’n’ roll is getting older with me, honey,” he drawled. “No one is 16 anymore.”
