Entertainment

Robert Verdi wants it all

By Matt Kailey

If you think that a successful jewelry designer, celebrity stylist, lifestyle expert and television personality already has it all, you're wrong - at least in Robert Verdi's case. This self-made maven of the fashion and design world won't rest until he's made a multi-million-dollar book deal, created an internationally beloved children's character in his image, invented a weight-loss lollipop, crafted an adult ice-cream empire and ... well, to find out what else he's got up his sleeve, down his pants and in his head, you'll have to tune in to the one thing he wanted that he really did get - his own television show.

The Robert Verdi Show Starring Robert Verdi premieres February 10 at 8 p.m. MST on Logo TV and features Verdi's original and outrageous ideas for expanding his personal brand while making millions, as his hapless but good-natured staff attempts to carry out his wishes - and demands - in 24-48 hours. Through it all, Verdi and his staff see to the everyday details of the business, including planning and hosting celebrity parties, organizing magazine photo shoots and advising the stars on matters of fashion, style and design.

"The whole premise of the show is the things that you come up with for your brand," says Verdi. "The reality is that there are a number of things that I want to do, and that they don't always happen, and that I do spread myself very thin. And because of that, I end up really creating some chaos, because I don't live in a fishbowl. ... I live in an aquarium. So I think there's no reason we shouldn't be doing X, Y and Z. We should at least try and it could probably happen. ... But with the show, the idea is that I do have these ideas that are really timely and smart and funny and relevant, and I like to see if I can execute them."

The goal, Verdi says, is to make money and create a business - like the adult ice-cream business featuring flavors such as My Nuts and Sweet Sticky Stuff. After all, who wouldn't want a taste of Verdi's Sweet Sticky Stuff?

"It all follows from fashion," he says. "You have to create an image and an identity and a viewpoint, and so that's what I do. I come up with what seems like a crazy idea, and I end up thinking, 'Well, this is actually a really viable business, and there's no way we can't execute this, and we should be able to completely construct a business around this.' Of course, the show ends with the wah-wah. But that never stops me from pursuing it. It took a long time to come up with the light bulb. It took a long time to invent the wheel. It doesn't happen overnight. So I'm OK with the struggle."

And he should be - Verdi is certainly no stranger to struggle. The son of immigrants with 4th-grade educations, Verdi grew up learning the skills he needed for day-to-day survival, never knowing that helping out in the kitchen or learning to sew would eventually lead to both a lucrative career and celebrity status.

"My mom had to crochet her own bras," Verdi says. "My dad had to build his own chair to sit at his desk. And so by necessity ... my parents had to learn to do things, to make things, and that never left them. …

"My mom would make draperies and make our Halloween costumes, and she would make tablecloths and slipcovers for the furniture. And she would cook these fabulous meals and set a beautiful table. And she worked for Vogue, designing those patterns that you used to get from Vogue Patterns. And she just exhibited skill in every area. My father made cabinets - and my dad was a chef, but also was a carpenter. They were just sort of multifaceted, talented, interesting and creative people, and so I grew up seeing that. And I was able to tap into that part of myself just naturally because we were always doing and making and making and doing. ... In many ways, I was an ugly reminder for them, because their creativity brought them blue-collar employment. ... But I had these natural instincts."

And his natural instincts led him to success. Verdi's creativity allowed him to see a need - and a solution - where others could not, such as in an early job with a home furnishing and design store, where Verdi recognized the need for a special service dedicated to the celebrities who shopped there. So he set up a department within the business to cater to those celebrities.

"That's the way I always behaved," he says. "As if every business was my own business and I was building it. That's why I ended up doing what it is that I've done. I was able to be surrounded by celebrities because I was able to create a situation where they were seeking me out."

But although he rubs elbows with a diverse array of stars, and is friends with the likes of Kathy Griffin, Hugh Jackman and Eva Longoria, Verdi claims that he isn't famous himself.

"People who are into a certain genre of television or into a certain industry might know me, but I am pretty anonymous still on the planet," he says. "I can walk down a street. I still get on the train, and I still have a normal experience in the world. ... Most people who spend time with me don't think of me as somebody famous. They think of me as somebody annoying."

The people who spend the most time with Verdi nowadays are those who work for him - and do their best to keep their annoyance to themselves. The Robert Verdi Show is almost a reality sitcom, and the players that Verdi surrounds himself with are as much a part of the fun as the star himself. Many of the laugh-out-loud-funny parts of the show involve the subtle reactions of the staff to Verdi's ideas - and their attempts to carry them out, regardless of what they think. But Verdi chooses his employees based on his own gut-level feelings, including how he thinks they can handle him.

"I hire based on instinct, not on skill, because they're basically all skill-less," he says. "Deirdre (company vice president) is as crazy as I am. When I say, 'I have an idea,' she puts on her seat belt. ... Ashley (events manager) was super smart. I had no idea that she was a pill-head. ... But she's smarter than me, and I like that, because that's so hard to find. ... Now Patrick (marketing manager) ... was a sycophant. He was a total ass-kisser. And he sent me a note with some queer quote, like 'You never know how much you can change a person's life in that moment, second' - it was like a Reader's Digest quotable quote, and it was annoying and queer, but still charming and sweet, but more annoying to me, because he felt more like a superfan than a person who was applying for a job. And it felt to me like he wanted to be me, which is a great quality ... so I said to Patrick in our very first interview, I said, 'I don't get the feeling that you want to work for me. I get the feeling that you want to be me.' And his response was, 'I can't argue with you on that.' And I said, 'Give me a few weeks to find a job for you around here. You're hired.' So we brought him on board to join the events side of the business."

And although Verdi guesses that it's probably "horrible" to work for him, he also says it could be so much worse.

"There's so many more horrible people out there to work for," he says. "And I say a lot of mean things, but I let them be as crazy and needy and unproductive as they are. So I think it's both good and bad."

But no matter how annoying Verdi can be, and no matter how crazy his ideas might seem, working for him probably isn't nearly as horrible as he thinks it is. But being his partner? That might be a different story.

"They don't last long," he says, "but anybody that I date is sort of like a helium balloon. They're very high for a minute, and then they're on the floor by the next morning. I'm tragically and unfortunately single, although in my old age, happily single. I'm 41, but 41 in straight years, which is different in gay years. They're similar to dog years, so I'm actually 287. So I know I look good for 287, but it is rather old. And I recognize my own limitations in having a relationship and what is important to me and what makes sense to me and what works for me - and what works for me is nobody's stuff being in my house except my own. ... Dating me is difficult. Because I think you have to date somebody equal - and I'm unequal. And I mean that in the best and the worst way about myself."

While the new show may garner Verdi some suitors - some people really are looking for someone with a sense of humor, and Verdi also looks good and pulls off his own unique sense of style - he envisions himself alone in the long run. Where does he want to be 10 years from now?

"Hopefully dead," he says, laughing. "But that's just wishful thinking. At my imaginary lakehouse. That's hopefully where I'll be. I'll be a little more isolated than I am now. I'll probably be a loner who talks to myself and lives somewhere in some semi-remote part of the northeast, near a lake somewhere. I don't know where, because I'm constantly looking for that escape."

Maybe the lake house is just one more idea that Verdi can conjure up for his show - just like another dream he has.

"I'm not a porn star," he says. "But I wish I were."

Stay tuned - that could be The Robert Verdi Show's next project.

For more information, go to www.robertverdi.com or www.LOGOonline.com.