May 31, 2001
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
Forget
the little black book. You need a scorecard to keep up with the rambunctious
dating lives of the women on ''Sex and the City.''
Between
the four of them, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda have fallen head
over Jimmy Choos for a successful but emotionally unavailable master of
the universe (Big), a crunchy furniture designer unaware of his own charm
and good looks (Aidan), and a string of men whom they refer to not by name,
but by distinguishing characteristics (the Yankee, Twentysomething Surfer,
Pothead Bartender, the Munchkin and, um, Mr. Cocky).
''We
laugh because our friends in New York are always talking about meeting
guys [like the ones on the show] at bars and clubs. But we're like, 'Where
are these guys?' '' says Mary Ramiro, 27, of the Northwest Side. ''I could
go out every night for a year and never meet one here.''
With
the fourth season of the HBO comedy set to premiere Sunday--and the first
two seasons of the series available on DVD and video--we made it our mission
to ferret out a handful of single local guys who remind us of some of the
show's characters. We found guys who identify with male and female characters
on the show.
Of course,
nobody wanted to go on record as identifying with the creepy tendencies
of say, Bill, the suave politician with the freaky fetish or Steve, Miranda's
last-season manchild, who thought a puppy could make everything all right.
Not surprisingly, we couldn't find one to admit he related with the Munchkin--but
then again, we didn't really expect to and you know why.
Miranda
Ron Quick, 49, entrepreneur, Streeterville
The
49-year-old businessman is successful and has a cadre of female friends
who associate him with Big. But he relates more to the female cast member;
he likes sex writer Carrie's attitude and attorney Miranda's brain.
''Big
is not a nice guy,'' Quick says. ''He's a ruthless philanderer and is unapologetic
about it. I don't identify with him at all. He's every woman's nightmare,
except for the good-looking part. I'm the kind of person who can be pretty
hardcore when it comes to being punctual and having your word be good.
If you say you're going to do something and you don't, I'll overlook it
once. If it happened again, I'd be skeptical. Miranda's more skeptical
than I am, but she's a realist. If it's black, she'll say it's black and
won't try to couch it as dark gray.''
Samantha
Jerry Wilson, 30, trainer, Lincoln Park
Wilson
also connects with the women on the show. But he recognizes himself in
Samantha, the sexually uninhibited public-relations executive played by
Kim Cattrall.
''I
definitely think that I'm the male version of her,'' Wilson says. ''A lot
of people say I act like her and that we share the same perception on dating
and life.''
The
5-foot-9, 185-pound trainer says he dates frequently, but unlike Samantha,
he doesn't date clients.
''She
doesn't care what other people think and has that kind of take it or leave
it attitude,'' says Wilson, who admits he's more likely to watch the show
if his dates wants to see it. "That's my attitude, too, but I don't
mix business with pleasure. That is 100 percent off limits for me. I'm
a single guy who enjoys being single. Some women see that as a challenge.
They want to see if they can be the one to hook [me]. That works to my
advantage sometimes, but I'm always very upfront with who I am and am careful
not to mislead them.''
Aidan
Leon Kulm, 31, bartender, North Side
Kulm
often has been told by customers that he looks like someone famous. But
his good pal Ashley Page says he reminds her of Aidan, the sweet and mushy
artist played by John Corbett. Aidan was Carrie's first major relationship
after Big (and too good for her, we say).
''Leon
looks a little bit like Aidan,'' Page says. ''He's so sweet and good-hearted.
You seldom find a guy that good looking who is so kind. He's a friend to
everyone who knows him and is just one of the nicest people I know. Aidan
dumped Carrie after she cheated on him. I could see Leon taking things
just as hard if that happened to him.''
''He
seems like a really nice guy. It beats being compared to Pee-Wee Herman,''
Kulm says.
Dan Blue, 43, sculptor, Lincoln Park
Blue's
female friends have compared him to Aidan as well.
''I
used to watch [Corbett] when he was on 'Northern Exposure' and I really
liked his character on there,'' Blue says. ''He seems like a good guy who
always has the right answers, so if that's the case, then I have to be
flattered by that comparison.
''But
I'll bet it's my lifestyle that reminds them of him more so than my looks.
I'm an artist and live in a big old factory in the middle of nowhere with
three dogs, five cats and two Marines.''
Aidan
dumped Carrie after she cheated on him with Big. Blue has never been in
that position. ''I've dated some great women,'' Blue says. ''Almost every
girlfriend I've gone out with has treated me with respect. They've all
invited me back to their weddings. I never really broke up with anybody.
They always broke up with me.''
Always?
''Except
for one,'' he says. ''I made sure she got on the airplane at O'Hare.''
Big
Billy Dec, 28, attorney and club owner
Dec
has never seen an episode of ''Sex and the City.'' Told told that some
of his friends have him pegged him as Big--the character played by studly
Chris Noth, Dec says, ''Isn't he a womanizer?''
Dec,
28, doesn't dog out women. But like Big, he's an overachiever who succeeds
in business. An attorney with a real estate license, he also is a club
owner and a partner in Pow!, a new martial arts studio in the West Loop.
The
dimpled Dec is easy on the eyes, too.
''I
have no idea who Big is, but I heard he doesn't always treat women very
well,'' Dec says. ''That's definitely not me. I'm more shy. But because
of the business I'm in, I get people pointing their fingers at me all the
time about being a womanizer.''
His
friend Dana Klein, who nominated him, says, ''Billy does remind me of Big
in that he's a really successful entrepreneur. But he's also a little eccentric
like Aidan and some of the other guys who've been on the show. He definitely
doesn't dress in suits like Big. Billy's more laid back in jeans and T-shirts.
But he's always at all the openings and is definitely a fixture on the
scene.
''Because
he's so good looking, outgoing and friendly, women love him. But he doesn't
take advantage of that. He's respectful of all women, and I don't think
the same can be said about Big.''
Dino Spencer, 30, Northwest Side
Spencer gets the Big comparison all the time, too:
''I guess it's a compliment if they're talking about his looks. But I don't
treat women the way he does. I've had my heart broken more by women than
them by me.''
Stanford
Guys
were nominated, but they didn't want to go on the record. So let's take
a moment of silence to close our eyes and imagine our favorite sweet, dweeby
guy friend. You know who you are, but it's OK if you don't want to go public.
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