mailing list
Alan Linn is the co-founder of the sublime private members club, Norwood. He also oh so kindly hosted my 30th birthday party there, complete with 80s soundtrack. I caught up with Alan for a ‘natter’ as we’d say in the UK, to learn about his journey from Scotland to New York, and how Norwood came to fruition.
Nice trousers! Oh yeah – leather!
You must feel hot today?! It was cold when I came from home… then I was upstairs sleeping thinking ugh it’s really hot.
So you’re here every day? Everyday!
And you opened Norwood 15 years ago? Ten years ago! We are ten years old this year! From conception, twelve years, but we’re ten years old.
And what made you want to start your own private members club? I’m a gay man and I fell in love with a 6ft3 New Yorker. Jewish – and the gay world, that’s like BINGO! We met, at the Limelight, I was in a relationship for seventeen years before, I’m a very loyal person, and then I found that my ex was seeing someone else.
Gosh!…It’s okay, the thing is I don’t really care, I said to him “just be happy!” that’s about it. So I’d been in London, I went to the Royal College of Art, I got two degrees in Fine Art, and Illustration. I got a job at a ‘secret restaurant’ in London to make money, whilst I looked after my mother, who had cancer. The restaurant; everyone from Vogue and Vanity Fair used to come and have lunch. So it was an amazing place to meet people. I was there for five years, and then my dad also died. So then, I ran away. I went to San Francisco, and did voluntary work
Why San Francisco? I don’t know, I always wanted to go, I thought, why not! I remember arriving at the hotel going “shit, I don’t know a single fucking person here!” And I came back. And then, I went back again at the end of the month! A volunteer center offered me a job to be in charge of volunteering people, I ended up sort of doing it and I drew comic books for the community. I loved everyone, there was all sorts, drug people, HIV people. Then I came back to London and worked.
What made you move from San Francisco back to London? Basically my visa ran out, so that was it! I love America, I’ve always loved America, I love everything about her, so I used to come every year. I used to go to Provence, and write screenplays, I’ve got a list of screenplays, movies and things like that. I used to go for three weeks, in 2002, I was on the dancefloor of ‘the big geek’ – and there was this man, with a big smiley face and I was like “I’m gonna kiss him!”
Whaaaat..And that was it
Love at first sight?! It was love at first sight! It really was. So then I thought, what am I going to do. I just thought “fuck it!” Sell everything I own. I tried at first to get a job, another members club told me I was too qualified, and eventually I thought ok! Fuck them I’ll beat them! I will open my own club. I mean, I raised fourteen million to open the club, we’re now over ten years old, and we’re consistently named one of the best clubs in the world. The whole point with the club, it is about curiosity. Creative people, different levels, people who want to meet people. What happens when people meet? What’s the collision? It’s like car crashing all the time. I really love that, the thing is, if you plan it – it never works. We’ve got our first baby from two people meeting downstairs! Being a member at Norwood, you’ve got to step up to be part of this and come to things and go to things you’ve never even thought about even going to, just going and see what happens.
What do you look for in your members? Curiosity, it’s always curiosity. It’s about people, it’s about love, it’s about encouraging. We’re fucking pure, we don’t make a lot of money, but at the same time it’s just about what happens when people come together and have conversations.
Tell me about the incredible art Norwood has on display…Once a year it changes, one member curates it for a year. Then we have the Damien Hirst and the Gregory Crewdson, and Sigmund Freud hanging in the garden! The 4th floor is random and found pieces. The piece above the bar is an original which we made from old branches, and then we found that Donald Judd table which was like forty thousand dollars!
What’s your favorite thing about New York? Still Norwood, it’s the lottery of meeting people. So yeah it is. I’m always thinking about it when I meet creative people, and what they’re doing! When we first opened we were offered press in Vanity Fair and Vogue and, I said no I wanted to be someone you discovered, and so discovery the same with me, and when you find out what they do, and you go wow! That’s impressive!
Hearing people’s stories is so fascinating Exactly, and that’s really why people like the club it’s a curation of people within a building.
The first time I came here, years ago, you showed me around and introduced me to some people that I’m still in touch with from LA, it is such a friendly welcoming vibe. But that’s how it should be, it should always be like that!
What’s been a ‘stand out’ Norwood experience for you? Probably Prince playing on the piano upstairs, on a Friday night – coming here and just playing quietly in the corner.
Crickey! He would come here and he would just go upstairs, and play on the piano. It really was amazing. I mean, he was such a wonderful musician. He would come up here, Friday night and sit and play the piano. That would probably be my best thing. I mean, if you go upstairs now and sit against the window it’s not like a fancy piano, but he would just sit and play…
What advice can you share with young creatives entering the industry? Dream, the whole point is never give up on your dreams.
