Q & A: Noel Ashman Returns

This Friday, Q -- a club where Quo, Myst, Prime, and Retox used to live -- will open. None of these were A-list joints, but all entertained the B-, C-, and D-listers with great sound and good service. They were what they were, and I found myself there having a good time more often than I'd like to admit. The concept of a "new" club gets blurred as spaces are renamed, redone, and hopefully reconsidered by a public always willing to give it another shot. That seems to be the case here, where management has brought in a couple new faces (Antonio Fuccio and Mike Heller) and will refer back to the "glory days" of Quo with the Q name. The two-room format will be disposed of, as Q will be a good midsized room. The city needs this size of a betweener room, as only Pacha and M2 fill the large club niche, and there are hundreds of small joints. Q can present a world-class or circuit DJ and still remain small enough to have a social scene.

And really, Quo was never that bad. The crowd that enjoyed it has gotten a little older, which may mean wiser and more monied. The room itself is built for nightlife, with few columns and high ceilings. For opening night, the joint will go old school with Noel Ashman and Patrick McMullan among others hawking for a crowd. Noel had some success as the owner of N/A and Plumm on 14th Street in recent years but never really achieved the success of his Soho spot Veruka. Is it just me, or do all these names suck? Anyway I caught up to Noel and asked him about his return to the limelight (no, not “the” Limelight!).

This is your first gig since Plumm closed?
No, I hosted a party for Candace Bushnell at Mr. West and did a couple of things in Atlantic City.

What have you been doing with your time?
We have been shopping two TV shows ... both are new takes on reality shows—and a film.

Is Friday’s opening a one-off, or will you be promoting at Q?
Not sure. I know I’ll be hosting the opening with Patrick and then maybe some parties down the line. I might do a weekly party at this space because it’s large and I like to do that, and it’s a contrast to something I’m working on but can’t talk about right now, which is a very small, semi-private club. You’ll probably be consulting on the design.

Yes, but I’m sworn to secrecy. This is difficult for me sometimes, as I can’t talk about some stuff here, and I often read about things I’m working on in other blogs, and I get yelled at. What does “semi-private” mean?
Private—you have a number to call, and only members get in. We’re going to let some of the public come. A limited number.

What clubs do you enjoy now?
Good question. I’ll get in trouble any way I answer that. I do think there are some good ones out there.