Did discos demise have anything to with race?

[FunkMaster]

Something from another thread..

Stations resorted to call-in contests on their most hated disco song, used slogans like 'ABOLISH DISCO IN OUR LIFETIME', featured gimmicks like a 'no-disco weekend', and even resorted to smashing disco records over the air. One irate rock deejay in Chicago was so obsessed with the disco phenomenon (which was indeed taking over rock stations and putting rock deejays out of work) that he organized a promotion with the Chicago White Sox baseball team in which fans would be admitted for 98 cents if they brought along a disco redcord for the 'disco demolition' rally in between games of a double-header with the Detroit Tigers on July 12, 1979. Between ten thousand and twenty thousand records were reportedly placed in the center of the field and blown up, to the delight of the crowd, which, according to news reports, went wild, tearing up the field and getting in fights, chanting, 'Disco Sucks'. The field was trashed and the second game was canceled, but the deejay made his point. Disco, in fact, sucked.
Disco ultimately became a pseudonym for any black music to most of America's rock fans, and when the disco fad effectively was killed off, by 1982 at the latest, it was still used as a term to define black dance music. Labeling everything black as disco was a shrewd gimmick by those who did not wish competition from blacks in the business; stigmatizing black music helped to paralyze reform efforts and segregate the music even further. Unfortunately, The Funk was included in the blanket condemnation of disco by critics, rock fans, jazz fans, and trendy pop knuckleheads. But as time would prove, nothing could stop the relentless tide of grooving, meaningful music, The Funk of the late seventies".

So, what do you think?

Was disco too "black and gay" for most of white suburbia?

Taken from a House music Docu

Pt 1

^^the original vibe for disco music


pt 2

^^the disco sucks stuff in Chicago

[Teddybear]

I wouldn't talk about a Disco or discos demise, 'cause energy cannot be destroyed, it only transforms :icon_exclaim:. But talking about sex and race, let me quote The New York Times, on the subject of a 2003 exhibition called ''Disco: A Decade of Saturday Nights".

The basic gay influence on disco was always apparent (Mr. Weisbard [one of the creators of the show] said it was illegal until the 1960's in New York for men to dance together), but, he said, there was always a clear racial element. In the 1960's, he added, the counterculture listened to a blend of white and black music. By the 1970's this racial mix was becoming undone.

''Rock got white and whiter at the same time that disco was emerging,'' he said. Popular rock groups like Led Zeppelin and the Eagles were heard on FM radio. Disco emerged mostly on AM stations, which played black and Latino music.

''Most rock singers were white men, while the classic disco singer was a black diva,'' Mr. Weisbard added. ''Things happened in opposition to each other. FM became classically rock, almost exclusively white. It was about as segregated a form of popular music as we've ever had. Disco was exactly the opposite case.''

To the curators of the show the racial as well as sexual component of disco was an unspoken and inescapable issue that bothered some rock 'n' rollers. ''Unlike rock music, whose ideal audience is teenage white male, disco brought together young and old, black and white, gay and straight,'' said Mr. Walters, the Rolling Stone critic. ''It didn't follow any rules other than it had to be danceable."

_________________
So dance, c'est bon!

[The Boogie Doctor]

Interesting stuff and a valuable topic of conversation.....

[Videoskooter]

''disco brought together young and old, black and white, gay and straight,''

That was and is the power of Discomusic. You know, I'm always surprised to read topics like this on the board. They usually are posted by Americans.

Why am I saying this? Because in Europe this was not an issue BITD. We never had that "Box" mentality. Disco was Disco here, and EWF was followed by Boney M and Gino Soccio and The Bee Gees and then Marvin Gaye who was mixed with The Temptations.

Over the last weeks I've been reading things like:
- SNFsucked, we didn't play those tracks, we were REAL
- We didn't play Eurodisco, we were REAL
- Latin clubs were the REAL Discos
- Gay clubs were the REAL Discos
- Black clubs were the REAL Discos

Come on guys, Disco was REAL! Over here, Whites, Blacks, Gays, Straights all went to the same clubs. In my hometown there was a very fancy gay club. Well, we also went there from time to time and none of the gay people or the management said: "Hey, what are those straights and women doing in our sanctity?". We were always welcomed and had big fun there.

We didn't think: "Wouldn't it be great to have an Italians-only venue?" We didn't care, we went out where all the others went out!

And that "Disco Sucks" (non) event? We didn't even hear about it. Do you really think Disco vanished because some nitwits blew up a pile of records?

Steve "I'm proud to be a nerd" Dahl was a marionette, a puppet on a string. That movement was steered by other forces and you all know that very well. So why give this man all that credit (by constantly bringing him up, again and again) where he doesn't deserve it. What did these jerks gave us instead of Disco? REO Speedwagon, Styx, Yes, they all sung with Bee Gee-esque falsettos! Do you get the point?

So I think this was really an American problem and maybe it still is!

[QUINNY]

It was EXCLUSIVELY an American thing, including the absolute, over the top, saturation and omni-presence of everything Disco.

It was capitalist greed that killed Disco in the USA. Everybody and anybody jumped onto the Disco bandwagon to make a quick buck. Thus, everyone (except the regular club-goers) soon became sick of it.

Race and Gay connotations may have sped the process of rejection, but through being something to be exploited...it became a passing fad.

[wever]

wow!!! it's always interesting to read threads like this!

well about Europe i got a different point of view.... ok, everybody enjoys goin out to the disco but that doesn't mean that actualy there are not "segregated" discos. I'm not the best one to talk about it cause i'm not a heavy clubber, and the places where I use to go have always some kind of FUNK session.

I've NEVER been in one of those comercial dance clubs as Pacha (at least the Barcelona Pacha is the place where i know i never have to go!!) But others told me they only play the most comercial house (if they're not playin only reaggeton now!). They only know about the most comercial house hit and they're frequented by the typical modern-macho (metrosexual but only to get a chance to have some sex with any lady). Ok! it's the same as any other kind of disco, but they're doin it in a bad way and i don't even think they really enjoy the music.

Then there are some gay discos. There's not a poster at the door sayin "only gays here" or a dude pointing "you're straight, can't get in!", but EVERYBODY knows they're gay discos which are frequented by gay people and some other who wants to experiment. At least i have to say that i don't have the same repulsive feelin as with the first one, looks like they're enjoyin it. I've only been once in a suposed gay disco but not in the best conditions (i was enough stoned to don't remember a ****! :icon_lol:) so i can't leave any opinion (but i'll do it!). I think the music played in that place was even worse that what i told you before because they played only old classic commercial house hits (the cheesiest ones!) but all in a funny way.

Disco music and many things come to Europe by influence of EUA. If there "Disco Sucks" here too, maybe not in the same level but it always affects to our opinion. That's maybe why Disco is not considered something respetable as the rest (when you say "disco", people here only knows about puting the finger up as Manero did), it looks like something ridiculous to make fun of it, not to take it seriously.

So with this is absolutely normal that any minimum quality rock looks much better than those easy sweety pop tunes!(me too). But i think there's still a big gap, cause people don't know more disco than Boney M and Bee Gees (we need to mature culturaly?)

PD: i forgot to tell you about the electronic side! there are discos where you can go to take some pills and "dance" makina and techno frequented by "chonis" and "bakalas" like this --->


of course (thank god!!!!) there are other QUALITY places to dance many kind of electronics. (But nothing like 70s discos) IN MY OPINION!!!