Look who just got off the bus

Interview, Oct, 2004 by Peter McGough

THEY KEEP SHOWING UP: GUTSY KIDS HUNGRY TO DO SOMETHING BIG, TO BE SOMETHING BIG. INTERVIEW MET WITH DOZENS OF THESE TALENTED GO-GETTERS, AND ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES WE PRESENT--IN FULL GLAMOUR AND GLORY--SOME OF OUR FAVORITE EXAMPLES OF NEW YORK CITY'S MOST RECENTLY ARRIVED FLOCK OF AMBITIOUS AND INSPIRED DREAMERS

All cosmetics and hair products by AVEDA. Styling: J. ERRICO. Makeup: GIGI HALE/artistsbytimothypriano.com. Hair: BARBARA FAZIO/artists bytimothypriano.com. Special thanks: SPLASHLIGHT STUDIOS. Fashion details page 378.

NAME: Dylan Germick. AGE: 20. FROM: Chesterton, Indiana. REASON FOR COMING: To see what all the yackin' about this town is all about. WHAT YOU'LL BUY WITH YOUR FIRST MILLION: This may sound a little cultish, but I'd buy a compound where my family could have a centralized location. BIGGEST LETDOWN: The Big Apple isn't so nature-friendly. WHAT YOU'D CHANGE ABOUT THE CITY: I'd like to see some more trees, air-conditioned subway stations, and--sweet heavens!--an iPod for every New Yorker. FAVORITE NYC SMELL: Believe it or not, sometimes the city air itself is refreshing and smells very alive.

Above: Dylan Germick wears clothes by BOTTEGA VENETA.

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NAME: Jules Ferree. AGE: 22. FROM: Cleveland. Reason for coming: To dance, entertain, and pursue all things fabulous. BIGGEST INFLUENCES: Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. WORST NIGHTMARE: To have on the same outfit as someone I pass on the street. BIGGEST SURPRISE: How many shops there are. BIGGEST LETDOWN: That I can't afford anything. WHAT YOU'LL BUY WITH YOUR FIRST MILLION: A new pair of Manolos. YOU'VE MADE IT WHEN: I'm on the cover of Interview magazine.

Above: Jules Ferree wears clothes and boots by MAXMARA. Fragrance by MAXMARA.

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NAME: Freddie Jenkins. AGE: 21. FROM: Essex, England. REASON FOR COMING: To sing and see what the U.S. thinks of me and my music. BIGGEST INFLUENCES: Elvis. HOMESICK FOR: My family and friends. It's a shame I can't take them all with me. YOU'VE MADE IT WHEN: I sign on the dotted line. BIGGEST SURPRISE: A porn shoot. BIGGEST LETDOWN: Not being in it.

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NAME: Gillian Chadsey. AGE: 34. FROM: San Francisco. REASON FOR COMING: To be immersed in a community of people driven by passion. DREAM: To raid RJ. Harvey's closet of ex-lovers, kick Courtney Love off the stage at the Bowery Ballroom, sing a duet with Beck, and drink a bottle of Macallan 18-year-old whisky beneath my new billboard. BIGGEST SURPRISE: One-degree winters and the regularity of busted boilers. BIGGEST LETDOWN: Burritos. YOU'VE MADE IT WHEN: I no longer have to say, "Can I get you anything else?"

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NAME: Geoff Chadsey. AGE: 37. FROM: San Francisco. REASON FOR COMING: To gain critical mass in the art world here, and to become a native New Yorker. WORST NIGHTMARE: To be subletting with roommates when I'm in my forties. To still be an "emerging artist" in my forties--at which point I'll be "submerging." WHAT COULD POSSIBLY MAKE YOU WANT TO LEAVE: Working so much that I don't have enough time to draw. YOU'VE MADE IT WHEN: I don't have the word "assistant" before my job title. TRUEST NYC STEREOTYPE: This is the place to be if you're filthy rich or dirt poor.

Above (from left): Freddie Jenkins wears clothes and shoes by Y-3. Gillian Chadsey wears clothes by GUESS? Shoes by CHARLES JOURDAN. Geoff Chadsey wears clothes by GUESS?

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NAME: Melissa Gietzen. AGE: 24. FROM: East Grand Rapids, Michigan. REASON FOR COMING: To be on Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off Off Broadway. And if someone wanted to put me in the movies, I think I could handle that, too. DREAM: To wake up in my SoHo apartment the day after signing a three-picture deal with Miramax, and have at least 10 scripts waiting for me on the coffee table. HOMESICK FOR: Ann Arbor. If you've ever been there for a Big Ten football game you would understand. FAVORITE NYC SPOT: The ice cream parlor where I moonlight part-time. The people who work there are artists from all over the country. When anyone gets a gig we all pitch in and support each other. TRUEST NYC STEREOTYPE: There really are people from all over. It's the epicenter of the world.

Above: Melissa Gietzen wears a suit by PIAZZA SEMPIONE. Shoes by SONIA RYKIEL.

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NAME: Brian Faas. AGE: 21. FROM: Roswell, Georgia. REASON FOR COMING: To study improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade. DREAM: To be a cast member of Saturday Night Live, shoot movies in the off-season, and be a talking head on VH1's / Love the 2000s. WORST NIGHTMARE: That I'm 45 and managing an Urban Outfitters. FAVORITE NYC SPOT: Washington Square Park, in the fountain, reading a book. LEAST FAVORITE NYC SPOT: The urine puddle I stepped in on Eighth Avenue earlier today.

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NAME: Kyle Fortin. AGE: 24. FROM: Dartmouth, Massachusetts. REASON FOR COMING: To play in my transplanted rock band, These Bones. DREAM: To do the rock 'n' roll thing until it's embarrassing, then hole up and paint, make films, and write. FAVORITE NYC SPOT: The Lower East Side. It's cozy; it has good theaters and films, and tasty food. It's a great place to drain a weekend. LEAST FAVORITE NYC SPOT: Where the suits are. WORST DAY IN NYC: You're kidding, right? Those don't exist. YOU'VE MADE IT WHEN: The champagne is flowing, and my jaw hurts from smiling so much.