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Time to take another peek [Lifestyle Theme] into the “Lifestyles of the Rich… and Cranky.”
It’s tough being rich. I’m not talking here about mere millionaires – it’s the pain of billionaires I’m asking you to feel.
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The pressure to perform is constant, for other rich people are always trying to outdo you. Take birthdays. When you’re totally turbo-rich, you can’t just celebrate with a quiet dinner at the Ritz. No, your birthday must be a gaudy celebration of yourself, a social splash with diamond-studded WOW-factor that shouts: “I’m richer than you!”
So, with his birthday coming up, what was Wall Street billionaire Steve Schwarzman to do? Charter jets to fly a crowd of friends and cronies to Las Vegas for an all-expenses-paid weekend? Already been done! You can literally sense the pain he was experiencing, can’t you?
But Stevie came through. He turned a cavernous 35,000-square-foot armory in Manhattan into palatial splendor, festooning the hanger-like space with a Milky Way’s worth of glittering stars, suspended above a grand chandelier the size of most people’s houses. Orchids were tossed about like cheap confetti, wine flowed like a river, a gourmet feast was laid out, and Rod Stewart was paid a million dollars to perform on Steve’s special night.
Then they came – 1,500 of Schwarzman’s best friends arrived in stretch limos and Escalades to hail His Steveness. Several barrel-chested men in black berets were posted as sentries, after bomb-sniffing dogs had swept the place. The paparazzi flashed as Barbara Walters, Cardinal Egan, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, and a host of Wall Street barons were waved in. And look – was that Donnie Trump or just his wig? Yes, it was The Donald himself. With wig.
This is Jim Hightower saying… It was a triumphant night. But, God, the pressure! Thank you for sharing Steve Schwarzman’s birthday pain. Now, go about your own insignificant life.
Sources:
“Inside Stephen Schwarzman’s Birthday Bash,” New York Times, February 14, 2007.
“$3M Party Fit For a Buyout King,” New York Post, February 14, 2007.
“Turning 60, and Doing So in Style,” New York Times, January 27, 2007.