Interview with Mr. Patrick Duffy

New York City-based party guru Mr. Patrick Duffy has built an unparalleled reputation for producing, promoting and hosting some of the best nights in New York City and abroad. We caught up with Patrick during the daylight hours when he talked about the perils of the New York party scene, his one vice and how he became nightlife royalty.

What brought you to New York?

When I was 17 I moved to Europe and became a model in the fashion industry. But, when you're a model you don't really have a say and I got tired of being treated like that. It wasn't really my thing. Then I came to New York City and became an aerobics instructor. Jane Fonda was my idol. It was like a bad reality show. All I could do was count backwards from 8, and even that was difficult at times.

And, how did you make your transition to becoming nightlife royalty?

I was going out all the time and I developed a niche look for myself. I became known for that. The next step logically was to be the door person. It seemed like the most glamorous thing to me. I remember being in Minnesota and watching Studio 54 and seeing how difficult it was to get past the velvet rope. Suddenly, the gate keeper was the most important job in New York City. So, I wanted to be that person and I eventually became that person.

I was recognized as a personality. The one thing I always hung on to was my Minnesota 'kill them with kindness' attitude and that's one of the ways I became successful. Then from there I was looking around and thinking that the parties I was being the gate keeper for were boring. I had a vision for my own equal opportunity party. I love the idea of everyone coming together and co-mingling in a way that's organic and natural.

How do you feel about the party scene now?

There are so many restrictions and limitations that have been placed on nightlife in New York City preventing [promoters] from being as creative as we want to be. We're all doing the best we can with what we have. You try to get too crazy with a certain theme or idea and it's going to get shut down somehow. Then again, there are a lot of amazing underground things that not a lot of people know about. Then there's a risk that if you expose those things they become mainstream. So, do you keep it really cool and not tell anybody or do you blow it out and make money?

So, what's your party vice?

My vice is having too much fun. What I'm learning now is how to have fun and maintain a balanced life—especially in New York City. It's so easy to go off the deep end.

I'm learning about myself after all of those years running around and being crazy. Now I'm chalking that up to experience and honing my skills to build my brand and my business [Mr. Patrick Duffy, LLC]. So, my vice is actually my strength.

Do you believe in the concepts behind The Secret by Rhonda Byrne?

I don't really believe that just thinking about it will manifest things in your life. You must also have integrity and take action.

What do you think of our post-label youth?

The post-gay youth mentality is a very youthful and naive mentality. When it comes time to choose a lover and have a wedding or civil union, they're going to be forced to deal with the [gay] issues. Whether they label themselves or not isn't the point; It's how they choose to deal with the actual issues.

Do you want to get married?

I'm definitely not opposed to the idea of marriage, but it's something that I haven't really thought about yet. It's not really about me being gay and not being able to get married; it's about me being able to live my life to the fullest first and then when I'm ready take someone on as my partner. I want to get everything out of my system first so we can tackle things together.

So, you've been getting party-goers' attention for years now. What kind of man gets your attention?

One with a pulse. One that can speak... I don't care what language—I'll find a translator. [laughs] Seriously, I like all different types. I don't live my life as a check list. I find intelligence extremely sexy. I find experience extremely sexy as well as humility and humbleness. There are so many beautiful things about a person. A person can be deformed on the outside, but if you really take a second to get to know them and really understand where they're coming from then those scars or those things that society deems ugly become so attractive and beautiful.

New York City-based party guru Mr. Patrick Duffy has built an unparalleled reputation for producing, promoting and hosting some of the best nights in New York City and abroad. Patrick Duffy is the Principle Partner of consulting, events and production company Mr. Patrick Duffy, LLC.