I am surprised that there are no comments on this club as it was a major force in S.F. Bobby Viteritti was among the best DJs there and drove the crowd wild.
Barry

The name djbj up above is also me, Barry Lederer, the one responsible for the club's Graebar sound system.

Trocadero Transfer was lucky to have Bobby Viteritti as the DJ there, for not only was he spectacular with his music(he won DJ of the year from Billboard), he was also a great technician and used to keep the system in tip top shape. What was also unique about Trocadero was the themed parties that were held there. Bobby always rose to the occasion and once you were there you could not stop dancing
barry

Barry, I was one of the dancers there every Sat nite from 11 to 5 am. I loved it there. Everytime I'd start to get tired Bobby Viteritti would mix another new song and i could'nt get off the dance floor!
my best New Years Eve ever in my life Dec 31, 1978

Jonnie

Trocadero Transfer played an important part of my life when I moved to SF in 1979. I had never seen anything quite like this club before. My membership was given to me for Christmas that year and , unfortunately, I did not keep the card. It had your photo on it along with the Troc log (a triangle) and your membership number.

Bobby Viteritti was the ultimate DJ with his amazing mixes. He really did his homework. Those days there was more of a format of high energy through the night with the music actually ending about 6 am, the audience applauding Bobby, then continuing on with morning music. Just amazing. Guest stars would appear without interfering with the flow of the evening's music.

The ambiance of the club was very interesting. Upon entering, there was the "fashion" corner directly to the left, under the bleachers. What few women who went to Troc often hung out here. There was the area by the stairs, which was kind of transient. The space below the DJ booth was Bobby's die hard fans, and then the muscle corner over by the downstairs bar. The music was equally balanced throughout the club and the multiple disco glitter balls in the middle was beyond belief.

I have not been in a club since that had this magic. I know that it was special because it was a point in time where everything came together just perfectly for everyone. There was a "Remember" party that happened a couple of months ago at Troc and the tickets were sold at Medium Rare Records. I asked one of the former Troc employees if he went and he said that he had missed it, as did I since I had to work Monday and it was on a Sunday night...but new has it that it was a big success and will be repeated... AND I WON'T MISS IT THIS TIME.

I realize that many of our brothers and sisters who attended Troc are no longer with us and I want to acknowledge this post on their behalf. The Troc space is still on Fourth Street and, to my understanding, hosts various events.

Trocadero Transfer is in the pantheon of great clubs of the disco era. Along with 12 West, Flamingo, Paradise Garage, the Saint, Dreamland, the I-Beam and Dugan's Bistro, the Troc didn't only create a scene, it created a culture.

There was an explosion of energy and celebration in urban gay meccas at that time.

People came to the Troc to dance for freedom, movement, connection, unity, sexuality, transcendence and experience magic. DJ's Bobby Viteritti, Craig Morey, Steve Fabus, Mike Lewis and Ralph Zapeda not only mixed music but took people on a journey. People followed DJ's seriously and trusted them to take them on a trip that would last all night into the next day.

Now there are ongoing Trocadero reunion parties called "Remember the Party," produced by Chris Njirich, staged every six months in the same building that housed the Trocadero on Fourth Street. They have been hugely successful bringing out people from the glory days along with a new generation wanting to experience some of the magic. People have flown in from the East coast and beyond to attend.

Isn't it amazing the effect Trocadero had on so many people, as demonstrated by the Remember The Party events in the same space? The RTP producers, who used to create much of the lighting magic in Trocadero, have gathered a group of people - all with wonderful and lasting memories of the glory days of Trocadero - to bring back much of the happiness and joy. Much care and thought have been put into the look of the current space (right down to the glitter on the sidewalks as you approach the club!), the quality of the sound, the music that is played (Robbie Leslie has been incredible for the past two parties!), and so much more. Special effort for a special place in San Francisco's history!

Let's not forget Bill Motely and Steven Smith as popular dj's at the Troc. Keefe mentioned glitter on sidewalk, happens I have a pictures from one of Troc White Parties in the late 80's and the last shot on the roll was the sidewalk glitter. It's all starting to make sense.....

Does anyone know what happened to Craig Morey? Craig also played at Circus Disco in Hollyood, CA 1978-1980 and a few months at Studio One before moving up north to work at the Trocadero.

THE FANTASTIC 4 (Rhea, Osvy, Jean & Joe).... perhaps the youngest members of Trocadero who were able to get the blessing from Jimbo (the doorman) every weekend even though we were still in High School. Yes, all members of the F4 are still alive and kickin somewhere. Looking forward to the next reunion.

The Troc was the BOMB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I still have my Trocadero photo membership card, although I couldn't always get in as Jimbo knew I was only seventeen. Yes, I was there with Rhea (now in NYC) and Osvy, as well as Eugene and Mia and many more of the "Left Corner" group. Big Kiss and much Love to those who are with us and those who will live on forever in our hearts. And and especially to Bobby Viteritti....a true legend. I miss you all!!! xo

I was one of the few women who danced the night away at Trocadero on a regular basis. I was a student at Chico State at the time, and my brother and some friends who lived in the City invited me to go there one weekend. After that I was hooked, and would ditch school on Friday night to meet everyone in S.F. The evening usually consisted of a hit of MDA, a few brown bottles of amylnitrate, and the attitude that something great was going to happen. The music, lights, ambiance were incomparable to any other club at the time then or now. Bobby Viteritti would play music that you thought he was playing just for you. We would dance from 11 pm until the sun came up the next day. We looked pretty awful and blotchy the next day. Driving home was questionable, but somehow we made it! All of the wonderful people that I used to go there with are gone now, but I know that wherever they are - they must smile wide and deep when they think of all of the magical nights that we had dancing there. I also went to the white parties, and even saw Divine there once. It was pure magic that can't be described to anyone who wasn't a part of it. There was also alot of leather, sweat, and testosterone. I wouldn't trade a minute of watching the guys in leather with their fans at the end of a long night of dancing - I was always one of the few left standing. What I wouldn't give for one more night with my old friends at Trocadero.

I remember so much of the Trocadero. I remember being left by my friend Craig (he hooked up) and walking through the warehouse district at dawn to get home. My friends at the time: Grant, Wendy, David, Dean, John and I used to take a nap in the early evening, spend the rest of the evening getting ready ... fall into a cab, smoking pot the whole way and tumble out at the Troc front door. It seems I never got off the dance floor -- I couldn't. Everytime I thought I'd take a rest another fantastic song came on and I simply, PHYSICALLY couldn't leave the dance floor. I remember there were a lot of beautiful straight Persian girls and I would dance alone near them ... they'd sidle closer and closer, we'd never talk but the energy bouncing between us ... yum :-) I remember the two women who would dance topless and how it startled me the first time I saw it. I ran into one of those women at a sober dance (of all things) at the Troc one year after it closed. I was with someone who hadn't partied there, she was with someone who also had never been there. We couldn't put into words what it was like, the magic, the communal feeling. We were both speeechless, literally. I remember dancing well into the morning, the sun streaming in through the skylights. It was a wonderful and magical time, true freedom, true exploration. The music played there and at the Monastery in Seattle is the soundtrack of my young adulthood. I miss many of my men friends I knew from that era. We were so innocent, we had no idea what was lurking in the shadows. To quote Dickens, "it was the best of times. It was the worst of times."

Sweeeet to find this site, and read the rememberances of other Troc-goers. No doubt, it was the most "New York" type club in SF at the time...as I recall, it stole the thunder from the old The City (aka Cabaret) nightclub in North Beach, beat the 501's off the I-Beam in the Haight, but was utlimately upstaged by the more antiseptic (but man-hungry) Dreamland on Harisson. Anyway, The Troc was Scene Central, no doubt....EVERYONE who wanted to get wild late at night "on the outskirts of Frisco..." went there, for at that time SOMA was a dark, deserted, industrial zone that seemed far from the real bright lights of the city at the time -- Castro, North Beach, Cow Hollow, Polkstrasse. The Troc, The Stud, Ritch Street baths, The Eagle, Hamburger Mary's....not much more down there at the time, so you felt you were in a bubble, floating in the dark side of SF...
Hard to describe. I loved The Troc! I remember the lights, the incredible sound system, and of curse, the CROWD....a weird, wild, wooly, and wonderful mix you couldn't find anywhere else!

Love to all you other "survivors" I may have danced next to. Who'd know we'd look back 25 years later and say "remember when?" ??

Troc theme parties were the best! Black, White, Red party! The tupperware party! Where they were selling tupperware!

Bobby Viteritti was the best. He played Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman on night! for God sake at 3:00 am. I had great fun dancing for hours. There was a Trod movie done in the early 90s. I can't remeber the name.
S Holt

I went to a "Remember the Troc" party at the Glas Kat Lounge (it's current incarnation) in October of 2005. Alas it was slated to be demolished soon. Jerry Bonham played -Sheer Genius!!!

What great memories.

The first time I went to Troc was the 79 White Party, I was invited by my cousin, The Music and MDA were a great mix. from then on till 1997 it was Thursday thru Sunday/Monday morning. I was a DJ at the Answer in Redwood City and Toyon in San Jose. I had a bartenders membership and attended every bartenders bash. From Bobby to Ralph I watch the changes my last time at Trocadero was halloween 1997. I still have alot of the vinal that was played at Trocadero, to include the orginal Amanda Lear's follow Me Before Bobby's masterful remix, The parties were always over the top from the PJ party to Clown alley that was the night michael blew the system while playing tantra kills of Katmadu and had to reset the system, it is now 2006 I am hopeful that they will have another remember the party in 2006.

Does anyone know or heard from d*** Collier, the owner of Troc? This is barry, who put in the sound system. I have lost contact and was wondering if he is still in S.F. Or where?
Thanks
Barry

Barry, I'm sorry to inform you D ick Collier passed away around the end of 2004. His niece, who took care of him while he was ill, visited us at the Remember the Party - Soul Recharge event in April 2005. There's a photo of her over on the www.remembertheparty.com website. Check out the Event photos for Soul Recharge. She brought us bottles of vine from his winery, fans from his collection and lots of pictures and posters to check out. She's taking good care of his memory!

I might add that the dark, deserted streets and alleys within 3 blocks of The Troc provided a secondary party space for club-goers. This is where we parked our cars, hung out in them, on them, and beside them during "fresh air" breaks 2-3 times a (long) night....there was an amazingly peaceful, low-keyed, yet energetic scene out on the street where we all went to get "rewired" and to reconnect with our friends outside the rollicking, fantastic cacoon that was the club. In those days, we partied away from the bright lights of "The City" -- SOMA seemed, at 3pm, to be out on the far edge of town.

Inside the club, I remember "the chute"...that corridor leading into the main hall was a bizzare space where all sorts of people were coming, going, loitering ... depending on the time of night. Some seemed desperate to connect, some were tweaked and on their way to "somewhere else", some were waiting for friends, some figuring out their next moves...it was the "in-n-out" funnel and it always provided a clue to the energy and vibe of the club. Beyond the chute you came almost immediately into the dance floor. At that point you had a choice:
1. get right out there and dance!
2. veer to the right and "experience" the restrooms...those Salons of Snorting, Primping, Pimping, and Pissing...such a scene!
3. veer to your left and "run the gamut" along the wall toward the "Back Bar"....usually a lively, social, mixed crowd there...easy access from cocktail to tail shake.
4. gravitate to the "Back Wall" under the video screens, between the DJ booth and the stairs...often a "safe zone" for our straight friends and more voyeuristic out-of-town visitors.
5. Go straight through to the DJ booth/performance stage....only regulars, friends of the DJ (and wannabes), and star f****** need apply!
6. take the showy, exposed, curving staircase up to the Big Bar on the mezzanine...great views of the dancefloor from along the railing
7. venture back toward the offices, where the celebrities of the day held court for photos

Did I miss anything?!

The TROC was THE SCENE and the place to dance on the West Coast in the late 1970's. I was 19 and a student at SFSU when I got my membership from other classmates who were members. I was absolutely mesmerized by what I saw when I arrived for the first time. It was magical. Nothing compared in the City. Nothing. The men, the clothes, the women, all beautiful!! I always remember our ritual. Leave the dorms at 11pm for a cocktail in The Castro--Blue Moons. Arrive at The Troc usually wearing Fiorrucci jeans, Willi Smith tops, Gucci belt, Frye Boots, Halston Z-14 colonge. "Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci..." He's the greatest dancer. They never asked for ID's. We would dance from midnight until 5 am and then go study all day Sunday. Most of my buddies that I danced with our gone...but those fabulous Hedonistic memories remain....

Does anyone remember Rob Kimble who also played here for a short time unfortunatly he passed for aids to early, rob was the original rockin robbin from the song made by Bobby Day in the 50s, his dad owned clock radio in san jose, robbie use to hang out there as a kid and danced to the music, bobby day use to get a kick out of that and wrote the song. he did the rimix on its raining men by the two tons of fun, he was wonderful guy, can any of you djs that remember rob share any memories of him please.

Oh the Troc,
I think of it often, I became a Saturday night regular for many years.
I even worked coat check there for about 3 months.
Saturday nights with DJ Bobby, I remember them well. I loved that time at 3 in the morning or after, when he would play whatever seemed to work. I too remember dancing to Sing, Sing, Sing, by Benny Goodman. Begin the Beguine, by Johhny Mathis the 12" remix that was not available commercially.
The parties they used to throw unbelieveable.
The Stormy Weather party hte night Viola Wills performed the song was one of the best
They were in some ways the glory days.
I rarely left until the very end every Sunday.

Later after I moved to LA someone asked me "where did you learn to dance like that?"
I replied "The Troc"

Wow, what a treat to come across this site! I was a Troc regular from 1981 - 1983. Thursday nights was Trip Ringwald, Friday was Mike Lewis, Saturday was Craig Morey (or maybe it was the other way around...too many years ago and too many drugs to remember perfectly) and Sunday Tea Dance was Tripper again. I played fans just a few times right under the DJ booth. More than a few times went up to the booth to treat Trip or Mike to some white powdery substance. When Trip would see me come on the dance floor, he would play "Relight My Fire". Friends always knew that when "In The Name Of Love" came on, I would be in the middle of the dance floor. I loved to buy a few bottles of Amyl and start passing them around as I was dancing. I remember dancing with Paul Parker a few times, plenty of live performances (Sharon Redd riding the bannister down from d*** Collier's office while singing "Beat The Street" while me and my boyfriend du jour were wearing shirts we had made that said "Redd Hott" and giving her a dozen red roses). I also remember the 3 night Halloween parties ("Three Nights' Journey to the Land of Oz") and almost getting kicked out when we jokingly poured a sugar packet out on the bar and lined up the granules to look like lines of crystal. Jimbo at the door. The night I was so high and wearing parachute pants with all kinds of pockets and doing a 'pocket tweak' while searching for something while standing by coat check. Friday leather nights! The amazing mirror ball cluster. Oh my, so many memories!!!!

The void/empty feeling I have regarding the death of my brother Richard (d*** as you all call him) will never go away. You never get over it, you just learn to live with the feelings. I know that until the day before he passed, he continued to discuss the past (Troc) with me. I think we all know, or at least have an idea, when our time is near, and I think he was preparing for his final party. Most all of his friends here on the east coast have passed, and I'm sure alot on the west coast have too. I will never forget the memories I had at the Troc and also the privilege of having such a loving brother.

OH The Troc!! what an amazing place to get away and be yourself. I had the best times of my life there! Dancing in the midst of hot leather men, beautiful women, trannies, and fan dancers! One hit of MDA and a lifetime of friendship all in one glorious saturday nite. It saddens me that all my friends are no longer with me to share such memories. THANK YOU TROC for bringing the best out of me..I will never forget you..and your staff...Jimbo was my best buddy, he made me part of the A list there..and every weekend nite, I was a STAR, thanks to him..

We were so young at the Troc. We didn't even know how people were able to stay up all night. We thought they were like us, eating ice crem so the sugar kept you up. How naive! I loved the fan dancers, the cowboys, the leather guys, our friends Tito and Cito who twirled incessantly all night in penny loafers and their wedgie-do's. Once, I didn't even have dollar bills to get in so I scrounged around the floor of my car and got in with quarters. Little did I know that being young and pretty was all I needed at the time, but again, we were naive, and I had integrity. LOL!

This message is for Donny, d*** Collier's sister.
This is Barry, d***'s friend from NY. I had the honor of knowing him as well as you, your mom and all the wonderful people I met in Wilmington.I put in the sound system at Troc along with my late partner Peter Spar.
It was only recently that I learnt of d***'s passing. Although we had a falling out with our friendship at the end, it cannot diminish the love I had for him and your family.
Please feel free to write to me at Barry254@msn.com
d*** was a wonderful friend. He gave the San Francisco community a great club and supplied them with endless nights of dancing euphoria.
Barry

I used to go to the Troc with my brothers' Tommie & gary Johnson in the early eighties, along with my future wife Louise, we would dance to exhaustion, the mixes would go on forever....My brother Gary worked at the "coat-check". Unfortunately, both of my brothers Tommie & gary passed away some years ago, as well as my younger brother Terry, all from complications of Aids...I do miss partying in the City at the Troc, the I-Beam, even the Deluxe (just to play pool! mainly) oh well, life does go on.....see ya

When I first moved from New York, I was very homesick and missed the club scene that I had been part of back home. But clubs like Troc and the I-Beam were both clubs that I was especially fond of because of the excellent dj's that I heard play, the late hours and the great festive atmosphere. I am proud to say that I played there in 1986 from January to November on Thursdays and Sundays thru the spring and summer and consider it a highlight of my career to have played there(including D. Collier's birthday party that year)for a great crowd of dancers who appreciated good r&b and house music.

HI ADRIAN
SORRY I NEVER GOT TO MEET YOU
THIS IS BARRY FROM GRAEBAR(SOUND SYSTEM GUY)
I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU AS WELL AS OTHERS WHO HAVE MEMORIES OF TROC. I AM HOPEFULLY PUTTING TOGETHER A BOOK
I AM REACHABLE AT
BARRY254@MSN.COM
KEEP SPINNING
BARRY

This message is in reply to Michael Jentes' posting about Rob Kimbell. I used to work with both Rob and his partner at the time Tom Pouch (sp?). We worked together at Castro Station in its glory days and I always remember him as a really nice and friendly guy, who was way ahead of his time as far as music mixing was concerned, and who was, in a sense, very under-rated. I also used to go down to hear him at the End-Up and other bars. Fond memories..........

In conjunction with the 30th Anniversary of the Troc party that's coming up on October 7, 2007, the producers have been in correspondence with the Collier family! Please check out the new section on D ick Collier Jr. at the www.remembertheparty.com website. The section has a brief bio on D ick as well as some wonderful photos!

The link to the section is:

http://www.remembertheparty.com/dickcollierjr/index.shtml

In reply to Michael Jentes' posting, I knew Rob when he spinned in Sacramento in the mid to late '70's. Later I would dance to Rob's music at the I-Beam and End-up, and listen to his music at the Castro Station and DJ's (formerly Toad Hall). If I remember correctly, Rob remixed Yvonne Elliman's "Love Pains". He used to work "Savage Lover", and was a big fan of First Choice.

Trocadero Transfer was a world all its own! Bobby would send us in a frenzy with his remix of "Manifique", or at 5 a.m. bring down the house with "Under the Influence of Love", "You Know How to Love Me", or "Love Changes".

I've been actively collecting music from this period on CD for the past few years. Slowly building up my collection.

I just happened upon this web site and have really enjoyed reading all of the postings. It brought back memories for me. I lived in SF in 1981 and 1982. I can still hear the way the music sounded. It was a sound system like I have NEVER experienced since. I can hear Jump Shout, Don't Stop the Train, Magnifique, and so many others I enjoyed, playing in my head as I write this. I remember going to Alfie's or I-Beam early with my friends Nick Shekro (whatever happened to Nick?) and Paul Diaz and Roy Alejandro, and then spending the rest of the night into the morning at the TROC. I learned to dance on that wonderful floor in the same unique way so many of you danced. No one danced in one spot. We moved and twirled and had a blast. Then often I would leave, walk to Market and catch the Owl back up to the Castro. I lived on Corbett. Oh the sweet memories that will last forever!

Whether it was experiencing Viola Wills being lowered from a skylight singing "Stormy Weather", Marlena Shaw singing "Touch Me in the Morning" flanked by fan dancers, running into Waylon and Madame or Rock Hudson, or everyone on the dancefloor at 6am for "Call Me Tonight", there was always the sense that something wonderful was going to happen each night. The sense of friendship and community was so strong there (albeit drug enhanced at times) that there will never be another place or experience quite like it. The memories are endless and nary a regret in mind's sight. If I could go back... If anyone knows what happened to my friend (dj) Ralph Zepada, please let me know.

Ahhh TROC....How I loved that place! The sound system, the lights and the incredible djs!!! Bobby Viteretti always took my friends and I on the most incredible "journeys". He made Amanda Leer's "Follow Me" his signature song...how the crowd went wild! His mixes were flawless and well, what more can I say? He was the best!

I was one of the straight women that loved to dance with gay men because they actually KNEW HOW to dance, how to let go and have a great time and keep the energy HIGH HIGH HIGH. The White Parties, the Black Parties, fan dancers..unbelievable! I wore a bustier to dance in before Madonna was even heard of. LOL How fun were those days....no matter how bad of a week you had, your spirits would soar on weekends!

I was one of the women that Jimbo let in all the time. He was a sweet, mellow guy and I'm sorry that he and so many of my dear friends have passed away. The memories are still vivid...it was a time like no other and I wouldn't trade those happy, carefree days for anything in the world. I'm so glad I had the experience that was the TROC!

Does anyone know what happened to the DJ named Ralph Zapeda? I was a friend of his and lost touch!

I'm still alive. remember the two 'big' guys, they recorded all the parties at the Troc. Should put them out there on CD's.

I went there with Carl, no longer with us; I remember staring at the cluster balls and poppers....

Loved the guy who danced with himself, hands up and down, up and down.

I was there in 81-86. Gawd, that was the best music.......when I hear it even now, I want to dance.

When I arrived at Miami's LIMELIGHT in 1978, the DJ was Bobbie Lombardi. He was leaving to go work in San Fransisco. I was told it was to the TROCADERO TRANSFER. But that list up above doesn't list him?? Was he at another club? Bobby V was also from Miami, and he left at about the same time? Is there anyone who could straighten me out??

BARRY HERE TO STRAIGHTEN YOU OUT,VYNIL MAN.
BOBBIE LOMBARDI NEVER PLAYED AT TROC.
THEY STARTED WITH GARY TIGHE, THEN BOBBY V. TOOK OVER FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS
TRUST ME I WAS THERE


BARRY LEDERER

Well you know I believe you, but where did Bobby Lombardi play at??

not too sure vynil man
but will try and check it out for you
Barry lederer

Ah the Troc where do I begin? My first time in the doors I had just turned 21 and had met the love of my life Jerry Strum (1957-1998) he took me there! I then started working for Mike Dawson who installed some of the coolest NEON i.e. Blue lightning bolts or the rings suspended from the ceiling! They were awesome!! I also remember going to a concert with Sylvester to see the Costar of the John Waters/ Divine movies Edith Massey. This was 1984 and What made it so memorable was that Edith was wearing a SKIN tight latex body suit (don't wanna know how she got in it) LOL
How tight was it?
It was so tight she had to have 2 BIG hunky guys pick her up by her elbows and carry her out on to the stage!! I laughed till I cried!! Ah those were the days!!

I was lucky to have visited the Trocadero Transfer with my partner back in '97 and we had an amazing time. It's pretty cool that some spaces can stand the test of time and Trocadero didn't disappoint. Is it still open for business?

Wow I'm only 25 so I was only born in '83 but I love reading about this whole The Saint/Trocadero Transfer era: The freshness of liberation, the clones and the staches, the feel good energy. A lot of gay people nowadays could learn from that. I listen alot to the great disco mixes on the vjsproductions mixtapes site.
I also love reading Some Dance to remember by Jack Fritscher and Holleran's Dancer from the dance, especially the dreamlike descriptions in that book make it even more unreal for me since it was before my days and actually almost unconceivable.

Dear Cedric,
You are an "old soul" but a new being. God bless you.

Try to find the book by David Diebold, "Tribal Rites".

It is full of history. I think it would reinforce your passion for the early days.

for those that dont know -THE TRACADERO was the bomb!! So my question is when is the next party to the Tracadero in SF....plse let me know...

Sunday, October 12th at 6PM will be, in all probability, the next "Remember the Party" dedicated to the memories of the Troc. Rumor has it that it will be a "Red" themed love party. See you on the dancefloor.

Anyone know the whereabouts of George Lazarus, former GM for the Troc. back '93-'97?

to tom from march 23rd posting - i can't be certain but i think i am that guy who danced by himself with my hands up and down a lot. i worked at the 'troc' as a floor guy and a bartender for a while. i used to work at 'aloha' records too.
i didn't realize i was dancing differently until my friend, patti, told me a couple of years ago that she liked how i would drum the floor with my fists. the truth is i never ever touched the floor at all; i was just following the ups and downs i heard in the music. you know, like 'runaway' by tapps or 'hey,hey guy' by ken laszlo, etc....
anyway, i'm still alive and remember all the great years of fun & dancing at the trocadero. i had a 29" waist then but age & aids have given me a paunch or 'buddha belly' as i like to call it.
i still have a size small blue t-shirt from the '85 black party 'future shock' and some old cassettes of bobby v. '79 and '80 new years eve party, his 'giorgio and beyond' and a couple of others stashed away along with the first out of the box/ signed by david diebold of his book 'tribal rites.' way too sentimental to even consider ever letting go of - just like the memories...

WOW... don't forget Bobbie's protage, Steven F Smith, he and his light man Jim Feldman, ( unit ) were awesome. Steven also while playing at Troc, was President of Art of Mix Records. Steven passed away in 1992. he and I spent so many nights there, as Bobby V, was the man that taught him, and I was blessed to be able to be flown up by d*** for Guest Lighting spots with, Bobby V, Steven and many more, I still have the Tapes( now on CD) for the " Night In Paris" Syslvesters Never realesed 40 birthday party where he gets on stage and sings a Scat Number, The red flag party, an d many hours of Wonderful music and memories of looking down on the floor. I can not remeber his name, but a Regular after he died we put his ash's Into the Middle of the Dance floor, under the Plexi glass cover for the Floor spot under the Mirror balls.
Richie (stevens old Light man)
In Memory of Steven Smith

Fiona Davison, Bobby Tharp, long time guests of Trocadero 1979 to the remember the party, the Red Party 10/12/08 it was great too see Bobby V. there and although it was fun the missing link is to have Bobby play one party. although Jerry B. has been playing has the music it hard to catch the true feelings that Bobby was able to put in his music and mixing, the dance floor has been cut down by at lease 6 ft at the entry of the dance floor so if your dancing on the edge of the floor your being stopped by groups of people trying to get to the other side of the dance floor, the lighting was ok and the hanging speakers have been moved so the sound is far from the way it was (lacking) the booth has been moved across from where it was and almost level to the dancers, it might sound as though I am complaining, I'm not, I just remember those years through Bobby,Tripper,Craig, Mike, Ralph ,Steve F, on and by the way Hey Steve Fabus it was great to see you there you change little over the year, we are looking forward to Both you and Bobby playing at 1015 next sunday. If you go to the next Remember the Party go and enjoy it will be a fantastic evening.

Oh, god! This site! I was innocently looking for video of Ballet of Trocadero on YouTube when I fell on this site. Mary, I was at this club in the summer of '78. I was visiting friends in L.A. and we decided to drive up to S.F. to visit another crazy friend. Turns out I had other friends in S.F. whom I hooked up with that told me and another queen to meet her at the club and she'd have some blotter. I'm game so we meet there. It was a night I will cherish for the rest of my life. Where does one start? It was such a big space with so so many people in it. Dancing and Partying was an Olympic sport back then. You just didn't stop!! DANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember: those queens that worked the HELL out of those gold fans. I LOVED when someone would be dancing their natural asses off and they would flock around them to fan them down as a recognition of their fabulousness. Then those black queens who would be holding some kind of long rod in front of them creating a glamorous mini chorus line of about 4 or 5 of them. They would beautifully move thru the dancing crowd and would rhythmically dip to the beat perfectly! There was a gorrrgeous gypsy guy without a shirt that would undulate his fabulous torso to the beat and play castanets over his head. We danced until the sun came thru the skylights. There were people who were dancing as hard at the end as the moment they arrived many hours earlier. lol We were completely drenched and I had to roll up my '50's thrift store clothes so that I could still dance. We staggered outside to get a cab and knowing we had the time of our lives. Here's to Miss Frank whom I went with that night and who passed away a few years later. Mary, you were a Mess! (and my friend)

I have all the Old parties on CD from troc, bartenders bash, A night in Paris, Sylvestersw 40th B day party, where he is singing blues scatt. HOT. Loetta hollyway Live, these are not in production, just part iof the Masters in the " Art of Mix " Libary from Steven smith.

my e mail is relindemann@aol.com

I went to the Troc party a couple weeks ago. The music was GREAT and brought back some fun memories. I also re-connected with an old friend of mine I hadn't seen in years. To Jack - Those gold fans were AMAZING! Flaggers have nothing over those fan dancers! The fans were sharp, precise, smooth, with a splash of geisha glam. I was dismayed that there was only one fan dancer there and his fans couldn't compete onstage with the flags because there were so many flaggers and the flags kept catching on his fans. Looking at the crowd a couple weeks ago, I thought to myself: physically, it wasn't what I envisioned a Troc crowd to look or smell like in my mid-40's. Everyone looked MUCH "healthier" (maybe because it was a bear event), but the energy was still there. I tried to revive my favorite Trocadero leatherman moves (small kicks, spinning, chug-chug fists) in contrast to the crowd's stomp-stomp, jumping. I also had another memory of going to the Troc for Halloween one year. I was Grace with flat top sprayed white, homemade very heavy disco ball earrings, a 50's white tea-length lace wedding dress with crinolins, hot pink hose and 4-inch white pumps. I could not stop twirling on the dancefloor because that damned dress became this glowing white peony under the blacklight. I figured I did good based on the around-the-world snaps I got from the other divas. Afterwards, we spent a good time picking fake cobwebs out of Landa's BIG hair since they were also glowing under the blacklight. LOL!

I just attended the "Red Party" a few weeks back. It was my third time. At 43, I was a teenager during the late 1970's-early 80's, so I wasn't able to go out dancing. But being there with my fellow GLBT folk was special, and the memory will always stay with me.

It's been so great reading these great stories. I practically grew up at the Troc. Growing up in Sacramento, I was there almost every weekend, often with my sister, Susan. She was one of the few girls who danced (etc.) there regularly. I miss so many of the wonderful people I got to know there, Billy Langenheim, Dennis Croteau, Johnny Rader, and of course, Bobby Viteritti. I know we lost Billy and Dennis, both close friends, but have lost touch with both Johnny and Bobby. It was a magical time. I'm in Detroit now, and haven't been to a club in ages. I still listen to the music, however. Be well, Trocsters.

All I truly remember is I was new to SF...all the way from Des Moines, Iowa...my SF tour guides were Bayne Merritt and Co....after the Ritchie family sang it was Grace Jones to the stage , my friend handed me some of the ORIGINAL "poppers" and I hit the floor, passing out backwards...but loyal to the atmoshere those around me didn't let me hit the floor...they fanned me and shook me till I got the beat of the music and the party didn't miss a beat...i thank God and Sylvester for showing me the way to my sexual reality via the Troc!!!, and what about those scandalous bathrooms!!! YEAH

i too stumbled on this page quite by accident & what a joy! Now an old fart with so many lost friends i wondered if the magic of the time and this placed still survived in anyones mind other than what's left of mine,. 2 things:
#1--that wasn't glitter on the sidewalk, those streets were paved with crystal!
#2--does anyone know anything of Vince Dicola?

When I first heard of the Trocadero, getting a membership card seemed expensive and hard to get but I don't think that period lasted very long because I got a membership card fairly quickly and I don't remember that I actually paid much for it?? I remember there being an upstairs balcony where at least on one occasion there was a long table with fruit and other snacks? I don't remember the occasion though. I remember going to several parties there and I know one of them was on Halloween. I remember seeing live singers but don't remember specific ones now. They would sing to a recording- no band or live musicians. There were always "fan" dancers at the dance clubs in those days. After dancing all night, Ritch street, a few blocks away, could be a final destination for the night.

My oh my, so many wonderful memories stirred while reading these stories. I too had the most excellent experience of my young life at the TROC! My good friend Jimmy Hultman took me there a few times and the white parties were awesome. I remember seeing Nona Hendrix, and others appear in the middle of the frenzy around 2am. Bobby V. You were and always will be the best in my eyes. The control you had over the masses was so amazing! I would visit SF from Fresno and as a young country boy the TROC was like finding myself in OZ! I remember Jimmy and his friend Cedric came flying in one Easter morning in high heels and tore up the dance floor. It was a sight to behold, I still laugh when I think about it. The lights, mirror balls and fan dancers were so amazing! I am so missing it! Blessings to all of you who helped make Trocadero the place of dreams!

To the person who asked about Rob Kimble...my last memory of him was him doing a remix of Eartha Kitt's "Where Is My Man" on my reel-to-reel in my house. Man, I can't believe I was so lucky to know so many of these guys - Trip Ringwald, Mike Lewis, Rob, Tommy Williams.

What a great site, I love reading about this important part of our collective gay history, an oral history of the events that helped shape San Francisco gay culture. Having moved here in 1987, I missed all of the Troc fun, but made my mark on the dancefloors of Pleasuredome, Product and Klubstitute, by way of countless nights at The Stud. I can say I made it to the Troc before it closed, however, when I visited a friend in 1985, and he took me there...
In any case, tastelessfruit, Vince Dicola was a DJ at the old Badland's (how I miss it) and Daddy's before he passed away a few years ago. I got to know him quite well his last few years, and really miss his spirit. When I read his name in your post it brought back vivid memories. I would love to hear your memories of him, and you can email me at chowderbsk at yahoo. Thanks. And thanks to those hosting this site!

to chowder: VERY SAD to hear the news of Vince. I am in computer hell just now but will write you personally some day soon.

to everyone else: there is another missing person in my life Michael London.
any news of him would be tremendous. thanks in advance

Wow...just stumbled on this site (web surfing at work) and what a wave of nostalgia is sweeping over me! I came to SF in March of 1978 from the Midwest & lived in the Castro with my lesbian cousin and eventually my sister (also a lesbian)...I got one of the first membership cards and remember going to the New Year's Eve party dancing in 1979 on MDA (or whatever else we got our hands on) poppers and surounded by lots of hot shirtless men. I was only 20 at the time but had the most fake looking ever fake id that got me in. Thanks for the memories.

@tastelessfruit: I worked with Vince in the late '90s at Daddy's. He was a warm generous, creative guy. Before he worked there he would hang out at the booth for hours. Sometimes he'd bring in beautiful fans that he'd made and work them for me and the patrons. A wonderful man who is truly missed.
I too am enjoying this site as I missed the heyday of The Troc. I didn't start spinning until '88. I did experience 'the magic' of the Troc at Halloween '89 and a few more times in the early '90s.

Hello there,

My name is Russell Beecher and I work with book publisher Essential Works in London, England.

Essential are putting together a large illustrated book about Disco and I am trying to source visual material for the book.

The book is going to be about the music, the people, the places, the clothes, the drugs, the sex, the politics and everything else that made Disco such an amazing phenomenon

I am looking for photos of the clubs, partygoers, artists, records and just about anything else that is visually relevant.

I was wondering if anyone might be able to help. If so please contact me at

russell.beecher@essentialworks.co.uk

Kind regards,

Russell

We had Troc memberships that cost $75.00 from 1983. As the years went by, the cost of membership was lowered. The very best music and energy. We played fans and enjoyed all of the dj's. Tripp, Mike Lewis and all of the other dj's were great. Miss you all.

To CK from Troc,
Are you still around? VL

Does anyone recall Grace Jones playing the Troc, perhaps around the time of Gay Pride in 1978? she sang on the Stud float as I recall. She sang on a loop I Need a Man, then length of Market street. As my memory has it, she played at Trocadero, descending the Crystal Staircase in a white tutu wedding dress with a bullwhip.

Message to Brett Henry - any chance you used to go to Alfie's as well? I think I may have met you in 1979 at Alfie's.