INTERVIEW WITH ROB ROTH BY MAX STEELE FOR HX

1. How did you get started throwing parties in NYC? What's the most important party lesson you've learned thus far?

I got my start collaborating with Chi Chi Valenti and Kitty Boots at Jackie 60 around 1994. The most important lesson would be to create the night you would want to go to and also make sure you have a fierce doorperson.

2. NYC Nightlife has been under attack in recent years on a number of fronts (rising rents, NYC zoning codes). Click + Drag has been shut down twice before. Is the relaunch a sign of things to come?

I’m not sure if it’s a sign, but we had so many omens that lead Chi Chi and I to reboot the night. I've been more involved with the Performance/Art world in the last few years, but In my experience when the economy ‘bottoms out’ nightlife becomes better. There is more creativity, more spaces and greater need for escapism. Click + Drag was always slightly ahead in it’s vision so it might just be the right time.

3. Will New York reclaim it's nightlife crown?

For me its about specific annual gatherings around the world now and I think Click + Drag could follow that blueprint nicely. However New York is a tough bitch, she always comes back!

4. Click + Drag is known for it's uber-strict dress code. Tell us a bit about "The Hallucinogenic Toreador", the Salvador Dali-influenced theme so that we can plan our outfits accordingly. As with all our dress codes, I leave it up to personal interpretation, People should have fun and create their fantasy, though I do expect to see at least one full-on Matador making an appearance. And if you really can’t think of anything just remember – GLITTER , GLITTER , GLITTER!

5. Click + Drag had an internet following long before Web 2.0 and Facebook. Now that we're all internet addicts, how has party promotion changed? Is it easier or harder to pack a club?

It’s funny because Chi Chi and I always knew what was going to happen with the growth of the internet. Click + Drag was a reflection of things to come. Now I think that promotion is much easier/cheaper with the Internet. And there are different options for promotion , for instance we created a Click + Drag 3.0 Screensaver for people to download off www.clicknyc.com , for Mac OSX.

6. You've set the bar pretty high for yourself. What are your hopes for the 15th?

Have we? Click + Drag has always been a big experiment. In the very very beginning Chi Chi and I thought it was going to be a little gathering of about 10 people with laptops and stillettoes , so I never planned what it would turn into. We have always been about the future, literally and philosophically, I try to let it morph and transform into what it needs to be. What’s always made it a bit more magical is the audience. For me, it’s about the mix, Dominatrix Drag Queens, Leather men, Radical Faeries, Glamnerds and Vampires. So all I can hope for is the idea of “If we build it , they will come” A gathering of the tribes!

7.Is there a special someone you'd like to see at the party?

My ultimate Click + Drag guest would be Stephen Hawking in a bedazzled wheelchair. That would be perfection.