Who Is Samantha Ronson?
The Professional Partier Is a Fixture in Lindsay Lohan's Life
But her current passion seems to be partying. Ronson spins records and sells out clubs, though not necessarily because of her talents on the turntables.
"She's not a particularly good DJ. When you see her DJ, she really looks asleep at the wheel. She'll smoke cigarettes and just click through the songs on her laptop," said Ian Drew, Us magazine's editor at large. "She's like the friend with a bunch of records that you had come over when you had house parties in your parents' basement. The more drunk or high you get, the better she sounds."
Her draw? She's friends with the cool kids -- like Lohan, Nicole Richie and Richie's ex-boyfriend, DJ AM. She can create a crowd, cachet and free press at the drop of her signature fedora hat.
"When you book Samantha Ronson for a party, you're not booking her because she's a great DJ," Drew said. "You're booking her because you know she's going to draw a crowd and get your club in the press. That's how she can charge the highest fees. They know if they book Samantha, Lindsay's going to come."
Indeed, last week, Lohan left the Hollywood Hills and the New York nightlife scene for quaint-by-comparison New England, where Ronson had back-to-back gigs at The Estate in Boston and Shrine at the MGM Grand at Connecticut's Foxwoods resort. Randy Greenstein, a partner in the mega-clubs, paid Ronson $20,000 for the two-night booking. He said it was worth every penny.
"The response was off the charts. We got a ton of press," Greenstein said. "We got very lucky that Lindsay came with her. We booked her two months ago, right before the news broke that they were sort of together, and even then, there were nine other offers for her for the same date."
Ronson's crowd-drawing power is her street cred. DJs and club owners respect her for that, if not for her spinning skills.
"Samantha, she wouldn't be considered a DJ's DJ. She's not very technical," said DJ Chachi, who spins at Shrine every Friday and has regular gigs at New York's Tenjune and Las Vegas' Borgata. "But in terms of throwing a party, she definitely does a good job of that. She plays the right music to make people have a good time. Celebrities are comfortable with her and they know who she is, so that's a plus."
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