Baird "Bucky" Campbell Jones ^[1] (February 3, 1955 – February 21, 2008) ^[2] was an American author, nightclub party promoter, photographer, curator, art critic, collector, and gossip reporter. ^[3]

Personal life

Baird Jones lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a child, where his father, Cranston Jones, ^[4] was the Time magazine bureau chief and, later, a founding editor of People magazine. He attended the Buckley School, the Groton School, NYU and Columbia University. ^[4] He earned master's degrees from New York University School of Law (JD, MSW) ^[5] and Columbia University (undergrad and two masters). ^[4] Jones was said to be a misunderstood genius. ^[3] According to Phoebe Legere "This was a man of very, very high intelligence and a very advanced understanding of modern art—the mechanics of it and also the way in which promotion is the blood and bone of modern art." ^[3] For a period, he dated Sukhreet Gabel. ^[6]

Club promotion

Jones was one of New York City's first club promoters. ^{[7] [8]} In the early 1980s until his death, he promoted parties at Studio 54, The Underground, Webster Hall and other clubs. Created the "Permanent Pass" with which over a million people attended his parties for over three decades. ^[4] He was friendly with artists on the New York scene such as Andy Warhol, Mark Kostabi, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, frequently including them in shows he curated in galleries, museums, and nightclubs. ^[9] Baird Jones was known to mail out club passes in an effort to ensure that clubs that were on the downside were filled. ^[10] Baird catered to individuals from the outer boroughs to go to clubs in Manhattan. ^[10] His parties had a diverse group including the under-21, oldermen, lgbtq, and others. ^[10] Baird Jones celebrated the release of Dr. Kevorkian from prison at Webster Hall. ^[11]

Art collection

Baird Jones had an art collection from a number of celebrities. It ranged from Muhammad Ali to Jimi Hendrix to Princess Grace, from Mel Brooks to Jack Kevorkian, from Buddy Hackett to Marcel Marceau ^[12] They also included paintings by Adolf Hitler to Charles Manson. ^[13]

Interview

Baird appeared on The Howard Stern Show concerning his love life. ^[14] Baird at this interview claimed to be a 36 year old virgin in 1991. ^[14] Baird Jones interviewed playwright Arthur Miller and upset Miller with his pointed questions. ^[15]

Midget bowling controversy

Jones claims to have invented the sport of midget bowling ^[15] a form of dwarf-tossing which originated in Australia. ^[16] The sport according to Jones was an attempt to "performance art designed to satirize the values of mainstream America." ^[17] Jones famously employed Michael J. Anderson as a participant. ^[16] A bill was signed by former Governor of New York Mario Cuomo to ban the practice. ^[17]

Author

Baird Jones was the author of two books Mark Kostabi and the East Village Scene 1983-1987 and Sexual Humor. ^[18] Baird was a contributor to author at the New York Daily News ^[19] Page Six and Gawker. ^[20] He had a byline at the East Village Eye. ^[4] He was a staffer at Rush & Molloy gossip column. ^[21] He made news with the Village Voice after obtaining an interview with The Limelight Peter Gatien. ^[22] His articles included those about Donald Trump, ^[23] Lester Crown, ^[24] James Crown , Jason Beghe ^[23] and Neve Campbell. ^[25]

Films

Baird Jones appeared in a number of films including B.F.D. (1990), Con Artist (2009), and Behind the Music (1997). ^[2]

Death

Jones died at the age of 53 allegedly from an enlarged heart ^[26] resulting in a heart attack. ^[26] Initial reports though were inconclusive. ^[27] A memorial attended by Lindsay Lohan, was held at the Plumm. ^[3] Plumm ironically was attempted to be closed by a number of promoters including Jones and Ivy Supersonic ^[1] over a dispute about money with owner Noel Ashman. ^[28]

References