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Confessions from the Velvet Ropes: The Glamorous, Grueling Life of Thomas Onorato, New York's Top Club Doorman
New York's top doorman, Thomas Onorato, raises the ropes and gives readers a sneak peak into some of the world's most exclusive parties.
"If you are not on the guest list or if I don't know you or if I don't like you, you are NOT GETTING INTO THIS PARTY!"
The doorman. The gatekeeper of the night. These silent observers see it all and yet say nothing. Until now. In Confessions from the Velvet Ropes, New York's top club doorman, Thomas Onorato, lifts the ropes and lets ordinary readers into this exciting world. The book is an entertaining and hilarious collection of tales from the worlds of nightlife, fashion shows and celebrity parties. Highlights The night Madonna DJed at an intimate downtown club, Courtney Love's surprise concert that ended in her arrest, the crazed stalker who attacked Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, the aerial attack on Adrien Brody's birthday party, Diddy's surprise appearance at an electro-punk event and more. Onorato was always on hand and brings his insider info and nightlife wisdom to readers of Confessions from the Velvet Ropes. Combining elements of juicy gossip columns, rock star fan memoirs and nightlife social studies, Confessions from the Velvet Ropes is a tell-all with style, including humorous side-bars and tips on how readers might make it past the velvet ropes.
"If you are not on the guest list or if I don't know you or if I don't like you, you are NOT GETTING INTO THIS PARTY!"
The doorman. The gatekeeper of the night. These silent observers see it all and yet say nothing. Until now. In Confessions from the Velvet Ropes, New York's top club doorman, Thomas Onorato, lifts the ropes and lets ordinary readers into this exciting world. The book is an entertaining and hilarious collection of tales from the worlds of nightlife, fashion shows and celebrity parties. Highlights The night Madonna DJed at an intimate downtown club, Courtney Love's surprise concert that ended in her arrest, the crazed stalker who attacked Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, the aerial attack on Adrien Brody's birthday party, Diddy's surprise appearance at an electro-punk event and more. Onorato was always on hand and brings his insider info and nightlife wisdom to readers of Confessions from the Velvet Ropes. Combining elements of juicy gossip columns, rock star fan memoirs and nightlife social studies, Confessions from the Velvet Ropes is a tell-all with style, including humorous side-bars and tips on how readers might make it past the velvet ropes.
224 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2006
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 22, 2022
didnt care about most of the book i was just obsessed with the description of the outfits. late 00s fashion is so sexy.
May 7, 2009
There’s something distinctly lacking about Confessions from the Velvet Ropes. Though a slender book, it took me weeks to finish, because I kept putting it down and then not caring enough to pick it up again. It’s hard to put my finger on why it’s not a more compelling read. All the right elements are there – the circus-like New York club scene, with its celebrities and wannabes; drunkenness and temporary insanity to spare – but, despite an amazing mise en scène, there’s no real story to tell.
Thomas Onorato just isn’t interesting enough to warrant a whole book. A longish article? Sure. A book? No. Ironically, the book includes very short interviews with two other, older “door whores” who might have warranted an 80,000 word manuscript: the fabulous/fearsome Kenny Kenny and Studio 54 doorman, Mark Benecke. By contrast, Onorato, by his own admission, hasn’t lived much of a life. Therefore, the book is reduced to a series of anecdotes – stories of crazy parties gone awry (a Baby Phat fashion show; a Madonna DJ session; an obscure dance night unexpectedly blessed with the presence of P. Diddy). Some of the anecdotes are charming and genuinely interesting; some are not. Unfortunately, they all begin to blur together.
The structure of the book could definitely use some work. It’s a confusing, almost stream-of-consciousness mess of, “I remember this one time…” Glenn Belverio, the author, also approaches the biography from an odd angle. It’s not ghostwritten, from Onorato’s POV, but the narrative is also not content to simply observe from the outside. The result is almost novel-esque, with lots of thoughts apparently plucked from Onorato’s head. It’s hard to suspend disbelief that Onorato was able to recall the minutia of what happened at each of these parties so exactly and Belverio was able to translate them to the page truthfully.
There were bits and pieces of Velvet Ropes that I enjoyed, but the book is ultimately a lot less than the sum of its parts.
Thomas Onorato just isn’t interesting enough to warrant a whole book. A longish article? Sure. A book? No. Ironically, the book includes very short interviews with two other, older “door whores” who might have warranted an 80,000 word manuscript: the fabulous/fearsome Kenny Kenny and Studio 54 doorman, Mark Benecke. By contrast, Onorato, by his own admission, hasn’t lived much of a life. Therefore, the book is reduced to a series of anecdotes – stories of crazy parties gone awry (a Baby Phat fashion show; a Madonna DJ session; an obscure dance night unexpectedly blessed with the presence of P. Diddy). Some of the anecdotes are charming and genuinely interesting; some are not. Unfortunately, they all begin to blur together.
The structure of the book could definitely use some work. It’s a confusing, almost stream-of-consciousness mess of, “I remember this one time…” Glenn Belverio, the author, also approaches the biography from an odd angle. It’s not ghostwritten, from Onorato’s POV, but the narrative is also not content to simply observe from the outside. The result is almost novel-esque, with lots of thoughts apparently plucked from Onorato’s head. It’s hard to suspend disbelief that Onorato was able to recall the minutia of what happened at each of these parties so exactly and Belverio was able to translate them to the page truthfully.
There were bits and pieces of Velvet Ropes that I enjoyed, but the book is ultimately a lot less than the sum of its parts.
November 24, 2010
I read this on a plane ride. Not much substance - just a light read about has-beens and clubbing post-Studio 54. I find the whole NYC club scene really weird anyway, and this just confirmed it. I did appreciate that the author wasn't afraid to name names when it comes to gossiping. The content is already dated, so probably not worth reading at this point unless you are really curious about early 2000s era clubbing.
June 3, 2008
Being a patron of the former MisShapes party in NYC on Saturday nights I wanted to see what Thomas Onorato had to say. It was interesting as well as humorous.
July 29, 2012
Boring. Considering this guy hung out at some of the hottest clubs, it showed how much doormen miss out on all the fun. Or the author just asked all the wrong questions.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews