Interview with Steve Adelman
The opening of the nightclub Avalon is a highly anticipated event in Singapore right now. Part of the Marina Bay Sands Complex, it is a largely glass structure that appears to be a giant gemstone floating in the bay. Planned to open in late summer it is currently a conversation starter around town. At the helm is Steve Adelman, who has created or participated in many of the most famous nightclubs of the past twenty years. We buttonholed Steve recently as he disembarked from Singapore Air's flight from Los Angeles.
How was the flight?
Always amazing, you get on board and they deliver Singapore to you, it's like everyone else did the traveling.
Will this be a weekly flight for you?
Oh no, I'm here to stay. A project this ambitious requires my complete focus, total immersion.
Your nightclubs are known for being magnets for celebrities, off course being in Hollywood doesn't hurt. Are celebrities important to you?
Not in the idea of fame for fames sake, not at all. But being in Hollywood and working with the people that create the art and entertainment that we digest is an incredible experience, like being in the nucleus of our global culture. I learned a lot seeing from that perspective.
Will you miss that?
No, we want to build our own nucleus.
Why Singapore?
When I was asked to create a nightclub in Singapore I thought "cool, a trip to do some consulting work in Singapore", the idea of leaving Los Angeles wasn't even a possibility.
What changed your mind?
Mostly it was the infectious enthusiasm of the people I met, it was something new to me. In America you are constantly having to pull people along and when you let go they stop, Singapore however is a seriously optimistic city, very positive energy. I feel our team can create something here that will work with the audience to bring the nightlife experience to a new level.
Anything else?
Well, growing up in the sixties and seventies I saw how the idea of the future changed from being one of hope and modernism to one of dissolution and disrepair. I had almost forgotten that more utopian idea of looking forward, and being here brought it back to me. Singapore is really a city of the future without irony, and I want to be a part of that.