AV: What are your goals and hopes for the club in the near future and long term? LW: Well, I finally feel like I’ve come to a place where I do this well. People come for the music and they know it’ll be good. I hope they stay and look at the art (or come for the art and stay for the music). I don’t really care about how MANY people come. Popularity isn’t a primary concern; that isn’t why I’m here. I want to have a quality place where people feel comfortable and have fun. AV: Do you scout for artists or do they find you? LW: I generally find them or have people suggest them to me. The gallery is, at present, really set up for and focused on two-dimensional work, although that could change in the future. I generally think of a theme for an exhibit and then invite the artists. The exhibit I have on display now, for example, was the idea of bloggers and business owners who use SL photography, but don’t think of themselves as artists--but the images are wonderful! Also, I’m only interested in SL art, not real life photos. AV: How long did it take you to complete BeBu Club and Gallery and what have been the challenges putting the club together? LW: Once I decided I wanted
to do the club/gallery, it didn’t take that long. I thought about things like how people would move through the space, what would make the music work, making the DJs feel comfortable, the kind of wall space I wanted for artwork and the landscaping that would pull it all together. When I lost the Terra Lounge club, which was on a homestead (so we could never have more than 30 people), because the landlord left SL and Court (Goodman) didn’t want to be involved anymore, I was able to reflect and regroup myself. There’s always a period of time when you more from one club to another where you take a step back and decide what you want to do moving forward. I did that for a while and then it just fell together. I’ve been working with people in here for a long time and things have been fairly drama-free (laughs), so I’ve had a lot of support from deep house music lovers. I work with all kinds groups of people in real life so I’m fairly good at getting along with people. You have to. AV: What have been the best rewards of running BeBu Club and Gallery to date? LW: When people are here and I know they’re enjoying themselves. That’s the best. Another rewarding experience when I am thinking about the next exhibit. As an artist in real life I like to do that.
AV: What words would you use to describe BeBu Club and Gallery? LW: Comfortable environment, quality house music, interesting artwork. There are a lot of different kinds of clubs in SL and some I really love, such as Dogglounge and Deep Connection, but BeBu is also a reflection of what I love. AV: What events do you have? How can people who are interested find out what events you have or more information about the club/gallery? LW: I have a weekly party on Sundays, and occasionally during the week there may be something spontaneous. I generally post them on Twitter and send out notices in different groups, such as: World of Deep House or A list. I also post them on Posterous. AV: Is there anything else you’d like to add that you haven’t mentioned yet? LW: There are so many great DJs and artists in SL, and I’m happy to support them. I hope people will drop by! BeBu Club and Gallery, Whispering Falls [122.11.21].
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