K.O.X. trouble

>> Is the reopening of the legendary nightclub reality or a hoax?

by MATTHEW HAYS

Montreal's club-going and gay communities have been riddled with questions--and very few answers--over the past two weeks, after full-page ads taken out in both the Mirror and Ici claimed The Club Formerly Known as K.O.X was reopening its doors.

The first ad, which appeared in the issue of August 23, claimed the club was reopening, and also made reference to the recent move by Unity to refocus its direction towards a straight clientele as Arena. No address was listed on the ad, which led to dozens of phone calls to the Mirror/Ici switchboard, with callers inquiring as to the whereabouts of the new K.O.X. Those who have seen the old Station C building, at 1450 Ste-Catherine E., will know that it appears to be completely vacant and not in any condition for reopening.

But two men, who identified themselves as Toronto businesspeople Jason Thompson and Matthew Gore of a company they refer to as MAMG Financial, placed a second full-page ad in the issue of the Mirror and Ici for Thursday, August 30. This ad claimed the temporary liquor license for the club, which the ad also announced was to reopen on August 31, had been blocked by a Quebec Superior Court injunction. At the same time, the group Thompson and Gore claimed to represent, MAMG Financial, issued a press release about their club venture. The release announced that the new K.O.X. venture had been blocked by a coalition of Village businesspeople who were threatened by the new business.

Rambling releases

The release itself was rambling and cryptic, claiming MAMG had intended to "revitalize the Montreal Gay Village by reopening one of Montreal's landmark buildings to operate the biggest nightclubs in the country. MAMG planned to invest $3,200,000 (U.S.) over the course of the next six months in order to upgrade and renovate the venue, becoming a world-class entertainment venue presenting live performances, theatre, comedy and artist appearances."

The press release also vented anger specifically at Unity owner Pierre Viens for turning Unity into a straight club, comparing such an action to "a French restaurant opening in the heart of Chinatown."

A call to the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux, however, reveals that not only was a temporary liquor license not granted, no applications for a liquor license for the Station C space have been received in the past two years. (The liquor permits for the K.O.X. address, 1450, expired in '99, as did the license for the former Sisters venue at 1456.)

Speaking to the Mirror last week, Gore claimed the company he was representing, MAMG, was a major financial group with international connections, was Toronto-based and employed approximately 150 people. But when asked who the president of the company was, he replied that he "couldn't release that information." When asked why, he insisted it was because MAMG's lawyers had informed him not to release any new information about the company to the press.

Disappearing K.O.X.

The Mirror was also contacted early last week by Jeffrey Feldman, a Montreal publicist who, at the time, claimed to be affiliated with the new K.O.X. project. Feldman said the reasons for the secrecy were part of a plan to surprise the public, creating a sense of mystery around the project in turn enticing more people to venture to the new venue. But by early this week, Feldman was distancing himself from the project completely. In a statement made to the Mirror, Feldman said, "I in no way endorse nor advocate the ads and the press release or the way in which this situation has been handled." While Feldman said he had been meeting with people involved with the project for close to a year, he added he had not yet been paid for his services, and thus--according to his lawyer--could not be described in print as a publicist for the event.

Early this week, neither Thompson nor Gore were available by phone. Last week the phone line accepted messages; this week it didn't. Toronto directory assistance has no listing for MAMG Financial.

While some are suggesting the opening was an elaborate hoax, the question remains as to why a group of businessmen would spend thousands of dollars on ads promoting a venue that, apparently, was never going to open as scheduled. Some argue the MAMG group were looking to rally public support for a K.O.X reopening, seeing as their ad included Web and e-mail addresses where their supporters could sign a petition.

Confusing matters further is the fact that the Station C building has been sold by its current owners, MK Group Properties, to a France-based buyer. But the realtor handling the case said the new owners' identity could not be revealed as it could interfere with the finalizing of the deal.

Local club owners and merchants remain as mystified as anyone else. At least one, Sky owner Peter Sergakis, is considering legal action against MAMG for their calls to boycott his club. "Why anyone would want to do this is beyond me," Sergakis told the Mirror.

At press time, Thompson and Gore had still not returned the Mirror's phone calls or e-mails.