Bedrox, NIGHTLIFE, NY, 1989
By P.W.Foley
Bedrox, a relative newcomer to the New York nightclub scene, has a lot of character. It used to have a lot of characters- namely Flinstone characters- decorating its walls, but for the folks at Hanna-Barbera Productions nixed the idea and the club had to change its original name (Bedrock) and turn elsewhere for its inspiration.
And an inspired club it is. Erni Gil, the team of spray-paint artists whose talents have been put to use in such varied New York institutions as The Tunnel and Trump Tower, are the source of the magic at Bedrox.The walls surrounding the main bar area, for instance, give the appearance of being marble which, of course, they are not. Nonetheless, the effect is one of class, making you feel as if you are in a museum, although Bedrox is a hell of a lot more fun than anything at the Museum of National History.
The layout of Bedrox was done with the idea that different people look for different things in a nightclub. For those who like to drink and mingle, or mingle and drink, the main bar area provides plenty of space for libationary recreation. The area is separate from the dance floor and DJ, so conversations do not have to consist of people shouting into each other’s ears.
As for those who come to dance, Bedrox’s spacious dance floor is situated in such a way that one does not experience the uncomfortable feeling of dancing in a fishbowl like you get at most other clubs that use the dance floor as a centerpiece.
And then there is the back room at Bedrox. Magnificently decorated- again the genius of Erni Gil work at work- the room is alive with brilliant neon figures, wild skies and runaway trains adorning the walls. There is a back bar here, and the VIP’s who do not want to mingle, which does not happen too often, according to Bedrox’s spokeswoman Kelly Breslin, can be found here.
How do you best describe a nightclub that features a new kind of lounge lizard (over the main bar is an aquarium containing very intriguing and very alive iguanas and other lizard-types)? “Very approachable,” says Breslin, who is looking forward to the impending maiden visit of her Pulitzer-winning father, a man known for knowing a thing or two about drinking establishments. “Its definitely a great place to hang out,” Breslin believes, and the message must be getting across. The place rocks from Wednesday through Saturday, and judging from the photographs hanging on the walls as you come in (Tina Turner, Michael J. Fox, Dustin Hoffman, et al), the more famous of us find it a comfortable place to be.
