LEG5 (Real name Lucy Geldziler) is known for her digital footprint, alongside her real footprint, which can be found at the club. Lucy is a writer based in New York City who is ready to take on any project that comes her way. From poetry readings, dancing on elevated surfaces, modelings, and more, Geldziler can truly do it. I had the chance to sit down with Lucy and talk about all aspects of her life!
This interview was conducted over the phone and has been edited for clarity
MARK BLUEMLE: So I guess my first question is, who am I here with?
LEG5 (LUCY GELDZILER): Hello, I am Lucy Geldziler.
MB: OK, Lucy. And do you want to just tell us a little bit about yourself?
LG: I'm a writer and newly aspiring comedian, and occasional model and actor and party girl and this and that and icon and whatnot. All of this to say obviously I work service and retail jobs so I can actually pay my rent. But yeah, that's me.
MB: Right, I love that. You are an icon, I must say. You are one of my biggest inspirations.
LG: Stop
MB: I love your Instagram feed, it’s very, Tumblr, I guess?
LG: Thank you!
MB: Did you grow up on Tumblr?
LG: Not even, really. So many of my closest friends did. I grew up on Instagram actually.
MB: Yeah, that was going to be my next question, what social media apps did you primarily grow up on? For me, it was like Musical.ly or Instagram.
LG: Yeah, Oh my god. I was never really into Musical.ly. I mean in middle school I was a Snapchat user but I haven't touched that in years, I'll go on it once every couple of weeks. I mostly now use Instagram, and of course, I had a TikTok phase, but Instagram is my main thing now, but every once in a while I get sick of the superficiality and want to fully go offline.
MB: Awesome, I love that.
MB: I know that you're a writer, I have a few friends who are writers, and they are always saying how hard it is to break into the “industry” and get jobs and stuff, so what's been your experience with that?
LG: It’s f*cking hard. Surrounding myself with other creatives has been the most helpful thing so far like literally networking. I'm not even joking, partying has helped me network so much more than just sitting in my room sending emails never would have. I'm so personal and surround myself with so many successful and creative people in my social scene. Everyone wants to help each other out, even if I'm not selling my screenplays immediately, cause they're so f*cking hard to sell, then it's like, I have friends that put together poetry readings and put me on lineups and then people like my work and then I get recognized and get asked to do another poetry reading.
Networking is really a huge part of it. You can just, like, write and write and write and send emails and send emails but you have to meet people first. I've written feature screenplays. I read this statistic, I’m not sure how accurate it is, but it said that 99.99% of screenplays don't sell, and of the .01 that do, it doesn't mean that they will get produced. Even if you have a good screenplay, it's hard to sell them without representation, like if you don't have an agent; but it's hard to get an agent if you haven't sold one, so it’s like, the chicken or the egg… neither of them came first!
MB: That is a great way to put it, for real. You’re right, agents these days, especially in the music scene, only want to sign people who already have a following. They don't want to do the work for them.
MB: I guess on that note, what are you working on right now?
LG: I just started writing comedy, well I've done stand-up before. I'm writing more comedy and I started writing a TV show, still in its very early stages. I also have a screenplay I finished that I’m trying to get out there.
MB: Nice. You’re from Jersey right-?
LG: -And substack. I'm trying to start a substack. And yes, I am from Jersey.
MB: [Laughs] Has being from Jersey affected your writing; like from where you grew up?
LG: That's so funny actually, at a poetry reading I just read it, I just read something about being from New Jersey, so like, yeah, Jersey lives in me. Everything I do. I eat sleep Jersey, even when I live in Bushwick.
MB: The Bushwick baddies are taking over right now, I fear. Why did you move to NYC?
LG: I've always wanted to live in the city and I've always been close, it wasn't that new to me, but I felt more acquainted with the creative people. And I did move for school, I started as an acting for film major but dropped out of that school.
MB: The people here are so willing to collaborate and work. I love it.
MB: A few more questions and then we will be done, what is your sign?
LG: I'm a Capricorn! Born on the cusp!
MB: Oooo a cusp okay.
MB: What is your favorite bar or club? Or a scene in general, I guess?
LG: That’s a hard question because I’m a “scenester.” I don’t go for the venue but for the people, lineup, and friends performing. People not places, amirite? I've spent so much time at Old Flings, I've hosted there a million times. My best friend hosts at Georgia Room and at Starchild rooftop. RIP Butterfly Soho, that was a good one. I’m going to have to go with Paul’s Baby Grand. It's a classic, I have gotten kicked out of there though.
MB: Aw man, why’d you get kicked out?
LG: Umm.. it was my friend's birthday and I was on an elevated surface, as I usually am, and I was coming down and I tore one of the paintings down with me.
MB: It happens.
LG: Kind of doing them a favor, to be honest. You should have seen the painting.
MB; You said that being in the clubs and bars helps you network a lot more than just writing emails. What would you say is the best, like, thing that has happened to you just from going out.
LG: I don't know if this a stupid answer, but honestly, I would just die for all my friends. Not even career wise, but just meeting so many people I love so deeply. You Are probably asking this from a career stance, but I've made so many friends and I couldn't be more grateful to have so many awesome people near me.
MB: No, that’s the perfect answer! That’s great! I love that!
MB: What did you think of the Met Gala?
LG: I wasn't really studying them as much as I should have been, but from the ones I saw, ummm, they were okay. My roommates are in fashion, so I was prepared for them to be insufferable about it, but I think the fact that they weren’t speaks volumes about the lack of exceptionality of everyone’s outfits.
MB: Yeah, that’s about it.
LG: My friend snuck into the media section.
MB: That’s definitely something I see you doing too. Have you ever taken the J across the bridge and chilled in between the cars outside?
LG: No, I haven't. I've walked the Williamsburg Bridge though!
MB: Holy, how was that?
LG: I've done it a few times, It’s a long walk.
MB: Well, that's about it! Just a quick little chat about who Lucy is! I guess my last question is, anything you want to say to the 47 readers?
LG: Be authentic, always. Authenticity attracts, even if you're insecure, be yourself and people will be drawn to you.
MB: I love that, we all need to be a bit more real these days.
LG: Exactly.
If you want to follow Lucy on her journey with her writing, you can follow her Instagram down below!
Interviewed and Photographed by Mark Bluemle
Hat Designed by Cassidy Healy Productions