Sunday night and what do I do? I watched an hour on the history of disco. It was sort of a sanitized history of disco but still useful. Other than Saturday Night Fever, I never bought a disco album but it was still pervasive in my life from grade 4 or so to grade 11. I did buy (and think I still have) an early disco 45 called "The Sound of Philidelphia" which is important if only to locate the geographical origins of that drum beat.
Anyway, my only point is this. One commentator said the value of disco was in its single-minded positiveness. It was about happy. Go to the disco and be happy. KC and the Sunshine Band comes on the car radio and you have an instant zap of happy. Plus it was the universal Barry White hugging everyone in the whole world sort of happy. Love international by Love International.
What became of that mass action happy? Clearly AIDS knocked off the nation of sexy funkification aspect to disco, Sesame Street didn't help and the disco sucks movement with maybe a bit of racism and a bit of homophobia and, I think, a much larger measure of New Wave DJ thrown in did much damage, too. But where did people go for just play let's all get together happy? I say Wayne Gretzky. Wayne took off the moment the plug was pulled on disco. Well, I mean Wayne and other pure forms of sports...except for the whole labour unrest and striking thing. Which pretty much leaves NCAA basketball. Whatever your race, economic status, hometown or sexual orientation you can follow sports and root for the same team. It's the new disco. There's a slogan for ya.
Comments
Chris Taylor - March 27, 2006 7:34 am
I caught some of that show too, and I find it hilarious that they try to pin the dislike of disco to much wackier attitudes like ethnic hatred and gay hatred.
Sometimes, it's just about the music. And sometimes, people are going to think the music stinks. No matter what the musician looks like or does in his/her private time.
Alan - March 27, 2006 7:39 am
Not hilarious at all but not the full story either.
Alan - March 27, 2006 7:43 am
You forget in your youth that disco was Carter era music and there was a time when Ronnie Ray-gun was the future. I remember a 1979 article in the Manchester Guardian I think entitled "Here Come The 50's" - there was definitely a backlash about the free love society which was equated not too far away from the gay lifestyle society.
Chris Taylor - March 27, 2006 8:32 am
Sorry, but I do find it hilarious. The idea that one cannot like disco without being a raging bigot is just plain hysterical. From what I can recall, of all the talking heads they featured during that particular segment, only the aging producer allowed for the possibility that "disco hate" was not necessarily related to some kind of latent sociopathy.
Alan - March 27, 2006 8:49 am
Again, not a sole source of the event but I recall in that article one of the jokes was that, with the new "Just Say No" era, clapping was now to be entirely on the beat. America had to change in Ronnie-speak and there were many aspects to that. But it was not the case that you couldn't dislike disco without being a raging bigot yet there was an aspect of more than discomfort with the perceived wickedness of the scene. Someone could perceive that as a level of racism though I do not recall that so much as the New Wave thing.
portland - March 27, 2006 9:29 am
say what you want about it - and i certainly didn't like it all (and was known to say disco sucks from time to time purely as a point of street cred) but face it that it still survives in clubs, seems to have no decernible lifecycle, the style is still with us, and young kids still dance to a version of it isn't that different from what the old version of it. you can't say that about the eagles. disco is a great and enduring american artform that doesn't get its due. admit it everybody. barry white will outlive bruce springsteen by an atomic halflife. ain't life beautiful?
portland - March 27, 2006 9:31 am
oh, and coco crisp.
Alan - March 27, 2006 9:54 am
[Deep Barry White Voice] Beautiful, baby. [/Deep Barry White Voice]
ry - March 27, 2006 11:14 am
I say the Free World should rally around baseball, and push baseball into the Third World/TPM Barnett's Gap. I've tried this theme out at Castle Argghhh! at least twice with little resistance, even from the baseball hatin' proprietor. All national monuments should now be baseball stadiums---and hence religious ground. A world connected thru baseball is a world that doesn't need wars.
Alan - March 27, 2006 11:25 am
Or the US could embrace soccer.
Flea - March 27, 2006 11:35 am
"Clearly AIDS knocked off the nation of sexy funkification aspect to disco."
Not in gay bars. Unless Banarama and early Kylie dance music are not seen as an evolution of disco or, as von Clausewitz called it, disco by other means.
Mike - March 27, 2006 11:37 am
Alan [10:54 AM March 27, 2006]
[Deep Barry White Voice] Beautiful, baby. [/Deep Barry White Voice]
I'm shocked; I've always imagined that you had a natural Barry White voice, Alan.
Alan - March 27, 2006 12:22 pm
Mike: I am a little surprised at that. I can't imagine that Barry White booming voice could not captivate, entrall, entrance for any reason but itself. Yet I thought it was all about the content here. Are you saying I am superficially intoxicating? I am growing out my sideburns as it turns out. Maybe it's now all happening for me nearing 43 - it being the image I so wished for at 15.
Flea: You entirely correct me. I speak of only the disco daliance of those who were owners of Red Sovine recordings and watchers of Merv Griffin. Besides...when portland and Flea align who can deny the truth?
Arthur - March 27, 2006 3:12 pm
Didn't disco die out when "Smash Hits" started to cover Punk?
Arthur - March 27, 2006 3:13 pm
... "Smash Hits" ...
<br/>
<small><small>I feel so Eighties.</small></small>
Hans - March 27, 2006 3:20 pm
How much were drinking when you wrote this?
David Janes - March 27, 2006 3:30 pm
Disco Duck.
Disco Inferno.
Disco Sucks.
Alan - March 27, 2006 4:15 pm
Who Hans? Me? I only write this stuff when I am still in pre-caffienated alpha-esque state. It's the only time anything makes any sense to me.
ry - March 28, 2006 1:10 pm
"Or the US could embrace soccer."
And propogate soccer hooliganism? Isn't that a bit dangerous? Look at Italy with the connection between soccer clubs, politics, and partisan fights. Nope. Baseball.
Phil - March 28, 2006 10:22 pm
Disco: happy music? I guess some of the earlier '70's stuff before it became formulaic. Reggae's much happier than disco, just don't listen to the lyrics.
Barry White outlives Bruce? Well, Barry will get you laid. Bruce's music is better, but who ever said life is fair? Talk about happy music.
cm - March 29, 2006 1:44 pm
In some corners, Bruce is more likely to get you laid than Barry. Just sayin'.