Jian Ghomeshi knows how to do a book launch: 19 photos of partygoers celebrating the release of 1982 with an all-star karaoke dance party

Meghan Heffern Jian Ghomeshi 1982 Book Launch Party Pictures
Photography by Ryan Emberley
Meghan Heffern Jian Ghomeshi 1982 Book Launch Party Pictures
Photography by Ryan Emberley

See all the pictures from Jian Ghomeshi’s book launch! »

If you’ve ever been late for work because Jian Ghomeshi’s soothing voice lured you into an episode of CBC Radio’s Q, you would have been in good company at last night’s party to celebrate the launch of his debut non-fiction book 1982. Otherwise rowdy partygoers perked up when Jian Ghomeshi took to the stage at The Opera House to say a few words about 1982 and the room basically erupted in cheer when he started singing “Psycho Killer” with Arkells. And such was the overall mood of the event: various Canadian musicians—like Jason Collett, Shad and Lights—took turns on stage, turning an already high-energy book launch into an A-list karaoke dance party of New Wave ’80s hits. (And who other than Jian Ghomeshi could get Olivia Chow and Justin Trudeau out and dancing on a Tuesday night?) Before taking the stage, we spied Broken Social Scene frontman Kevin Drew hanging out in the balcony with Jörn Weisbrodt—sadly, Rufus Wainwright missed out on the party. Meanwhile, Fashion PR powerhouse Kelly Cutrone held court at the book table with Rock-it Promotions’ Deb Goldblatt, conversing with Jian Ghomeshi while he signed autographs for fans and friends. (“We went to high school with him!” two women in line eagerly told us.) By the time the Arkells switched from New Wave to Motown, everyone was scrambling to get on stage—including ETalk’s Tanya Kim who served as a backup dancer with a trio of friends. Considering just how much fun was had, we think Jian should get to work on a sequel as soon as possible.

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