5 Minutes with Mike Ruiz

Pretty Masculine. Photos by Mike Ruiz.



"If it isn't fun. It's not worth doing."


Mike Ruiz is a world-renowned photographer, who also happens to be a TV personality, former model, actor, spokesperson, creative director and director. With his wide array of experiences and interests, it's no wonder Mike lives by these words.
Mike was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, and at the ripe age of 20, he moved to the States with just $300 bucks in his pocket and a desire to be in the entertainment world. After working for more than a decade as a successful model, his true calling came into focus one Christmas morning, when he received a gift of a lifetime: his first camera. Wide-eyed, he took the camera out of the box, and in the blink of an adept eye, his whole life was about to change. With focused determination, Mike immediately took to his new present--taught himself the intricate mechanics of the camera and to this day, he hasn't stopped clicking away. Perhaps it's only when you might hear him say, "we got it!", that there is but the slightest of pauses to an otherwise very hectic shooting schedule. Sharing with the world the images that he captures is tantamount to poetry. Whether it's Kim Kardashian, Betty White, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry or Prince, Mike has seen and shot them all.



Q1. What was the first record that you owned that had a life changing effect on you?

MR: The B-52's released in 1979. I was obsessed and played it until the grooves were gone. I still listen to on my iPod.



B-52's Rock Lobster.

Q2. When did you first become interested in photography and what prompted you to go into it as a career?

MR: I became interested in photography when I got a camera for Christmas in 1992. It became the spicket for everything creative I had been bottling up inside of me. After about a year of photographing everything in sight, I realized that there wasn't anything else I ever wanted to do professionally so I put every ounce of my being into making a career out of it.



Q3. Can you tell me a little about your latest book "Pretty Masculine"?

MR: Pretty Masculine began with my desire to portray masculinity out of context, a sort of deconstruction of what society deems to be "Masculine" and I compiled images for a book which I released in Oct of 2011. It was a philanthropic effort as well with 100% of the profit going to GMHC.



Q4. You often featured on TV shows like "The A-List," "America's Next Top Model," and "RuPaul's Drag Race"...What's the craziest thing you've seen happen on one of those shows?

MR: The craziest things that I have been witness to have only come from me watching the final cut of the episodes on TV. The way that hundreds of hours of footage are whittled down to less than an hour of programming is astounding to me. Needles to say, it would seem that most reality show cast members are perpetually having meltdowns, panic attacks and hysterical fist fights!!!





Mike Ruiz interview on ETalk News.

Q5. Any good/outrageous celebrity stories from your career that you can share, maybe without naming names?

MR: The best story is not outrageous as it is inspiring. There have been a small handful of people who have inspired me creatively over the years and most of them were at their pinnacles in the 80's. One of which was Prince. I had the good fortune to work with him on more than one occasion and it was just spellbinding for me to be collaborating creatively with someone whom I see as a creative genius. Times like those are what make me realize how incredible fortunate I have been and how grateful I am for all of the decisions I have made for myself.

http://www.mikeruiz.com/

5 Minutes With Anita Sarko

Anita Sarko is an influential night club DJ who has been based Manhattan since 1979. Anita was the DJ at Mudd Club, Danceteria, Rock Lounge, Area and Palladium's VIP Michael Todd Room. Musically Supervised and produced music for Banana Republic CDs throughout the mid to late 1990's. Has DJ'd private parties for Prince, Whitney Houston, Cher, Leonard Bernstein, MTV, the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), NYCB (New York City Ballet), "Details", "Playboy", "Vanity Fair" and innumerable others. Musically supervised fashion shows and parties for many designers around the world, including Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, Thierry Mugler, Nicole Miller, Stephen Sprouse, Calvin Klein, Vivienne Westwood and Donna Karan. Was the first DJ to be treated as a celebrity and booked into venues around the world.
Anita is currently writing a book based upon her Palladium diaries from 1985-1997.

Q1. What was the first record you bought and what effect did it have on you?

A1. Favorite record ever: "The End Of The World", sung by Skeeter Davis. An absolutely perfect piece of work. She was a star of the Grand Ole Opry. I once mentioned this when interviewed in "Interview". I received a thank you letter from her because a friend had shown the piece to her. That meant SO much.

As for the other 9...forget it. Always in flux. Besides, my faves (except for the most favorite) are VERY personal to me. I would rather talk about the deepest dirtiest secrets of my sex life than my favorite records...Not that anyone gives a shit about my sex life & you are probably REALLY creeped out by the fact that I even mentioned it (hahaha).

The first record that I owned was "Willie the Whistling Giraffe" b/w "Pokey Little Puppy". It was on yellow vinyl. I don't know who bought it, but it was my first. The effect it had on me was to tap into my then unknown obsession with music. I literally dragged my record player (it was battery operated) with me wherever I went and forced everyone to listen. By the time I got to the second one, "Eggbert the Easter Egg", I was as unstoppable as I was unbearable. (Make your own jokes here).

Q2. What's was the first drug you ever took and did it change your life?

A2. The first drug I ever took was the 1/2 Valium my mom would shove in my mouth before any Algebra or Geometry test. I was horrible at math, but, oddly, I got good grades. Thank you, Valium. The next thing shoved in my mouth (another time for a joke) was some sort of diet pill when I began to get chubby during puberty. I had been skinny & my mother did not like fat people. The first drug I voluntarily took was, naturally, pot ("the gateway drug!"). I was the last of my friends to do it. The first song I heard when it hit me was "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream. I also fell madly in love with a giant Heinz ketchup bottle I caught a glimpse of when someone opened up a refrigerator door. And I still love that song & that condiment. How did it change my life? For the better...for the most part.

Q3. What is/or was the best club experience you've ever had?

A3. I've worked in clubs for so long that there have been many best experiences. The thing with working in clubs...especially during my heyday (before entourages) was that you really got to know people when they were at their most relaxed and had their defenses down. That said, so many of the "best" experiences are far too personal or complicated to go into here. sorry... you'll have to read the book...

Q4. Where do you find the best street style?

A4. The best street style is where people really look upon fashion as a form of self-expression. I've been lucky enough to travel quite a bit, so I've seen a lot of great looks in Tokyo, London, New York, Paris, etc. I've found Italy to be a bit staid and, though I adore the versatility of the sarong, I wouldn't rate Bali near the top.

Q5. Please finish this sentence: rapid information exchange via the Internet means that……

A5. Rapid information exchange via the Internet means that one is gratified instantly and I do like to be instantly gratified. Rapid information exchange via the Internet means that no one has an excuse for not communicating ("you weren't home"/"I must have dialed the wrong number"/ "it got lost in the mail"/ "it was a misunderstanding"). rapid information exchange via the Internet means that one can satisfy one's curiousity immediately about whomever or whatever they're interested in. It also lets you know immediately if someone really doesn't give a shit because your info is readily available to them. rapid information exchange via the Internet means that if someone wants to find you, there's a good chance that they can. I am a total information junkie/ a complete research junkie, therefore " rapid information exchange via the Internet means that..." I am very happy that such a thing/situation exists. on the other hand, sometimes the exchange is only reliable during that instant and, after a nice sleep or a bit more pondering, the information exchanged might be turned on its head. there's a good deal of sense in expressing yourself, saving it and not pressing "send" until you've looked at it again with a clearer head and a different perspective. finally, not all information on the internet is true or positive, so what then are you exchanging? A lot of shit.