1979! Best Year In Disco?

[needlefingers]

September 15, 1979



“This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,
This ain't no fooling around…” -Talking Heads

I’ve been back home in Hollywood, Florida for over a month now and while it has been nice seeing family and friends, I am starting to find myself lost with no ambition or motivation to move forward.

And that’s because I am between a rock and a hard place.

Once again, I have made my weekly ritual call to Germany. I spoke to Nina this morning and there is still no resolve to the Red Balloon situation. The town insists that the license not be renewed due to the noise problem.

So why am I hesitant about returning to Friedberg? Red Balloon or not, I did have other plans: living there, going to school, working a day job. Hey, if Donna Summer can be discovered in Germany, maybe I can to?

It can’t be about the disco!

Well, it shouldn’t be about the disco.

But… is it about the disco?




I got my last check from Uncle Sam last week. That, and the cash I still have on hand, should carry me for at least another month, maybe a little more. And I still have the cashiers check for $4000.00 which I’m still holding onto to get back to Europe and set up an apartment for myself.

But after 5 weeks at home, the cracks are starting to show. The dysfunction in my family, and the house, is setting back in. Old roles are resumed and I don’t like it. I’m starting to see the paint peeling, the cracked walls and the cockroaches…literally…the way I grew up with them. And I’m allowing myself to fall back in step, which is not what I want to do.

I still go to the beach and run practically everyday. Sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. This is my saving grace…to get away from everyone…and to talk to myself….and God.

The rest of the time I spend partying it up with Lynn at Joanie‘s house.

Sometimes, some old high school chums drop by. But it’s getting to be routine….drink beer…get high….go home and sleep it off.


I have love for both my family and friends, but I joined the Army so I didn’t have to live with them. And to do something constructive with my life. I thought it was to pursue my dreams of becoming an actor and a dancer.

Somewhere in my confusion I hear a conversation taking place.….

“So you know what John Guillette had us do today?” Joanie goes on.

“Huh?” I reply.

“I was talking about Mr. Guillette, my drama teacher. Do you want to hear what he had us do today?” she asks again.

“Sure,” I say.

“You’re way too high Mr. STONEY!” she rubs it in.

Lynn joins in the conversation. “What’s the matter with you?”

“I just don’t know what I’m doing here. You’re going to college. She’s in the High School of Performing Arts. I‘m just sitting around getting high. It‘s like I never left.”

“Well, I thought you were going back to Germany soon. Have you heard anything?” Lynn asks.

“Yea. I called today. Nothing is happening yet.”

“You’re just a little lost,” Joanie chimes in. “Maybe you could find something to do while you wait. I saw the Playhouse is having auditions. Why don’t you go do some theatre?”

Oh great! Now she’s adding salt to the wound.

“I‘m not ready to audition. I haven’t tapped dance in years. And what if I have to leave?”

Then Lynn says the words everyone hates to hear….

“Go get a job.”




Actually….that’s not such a bad idea.

I can work while I wait. And I can make money at the same time.

With some cash flowing in, I can hold off on cashing the big check.



I grab the Sun-Tattler newspaper and look through the classifieds. K-Mart in West Hollywood is hiring. I’ll go in the next day or two.


Later that night, I take a walk through the neighborhood and pass by the Hollywood Playhouse. As I said before, when I was growing up I always wanted to try and get into a show here.

When I was a kid of 8 or 9, my friend Chuck and I would come here in the afternoon on our bikes to pop wheelies. And we would bring Chuck’s skateboard and go up and down the sidewalks in front of the building.

Tonight, the parking lot is half filled with cars. I guess auditions are going on. They always do a big splashy musical for the opening of the season.

I stand outside, acting like I’m waiting for someone. I can hear singing and laughter. And applause. Wow. Live applause.

I walk up to the front door and peek through the crack. I can see what looks like a light, pink lobby and more double doors. They probably lead to the theater itself.

I have never been inside but I’ve read the reviews, also in the Sun-Tattler, for years. I have had my name and picture in the same paper as a teenager, many times, for doing school and community projects. The last time I was in the local paper was for enlisting in the Army.

But I always dreamed about having my name in the paper for performing at the Playhouse.

Bruni Pagan - Fantasy - Free MP3 Stream on IMEEM Music

It sure sounds thrilling to hear the inside of this theater. It seemed big when I was a kid. Today it seems big and scary.

I hear the inside doors open. I rush away from the front door and walk across the parking lot to the sidewalk and turn to walk down the street.

It’s warm, but I don’t want to go home. I walk toward the downtown part of the city. It’s where the first shopping stores were built decades earlier.

Melody Music is now closed. I bought many records there in the ‘60’s and early 70’s. The chains and department stores sell vinyl for less. That’s probably why it’s gone.

The toy store Hobby Lobby is still there, but it’s half the size it used to be. My brother Jake and I used to buy model car kits, sometimes 2, 3 or more a week. Those little metallic paint bottles. Decals.

The restaurant where I worked as a runner through my high school years is still at Young Circle, but the original owners who I worked for have sold it to someone else. I walk by it and look in the window, but I don’t want to go in. I turn around and cross the street.

Young Circle Park is where I had gone looking for sex as a teenager. A couple of times I let some older men “do me.” Tonight, it’s empty.

Someone told me there was a new disco called The Loft on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Dixie Highway, but I’m not dressed to go in. I don’t even bother looking for it.

I’m really feeling alone and lost. Some of the town is the same and some of it has changed. The blocks are familiar enough to remember them. I know them with my eyes closed. But the memories aren’t always good. Or enough to keep me here.

I’m starting to feel like a loser. 21 years old. Uncertain about my life. Uncertain about my future. This is just where I left off after high school.

I walk down the railroad tracks back to my house. I know the streets. I know the city. I know the direction.

I just don’t know where I’m going.





The next morning, I skip the run and sleep late. When I do get up, I tell The Lady (my mother) that I am going to look for a job today.

“About time,” she remarks. “Where are you looking?”

I tell her K-Mart. She see’s nothing wrong with that.

I’m actually kind of excited. A new adventure. At least I’ll be doing something.

And maybe I can get a position that allows me to work on my acting skills.

Lets see…how does that go again? Oh yes, I remember….

“Attention K-Mart Shoppers!”

Mmmmm? Maybe down an octave and slower.

“AAAAAHHHHTTEEEEENTTTTIIOOON KAAAAAA-MAAAAAARRRRRTT SHHHHHHHHOOOOOOPPEERRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSS.”

No, that doesn’t work. Maybe more direct.

“Aufmerksamkeit K-Handelszentrum Käufer!”

Well now I sound like a German. I don’t want to scare them away.

I better work on this some more.





Come back next week for a fantastic new Number One Disco Song and Album....an album where every song is a club hit!

Also, see if I get the job. :icon_question:

And....

Do I really want it?


Bruni Pagan

YouTube - The Flying Lizards - Money

[needlefingers]

September 22, 2009


Ahhhh! Autumn!

And as Donna Summer sang, Autumn Changes.

The leaves change their colors. The temperature changes to cooler.
Even the stars in the sky change.

And thirty years ago this week there was a change in the Number One spot, as a new star reached the top of Billboard’s Disco Charts with an endearing and enduring disco classic…

France Joli - Come To Me



The debut album from this talented teenager, who hails from Quebec, takes the dance floor by storm and is embraced by DJ’s and disco lovers alike. Three other wonderful, extended tracks fill out the lp; Let Go, Don’t Stop Dancing and Playboy. For the next few months, all four of these songs could be heard in a full evening at the club. Her clear, resonating voice became instantly recognizable, and even grew finer with age.

The push for Come To Me and the album came about from a Fire Island party in July…

From wikipedia...

"Come to Me" received a major boost on 7 July when Joli performed it as a last minute replacement for Donna Summer at a concert held on Fire Island whose estimated audience numbered 5000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_to_Me_(France_Joli_song)

But credit also goes to producer/writer Tony Green with help from Dennis Lepage on drums and arrangements. The music and lyrics were meaningful and the sound was energizing. Tony and Dennis have been instrumental in many of the club hits in the last half of 1979, and their work, along with Miss Joli’s, would continue well into the 1980’s.

Here is some more history on France Joli, along with a link to an unofficial myspace page for her fans.

France Joli - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

France Joli on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

It certainly has been a banner year with the disco music pouring out of Canada. Glancing at the charts, one might think that for our neighbors north of the border, 1979 was also their…Best Year In Disco!


“Attention K-Mart Shoppers. Attention K-Mart Shoppers. Attention K-Mart Shoppers. Attention K-Mart …”

I’m sitting in the personnel office, rehearsing my lines. The Personnel Director just stepped out for a minute.

I can feel like they are going to offer me a position. And why not? I’m a veteran who served in the US Army in Germany as a medic. I’m a high school graduate. I am dressed very nicely with slacks, long-sleeved shirt and a tie. My appearance is clean and my hair is short. I speak well and display excellent manners.

I’m sure this man thinks highly of me already. No doubt they see me as someone who can follow directions while assuming a role of responsibility. Assistant Manager? Maybe Department Manager? Store Manager?

The door opens and he returns with another gentleman in a red smock and name tag.

“This is Hank Smith,” the Personnel Director begins. “He is manager of the Lawn and Patio Department.”

“How do you do?” he says, as he shakes my hand.

“I’m fine. Thank you,” I respond. Maybe he’s retiring and they need a good candidate to train and take over.

“Hank is looking for a good stock boy. Do you think you would be up for it?”

Stock Boy! STOCK BOY!!! I came all this way for a stock boy position.

I don’t let on my disappointment, but I’m thinking “ If a certain disco was open back in Germany, I would be back in the DJ booth and entertaining people who don’t wear smocks. Or nametags!”

Hank goes on. “I need someone organized, strong and who can drive a forklift. Do you have any experience with that.”

I found myself talking about the many vehicles I have driven, and though a forklift was not one of them, I’m sure I can learn. And that I was a very meticulous person with a lot of qualities.

In essence, I’m talking myself into a job that I really do not want.

“Can you start Monday?” he asks.

“Sure.” I say a through tight clenched smile.

“Show up at 8AM. You’ll only need jeans and t-shirt. And expect to sweat and get dirty.”

I walk out of the store bewildered. What just happened in there? I’m intelligent, articulate, nice-looking and have personality. I should be starting at the top…or at least close to it.

STOCK BOY??? This is bulls*&t!!

And what do I know about lawn care? I grew up white trash in a white trashy neighborhood. In fact, we were the black sheep of the white trash in the neighborhood. The grass was 3 feet high in my yard.

The way we mowed the lawn was to invite our motorcycle friends over, get them drunk and have them ride their bikes around the outside of the house. When one of them ran over the grill, my sister would make them hamburgers and send them on their way.

I am disappointed as I grab a bus to ride back home. Even though it is honest work, I can’t help but feel…YouTube - Gilla - Bend Me Shape Me

….uhh….oh…sorry. I lost my train of thought.


I go home and tell my mother (The Lady) that I got a stock job.

“You don’t sound too happy about it. Didn’t you go there to get work?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect to be a stock boy. That’s a nowhere job,” I reply.

“Did you tell them you were the Most Popular Boy in high school?” she sarcastically jabs. “Or that you have the Expert Field Medical Badge?”

“You know Lady, I think I liked you better when you drank,” I blurt.

Silence for a moment.

“I thought you wanted something until you go back to Germany.”

“Well I didn’t want a job that gets me dirty. I’m better than that.” I say. “I’ve been getting dirty for the last 3 years.”

“Well take it from me,” the Lady remarks. “You only have to do it for about another 45 years.”


I have a few days before I start. I spend some of it getting high and drunk with Joanie and Lynn.

“Well if you didn’t want the job, why did you say yes?” Lynn questions.

“It was my first interview. I didn’t know what I should do. I mean,… I want to work. And maybe it will just be for a week or two. Maybe I’ll be heading back to Europe within a month, ” I say, almost not believing it myself.

Joanie breaks in. “That’s a good attitude. Besides, you haven’t even started yet. You shouldn’t make any decision until you give it a chance.”

Out of the mouth of babes. Especially babes who aren’t working. God, now I sound like The Lady.

“I guess you’re right. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I should be more…YouTube - boney m painter man

…uh more….more...”

“Are you okay?” Lynn inquires.

“Yeah. Sure. I’m just a little strung out. I think.”

“Well then let me tell you what my teacher John Guillette said about my work today” Joanie begins. “I was playing the part of this…….”



Monday morning, I wake up and get a ride from my sister. She works a few blocks from the store, and has to be at work by 8 o'clock also. We drop off her daughter (my niece) Tanya at school along the way.

The Lawn and Patio Department have an entrance from the parking lot and I use it to enter the area.

“Oh no,” Hank says. “From now on, enter and exit through the store, unless you are helping a customer load their car. Let me show you where to clock in.”

By mid-morning I’m moving plants and trees and planters and bags of soil and so on. After lunch, Hank shows me how to use the forklift. I spend the rest of the afternoon moving pallets of fertilizer…and cleaning up the dozen or more I drop.

This job really is bulls*&t!!

I check out at 6PM and catch the bus home. It’s crowded and packed. I have to stand for the ride.

I walk from the bus stop to my house. It’s about a 20 minute walk but I’m tired and dirty. And angry.

“Why did I take this job?” I ask myself. “It sucks. You know you don’t want this. Couldn’t you have said “May I have a day to think …”YouTube - AMANDA LEAR - BLUE TANGO (1977)

WHAT IS THAT??? Do you hear it? Where is that sound coming from?


The second day is no better. When I leave work, my jeans are muddy and my t-shirt is filthy. I am embarrassed to ride the bus, so I walk the 40 blocks home.

An hour later and the sun is setting as I get closer to home. My direction takes me past the Hollywood Playhouse. The parking lot has a couple of dozen cars. I suppose people are rehearsing in there.

I pause on the sidewalk and stare at the marquee.



I am at the point of tears. I make a turn and go eat at Burger King. I want to be alone.

Then I go home, shower and straight to bed. I don’t speak to, or see, anyone.

I am really unhappy. This isn’t fair God. What happened to all my plans? Why am I not in Germany? Why wasn’t I offered a better position?

Please God! Please! Send me a sign. I’m starting to feel lost here.



I wake up Wednesday morning still tired from yesterday. I go through the same ritual as the other 2 days.

I smile in front of family and co-workers. But inside, I’m dying. I punch in, but really…I don’t want this job. And I know I don’t want it.

By the time I punch out for lunch, my mind is made up. I walk away from the time clock and back to Hank.

“Hank. I’m sorry. But I don’t want this job. I‘m not coming back.”

“Wha…?” he says. “I thought you liked it. You fit in real good.”

“Actually….I don’t fit in at all.”

“What do you mean?” he asks.

I put my soiled, dirty hands on the shoulders of his red smock.

“I’m living in a disco! Forget about the rat race.”

Then I turn and walk out…..through the parking lot entrance.



I go home and straight to bed. Around 9PM, I get up, shower, dress and wait for The Lady to come home so I can borrow her car.

“Don’t you work tomorrow?” she asks.

“No, they changed my schedule.” I didn‘t want to lie, but I don’t need this discussion tonight.


I drive over to Big Daddy’s and down a few gin and tonics while listening to the DJ. I don’t dance or talk to anyone. I just want to reflect.

An hour and a half later, I find myself at the beach. It’s quiet and serene. But I’m troubled.

I’m not proud of quitting today. And I don’t know what to tell people. I don’t even know what to tell myself.

I’m “out of step” with everyone and everything. Like I don’t belong. I don’t have a purpose.

I feel like I did….well…like I did when I was a kid…hiding in the closet…all alone.

Why didn’t I stay in Germany?

Dailymotion - Linda Clifford - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Live) - une vidéo Musique



Next week, I go looking for a job better suited to my talents.

And what is that noise that I keep hearing?





YouTube - 4France Joli Award

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9uKbCGSOAg

[needlefingers]

September 29, 1979


It’s a warm Wednesday night and I am hanging out with Lynn over at Joanie’s house.

“Go ahead and ask him,” Lynn says to Joanie.

“I don’t think he’s “stoney” enough yet,” Joanie replies.

I figure they are talking about me. After all, I am the only other one in the room.

“Ask me what?” I question.

“Well….I wanted to ask you if you would do me a favor. A big favor,” Joanie says.

“You can ask,” I tell her. “Doesn’t mean I’ll do it, but you can ask.”

“Go on,” Lynn goads.

“Shut up Lynn,” Joanie demands. Then the “asking of the favor” begins. “Well, Saturday morning, my drama teacher, John Guillette,…You’ve heard me mention him before…”

“No,” I say, feigning my answer. (By now, you, the reader, have heard about him ad nauseam.)

She giggles. “Well, he’s doing an audition workshop this Saturday morning to prepare us for the Hello Dolly auditions. But I promised to take my brothers to a birthday party this Saturday.”

Joanie has to baby-sit her brothers much of the time. They are three boys; 10-year old twins and a 7 year old. They are great kids who I give a lot of attention to, though three boys do fight quite a bit.

“And you want me to take them,” I imply. “But I…. I…YouTube - baccara - the devil sent you to laredo I…I..”

“What’s the matter?” Joanie inquires.

“Nothing. Nothing. I was just saying that I don’t have a car.”

Lynn continues. “You can borrow mine. I’ll use my mother’s car and drive Joanie to the workshop.”

“Sure! I’ll do it!” I say complacently.

“There’s a catch,” Joanie adds. “It’s a kids roller-skating birthday party.”

Roller-skating? I haven’t been roller-skating in years. But I’d love the opportunity to do it again.

“That sounds great. I don’t have a problem with that.”

“I thought you might hate roller-skating,” Lynn says.

“Are you kidding?” I exclaim. “I love roller-skating.”

In my adolescence, I used to hang out at the Johnson Street Roller Rink which was on….well,…on Johnson Street. My friends got me started in the late ‘60’s into the early 70’s. We used to go every and Saturday and Sunday afternoon, with an extra session or two thrown in during the week. And many more during summertime.

Then on Saturday nights, we would hang out at their house and watch the roller derby on television. Afterwards, we would turn the living room into a derby rink, pretend we had our skates on and chase each other in circles. And beat the crap out of each other.

I certainly didn’t waste my youth.

Since I didn‘t know Lynn and Joanie back then, I tell them that I am a very good skater. Joanie tells me that it is at Goal Coast Roller Rink on Federal Highway close to the airport. I’m sure I’ll find it.

We all 3 go into the boys bedroom and tell them that I will take them to the party. They ask me if I can skate and I tell them all about when I was a kid and…..you know…what I just told you.



I walk home remembering those old skating days. The different parts of the evening like speed skating, boys or girls only skating, couples skating, the limbo and races.

And the great music/songs they would play; All Right Now. Mony Mony. Spill The Wine. Get Ready (Rare Earth). Green Onions. Venus. Wipeout. Ride Captain, Ride. Born To Be… YouTube - Eurovision 1979 - Germany …Alive..er…Wild! I meant Born To Be Wild. You know, Steppenwolf.

Damn! Why does that keep happening?

Come Saturday, I go pick the kids up at 9:30 in the morning. The party starts at 10AM, but we live only about 20 minutes away by car.

The boys have never been roller-skating, so I tell them about all the types of skating there will be and about the great old rock music they‘re going to hear.

As I drive North on Federal Highway, I pass The Flying Machine. I didn’t know it was still there. It was a rock club. I went in once before I went in the Army. But today, I notice a sign that says “Disco Every Friday And Saturday Night.” I‘ll have to remember that.

I miss the road that takes me to Gold Coast Roller Rink and turn around. As I get closer, I turn left and end up in the large driveway of some building.

“Is this it?” one of the boys ask.

“There’s no one here,” says another.

I look up at the sign that stands about 30 or 40 feet high at the edge of the road. It says The Copa.

“No, this isn’t it,” I tell them.

“What is this place?” they ask.

“It looks like a Cuban restaurant or club,” I reply. I never saw or heard of this place in my life.

I make a u-turn in front of it’s double glass doors and somewhat grand entrance and head back to the highway. I turn right and see the off road I should take. A block or two more and I see Gold Coast Roller Rink.

The lot is filling up and there are dozens of kids with their parents waiting for the doors to open. I’m as excited as the boys. Can’t wait to get some skates on and rock out.

So imagine my surprise when the doors open and disco starts pouring out…



This place is sleeker and cleaner than the one I remember from my youth. There are some great lights and even greater music. How naïve was I to think that they were going to be playing some old pop and rock songs. Or that the rinks hadn’t evolved with the times. This was really cool.

We get our Chicago skates on and it comes back to me real fast. Just like riding a bike. I do a few laps around the floor to warm up and to show the boys that I’m good. Then I go back and start helping them around.

The music and the DJ really have the place moving. I think the adults enjoy it more than the kids. Lots of disco with breaks where the DJ talks.

For the first time since I have returned from Germany, I am discovering a place with disco that I can really enjoy.


After the party, I take the boys home and watch them till Joanie and Lynn return.

“Did everyone have fun?” Joanie asks.

I let the boys talk first. As they tell Joanie about the party, another sound from the past pulls me away….. YouTube - Tina Rainford - Silverbird

I don’t know why this keeps happening. I haven’t called Nina back in Germany for a couple of weeks now. Maybe it’s a sign telling me to call. Or perhaps it is the switching of smoking pot over the hash I did in Friedberg for 3 years. Or maybe the gin I now drink, over the beer I had been drinking in the Army.

I decide to not tell Joanie, Lynn or anyone else about these songs constantly popping up in my head.


That night, I drive to the beach to think again. I spend most of the time thinking about Germany. I remind myself of the four thousand dollar check I’m sitting on. I can go anytime I want. I can even go anywhere I want; it doesn’t have to be Germany. I am just stifled by not knowing what to do.

I miss my friends and life over in Europe. I miss Timo and Nina and Petra and Ulla. I miss the music and The Red Balloon Disco. I miss disco dancing and the cheering I got on the dance floor. I even miss the Army.

I still cannot believe I came home. As much fun as it was when I returned, I now hate it….and myself. Why didn’t I stay over there? Why didn’t I know what I was giving up when I left?

And why do you have to lose something before you realize how much you loved it?




The disco at the roller rink today reminded me of how much fun it can be. And how fast and easy it can be lost.

I think depression is setting in. A mental depression. I try to examine it more, when another one of those damned songs rushes in…. YouTube - Amanda Lear Queen of Chinatown

I start to tear up again. This is ridiculous! God, why does this keep happening? How can I move forward feeling like this? These songs keep popping up and sending me into a “flashback” mode. It doesn’t matter where I’m at or what I’m doing….I keep getting thrown back to a different place and time. I’m a soldier! I’m stronger than this! What is with these constant flashbacks to…to…

…….flashbacks?

……soldier?

……a soldier with flashbacks?

Then….just like the waves crashing on the shore….the whole meaning crashes over me.

I’m a soldier….suffering flashbacks.

I’ve heard of this before.

I have…..I have…..

POST TRAUMATIC DISCO SYNDROME!!!

This is the medical term for soldiers who are DJ’s in another country, who re-enter civilian life after being pulled away from their turntables.

Of course! All the signs are there. Depression. Crying. Flashbacks. These are withdrawal symptoms.

And….

I am dealing with it by not connecting with others and drowning it with drugs and alcohol.

I find myself laughing out loud on the beach. It’s past midnight and no one is around. So I get up and start jumping up and down. I am both happy and proud of myself. Glad to see that as a veteran and medic, I am able to diagnose myself, and to figure out what needs to be done.

What I need is structure. A plan for the future. Sort of what the Army gave me, except now, I have to do it for myself.

Suddenly I feel a lot stronger. I can tell myself how to fix it.

Sergio Mendes - I'll Tell You (LP Version) - Free MP3 Stream on IMEEM Music

The answer is simple. What if I went looking for a DJ job?

I have been buying a lot of records since I came home. And I’ve caught up on a lot of the songs that I didn’t know before I returned. All I have to do is use the charm that got me a job at K-Mart; only this time, go for a job I want.

Then it’s decided! I’m going to look for a DJ job.

And I’m going to start at that roller rink.







Gold Coast Roller Rink Gay Lesbian Roller Skating Skate Fort Lauderdale

YouTube - Tina Rainford - Silver Bird

[needlefingers]

October 6, 1979


“Attention Skaters…”

Mmmmm? Too plain. Make it bigger and drawn out.

“AAAAATTTTTENNNNN…CHUUUUNNNN SSSSSSSSSKAAAAAAT….ERRRRRRS!”

Nah. Maybe more powerful. And crowd-grabbing.

“Achtung Skaters!!!

That’s it! Play with it. Just like you were back in the gondola at The Red Balloon Disco.


I am off to a good start this week. Last weekend, I took some time to examine my situation and I realized that I was just drifting through life for these past few months.

Looking back, I was on a high during the Nijmegen Road March in July, but after returning back to Germany, my life started changing, and not how I had expected it too.

The Red Balloon closed down, throwing my plans to return to there into chaos. I had to say goodbye to some very good friends, both from the disco and the Army. There was that unexpected incident in a Paris hotel room with Derek. Before I returned to America my last days in Germany were lonely and depressing.

And let’s not forget that final insult hurled by Dennis; “You’re a faggot! You just don’t know it yet.”

Since I have returned home, I have moved back in with my parents and taken up where I left off three years ago; just partying and hanging out with some high school friends. I found myself with no ambition and even less motivation to move on.

I don’t know yet if I will make it back to Europe, but I can’t wait for the answer anymore. I discovered that in myself last weekend.

The truth is, I may not make it back to Germany, so I need to start dealing with that.

And I may again, be a “small fish” in a big pond, but I can grow.




On Monday, I opened a bank account and deposited the $4000 cashiers check I had brought with me Germany. I am going to run low on money in about a week, and I have to start thinking about getting my own car.

I asked my sister Louise, who is a legal secretary, to type up a resume for me and make some copies. I put it together on Sunday and she brought me a sample back home on Monday evening. By Tuesday night, I had 20 copies.

It’s now Wednesday afternoon and I haven’t seen Joanie or Lynn for the past 4 or 5 days, as I want to lay off the drinking and pot smoking. I have spent my time working out, eating right and getting some good sleep.

I have also been taping and listening to the mixes from the radio. And buying more records. I don’t have two turntables or a mixer, but just listening to the songs helps me figure out when I would mix or cut out into the next song.

“Are you driving me to work or not?” the Lady yells from the back door to my room.

“Yes, I’m coming,” I holler back. I grab the keys and step outside. We get in the car and go.

“I must say, your attitude has changed. How come?” she asks.

“I just realized that I may not make it back to Germany, and I better have other plans for the future,” I say.

“Why don’t you think about going to school? What happened to your dreams about being an actor?” the Lady inquires.

“I’ll look into it, but I have to get a job first. And going for a DJ job may be the best thing to do for now,” I tell her.

“But you have medical experience now. What about becoming an orderly or something? I can ask at the hospital today,” she goes on. The Lady is an RN.

“I can’t do bedpans Lady. It’s not my thing.”

“But staying up all night in bars is your thing?” Boy, is she making this difficult today.

“Let’s both exercise a little patience today. I need to find a job, and looking for work that I can do is …. is… well…I don’t see anything wrong with it,” I reply.

“Well, don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen,” she says.

I drop her off and drive to the beach for a run, swim and meditation. Then I head home for a nap.

I have decided to approach the management of Gold Coast Roller Rink before they open tonight at 7, which means I want to get there around 6:30.

I shower and get well dressed, but no tie. I carry some records and a few resumes attached to a clip board. I want to look important.

So I drive north on Federal Highway, past the airport and take a turn right after that sign…what was it again…The Copa! That’s it. Right after I pass The Copa.

When I arrive, I ask to speak to the manager. They let me in and I wait by the rink.

A man comes up to me and I introduce myself, while handing him a resume. I tell him about my being there Saturday morning and noticed they used disco DJ’s. I inform him of my experience in Europe and my recent return to the area.

He thanks me, but informs me that he has more than enough right now, even to cover the special events and birthday parties they have on weekends and off-nights. But, he will hold onto my resume if something should come up.

I can’t ask for much more than that, even if I am disappointed.

But, I have an alternative. There is a skating rink in West Hollywood. So I get back in the car and drive over there.

By the time I get there, it has already opened. I ask if I may see the manager and they let me inside to wait while someone goes and gets him.

I may have been here as a kid, but I don’t really remember it. It’s not like Gold Coast. This place is dirtier. Grungier. More urban.

And I couldn’t stand out more if I was wearing polka dots.

The manager approaches me and I go into my spiel. I also mention that I would be available for kids birthdays parties and special events. He seems intrigued at the European experience and could use someone for those morning sessions.

He takes me into the rink and over to the DJ booth. We walk in and he just keeps talking while two other DJ’s and/or light man work. They are both black and give me an expressionless “going over”. I notice the music is more funk.

“Could you come in Saturday afternoon and I‘ll try you out?” he asks.

“Sure,” I say. There is no harm in trying. At least, I thought so.



I show up a half-hour before the 2PM opening. It’s a 3 hour block of skating and the manager told me two other DJ’s would be there to show me around and help.

I walk up to the booth and the same two black guys are there, smoking and talking. They see me stepping up onto the platform.

“Are you the guy trying out for a DJ?” one of them asks.

“That’s me,” I reply. I introduce myself using my German DJ name. “My name is Stoney.”

They both fall to the floor laughing. “Stoney?” the other one questions. “How did a straight-laced cracker like you get a name like that?”

The first guy keeps the joke going. “Stoney, this is Junkie. And I’m Addict.”

I play along. “What? Huggy Bear couldn’t make it.”

I feel like I ended up on the set of some bad black exploitation film.

They go through the records I brought with me and keep repeating “Disco…disco…disco…disco….”

“Is that a problem?” I ask.

“Look. You can get away with some of this stuff. But it’s more funk here.”

They show me the setup and the crates of records they use. A lot of Parliament, Johnny Guitar Watson, Commodores and stuff I don’t even know. They pull them halfway out of the slip covers while telling me what song gets played when they have races or couples skate or for limbo or….

I gotta tell you, it all gets confusing real fast.




It’s pretty obvious they have it all set and haven’t changed it up for the last six months or so.

They tell me I can play during the first half-hour. When the doors open up, the kids and teens pour in.

Most are minorities and I only say that because I feel out of place here. This was not like Gold Coast Roller Rink. This was very different in the sense that the type of music I like, or play, is not going to go well with this crowd.

I open with a couple of old funk songs to let people get their skates on and into the rink. As the number of skaters grows, I bring in Nightflight To Venus by Boney M, because of it’s drumming patterns. One of the DJ’s comes over to look at the lp cover and nods in approval.

“It’s European,” I tell him.

I do go into a disco mix for the next few songs. The other DJ say’s he’s going to take over to get the crowd going and proceeds to move into a funkier vibe.

I don’t know who is judging me, the manager or the DJ’s. But I do know that it cannot work if I’m constantly switching with others. Or if I am told, overall, what to play and when to play it. They could get a tape to do that.

How do I find a balance if I can’t make the choices?



I skim through some of their records, pulling a few to add to the next round.

“Tell you what,” Junkie says. “You handle the mike and announce Men’s Fast Skate. And play what you want.”

I cue the next record and switch the mike on. In my worst “Dick Clark”, whitey voice I announce “Let’s clear the rink for Men’s Fast Skate!” Then I let the record go.



“Well…at least you got the record right,” Addict chuckles.

I can tell I don’t belong here and try to keep my composure. But I know I am being humiliated and made fun of. I feign interest for about another 20 minutes, then grab my records and leave the booth.

I don’t bother stopping to talk to the manager. They don’t want me here. And frankly, it’s not a good fit for me.

I walk out of the rink and release my breath. I have mixed emotions about what just happened. I had wished it was going to be the job for me, but I felt so uncomfortable that I am glad to walk away.


I found myself back on the beach later that night, trying to analyze what had happened at the roller rink earlier. And wanting to put it in a perspective where I can learn and move on.

“First thing,” I say out loud to myself, “let’s drop the Stoney crap.”

I still haven’t called Nina in Germany in a few weeks, but what worked there isn’t really working in America.

As I think about the Red Balloon, medleys of medleys of the songs from my lost world pour into my mind and flood my thinking.

YouTube - BACCARA "HIT MIX" MAYTE Y PALOMA.


YouTube - BONEY M BEST MIX DISCO


YouTube - Medley Disco-Hits 1977-1978


YouTube - Luv' - Megamix



I won’t lie…there was a tear or two that evening, but they were more out of sentiment than out of desperation.

I can feel myself evolving. I have to deal with the here and now.

I still want to go back to Germany, but the possibility of it happening is starting to fade. So is the longing.

But not the hope….or the memories….







Next week, a new Number One disco song. Plus, a look back at October 1979.

Also,

The incident that changes my life….forever. :icon_question:


YouTube - Tom Jones & Isaac Hayes Don't Let Go

YouTube - Stars on 45 vs Eruption vs Precious Wilson

YouTube - Stars on 45 vs. Luv

YouTube - Stars on 45 vs. Boney M. Shortversion

YouTube - Luv - All you need is Luv (Medley) 1979

YouTube - BACCARA - Medley (LIVE)

[needlefingers]

October 13, 1979


October.

The month of caramel apples, pumpkins and candy corn. The month of Charlie Brown television specials and the best in baseball. The month of political campaigns and Columbus Day parades. The month when the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer.

So before this opening gets any longer, lets take a short glance back at October 1979.…

Pope John Paul II included the United States as one of the countries he visited in his first year as Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. He became the first Pope to visit the White House on this trip.

An underwater landslide creates a tsunami that hits Nice, France, killing 23 people.

Tens of thousands of people joined together for a gay rights march in Washington D.C. The 30th anniversary of that march was observed with this weeks Equality March, also in the nation’s capitol.

And the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Baltimore Orioles for baseball’s top pennant, The World Series. Ironically, though disco took a bashing at a baseball stadium in July, We Are Family is the Pirates theme song and is played and sung loudly on national television numerous times.

Speaking of television, did you know that in October of 1979, the final episodes of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers aired.(“Yes, I know. I know.”)

Lead guitarist Joe Perry would quit the band Aerosmith to strike out on his own. He would return a few years later.

Sugar Babies, that sensational musical tribute to burlesque, opened on Broadway. It starred “old-time” MGM movie stars Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller. Mr. Rooney would also be represented on the silver screen with the release of The Black Stallion.

But the most memorable October ’79 film released would be Blake Edwards 10, making superstars of Dudley Moore and Bo Derek. What a pair! (And you can take that anyway you want to.)

Along with the change of the seasons, comes a change at the top of the Billboard Disco Action charts….

Destination with Move On Up. More formally, it’s correct title is Move On Up Suite (Move On Up/UP UP UP)




This delightful remake of the Curtis Mayfield classic is another definitive sign that high BPM’s are the next wave for dance music. From the percussion to the vocals, from the signature horns to the sax solo, and from the violin break to the message of the song, this tune was a heavy hitter in the waning days of 1979.

The whole album, From Beginning To End, provides a lot of ear candy for club goers. First there is….The Beginning - then there is….The End. In between is Castles Suite and My #1 Request, which includes the humorous ode to The Addams Family theme….perfect for the upcoming Halloween celebrations.

It all culminates in a very classy recording of The Party’s Over from the musical Bells Are Ringing. This version would be used by many DJ’s as the closing song for the night.

There is a wonderful interview here on discomusic.com with A. J. Cervantes, founder of Butterfly Records, the label for Destination.

A. J. Cervantes of Butterfly Records info & photos @ DiscoMusic.com

Especially insightful are his comments about the declining days of the disco format in 1979. I mention this because there are only a few more “new Number One Song” changes left for this thread. I will lament on this in a future post, but from my own view, there is a change coming.

In Germany, Boney M is Number One with El Lute, but in England, The Police, with Message In A Bottle, holds the top spot. In Sweden, Frank Zappa commands that position with Bobby Brown.

The Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart, while heavy with disco hits, has been seeing it’s audience share cut by a return to funkier songs from groups like Funkadelic and Mass Production. Kool & The Gang and Cameo are doing very well with their reworked sound.

And the music/dance world in October of 1979 gladly opens it arms to a new genre with the release of Rapper’s Delight by The Surgarhill Gang.



Rapper's Delight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We were all unaware of the seismic shift this record will have on all of pop, soul and dance music. In fact, I think most of us saw it as a novelty.

As my own life is starting to change, I notice my music tastes are also evolving. I am finding the new rock of B-52’s and Gary Neuman fun. American pop tunes are just as great for me now as were the Euro pop songs I had been hearing for the past 3 years. In fact, some of the tunes I loved so much in Germany have crossed over. Everywhere, I can hear Patrick Hernandez, M and even Ian Dury And The Blockheads.

But disco still rules my heart….






The fiasco of last week’s so called “DJ tryout” has not upset me at all. Unlike the K-Mart job, where I fell apart for quitting, I am more at peace with myself now that I am seriously trying to find work that I want. And I have learned that I can control my future better by planning and considering my options.

Some days I don’t bother going to the beach to run; I jog right in my neighborhood. I’ll follow a path that takes me past my old elementary or jr. high school, or past the old church I went to as a child. Sometimes I run by Aunt Muriel’s School Of Dance where I learned tap, jazz and some gymnastics.

I usually end up at the parking lot of either The Hollywood Playhouse or The Limelight Disco. They are both just blocks from my house and I seem to gain more inner strength from doing my push-ups and sit-ups in places that are more in touch with my goals.

The sign has gone up on the marquee of the theatre. They are opening the season with The Boyfriend. I still dream about someday walking into the place and auditioning for them.

But for the time being I need to take care of more immediate concerns.



After my morning jog, I called Nina over in Germany. I haven’t called in about a month now.

And no, The Red Balloon has not reopened yet. She is doing fine working at the other disco, Carousel. She tells me that on many weekend nights, some of the old patrons shows up.

I inform her that I am looking for work. We talk about some new songs each of us is hearing in our respective countries and then hang up. I can feel we are both pulling away.

I think about all my stuff I left there. My stereo and records. The trunk I left in the attic on the post. It has pictures and clothes and my high school yearbook. Is it possible I can get these shipped to America. That is…if I don’t make it back to Germany.

I am signing up for unemployment insurance this week, but it will take some time to get the checks started. Till then, I have started to draw money out of the account I opened last week with the 4000 dollars I brought with me from Germany.



I am starting to look at used cars. It’s bad enough that I am living at home, spending my money on pot and records. But I can’t keep building my schedule around borrowing The Lady’s car.




“You can borrow my car this weekend, while I’m away,” Lynn says, as she passes me the joint.

I am hanging out over Joanie’s house. I haven’t seen the two of them for over a week and needed a night out.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“My mother and I are going up to New Jersey to see family, “ she tells me.

“You know, I did want to visit other clubs and see if maybe I can find work in one of them,” I reply.

“Do you have any leads?” Joanie asks while bringing me a beer.

“I passed by The Flying Machine when I took your brothers to the skating party,” I say. “There was a sign that said they play disco on weekends. But I would rather walk in as a patron and check it out first.”

“Well I can’t go,” Joanie assumes. “Mr. Guillette gave us all a monologue….”

I zone out on the story of her teacher’s assignment. It wasn’t like I was going to ask a 16 year old girl out to a bar any way.

“Maybe Jeanette would like to go,” I say to Lynn. Jeanette is Lynn’s sister. Actually, her step-sister. We went out to a disco before, and she does like to dance.

“Call her up and ask her.”

So I do. She tells me she would be happy to. She says she hasn’t been to The Flying Machine in years. I make the date for Friday night.

This might work out. The Flying Machine. The Red Balloon. They are both aeronautical. Maybe there is a connection.




Come Friday night, I pick her up around 10. We both compliment each other on our looks and mention how this club used to be a more of a rock bar.

We get there, pay a cover and go inside. Sadly, it really isn’t that crowded.

The airplane still hangs from the ceiling. It’s an old single engine “crop duster” type. The club is a large space with a stage and different levels of seating. And it looks as if it was refurbished from the time I was in there during high school. The place does look “disco-ey”.

But it holds no real charm. If I remember correctly, they play a mix of rock and disco.

We could just be early. Bars don’t close till 4AM in Broward County. In Germany, it was 1AM on weekdays and 2AM weekends.

We do hang out and dance and drink for a while. It does get a little busier. Maybe it works better during the tourist season which is November through May.

Around 12:30, I suggest we go.

“It wasn’t that exciting. Was it?” Jeanette asks.

“Well it always had a reputation for more of a rock club.” I say.

We go for a ride on the beach and smoke a joint.

“It’s still early. Do you want to try another club?” I inquire.

“Where?” she questions.

“You guys told me about The Loft.”

“Yes, but I have never been there,” Jeanette tells me.

“It’s on the way home. Let’s give it a try. Maybe our luck will change.”

YouTube - Lucky - Donna Summer

We are both tipsy and high and really not paying attention to the other patrons in the parking lot. We are looking for some excitement or something new. I think we found it at The Loft.

It‘s on the second floor, above the Valhalla restaurant. As we ascend the stairs, I hear Edwin Starr’s Contact playing. That’s good enough for me.

There is a logjam of people at the top of the stairs. As we wait to get inside, I look around and notice a real fun, full disco.

When we reach the front of the line, the bouncer stops us and says something to Jeanette. I am just into the vibe of the music and oblivious to their conversation.

She says something to me and I turn and say “what”?

The bouncer yells in my ear: “This is a gay club.”

I look at Jeanette and say “Do you want to stay?”

“Do you?”

“Sure! It looks like fun.” I look at the bouncer and ask “Are we allowed in?”

“Absolutely! I just wanted to let you know.” He steps aside and we walk in.

It’s a small club and there is no cover. The lights aren’t that much, but the music is great. We walk across to the other end of the disco and get a drink at one of the bars.

We don’t speak for about 10 minutes. I think the fact that we walked into a gay bar has shifted the evening to the unknown factor. And remember, we are high and a little drunk already.

So what now?

I have to admit that I am excited. It feels like a lot of fun just being in a gay bar. Oh sure, I saw men dancing together in other discos in Europe. But this is a gay bar…in America…just blocks from my mother.

The men are good looking and sexy. And the place if full of them. I can feel them looking at me. After awhile, I realize that I am staring back at them.

I turn to Jeanette and we both break out laughing. I think I am blushing. We both say that it doesn’t bother us, but we can’t seem to stop laughing.

We drink and giggle. A few minutes later, I become self-conscious of my constant laughing and looking. Maybe they think I am laughing at them….because they are gay.

With every minute that passes, I grow more uncomfortable that Jeanette is there. We finish our drinks and leave.

We joke all the way to her house, caught up in the accidental “drop-in” at a gay bar. This will be something to tell Lynn when she returns back from New Jersey.

After dropping Jeanette off, I drive the few blocks to my house. I go slow, not because I have been drinking, but because I am not sure I want to go home yet.

I steer down my street but I pass my house. I’m not through dancing tonight.

I decide to go back to The Loft.



I don’t know if the bouncer remembers me or not. We nod to each other and I am ushered right in. No “gay bar” warning this time.

I don’t giggle or laugh during this second visit. Just a lot of staring while I’m getting into the music. And the guys.

It feels very natural to me…and for me…to be here. I walk around and get different looks from different guys. I can tell they are looking at me. And I like looking back.

I come across a table of small paperback books. It says David on the banner and has an obvious drag queen on the cover. I pick one up and open it to the middle. It’s a bar guide and it’s filled with advertisements for bars and clubs in the area.

Gay bars and clubs.

I thumb back to the beginning and there is a familiar logo spread across the first two pages.

The Copa.




Next week, my first and second visit to my new favorite disco.

Till then, here are some x-tra vids of the music and memories of 1979.


YouTube - Cliff Richard-We Don't Talk Anymore (12" Promo)

YouTube - Cliff Richard - We Don't Talk Anymore (PWL Mix)

YouTube - "Rapper's Delight" - The Sugarhill Gang

YouTube - Fawlty Towers - Fire Drill

YouTube - Hit me with your Rhythm stick (Paul Hardcastle Remix) - Ian Dury & The Blockheads

YouTube - Ian Dury Blockheads Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick clubmix

YouTube - 10

YouTube - SUGAR BABIES Broadway show excerpt with Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney, 1980.

And, the 2006 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, with We Are Family playing during the first pitch.(around 2:10)

YouTube - Bill Madlock, Pre-Game Guest at 2006 All Star Game

Disco wins!

[needlefingers]

October 20, 1979

At the Copa……The hottest spot north of Havana….

- Barry Manilow


I left The Loft that night with a couple of copies of David, the gay bar guide for South Florida. When I got back to my bedroom that night, I was up for another couple of hours perusing through the pages.

I never knew there was anything like this. This was all about gay nightlife. There were pages and pages of ads for all the gay and lesbian bars in the area. And discos. And restaurants. And even adult bookstores.

In the back were some classified ads with guys who want to meet guys. And phone numbers you could call and hear some tape recorded “gay escapade”. This was before we had lines where you could meet and talk with others.

The thing is….well actually, a couple of things is really what it is….is that , #1, it all seems so normal to me. I am not afraid or feel any fear about looking at this magazine. In fact, it really kind of excites me.

And #2, it really, really excites me! It’s like a Harold Robbins novel.

I still have Lynn’s car for the weekend and tomorrow is Saturday. I’ve got to move forward in my life, and I can’t think of a better way to discover my real self.

Tomorrow night, I’m going to The Copa!




I sleep late the next day and go to the beach in the afternoon. I’ve started hanging out at Dania beach, about 10 blocks north of Sheridan Street. It’s less commercial and still plenty of room to run.

I spend a good hour running and doing push-ups and sit-ups. Then I layout in the sun and swim for another 90 minutes. I stop and have a good meal at a restaurant on the way home. I watch Dance Fever and take an early evening nap.

I get up at 9PM and shower and get dressed. I want to make a good impression tonight, so I pick out nice slacks, leather shoes, gold belt and a gold thread shirt. Also a gold bracelet.

I get there around 11:30. The Copa sign that I had been seeing for the last couple of weeks, was all lit up. As I turned into the road to the club, I could see a line for parking and a line at the door.

I pay for the self parking and find a spot in the back. I get out of the car and head for the crowd at the door. But something is wrong….

Everybody else is dressed down. Jeans and sneakers. Polo’s and t-shirts.

I look like a fairy god-awful. I am already feeling out of place with the gays. But I continue on.

I walk to the line waiting to get in. I wonder if they are selective. There are a few people dressed like me, but for the most part, they have a woman with them. I’m afraid I come across as straight trying to get into a gay club, like a slime ball looking to hit on the women.

As the line moves up the stairs, I do notice that they are letting everyone pass, just a few at a time. When I reach the front, the rope comes down. Am I going to be the one turned away? Did I come this far to be rejected by, what I think are, my own kind?

A minute later and the rope goes up. I walk to the double doors, where another bouncer opens one up. I walk in to the vestibule and find myself in another line.

When I move up, I see an old woman inside a half-door ticket booth.

“Five dollars with a card. Eight without,” she shouts.

I don’t know what the card situation is, so I pull a ten out and hand it to her.

She gives me my change and a man at the end of the entrance cove stamps my hand. I walk out of the vestibule and into the club.



The best way to describe it is just like the movie 54. I exited that small hallway into an energized, ecstatic large room full of people who were all there to share….the music…the lights…..and their lifestyle.

As I stepped in, I could feel the coolness of the air conditioning like a breeze. There was a bar to my left and another island bar in a large alcove to my right.

As I reached the corner of the dance floor, I could tell it was already packed with a group of people who wanted to have fun. And practically all men.

Half of them already had their shirts off. Just jeans and sneakers. And gorgeous.

The room is dark by nature…walls and carpet…but the lights above the dance floor were tremendous. In the corners were palm trees reaching up to the ceiling.

In the center, and against the wall was the DJ booth. It wasn’t decorated or given much attention. It was just there, about 3 or 4 steps up from the dance floor. But it didn’t need anything else. It blended right into the club.

I stood there for a good twenty minutes without moving. This place is great….a treat…a surprise that I did not expect.



I ordered a drink from some lady waitress. Gin and tonic. When it arrived, I started to move through the rest of the club. On the other end of the dance floor was another large island bar and also another alcove, only this one was for sitting and cruising. There were different levels and boxes and rectangles, all carpeted.

On the other side of the wall was another bar, made of wood and with more of a country or leather feel to it. There were pool tables and pinball machines and a jukebox. At the bar against the wall was a television showing porn.

From this room are two doors leading to the outside….where there is an another bar made of bamboo and thatch. You can walk all around it, and there is some seating, but people also sat on the wood borders of the surrounding garden. And smoking pot!

Smoking pot….right in the club. I love it!

There is a sidewalk that leads to another path where The Copa had a store. The Copa sold it’s own t-shirts, jackets, clothes and adult toys and accessories.

Past the store, and further down the sidewalk, was a fair-sized cabaret room with stage and piano. There was a little guy with black glasses and black hair playing at the time.

On the other end of the cabaret was another entrance to the disco.

I walked back to the floor and stood there vibrating to the music and just watching the bare-chested guys dance.



They were passing something between themselves and snorting it. I would find out about poppers eventually.

I fell in love with this disco immediately, at first sight and sound. But because of the way I was dressed, I felt out of place that first night. Almost foolish.

Eventually, I started to notice other well dressed people, especially the ladies. And of course, the drag queens.

But I could not stop looking at the guys. It has been way too long for me. I can’t hold it inside anymore….

I’M A FAGGOT AND NOW I KNOW IT!!!

I’m just sorry that I dressed like one tonight.

I order another drink as I get into the music…the scene…the vibe. I don’t talk to anyone the whole night. I don’t ask anyone to dance. I just walk around a little and then stop and stare. It’s so right for me.

I don’t stay much longer. I am so self-conscious of my “disco” outfit. I can’t wait to get home and burn it.

I leave The Copa around 1AM and head over to The Loft. This is all so exciting to me. To find guys, and just guys, into disco.

I want more.


On Tuesday, I bring Lynn back her car, but I don’t mention The Copa.

“I heard you had some excitement over the weekend,” she says.

“What? What are you talking about?” I ask suspiciously.

“Jeanette told me you ended up in a gay bar on Friday.”

“Oh yeah. That. It was fun and they did play good music,” I tell her. “You want to get high?” I ask, changing the subject.



I decide to go back to The Copa on Friday night. I go shopping and get a new pair of Nike sneakers and few shirts. I decide to go with a blue terry-cloth pullover. And jeans with a plain black belt.

I wait till my mother get’s home around 11:30 and then get out of bed. I lie and tell her that I am going to check on a DJ job and ask if I can borrow her car. I leave about an hour later, driving by the beach first, to get high.

I arrive at The Copa around 1AM. I chose to come later. I wanted to check it out at a different time of the night.



Whether it was a Friday, or because it was later in the evening, getting through was faster. And I must confess, I felt so much more comfortable in jeans.

There was no cover tonight. But the club had been calling me all week and I would have paid anything to get in.

This time was different too. Now, the guys were noticing me. I was being cruised. I gotta tell you, the reader, that I never found myself attractive in life before. As a teenager, I would have been called a twink…short, skeleton thin, buck teeth, long hair.

But now I’m older, with a tan and muscles. Short cut on top and 29 inch waist. Before in a club, I never got attention for my looks. It was because of my clothes or dancing.

And that’s another thing that changed too. No longer did I need to dance or show-off. In fact, I felt less a need to dance here. I became very reserved and quiet. I went from an extrovert to a conservative personality. I’m more in control.

“That guy wants to buy you a drink,” the bartender says to me.

I looked across the bar at a heavy man, twenty or thirty years older than me.

When the bartender brings me my gin and tonic, I throw down some bills and ask him to tell the man “No thank you.”




With my newfound confidence and look, comes the responsibility of guiding it. That is, guide it towards what I want, and guide it away from what I don’t want.

I guide myself towards the dance floor. The DJ is playing the whole last side of the Bad Girls album. That’s another reason why I know I belong here. Everyone around me can relate to hearing and dancing to the Our Love/Lucky/Sunset People medley.


It’s a step down to the floor, so by standing right on the edge, I tower over the half-naked men in front of me. And while they dance and swirl, some with fans and tambourines, they keep glancing in my direction, as my steady, calm demeanor makes me more attractive.

I, and the men in the club, can feel there is “fresh blood” in the disco tonight…and it’s me.





I stay till closing, which is really past four, and pick up the new David magazine on the way out.

I go to Denny’s for breakfast. I buy a newspaper on the way in and search for the classifieds.

I going to need my own car….and apartment….. if I want to be a part of this tribe.




Next week, I meet “Mr. Right”. Well, the first of thousands.

And there is something familiar about him….as if I already know him...


Before I go, I told you in July that my Top 3 favorite disco songs were all from 1979;

#3 is Contact by Edwin Starr

#2 is Born To Be Alive by Patrick Hernandez

My #1 Disco Song is….

The Break by Katmandu

I would hear this song in the radio mixes but not in the clubs I had visited….till The Copa. Because it had no words, I couldn’t tell what it was. I bought the record because it was high in the charts and was happy when I played it at home the first time.

It’s mixture of fast percussion and building orchestra, with the whistle blowing and space sounds, drives me inside. You have to admit, it is a very exciting song, reminiscent of a roller coaster ride. And when it is played in a large crowded disco, you can’t escape its grip.

For me, it is the final bridge between “old school’ disco and high energy, though I don’t know this at the time. Even the title, The Break, points that out. And why not? It’s written and arranged by Dennis Lepage who is making his style known in the clubs from his work with other acts….and the soon-to-come Lime.

Steve Thompson, who remixed the song with Michael Arato, revealed on this very forum that there are words to the song, but they decided not to add the vocals.

I can’t imagine the song any other way.

YouTube - KATMANDU -SHABBA DOO

YouTube - Pamala Stanley This Is Hot

[needlefingers]

October 27, 1979



I reach over to hit the snooze button on my clock radio. I open my eyes and see that it’s 12:15AM. I switch off the alarm and turn on the radio.

Time to get up. It’s Wednesday night and I’m going to The Copa tonight. I haven’t been there since Saturday night. Still, I can’t wait until the weekend. I’ve been there 2 times so far, but I am hooked.

My perception of time has changed. No more going into a club till after 1AM. That would extend until 2AM on the weekends. Funny, a few months ago I would be coming home and going to bed by this time.

Also, I now run and hit the beach in the afternoon. I still get up early in the morning, but I hang in bed or watch TV.

I go through my ritual of shower, shaving and dressing. It goes a lot faster now that I just throw on jeans, sneakers and a shirt. I grab my keys and rush out to my car.

Oh yeah, I bought a used car yesterday. I got a 1970 Mercury Cougar with a scoop on the hood. It’s red with a black vinyl top and interior. I had looked at it on Sunday, and after browsing through a few more auto lots, I came back for it, mostly because it has a new cassette player with speakers in the back.



My family was surprised, considering that I was saving my money for my return back to Germany. Hey, I needed the wheels so I can come and go when I want. I paid cash so I could resell it in a hurry.

I get to the club shortly around 1AM. The parking lot is not as full as the weekend, but there does seem to be a crowd.

There is no cover tonight. Because there is no line, I stop at the ticket booth and buy a Copa Membership Card. This will allow me discounts on special nights. But more than that, I am now a “Copette“.

Upon entering, I stop and stare at everyone dancing on the floor. I still can’t get over the great sound and the great music and the great lights….and the great men.

I’m starting to recognize some of them. T-shirts hanging out of their back pockets. Dancing with the same man they were dancing with the 2 past weekends. Sometimes looking at me and smiling. Sometimes a nod.

They seem so happy and open. I’m new to this scene and feel like a bit of an outsider. I maintain my composure and confidence. But inside, I am envious and jealous of their lifestyle and the relationships they have with each other.



Soon? Sooner? Now?

Oh well. I head to the outside bar. After getting my drink, I sit down by the garden and smoke half a joint. I watch the people go by.

Some are “chatty Cathy’s”, a little too much for me. Others are paired off, in some deep conversation. And there are some cruising me back. A lot of “look, but don’t touch.”

I stroll around The Copa compound, into the store and over to the cabaret. Everything is lively as I pause here and there to absorb it all in.

I step back into the disco. The music has stopped while a drag queen is doing her act on the dance floor. The show doesn’t hold my interest and I move over to the bar.

After a few minutes, I can feel an older man cruising me. As if on cue, the bartender approaches me and says someone wants to buy me a drink.

“No thank you,” I reply, then turn and walk away.

I never get comfortable with the idea of older gentlemen buying me a drink. It’s beginning to happen all the time and it annoys me. Do they think I’m a hustler? Do they think I’m attracted to them? I’m learning this is part of the “game”, but it wears on me. I’ve just started the process of coming out. I’m looking for something in my range.

I head to another bar and get a fresh drink. As I walk back towards the dance floor, the show is ending and the music begins again.



My heart leaps to my throat. I start thinking about The Red Balloon for a minute as people push past me to step down onto the floor. Once it fills, I look at the number of men who are lining the outer edge of the dance floor.

One in particular catches my eye. I noticed him outside a while ago. Taller than me, but just a few years older. He is thin, almost gaunt, with shoulder length, brown hair. Brown eyes too. He is not like the smooth, muscled guys on the dance floor. This guy looks like a thinker. A professional.

He sees me too. Still, neither one of us acknowledges the other.

I move around the club for about another hour then decide to leave. But since I have my own car, I stop at The Loft on the way home.

Upon stepping in, the place is fairly empty. Across the room, I catch a glance of the guy from The Copa. He is standing at the far bar, drinking and smoking a cigarette.



I walk up to the empty spot next to him and order a gin and tonic while lighting my own cigarette. I turn to his direction as he turns his head to me.

“How you doing?” Did I say that?

“Okay,” he remarks. “Weren’t you at The Copa?” he asks.

“Yeah. But I’m on my way home now.”

“Looking for company?” Did he say that?

“Sure, but we can’t go to my place.” I haven‘t even told him my name yet!

“We can’t go to mine either,” he says. I can’t believe this guy lives with his parents too. Maybe a wife?

“You want to get a hotel room?” I am astonished at the things coming out of my mouth. This is like having an affair.

We both down our drinks and walk outside. In the parking lot I find out his name is John.

“How about the Holiday Inn on Harrison Street? It’s only two blocks away,” I say.

“Sure.” he adds. “I’ll pay and you can pay me half.”

We drive our cars there and walk in to register. John fills out the information and pays.

The clerk turns to give John the keys and says “Thank you Mr. Guillette. Your room is 713 and checkout time is …..”

Did the clerk just say Mr. Guillette? John Guillette? Isn’t that the name of Joanie’s drama teacher?

On the elevator ride up I ask what he does.

“I’m a drama teacher for the Broward County School System.”

Chic - My Forbidden Lover (2006 Remastered LP Version) - Free MP3 Stream on IMEEM Music


Well this is a fine pickle. The first guy I pick up has a connection with a good friend of mine. It does make it kind of more exciting.

Still, I haven’t told Joanie that I am gay. I’m still telling myself I’m gay.

I decide not to tell John about the connection. Let’s just have sex.

Unfortunately, it didn’t happen the way I hoped. While we both had been partying, John had been drinking more than me. For a drama teacher, his “performance” wasn’t enough for a one act. The curtain never went all the way up (if you know what I mean), and the lights went down after about 10 minutes.

I may be un-experienced, but I know when there isn’t going to be an encore.

And yet, I thought this was love. What did I know? I am in a hotel, in a bed, with a man of my choosing. Isn’t this how it is done?

I slept next to him for a few hours and then woke up. I wrote my name and phone number on a piece of paper and left it on the nightstand. I was sure he would call.


The next day, I was on Cloud 9. I actually met a cute guy, from the theatre profession. I was brazen enough to approach him. And I slept with him. Well, it’s not a lie. We did sleep.

I innocently believed there would be more to come. I figured we were a couple now. I was going to have someone to dance with at The Copa. And Joanie was going to be jealous of me.

I fantasized a whole relationship. Boyfriend and boyfriend. Maybe forever?



I visited the clubs over the weekend, but John wasn’t in sight.

After a couple of more days, and no phone call, reality began to settle in. The relationship was in my mind. And the sex was not only bad….I don’t think it was sex.


It’s now Halloween. I go to The Copa a little earlier and it is packed. I show my card and get a discount. Grace Jones is performing tonight.

The place is very festive, though I went with the jeans and t-shirt ensemble. Since I plan on staying until the end, I bypass the crowd around the dance floor and head for the outside bar.

After getting a little high, I stride back inside and stand in a secluded corner of the disco. Everyone is rushing to the dance floor and surrounding edge as the DJ is announcing the main attraction.

The place is wall-to-wall people as Grace comes out belting “I Need A Man.” Don’t we all? Under the spell of the song, I am excited about an actual disco star in our presence and move closer to watch.

I stand on the corner edge by the bathrooms. A few minutes later, I see John walk by. He doesn’t see me….or at least, I think he doesn't. I move over to the alcove and take a step up.

When he exit’s the bathroom, he comes down the open aisle. This time he see’s me….and nods. I nod back and watch as he just keeps on walking.




I didn’t understand this game of cruising, or sleeping around, till a little later. I was hurt that night, though looking back, I was naïve. I didn’t know the difference between a crush, love or just having sex (or not having sex) with someone. And I confess, I don’t pretend to believe I do today.

After the show, I move back to the secluded corner to nurse my drink…and wounds. Frankly, I don’t know who is the bigger ass here; me, for thinking there was going to be more. Or John, for just using me and tossing….

“What are doing here in this corner all by yourself?” a voice says in my ear.

I look up at a muscled, masculine, blonde man with the most friendliest smile you ever saw. He is at least 6 inches taller than me.

“Oh, I’m just trying to avoid the crowd,” I say.

“Avoid the crowd? You should be the center of it. How come I never saw you here before?” he asks.

“I’m new here. I recently left the Army and have moved back into the area,” I tell him.

This turns him on more.

“A soldier, huh? Does this soldier want to dance?”

I look up at his bright, sober, boyish face. “Would you tell me your name first?” I ask.

“Jack,” he replies. “My name is Jack.”

“Perfect!” I tell him. “Yes Jack, I would like to dance.”





On a different note, songwriter Vic Mizzy just passed away. One of his most iconic songs is the theme for the television show The Addams Family.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/ar...N+vhfXVIeF1Y3w

Ironically, 30 years ago at this same time, the Destination lp, From Beginning To End, is at the top of Billboards Disco Chart. Fans will know that The Addams Family theme is used in the albums cut My #1 Request, in the part titled Fantasy From Mortishia To Gomez Addams, though Mr. Mizzy gets no credit(?).

Kind of spooooooky, isn’t it? Happy Halloween!

YouTube - Destination -My #1 Request (put it where you want it) (1979)

YouTube - Addams Family TV Show Opening 1964

YouTube - Vic Mizzy - on composing "The Addams Family" theme song

[needlefingers]

November 3, 1979




I glance at the clock on the nightstand. It’s a quarter to six…AM.

I get up, go to the bathroom, pee, then wash my face and hands. I look at myself in the mirror and smile.

“You are cute,” I say out loud to myself.

I cross back to the bed and begin pulling my jeans on.

“Are you going? ” he asks.

“Yeah, I gotta get home Jeff,” I reply.

“It’s Jim,” he tells me.

Actually, I thought it might have been Jerry. I started sleeping with every guy in Fort Lauderdale two weeks ago and oddly enough, their names all begin with the letter “J”. Jesus!

“Will I see you again?” he pleads. He didn’t sound that effeminate last night. Maybe it’s just the question. Or the fact that it’s a male asking another male.

“I’ll be around in the clubs,” I tell him as I take my keys out of my pants and walk out of his bedroom.

I don’t want to get too attached. Besides, I want to have some fun

Stargard - Wear It Out - Free MP3 Stream on IMEEM Music


I drive to Hollywood and have breakfast on the beach. I bought a morning paper before I sat down at a table. After ordering, I search the classifieds for work.

Bartender. Bartender. Bartender. Waiter. Waiter. Waiter. Waiter….

I’ve never bartended or been a waiter before. But I worked in a restaurant for 3 years back in high school, as a runner to fill the buffet table. I have also been a dishwasher before.

So I may as well look for work in the restaurant world. I’m not having much luck finding DJ work. Not that I have really been searching anymore.

After breakfast, I go down to the water and lay down in the sand. I think about the guy from last night. And the night before last. And the night before…well, I don’t have to draw you a picture.

And if I did, I don’t think they would allow me to post it here.

For a minute, I think about Derek. You know, that soldier I had sex with in Paris. Truth be told, he had sex with me. I seemed to just lay there. Afterwards, I was kind of ashamed and embarrassed about it.

I turned sour on him then. I made him feel as if he had done something wrong.

I’m sorry about that today. I see it all differently now. I realize where he was coming from at that time. And how, a few months later, I have exposed the same feelings with other men.

In a way I feel bad about John Guillette, my first guy from a couple of weeks ago. He wanted the same thing also. He may have a few more years on me, and looking back, was probably an alcoholic. Time and liquor may have corroded what he really wanted….or needed.

As for me today, I can forgive John and Derek….and myself, for my own lack of understanding both, their needs, and mine.

And my needs for today are to absorb this new life. I am loving it. Maybe too much.

I love the music.

I love the gay bars.

I love the Copa.

I love the men.

And I love the way the men love me back.





Later that night, I run into Jack again at The Copa, at the outside bar.

Jack was the second guy I slept with….the one who asked me to dance on Halloween.

I went home with him that evening. He has a great place. A real bachelor pad. We had a lot of fun, though there was a problem.

Jack is huge where it counts. I mean massive. Tremendous! I haven’t seen a weapon like that since I left NATO. I’m talking Adult XXX-TRA Large! I couldn’t even begin to try and ….well, I don’t have to draw you a picture.

And if I did, I don’t think they would allow me to post it here.

But we tried. I recognized where I came up short against him, laughed it off, and have been friendly and cordial since.

“How’s your “coming out” going?” Jack asks.

“At this pace, I may break the record for the 50-yard dash,” I tell him.

“So you’re meeting people?” he questions.

“I don’t know if I’m meeting them, but I am sleeping with them,” I reply. “I’ll introduce myself later.”

“Have you told any of your friends yet?”

Now that was something I had been pondering. My closest friend is Lynn. She was my prom date back in high school, and the first one I called when I got back home from Germany. We never felt the need to be romantically involved, but I do see her as an extremely close confidante.

I haven’t been hanging with her and Joanie since I started going to gay bars. I got my own car now and told her I was looking for work. She's in college, so she has her studying. It’s only been a little over a week when I saw her last, so it’s not like we drifted or anything. Just in our own worlds.

I have been antsy to tell someone and, in my mind, I keep coming to Lynn. I think it would be a safe choice.

I tell this to Jack, who reassures me….

“A real friend will understand. In fact, they probably already guessed it.”



The next afternoon, I call Lynn to see if she wants to go to the beach that evening. We could just sit and write poetry like we did as teenagers. She agrees.

I pick her up and we head for a secluded spot so we can get high. She’s really excited that we are doing this.

We catch up on the past few days and then separate for little while to write. After about 30 minutes, we come together to read what we wrote.

“You go first,” I tell her.

She reads me some prose about a lover who doesn’t know she’s there and how their love can never be. You know…what a young person would write.

“Now you go,” she says.

I read her what I wrote. About trust and friendship….about hiding in ourselves….about revealing and sharing…

“Are you trying to tell me something?” she asks.

All the air left my lungs and I felt like I was gasping. I was shaking and afraid. While I had told it to myself, it felt different saying it out loud to a friend.

“Lynn. I’m gay.”

Her response was immediate. She scooted over and hugged me. We both broke out in tears.

“That’s great! That you could trust me,” she said.

Then she went on. “Because……I’m gay too.”

We both broke out laughing while holding on tight. We admitted to each other that we hadn’t confided with anyone before and how relieved we felt telling a friend. Finally, telling a friend.

“So have you been out with a guy yet?” she asked.

I told her about going back to The Loft that night, and going to The Copa and becoming a member. I told her I had been sleeping with a few guys. And I told her about sleeping with Joanie’s drama teacher.

She was shocked at that one, but laughed with me about it.

“What about you?” I asked.

Turns out, she has a crush on Joanie, though she hasn’t told her yet. The words she had written earlier were about Joanie. But, she has been going to a lesbian bar and seeing the DJ.

“I’m looking for a DJ gig and you’re dating one,” I kid with her.

“Do you want to go tonight?” she asks.

“You bet!”

I drive her back to her house where she can shower, change and bring her own car. She drives over to my place as I get ready.

“I’m bringing my own car because I may want to leave,” I say. Then I add, “Are you sure it’s okay for me to go into a lesbian bar?”

“Of course,” Lynn says. “There are men in lots of times. You won‘t feel out of place.”




I follow her to Tops Lounge on Pembroke Road. It’s about 10 blocks away and just down the street from The Limelight.

The windows are all tinted so you can’t see through the glass. But once inside, the view of the place is really nice. A large island bar and a mid-sized dance floor with lots of tables surrounding it.

Lynn first introduces me to Jay, the owner of the bar. We walk around and meet the bartenders and some of her other friends.

She takes me to meet Sandy, the DJ. The booth is flush with the wall and is enclosed, like a large walk-in closet. A window lets you see out onto the dance floor.

As we walk into the booth, there are dozens of cardboard boxes filled with records. They are piled high, and Sandy shows me another closet filled with them.

“They are from the record pool. They’re promos,” she says, as if it means nothing. I ask her if I can go through them and she says yes.



I am in heaven. I knew of DJ promos, but I didn’t know they were getting this much. Most of the stuff I was seeing I had never heard of. Others, I knew already, but it looked like she wasn’t playing them.

It seemed so professional, to be running my fingers across these white labels, or reading “Promotion Copy Not For Sale.”

I was like a kid in a candy shop, and Sandy and Lynn kept laughing at every “oooh”, “ahhh” and “wow” that was emitting from my mouth.

A few minutes later, Sandy drops the bomb on me.

“Do you want to play for a little bit?”

“Yeah,” I said. Lynn had never heard me spin before, and this was an excellent opportunity to get in some practice and keep looking through the records.

Sandy showed me the lights and pulled some records she wanted to play later. It was a weeknight, but the place had people in it. Sandy had been playing light rock music, so no one was dancing yet.

Sandy and Lynn left the booth. I had noticed a song in one of the boxes that was new, but starting to get airplay on the radio and also at The Copa.

Inner Life I'm Caught Up (12"): Vinyl Records @ DiscoMusic.com


It picked up the mood of the girls in the room and the floor began to fill. I dimmed the light in the booth so I could see through the window better.

I pulled a song I know from the crate under the turntables and mixed it in.



A “whoop” comes out from the crowd. I look out of the DJ window. Sandy, at the bar, gives me a thumbs up.

Customers soon start showing up at the door of the booth to make requests….and are surprised to see a man running the show.

What can I say? It’s the seventies man! Or should I say “woman?”

Isn’t it ironic? Just as I’m coming out gay, girls start to notice me. Where were these girls when I was in elementary school?

But I shouldn’t complain. I mean, let’s be honest here. There is only one thing these ladies want from me tonight….so I’m going to give it to them.

And I don’t have to draw you a picture.





Next week, a new Number One Disco Song, a look back at the events that shaped November 1979, and a conversation with the only Lady that matters….

My mother.


YouTube - Inner Life - "I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair) (B-Side Mix)" (1979)

YouTube - REVANCHE - MUSIC MAN (1979)

[needlefingers]

November 10, 1979


Giorgio Moroder is having quite a year in 1979. Winning an Academy Award for the Midnight Express score. Writing and producing the Bad Girls album with multiple hits for Donna Summer. He even has his own work, E=mc2, playing in the clubs at this time.

So with his usual top notch, talented, studio staff and co-writers, he has raised singer Suzi Lane to the top of the Billboard Disco Charts with her album Ooh, La, La.

And Harmony filled the dance floors….



This gospel-tinged tune sent everyone into disco heaven. Like climbing stairs, the song builds steadily, releases, then starts again. It’s percussive-like synthesizer sound blends well with the patient vocals. In a large disco, one could feel that “fuzzy” effect in the chest and ear hairs.

All six cuts on the album are dance songs and have a sort of reminiscent feeling of earlier Moroder works, such as the Once Upon A Time lp. Hidden gems include Free Me and Givin’ It Up.

Not much is known of Miss Lane…

Suzi Lane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Suzy Q would record a remake of Harmony in the 80‘s. It is very similar in the arrangement and sound, perhaps as an homage to the original.

You can listen to the Suzi Lane album here…

Lala - Where music plays



But where there was harmony on the dance floors in November of 1979, the rest of the world was suffering from a discordant tone.

For starters, the Iran Hostage Crisis would begin. The U.S. Embassy in Tehran was invaded and hostages were taken. Their demand was for the return of the Shah to stand trial. President Carter halted Iranian oil imports and froze all Iranian assets in America. In retaliation, American and Israeli interests were attacked in the mid-east, including the American Embassy in Pakistan.

Furthermore, militants would take over Mecca’s Grand Mosque, leading to a two week gun battle that killed hundreds of the saboteurs along with security forces and hostages.

In North Carolina, five members of the Communist Workers Party would be killed in a clash at a rally with the KKK and neo-Nazi’s.

International criminals would grab the headlines too.

Police in Paris shot and killed “French Public Enemy Number One” Jacques Mesrine.

Over in Ireland, IRA member Thomas McMahon is sentenced to life for the assassination of Lord Mountbatten.

And, Black Panther Party/Black Liberation Army member, Assata Shakur would escape a New York prison and find asylum in Cuba, She is still there today. Involved in the killing of a New Jersey State Trooper, she is also an aunt of Tupac Shakur.

Sharing the headlines, Senator Ted Kennedy would announce his bid for President, hoping to upset Jimmy Carter for the Democrat Party’s nomination.

During a European tour, Bill Haley and The Comets would give a command performance before Queen Elizabeth II. It would be one the last times he would play Rock Around The Clock in front of his fans.

Famous people we lost included First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, film composer Dimitri Tiomkin, cartoonist Al Capp and British actress Merle Oberon.

Also, the last of The Marx Brothers, Zeppo Marx, would pass away. Playing straight man to his zany siblings, Groucho said he was actually the funny one.

Still, people could turn to the movies to lift their spirits, and even find a little disco.

The Fish That Saved Pittsburg, a basketball fantasy, served up a danceable soundtrack produced by Thom Bell. Popular acts performing on the album include The Sylvers, The Spinners, Bell & James, Phyllis Hyman and The Four Tops.

And Bette Midler would take center stage with The Rose. Besides a hit song, there would be a very special appearance by disco artist Sylvester.






It’s Wednesday. I’m back at The Copa, enjoying my drink and watching the boys dance. The only thing that has changed in the last week is the calendar date and the guy I’m going home with tonight.

It’s official….I’m not only a faggot….I’m a slut.

Truth is, I am having a lot of fun at this time in my life. Hell, it’s only been a few weeks, but I am embracing my new lifestyle.

I have been liberated by coming out to myself, and admitting that I am gay has opened new paths for me.

For one, the depression of the last few months has gone away. I am thinking clearer and like myself more. A great weight has been lifted. I have found places where people, like me, gather openly and have fun. And it includes disco.

Another thing… I am meeting new people, and I’m finding that being gay is no big deal. Telling Lynn was the best thing I could do. And who knew that she was gay too? Well, she was on the tennis team in high school…I guess that should have been a clue.

In fact, now I can go into Tops and hang around the DJ booth and play a little. Jay has even offered me to let me play for free on Sandy’s off nights. I get to go through the boxes of promos and practice with the new songs. It keeps me in touch with the music and a crowd. Maybe it will lead to more.

And one other thing….I’m having sex! On a regular basis! What 21 year old doesn’t want that? I have been repressed and ridiculed for most of my life. About time I got me some.

Which reminds me…it’s getting late and I need to keep moving.





About 7:30 the next morning, I pull up to my driveway, get out of my car, and head for my bedroom, which has an outside entrance by the backdoor to the house.

Suddenly, the backdoor opens and the Lady, my mother, steps out.

“Could I talk to you for a minute?” she asks.

I get the feeling like I’m in some kind of trouble. I sit down at the kitchen table.

“What’s the matter?” I say.

She reels right into me. “I don’t understand why you are staying out all night. You have me worried when you don’t come home. I’m up all night expecting the police to call. This is just so unfair….yada, yada, yada…”

I am not only taken aback by this outburst, but I am actually growing angry with every word.

A little background. My parents had 6 children. Only three graduated from high school and I was one of them.

All of them have been in trouble with the police, except one; me.

And, as a teenager, I was the only one who was home when I was supposed to be, and called if I was going to be late.

This was while my parents were raging alcoholics.

So as my mother is about to break out in tears, I stand up and put a halt to it.

“I am tired. I am going to bed. I will talk to you when you have calmed down.” I exit through the backdoor and go to bed.

Before I fall asleep, I ponder if I should tell her the truth or not.


When I wake up in the mid-afternoon, I come back into the house. My mother is sitting there watching television. A special bulletin about Iran is on.

I still have 3 more years of Reserve on my Army enlistment. This means, if they need me, they can call me back to Active Duty. It’s been in the back of my mind due to the current events.

“Are you off today?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says, without looking at me.

“How about I take you out to dinner and we talk?” I propose.

“Okay,” she says.




We decide on a deli on Sheridan Street. They have a great meatloaf dinner and bowls of free pickles and coleslaw on the table.

After ordering, she begins.

“You really haven’t paid me much attention since you came home. I can understand that initially you were waiting to go back to Germany. But now, I don’t know what your plans are and you seem to just be winging it. And ignoring me.”

She goes on. “Things are different in my life too. I have been sober for 18 months now and want to plan for my future. But I need to know what you are doing. And maybe….how you feel”

“Lady…” I begin, but she stops me.

“Why do you call me Lady? It hurts me.” she says.

I started calling her “Lady” when I was about 12. It’s from a Marx Brothers skit. But I don’t think that is really why I call her that.

“I probably call you Lady, because I did not see a mother there.” I know that just hurt, but it was the truth.

Please don’t get me wrong. I do love my mother. I see her as angelic, as many sons do. But when she drank, she could be a monster. As I got older, her drinking got worse. She made me her enabler. It could be very bad at times. Cleaning up vomit and piss. Not having friends over. Fighting and yelling. Verbal and physical altercations.

And as some of you may know, when you are the children of alcoholics, you turn into the parent, both to them and yourself. Problem is, you teach yourself some things in the wrong way.

You also bargain. By exchanging cigarettes, beer and car privileges, you are willing to put up with the abuse. Later, when you separate yourself from them, you look at it differently. Like it was some sort of bribe or trade-off for them not behaving like parents.

“I’m sorry for that,” she tells me. Her beautiful blue eyes are glossy with tears. It is an apology I can believe….for the first time in my life.




During dinner, we talk about where it went wrong for her and my father. Both of them grew up in the same small town in Pennsylvania during the depression. And both came from homes with alcoholics.

The two of them also served in WWII. My mother was a nurse in the South Pacific. My father flew bombing missions over Germany. He was a decorated war hero.

His love was drumming and his dream was to be in a Big Band outfit from the 1940’s…




When the war ended, they met again in their hometown and married. After three kids, my father ended up selling auto parts in his father’s store. This is where his dream ended and his drinking started.

It didn’t stop when they moved to Florida and had a few more kids. Soon my mother was drinking too. And as their drinking pushed them apart, it divided all eight of us.

I remind my mother of the Sunday afternoons, when we had to let my father have the living room so he could get drunk and listen to his jazz records and “air-drum”. Funny thing is, I always liked his music. I thought disco was a revival of that time. But I couldn’t share that with him.


“You know, Lady….Mom…I am proud of you for stopping drinking. I guess I need some time to process my role here. I don’t mean to hurt you. I just have to find a way to deal with my own pain.”

“I can understand that,” she says. “They teach us that in recovery. I just don’t want to see you waste your life or follow the pattern.”

I bring up the topic. “You mean like staying out all night?”

“Yes. It bothers me. I’m worried about you all night” she says. “Where do you go?”



I am afraid of her reaction if I told her. She is very emotional tonight and too much truth might not work. She’s also from another generation.

I remember Jack’s words from last week. “They probably already guessed it.”

I decide to not say it.

“Mom, I don’t mean to worry you, but I am an adult. I am having fun at the discos and dancing. Your other kids have always stayed out all night, and they never called. I think at 21, I can decide for myself.” I am proud for saying it like that and she backs down.

“Are you going back to Germany?” she questions.

“From the looks of it, I’m going to Iran.” We both laugh.

“Have you thought about school?” she asks. “I thought you wanted to be an actor.”

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll start looking into it” I say. “And I’ll think about moving out soon.”

“I don’t want to chase you away again.”

“You’re not chasing me away.” I reassure her. “I just don’t need to stay in the nest much longer.”


After dinner, we go to the beach and have some ice cream. We sit down on a bench on the boardwalk.

We flashback to the time before I left for the Army in the summer of 1976...remembering the night we came to the beach and both cried….about my departure….and her need to quit drinking.

I sat with my mother through her first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting back then. I was leaving her and I suppose I was trying to find the best solution to help both of us; to get her to stop drinking….and to relieve myself of any further responsibility.

Today, we are both a little older and wiser. At least, wise enough to know we both have some more growing up to do.




As I pull the car into the driveway, she has one more question.

“Are you going out tonight?’ she asks me.

“How about I stay home and we watch TV?” I suggest. “It’s Busby Berkeley Week and 42nd Street is on.”

“Oh, that’s one of your favorites,” she recalls.

“Mom, do you remember as a kid, when I was tap dancing, how I always said I wanted to bring all those movie musicals to the stage?”

“Yes, I do,” she says. “And you can call me Lady if you want to.”

“Well, that’s still my dream….Lady.”

Amazon.com: 42nd Street: Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler: Video On Demand



Come back again, for a new Number One Disco Song.

And, a chance encounter fills in another piece of the puzzle to my future.


YouTube - SuzyQ-Harmony

YouTube - ~Disco~ Slip - Harmony (1985)

YouTube - Gloria Gaynor ....Let me know [I have the right]

YouTube - The Rose - Bette Midler

YouTube - The Thom Bell Orchestra - A Theme For L.A.'s Team

YouTube - Bebe Daniels Vs. Ruby Keeler

42nd Street Video by Arguing With Myself - MySpace Video

.

[needlefingers]

November 17, 1979


Indian Summer struck in November of 1979. This is a phenomena that occurs when the temperature rises to over 70 degrees after the first frost in autumn.

Everyone rushes to get back into shorts and sandals. They ride their bicycles in the parks or run on the beaches, taking advantage of that one last chance to work up a sweat before the months of winter and darkness descend on the Northern Hemisphere.

Of course, the cold returns and everyone gets sick, leaving us reaching for the Nyquil or a thermometer.

But the fever that really took over us that year was the disco group Fever with their self-titled album reaching the top of the Billboard Disco Action Charts thirty years ago this week.

The two songs specifically cited were Beat Of The Night and Pump It Up…..






….though in my opinon, the continuous mix of all six-tracks on the lp add up to a delightful guilty pleasure. Work Me and Treat Me Right deserve attention.

Besides the talent all over this recording, it is produced by Dale Reed with associate producers Marty Blecman and John Hedges. Patrick Cowley, a personal favorite of mine, does the synthesizer work here. Blecman and Cowley would soon go on to team up for their own mega-hits on Megatone Records.

Fever had earlier released a cover version of Standing In The Shadows Of Love on 12-inch, which I find very enjoyable.

Their reign at the top of the club charts would only last for one week, more so due to the powerhouse hit that knocks them off.

So don‘t overlook them. Their presence is welcome in every DJ collection.










It’s the afternoon and I am walking around the campus of Broward Community College.

I told my mother last week that I would look into going to school and I am beginning that process today.

College? It kind of scares me. I may have been popular in high school, but I did not have the greatest of grades. I could get A’s and B’s in Writing, English, Drama and Art, but math, history and science just bored me. I never got it and studying was not my thing. Or so I think.

Part of the reason I went into the United States Army was because I wasn’t going to college, when a lot of my friends were. In my senior year, I had thought about it, but there wasn’t any money. And all I knew about an SAT was that it rhymed with C-A-T.

I know I have the G.I. Bill, which pays for school, but I don’t understand it….at least not yet.

The campus is kind of empty. I guess there are not many afternoon classes. I walk into the Admissions Office and begin to ask some questions.

“Here is our Winter 1980 schedule which begins in late January” a young lady tells me. “It has the complete curriculum and application papers in the back. Did you say you were a veteran?”

“Yes. I did” I reply.

“You will have to make an appointment with a financial advisor to discuss how the tuition is paid through the government. Anything else?”

“Do you have some kind of campus guide or map to help me find my way around?” I ask.

She hands me a two-page diagram. I thank her and leave.

I walk back out not really understanding what it is I am supposed to do. The halls are barren and I don’t feel any excitement of students. Let’s face it; I hardly see any students.

The campus seems small and uninviting. I remember watching television as a kid and seeing commercials for this school. It seemed so busy and …I don’t know…inspiring then.

Many of my friends, who could not afford college, were coming here after high school. I have no idea if they made it.


I get in my car, throw the catalogue in the back seat, and drive off, not really excited by my visit to this school.

I decide to go shopping at The Diplomat Mall in Hallandale. There was a time when half of Hallandale was “The Diplomat-this” and “The Diplomat-that“. The Diplomat was a famous hotel on the beach with lots of movie stars and shows. The Cowan’s owned the whole enterprise and their children were classmates of mine. In fact, my senior prom was at The Diplomat.

Anyways, I’m browsing through shirts in the Men’s Department at Montgomery Wards, when this hand lands on my shoulder and spins me around.

“I’d horsewhip you, if I had a horse.”

“Sean! How are you?” I shout.

Sean was my one of my best friends in high school. In fact, the two of us put the “high” in high school. Even though I was popular and into Student Government, Sean was the opposite….laidback and didn’t want to be bothered.

“What happened to your hair?” he asks. Sean’s hair is still long and flowing, half-way down his back.

“I went into the Army” I tell him.

“Are you just visiting?”

“No, I’m out and came back a few months ago” I say.

“Don’t tell me you’re not a pothead anymore.”

I relieve him of his worry. “Some things never change.”

“You want to come over and hang for awhile?”

As if he had to ask. “Absolutely!”

Sean lives in the Golden Isles area of Hallandale, another well-to-do section. I follow him to his parents two story mansion. It’s beautiful, with a fountain in the circle driveway. That senior prom I just mentioned….Lynn and I went with Sean and his date…in his father’s classic Rose Royce.

We walk in and he starts razzing with the maid. Up the staircase to the second floor to his messy bedroom filled with instruments and audio equipment. The view from his window overlooks a pool and the canal with their boat in it.



Sean and I were into The Marx Brothers together, hence his Groucho line when he ran into me. We used to go to UHF Channel 51 on Sunday nights when they did Classic Comedy Theater. I would dress as Groucho and he would dress as Chico. We would do their old routines on camera during the breaks in the film. Sometimes, I would do Groucho’s dances.

Sean was more of a rocker or easy-pop/rock type. He played guitar and was very good at writing. Also arts and crafts. Girls loved him for his gentleness, though he did seem to attract kooky females.

I tell him that I have been hanging with Lynn and Joanie since I came back home. He doesn’t know Joanie, but he does know her brother Freddie from high school.

I also talk about living in Germany and being a soldier. And all the places I visited. He is amazed that a runt like me would have survived the Army and how good I look today.

Then I move the discussion to disco. I tell him about DJing at night in a German discotheque and how I’m into the whole movement. He remembers me being into it in the past and how I always liked the music and dance. Our after-prom party was at a disco; Bachelor’s III.

The odd thing is, now he is into some of it too. He is fascinated with the studio production groups, producers and orchestrations.

And get this…he is into ABBA…and The Bee Gees.

“It’s their harmonies” he tells me. “They are so in sync with each other when they sing. It’s perfect.”

Sean tells me he has spent the last couple of years teaching himself instruments and working with recording. He also says he would love to go work at Criteria Studios in Miami, the home of The Bee Gees.

“I’m going to start college in January” Sean says.

“You won’t believe this…” I begin…”I was just at Broward Community College. I’m looking at schools.”

Sean tells me he checked them out, but thought they didn’t offer much. He’s going to Miami-Dade Community College, North Campus.

“It has a great arts program and is a much larger school and campus. You should check them out.”

“I will” I say.


The next day, I follow the instructions he gave me and drive to the North Campus. From the size of the parking lot alone, I can tell this is a huge school.

And busy too. Not only is the lot full, but once I start walking around the campus, I see hundreds....thousands.....of students. And this is in the afternoon.

I find my way to the Admissions Office. I am told to write my name on a list, take a number and someone will be with me soon.

Ten or fifteen minutes later a nice woman calls out my name and number and I follow her to a cubicle.

“So tell me why you came to Miami-Dade today” she says with a bright smile.

I explain that I am looking into schools, but that I didn’t have good grades in high school. I go on about being in the Army, and would like to consider college, but that I really don’t know what the procedures are or anything about degree programs.

She sets me at ease right away. “First off, community college is open to all, no matter what your past grades are. It’s like starting fresh. And it’s an opportunity to look into what your interests are. So let’s start there. What do you want to be?”

I tell her about musical theatre and dance, and that I excelled in creative writing in the past. She take notes of my conversation.

“We have a two year program that would give you an Associate’s In Arts Degree with an emphasis in theatre. The credits would be transferable to just about any college in the country.”

“You will have to fulfill some requirements, such as science and humanities, but we suggest for those who have had trouble in the past with low performance in certain subjects, a Study Skill’s course. It will teach you how to study and we recommended that you take it in your first semester to help set you on a successful path.”

I like the way this lady talks!

She continues. “As a veteran, if you enroll for full time studies, I already know that the G.I. Bill will cover all tuition and pay you a monthly sum. You can also apply for financial aid and if necessary, a student loan. You seem like a bright young man and should have little difficulty qualifying.”

And this is the way I like to be talked to!

Still she goes on. “ I think you will find a very diversified program in our curriculum and may want join in some of the many wonderful extra-curricular student activities Miami-Dade Community College has to offer. If you apply yourself and take college seriously, I can assure you…the sky’s the limit.”




“Would you like a tour of the campus?” she asks.

“Sure!” I exclaim.

Boy, the other college didn’t do this. I am surprised by the courtesy of the staff here and the time they give to new prospects. She hands me the Winter 1980 Schedule and some other papers. Then we head out for a walk through the campus.

We start at the dance building. It’s recently built and has four large studios. All new equipment and one studio can transform into a small theatre. I even get to meet the Department Head, Karen, and do a little movement and tap for her.



“Oh you look good, but lets save it for class” she says.

Karen explains some of the many classes and that there is also a dance company associated with the school.

Next door is the gym. Now I was told that because of my Army experience, I could already get Physical Education credits, but I am here for the full tour.

On the outside are some pools for swimming and water sports classes. She lets me know there are also baseball diamonds, soccer fields and a track and field/football stadium.

Once inside the gym, there is a lot of basketball being played. The place is huge. The bleachers are folded up and behind one set, I can hear something else going on.

“What’s over there?” I ask.

“We have a gymnastics program and team” she tells me. “Want to take a look?”

“You bet!”

As we turn the corner, I am amazed at the size of the space; wide open and with a large spring floor. There are a few pommel horses, a high bar, rings, vault. and two each of uneven and parallel bars. Also a trampoline. The whole set-up is magnificent.

There are a few guys working out with a coach. They are on the floor, flipping and somersaulting back and forth. Some of the moves I recognize.



“Do they have classes?” I ask.

“Oh yes” my guide informs me. “Beginners up to Advanced. And a competing team.”

“Wow!”

"Do you have any background in gymnastics?"

"Yes" I reply. "But I could use some more."


Over to the Theatre and Music building. It’s a small campus in itself. I get to see the inside of the mainstage theatre and the scene and prop shop. I am introduced to the scene shop director who tells me that many of the props and furniture were donated from the old Jackie Gleason Show that was filmed in Miami.

When I was a kid, I used to fantasize that Jackie Gleason was my father. How’s that for karma?

We visit the Theatre Department Administrative Office and I am given a small booklet outlining the requirements for an A.A. degree in Theatre. It really is very nice and welcoming on their part. I am impressed.

While we also tour the other academic buildings, we stop at the Student Financial Aid center. It has a special office for veterans.

“Would you like to make an appointment?” a young man behind the counter asks.

I book one for the next afternoon and am told what necessary papers to bring to find out how much I can qualify for.

As the tour is wrapping up, I tell my host how grateful I am for the time she spent to show me the campus. And also, for helping me understand the college application process.

“I was kind of hesitant because I really didn’t understand what was expected of me” I tell her.

“It all comes down to what you expect of yourself” she affirms.

She’s good.


So, now it’s up to me….

Viddler.com - Archie Bell & The Drells-Strategy - Uploaded by GStrongRAW

By the time I drive home, the sun is setting. When I get there, the house is dark and no one is home.

I decide to take the paperwork and catalogues they gave me and walk up to Hollywood Boulevard and have dinner at The Copper Penny. It has been a learning experience and there is a lot to absorb.

While eating dinner, I skim through the courses offered. My eyes are opening up, as is my world and my possible future.

Oceanography? I always liked that. And look….Formal Speaking and Debate! I think I could be good at that.

The dozens of dance classes and theatre courses amaze me. And the fact that they have gymnastics…it just seems so exciting.

These are all the things I wanted to study and become…

…..before the Army….

….and before Germany….

….and The Red Balloon….

….and….disco.

After I pay my bill, I begin a slow walk home. I enjoy the warm breezy evening and take the time to reflect on the past month or so.

When I held on to an uncertain past, I stumbled in the dark. I became lost and depressed. I was dragging around an anchor. Or maybe, the anchor was dragging me down.

But, when I decided to deal with the present, reality came into light and I wasn’t afraid or depressed anymore. I found new choices. New doors to open. And a new me in the process. Maybe, the real me.

I’m beginning to recognize that a person can fail sometimes, but that doesn’t make them a failure. In fact, getting back up and trying again is the best one can do. Look at my mother.

I find myself stopping in front of the Hollywood Playhouse. It’s dark, as there is no performance tonight.

The Boyfriend is still playing and is displayed on the marquee. Underneath is added “Last Week”.

Suddenly, this theatre that scared me a few months ago, looks and feels more conquerable. A quest for my future. A dream that can come true.

I look down at the college paperwork that I am carrying. Then I gaze back up at the marquee.

“It all comes down to what I expect of myself” I say aloud.

Soon. Very soon.






Only 2 more tunes make Number One Disco Song for 1979, and next week is the one I consider to be the last big hit for the disco era.

Also, family members announce the changes in their lives at the holiday meal…

….while I make a decision that puts any doubt of my future, and my past, to a final rest.


YouTube - Liquid Gold - Dance Yourself Dizzy

YouTube - Ooh, What A Life - Gibson Brothers 1979

YouTube - "Pump It Up" - Glenn Rivera ReStructure Mix - Fever

YouTube - Fever - Beat Of The Night (1979 Disco)

YouTube - Fever-Standing In The Shadows (1979)

[needlefingers]

November 24, 1979


The new Number One Disco Song is…..



If you were lucky enough to be around when it was a hit, you can appreciate its impact at the time.

If you were old enough to be allowed in the clubs, you could not escape the theatrical effect one could feel when the DJ played it.

There is plenty of information about this song and the famous pairing on …

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_More_Tears_(Enough_Is_Enough)

A few things I do want to point out.

For one, Donna Summer completes her trifecta of having 3 consecutive double albums reach the Number One Spot on the Billboard Album Charts. And two of those lp’s are basically greatest hits records. She is the first (maybe only?) artist to accomplish this feat.

All three of the albums, Live And More, Bad Girls and On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volume I & II, would garner multi-platinum status. And each would produce at least 1 Number One Pop hit along with many top ten hits.

Second, rarely has a song become both Number One on the Disco Action Chart….and the Pop Singles Chart….at the same time. Usually, any club chart topper, that is destined to pop’s top spot, has to wade through the other pop tunes and genres, and arrives after its club debut. The power and impression of the song, and the collaboration between the two divas, drives the song upward fast.

But because of the massive overtaking of the charts, radio airplay and club play….or because of the high drama story in the lyrics and the pairing of the hit-making vocalists…or maybe even because it is the end of the decade and tastes are changing…the song doesn’t hang around much after its peak.

Which brings me to my last point. Looking back, I believe this is the true last “big” disco hit of the disco era.

It is on a major disco label (really 2), using a major disco star along with another fabulous singer/actress(who is doing well with her own disco voice), and put together by major “behind-the-scenes” players.

But look what‘s happening around it. The music in the club changes to include alternative rock, synth bands and electro-funk. Hi-NRG is moving to become the dominant, somewhat underground, dance music. And disco acts, such as Stephanie Mills and Evelyn “drop the Champagne” King, become more radio friendly. In fact, radio hits would find their way into the clubs, a reverse trend of what had been going on in the late 70’s.

From another aspect, Donna would leave Casablanca and change her sound. Clubs would close down followed by record labels. Some labels go as far as to change their name or sound while dropping acts from their roster. Radio stations let go of the disco format, as more specific genres and changing attitudes and fashion would split the spirit of camaraderie that disco had brought to a national, and international, level.

Add in the rise of conservatism, the backlash against disco and the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the early 80’s.

There would be much more built from the disco blueprint There still is today. But the evolution of disco and club life would take a turn after 1979.

As a culture, it is natural to categorize life by the calendar, whether it is by millennium, century, decade or even year. And there is some bleeding between the lines we draw when we assign some kind of order to the different era’s in our lives.

But when you say 1970’s, there is no mistaking that it is the true age of disco.

No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) puts a period on a very long sentence; a very fun-filled, exciting, inescapable sentence.

Kind of an appropriate title, don’t you think?






I like that mix of Donna Summer and Edwin Starr. A little of the old with a bit of the new.

I gotta tell you, for a while there, I didn’t know what was old and what was new in my life. Was the Army and Germany and The Red Balloon the old me? Or was I supposed to return to Europe and let it be the new me?

But with my coming home, have I found the true old me? I have reconnected with my life before I left for the service. I have found those past desires to become an actor and a dancer are still there. And now with a path opening up, by using the G. I. Bill for college, the dreams are new again….and attainable.

Maybe I was Dorothy visiting the land of OZ, now back home from my trip over the rainbow, living again, in a black and white world. facing some very real facts.

On the one hand, The Red Balloon is closed. I haven’t spoken to anyone in Germany in weeks and everyone did what they had to do and moved on.

On the other, I am back in America, with my own car, comfortable with my sexual orientation. I found a new disco and I’m ready to start college.

The balance of the scales in my life has tipped.

Things were sure different when someone else tells you when to eat and when to sleep.


“Are you getting up? The parade is on” Tanya yells from the other side of the door.

Tanya is my ten-year old niece I mentioned about earlier. It’s Thanksgiving morning and I told her to wake me and I’ll watch the parade with her.

I get up, hop in the shower, grab my cigs and head into the house.

“Happy Thanksgiving everybody” I say.

It’s repeated back to me as my mother gets up and gives me a kiss.

“What’s that for?” I ask.

“For being home this Thanksgiving” she says.

True. I had been in the army during the last three; one in Texas and two in Germany.

While we are an immediate family of eight, there will only be four of us at the dinner table this holiday: my mother, my sister Louise, her daughter Tanya and myself.

One brother is married and lives in Pennsylvania. Another brother is also married and in town, but will spend the day with his family. My other sister and brother live in Atlanta.

Dad will spend the day in bed. He hasn’t had a meal with us in years and would rather spend 36 hours sleeping. It’s the depression from the alcoholism.

My mother is a nurse working in a Share Unit. This is where they treat alcoholics and drug addicts. She made sure to have the day off to cook a traditional turkey dinner for me.

After watching the parade, my niece and I look around for cartoons and other fun stuff. The smell of the cooking coming from the kitchen fills the whole house. My sister is making homemade coleslaw and stuffing. The Lady made pumpkin pies this morning. All Tanya and I have to do is play for hours while we wait for the turkey. We even dance to some disco records.





Around 3PM we gather around the table for the dinner, where our plates sit on Tanya’s “pilgrim drawn” placemats with Indian (Native American) headpieces, cut out of construction paper and toilet paper tubes, for napkin holders.

Louise directs her daughter to say the grace.

“……….and thank you for the blessing of the feast we are about to eat, and thank you for the family I have to share it with, and thank you for bringing my uncle home from Germany…and …..and…what else mommy?” Tanya innocently asks as we chuckle.

Louise prompts her. ”And please don’t send him….”

“Oh yeah” she remembers. “ Please don’t send him off to Iran.” The concern touches me.

“Amen.”

“Amen” I repeat back.

After we fill our plates and begin our dinner, I move to tell them my surprise.

“Well I can’t say whether I’ll be called up to go to Iran, but I have made a decision about Germany. I’m not going back.”

Tanya jumps up from the table and begins dancing and shrieking in her childish, joyous nature. My mother starts choking on her yams.

After she swallows and Tanya sits back down, Louise asks “What changed your mind?”

“I decided to go to school and I have enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College.”

Another round of happiness is shared by all. My mother is ecstatic that I am staying in the area. She feared that if I had returned to Germany, she would never see me again.

I tell them that all my paperwork is in and that I have been accepted already. I am just waiting for all the financial matters to wind their way through the administrative process, but that everything will be paid for. My service in the Army really paid off.

As the attention to my decision winds down, Louise has a surprise.

“Tanya and I got our own place and we will be moving the first week of January” she lets out.

“Mommy, we’re moving?” Tanya wasn’t told because her mother thought she would blab.

“Yes dear. And you are getting your own bedroom” Louise tells her. They have shared the same bedroom in this house for ten years.

Louise told us all she was looking. But my mother, easily emotional, starts to cry.

Louise tries to console her. “It’s not like you didn’t know this day was coming. And we’re just going to be in Dania.” Dania is the small town between Hollywood and The Copa…er…Fort Lauderdale.

“It’s not that. It’s that I have news too” my mother says.

“Don’t tell us you’re pregnant!” I joke.

“No. You see….I am going to move out too” she says.

This is a shocker! Louise and I look at each other.

“What are you talking about? Where are you moving to?” Louise asks.

As my mother sobs, and with what composure she can muster, she lets us know.

“I saw a lawyer” she begins slowly. “I have been waiting for everyone else to make their decisions before I made mine. I want to divorce your father. I will not stay in this house with him alone. And I don’t want to be married to him anymore.”

Louise sinks back in her seat. I wait for her to react first.

“Well…..it’s about time.” We all laugh.

The Lady looks at me. “What do you think?”

“Not only is this a great Thanksgiving meal, but I think you should go pound on his door and tell him today.”

Of course that didn’t happen. But the dinner tasted a lot better after everyone’s news.

After desert, we all helped clear the table and wash the dishes. Then it was time for a nap.


I wake up around 7PM. It’s already dark. I decide to go for a ride and grab my keys and a couple of rolled joints.

I walk through the house. Everyone is still sleeping. I leave a note on the kitchen table saying I’m going to the beach.

It’s unusually cool and windy today. The temperature has dropped due to some cold front. In Florida, 58 degrees is cold.

When I get to the beach, I choose the quiet spot, the one where I told Lynn I was gay some weeks ago. I have a jacket and a wool blanket.

The ocean is rough and loud, the waves crashing on the sand. There are a few people on the boardwalk, but I am the only one down at the shoreline.

I light one of the joints, using the blanket as a shield from the wind. I smoke it down.

I am happy about everyone’s news today, but to be truthful, I am feeling indifferent about not returning to Germany….

….and The Red Balloon Disco.




I love that place. Maybe, more than family. Maybe, because they had become my family.

And maybe, because it was a family that I could control and have fun with. A family that looked out for me, as I did for them. A family where I belonged.

But try as I might, that place is gone for me. It’s not up to me to open it back up. If it was, I would have returned to it a few months ago.

Instead, it has become a wound in my life. A longing that causes pain and hurt. And nobody in my life can understand it.

Except maybe you.

Thirty years afterwards have made it easier to remember it. With the coming of the technological world, I can share the music and videos with like-minded individuals such as yourself. I can relay the nights of dancing and partying to those who never stepped foot into The Red Balloon. I can describe it’s features and recall the people who participated in its heyday.

Still, in the end, I don’t need computers or videos. I don’t need conversations or other individuals.

In fact, today, just as I did on that evening of Thanksgiving Day 1979, I only need my mind’s eye…

....and I am there….....


“….Mein name ist Stoney. Ich bin Ihr DJ. Ist heir GQ mit Disco Nights….”*




At any moment, I am in the DJ’s gondola. I am on the stairs. I am at the first floor bar. I am at the front door.

I am laughing with Timo. I am sharing a cigarette with Nina. I am drinking with Petra and Ulla.

I am sitting in a booth by the dance floor.

Hell! I am on the dance floor....looking up at the Red Balloon above me, with all it’s spinning colored lights and strobes. With it’s mirror balls and pin spots. With it's chase lights and black lights and the speakers and......


I open my eyes as the wind and mist whips my face. I am back on the beach in Hollywood, Florida.

Perhaps some sort of ritual, like a funeral will help me move on? A final cry? A last goodbye?

I take off my shoes and socks and walk to the water’s edge. Though the air is cold, the water is still warm.

I move back a few feet and get on my hands and knees. I grab a wet stick and begin to write in the sand….

THE RED BALLOON

I stand up and make myself laugh by singing some made-up lyrics…

“Torn between two discos……. feelin’ like a fool.
…Lovin’ both of you is breakin’ all the rules….”


I move back, light the second joint, take a few tokes, then put it out. As I wait till the tide comes in and erases the words I remind myself of some finer moments.

Like when a soldier buddy of mine took me there for the first time back in 1977. How I fell in love with the place from the beginning.

That evening I got the nickname Stoney.

Or the night when Timo didn’t show up, and I told them I knew the music and asked if I could DJ. And they let me.

I remember the excitement of coming in with American albums and 12-inches I bought at the German record store.

Coming in early and trying mixes I had heard on the radio or had made up in my head.

The Saturday nights and the Sunday tea dances.

The Greatest Dancer! The King of the Disco!

I am grateful for that last party before I left for Nijmegen. And saddened by the disappointment I felt when I am told the club was closed.

I am there every time I hear a Boney M song. Or Eruption. Patrick Juvet. Amanda Lear. La Bionda. Cerrone. Shelia & B. Devotion. Luv.....

So, what about the stuff I left in Germany? I asked a friend to hold my stereo.

Maybe I can send him the money and he could mail it to me.

And what about the trunk I left in the attic on the post. It has my senior high school yearbook. And my Nijmegen medals. And photos. And dozens of Euro disco records.

Maybe I can go visit Germany next summer and get it back.

The problem with “maybe‘s”…..they usually turn into “later” and eventually end up as “never”.

I look back at my words in the sand. The tide has come in and erased more than half of it.

It is time. Time to say goodbye.

Time to step out of the life I had…so I can step into the life that’s waiting for me.

My eyes swell with tears, both 30 years ago…and again today…as I decide to… finally…put myself at peace with my decision.

I said it to my family at dinner. Now I must tell it to myself.

“I am not going back.”




Goodbye to The Red Balloon. To Germany. And to dear, dear friends.

Good luck to you all, as I am sure you would wish for me. I hope someday, we can meet again and ….

“Hi.”

I am frightened and my head jerks around to see Lynn standing there laughing and smiling.

“You scared the crap out of me.”

“I’m sorry” she replies.

“How did you know I was here?”

“I called your house and your sister told me. I took a chance looking for you here” she says. “Got any pot?”

I give her what’s left of the second joint. I put on my shoes and socks and suggest we walk a little bit.

“Have you been crying?” she inquires.

“Yes, but it has been a happy cry. Something I needed to do.”

“I’m cold” she says. I wrap my blanket around her.

“Thanks. Are you sure you’re okay?”

As we walk along the shore, I let her know. “Now that you’re here, I am fine.”





It’s Friday night and I am at The Copa. I came early because of the talented act being presented tonight.

The place is packed. Everyone is home for the long holiday weekend.

At the outside bar, I order a pineapple juice. If I come early, I don’t need to drink right away. I don’t even feel the need to get high tonight.

I run into Jack again. He brings up a conversation we had a few weeks ago.

“So, did you tell your friend that you were gay?” he asks.

“Yes, I did. Turned out she was gay too” I inform him.

“Those are the best kind of friends” he replies.

“Do you want to go see the show?” I ask him.

“Sure. Lets go inside and grab a spot now.”

We squeeze through the crowd and sit about halfway up in the alcove to have a better view.

Ten minutes later, the music stops and the lights go down on the dance floor. People rush to the edges and sit or stand. Our position is perfect.

A spotlight hits a corner of the club as the DJ turns up his mic.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, The Copa in Fort Lauderdale is proud to present to you, the one …the only…

…..France Jooooo..liiiiii.”



Welcome home, soldier.





Well that sounds like an ending to me. Or is it? We’ll catch up on my life, and tie up some loose threads, later.

But next week marks the beginning of the last month for my yearlong celebration of The Best Year In Disco. We’ll begin by looking at the events that helped shape December 1979.

Also, remembering some of the ballads of the past 12 months, especially from disco acts.


Happy Thanksgiving America!




YouTube - Boney M- Ribbons Of Blue with Lyrics

I'm Born Again - Boney M. songs lyrics song lyric

YouTube - FRANCE JOLI - DON'T STOP DANCING / DON'T LET GO


* "My name is Stoney. I am your DJ. Here is GQ with Disco Nights."

[needlefingers]

December 1 1979


And so, we complete the year....



December, the 12th and last month of the calendar, has arrived. And that brings me to a final look back at what the world was doing 30 years ago this month, in 1979.

Leading the news….

Afghanistan is invaded by the Soviet Union. Covert operations and opposition support by the Americans contributed to the turmoil. The nine year war would take it’s toll on both the Russians and Afghans. It would become Russia’s version of Viet Nam.

At the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio, 11 rock fans lost their lives in a stampede for seats at a concert performance by The Who. The show would go on, as the band was not informed until after they left the stage.

Another WHO, as in the World Health Organization, would certify the worldwide elimination of smallpox. Successful vaccination programs, carried out over two centuries, helped make it the only human infectious disease to be completely eradicated.

And Mother Theresa would add to her blessings when she picks up the Nobel Peace Prize for 1979.

Those passing away included film producer Darryl F. Zanuck, art collector Peggy Guggenheim and songwriter Richard Rodgers of Rodgers & Hammerstein fame.

Also, Hollywood screen star Joan Blondell would lose her fight with leukemia. Famous for her depression-era, gold-digging portrayals on film, she would work till the end, including a featured role in 1978’s Grease.

In television, General Hospital tops the yearly daytime ratings for the first time, while nighttime soap opera Knot’s Landing, a spin-off from Dallas, premieres on CBS.

And though not officially from 1979, the last episode of That 70’s Show takes place on December 31, 1979...

YouTube - That 70's show-Final Circle-FOR NEW YEARS!!!

On Broadway, two diva’s would battle for theatergoers. Shirley Bassey would perform her musical repertoire, while Bette Midler shows up in her own revue, Bette! Divine Madness.

As is usual, heavy hitting movies debut in the final month of the year. Kramer vs. Kramer, The Electric Horseman, Being There and All That Jazz would become Oscar contenders.

Sillier stuff would include The Jerk, 1941 and Roller Boogie.

But there would be a battle for “space action” films with the release of The Black Hole and the long awaited Star Trek: The Motion Picture.



Question: What do disco, pop, rock and soul have in common?

Answer: Ballads.

Fact is, most musical genres, including jazz, show tunes, country, etc., have classical ballads as a part of their overall makeup.

It is that moment when the tempo is slowed down and our minds are set adrift to think about a love lost, or a love won, wanted love, unwanted love, unrequited love,….you get the picture.

The disco acts of 1979 were not immune to adding ballads to their albums, and some of them were quite successful.

Probably the most memorable and popular ballad of the year was Reunited by Peaches & Herb. Topping both the pop singles and R&B charts, it was described by their producers as the “secret weapon” from their album 2 Hot!



They would release another record in late ‘79 with the respectable duet I Pledge My Love, which saw it’s peak in 1980.

The same thing happened to KC & The Sunshine Band. In the summer of 1979, they released the much loved Please Don’t Go. Ballads were unusual from these disco legends and it took a long, steady climb up the charts. Please Don’t Go would find it’s wide popularity during the December holidays and would be the first Number One Pop Single for 1980. Shortly thereafter, the band would break up.

The Bee Gees, no stranger to love songs, would have a number of them off their Spirits Having Flown lp. Too Much Heaven was the first Number One Pop Single for 1979 and all proceeds went to the “Music for UNICEF” fund. Also reaching the top spot was Love You Inside Out, making it the Bee Gee’s ninth, and final, Number One song.

From the Giorgio Moroder produced album New Dimensions, The Three Degrees would have success on both sides of the Atlantic with Woman In Love.



GQ would bring us a wonderful rendition of Billy Stewart’s I Do Love You, while The Commodores would strike gold twice with Sail On and Still, the latter reaching Number One on pop and R&B charts.

And Celi Bee, well known in the clubs for her disco songs, would serenade us all with her sexy For The Love Of My Man.


Soul artists can often find their worth in love ballads, and Teddy Pendergrass made out like a bandit with two Gamble and Huff songs; Come Go With Me and Turn Off The Lights.

Also, Smokey Robinson wooed both sides of the aisle with Cruisin’.



Three ladies with mid-70’s pop success would gain broad appeal with their turn at the microphone….

Maxine Nightingale with Lead Me On…





Melissa Manchester with Don’t Cry Out Loud…





And Toni Tennille, with The Captain, singing Do That To Me One More Time…





Speaking of “three ladies”, The Pointer Sisters have been whittled down to a trio and get a running start out of the gate with a song written by Bruce Springsteen…Fire.




If it were up for a vote, the “eyes” would have it….that is if you are talking about Sad Eyes by Robert John. Or maybe it’s Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkle.

Some other pop ballads of 1979...Rex Smith - You Take My Breath Away….Little River Band - Lady….

…and Randy VanWarmer with Just When I Needed You Most. Oddly enough, it was the b-side of another song. A DJ flipped it over and the rest was music history.

YouTube - Randy VanWarmer - Just When I Needed You Most (Videoclip)


Anne Murray was one country artist whose ballads crossed over. She started the year with You Needed Me still in the top 10, adding I Just Fall In Love Again to her string of love songs.

Kenny Rogers also scored with a duo of ballads; She Believes In Me and You Decorated My Life.

While Dr. Hook had us all Sharing The Night Together…

YouTube - DR HOOK SHARING THE NIGHT TOGETHER


From a jazzier perspective, George Benson gave us Love Ballad and Herb Alpert gave us Rise, a song with no lyrics, but lots of feeling.

Someone who was almost lost in the mix, and a big surprise, was Bobby Caldwell. A T.K. Disco artist, who was white and trying to break out in the soul and disco field, hit it big with What You Won’t Do For Love. A soft mix of horns and keyboards had everyone turning this one up.




Rock is not without its ballads, and 1979 is no exception. A couple of the best include Billy Joel with Honesty from his 52nd Street album…..and…..We’ve Got Tonite by Bob Seeger.

YouTube - We've got tonight



The word “ballad” comes from the origins of folk tales or poems that are usually sung with a refrain. Many times, the subject of these ballads are people, and in 1979 ABBA followed that formula with Chiquitita.

Also from Europe, where ballads were born, Boney M had tremendous success with El Lute….






Finally, some of my favorite ballads from 1979 are….


Dionne Warwick - I’ll Never Love This Way Again



….and from the same album, Deja Vu

YouTube - DIONNE WARWICK - DEJA VU


Toto (with Cheryl Lynn) - Georgy Porgy




Earth, Wind & Fire - After The Love Is Gone




Gary’s Gang - Round & Round & Round




Madleen Kane - You and I





I hope this look back at the ballads of 1979 has stirred some memories. Good or bad, part of their purpose is to share feelings we can all relate to. Or sometimes, create them.

While there are many more love songs from 1979, my goal was to touch on those that had an all-over impact. And granted, I took liberty with some tempos.


Next week, The Changing Of The Guard.


Besides leaving you with my usual “bonus” items, I want to begin with a video of Joan Blondell. She was not known for her singing, but this video of her doing a torch song, also known as a ballad, holds a special place in my heart.

Here is Joan Blondell with Remember My Forgotten Man.

YouTube - Remember my forgotten men - 1933



YouTube - Bette Midler - Big Noise From Winnetka

YouTube - Dionne Warwick & Isaac Hayes - Deja Vu (1990)

YouTube - Bobby Caldwell - What You Won't Do For Love (1979)

Boney M. | El Lute lyrics

YouTube - Star Trek: The Mego Picture

[needlefingers]

December 8, 1979




Whether you believe 1979 was the “Best Year In Disco” or not, it is hard to deny that it was one of the most prolific for the genre. For better or worse, it brought out a multitude of recordings, spawned the opening of new clubs, took over radio formats, became a part of the backdrop in more movies and television shows and crossed over into our advertisements.

It’s presence was on display at the Academy Awards and The World Series. The United Nations used a live disco concert to kick off its International Year Of The Child campaign. And many of the disco artists and producers had their best, and most profitable, records released in 1979.

Yes, disco was hard to escape. So much so, that on hindsight, it’s backlash almost seemed inevitable.




It didn’t happen to everyone at the same place, nor at the same time. It was more like an unsteady house of bricks; as more bricks were being added to the top, a brick or two at the bottom were being removed. What looks good on the outside, is rather shaky on the inside.

In January of 1979, Billboard Magazine did a profile article on New York City radio DJ Paco from disco station WKTU-FM. Paco scored a 15.8 share of audience overall in the latest Arbitron ratings. A very impressive showing in the number one market.

Yet, on the same page, is an article titled Syndicators Back Off From Disco Formats, Jim Kefford, operations head of Drake-Chenault, Inc. which services taped formats to radio stations, is quoted as saying…

“A full-time disco station is too much for small and medium markets.”

He goes on; “We’ve been working on this a long time. And although WKTU has done well, we found others in smaller markets which have not. I remember calling one station owner in the Midwest and asking ‘How’s disco doing in your town?’ He said, ‘Well, we had one. But it closed.’”

-Billboard 01/13/79


In May of that year, the first disco pool for Nashville was established. The Music City Record Pool will serve Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas and Southern Indiana providing product for both club and mobile deejays. Membership was cutoff at 75.

While I can’t attest to its success or not, the number is small for the amount of territory it will be servicing, at least compared to other markets and record pools. And though they are riding on the crest of the wave of disco, it is a little behind, if not late, to help spread the sound.

I mention this tidbit, along with the preceding report about Syndicators Back Off…to show that there are pockets of the United States where disco was either not as popular, or was behind the curve of the rest of the nation.

While I am sure the Midwest and parts of the South had their disco lovers, there may not have been enough to help sustain it. And lets face it, Disco Demolition Night does happen in Illinois.



SAY WHAAAAAAT?



Another angle was censorship. Willie Davis, owner of several radio stations, including KACE-FM in Los Angeles, refused to play certain records…

“Some of the ‘national hits’ we won’t play because of their lyrical content, however, we do play other cuts from their LPs, which we feel are suitable for our format,” says Davis.

Some of the records KACE will not air are: Instant Funk’s “I Got My Mind Made Up;” Cher’s “Take Me Home;” Tasha Thomas’ “Shoot Me With Your Love” and “Hot Buttered Boogie,” and others.

According to Alonzo Miller, KACE’s music director, “We played Donna Summer’s ‘Heaven Knows’ but we won’t play her new 12-inch single Hot Stuff.”

-Billboard 05/05/79



WHO KNEW WHAT AND WHEN?



According to the Disco Forum, hosted by Billboard in the summer of 1979, the success of the disco format was faster than anticipated. And even large record companies were lagging to see that clubs were key to marketing.

But by early fall of 79, Ray Caviano of Warner/RFC was seeing the change and announced that this disco department would now be known as the dance music department.

“The expanding musical tastes and trends for the future show that America wants to dance to all forms of music,” he said. “This includes disco, new wave, rock, r&b, reggae, jazz and fusion."

Underscoring Caviano’s observation is the fact that in the past year, a number of pop and rock acts have issued disco-oriented records. They include Barabra Streisand, Blondie, Rod Stewart, Bette Midler, Shirley Bassey and Ethel Merman.

-Billboard 09/22/79


Further proof that company heads could see the reversal of fortunes can be found in 2 excellent interviews posted here at discomusic.com;

A. J. Cervantes of Butterfly Records……

A. J. Cervantes of Butterfly Records info & photos @ DiscoMusic.com

…and….

Henry Stone of T.K. Records…..

Henry Stone of TK Records info & photos @ DiscoMusic.com





But over at Prelude Records, disco was gaining…at least for them. While they had mild success in the past, their new artist, France Joli, was getting tremendous crossover appeal. Prelude would find their best years in the 1980’s.

And CBS Records executives predicted that disco was going “new wave”. They formed a relationship with Stiff Records and started pushing acts like Lene Lovich and Ian Dury & The Blockheads.



STRAIGHT WHITE BOYS CAN’T DANCE

If you were to say to me that was a racist or sexist remark, I would agree with you.

But sadly, it was part of the truth. What they saw as fun-filled nights of drinking and womanizing “fantasies come true” on the silver screen, did not materialize into reality when they stepped into the clubs.

It has been discussed on this board before, and my own sister confided the same thing to me.

She and her friend spent countless hours at dance studios learning how to move disco-style, only to get to the clubs and find that the men knew very little about “the hustle” or any kind of partnering or “touch-dancing.” All they could do was “the bump” or jerk around a little. She found it frustrating.

Look back at Disco Demolition Night and see who is involved. And how about radio deejay’s breaking disco records on the air? Or the drivers with a “Disco Sucks” bumper sticker?

True, there was an overkill of disco everywhere, which probably fueled the fire. But the outspoken backlash of disco in the United States, in my opinion, was pushed by a segment of the heterosexual, white male population.



IS THIS IT?



By the end of the year, music trends had changed and sales were dropping off. Record company heads were asking record pools to trim their members, while club and radio deejays were asking for more new wave and danceable rock “promos”.

From the pop side of it, power hitters like K.C. & The Sunshine Band would break up, Donna would leave Casablanca and the Bee Gees would tuck their public image away and write and produce pop ballads for the adult contemporary crowd.

When deejays began literally breaking records on air, labels began changing names or dropping acts. T. K. Disco and 20th Century Disco jackets disappeared, while Prelude and Solar labels took their place on the turntables.

Other factors to look at include the gluttony of records released and pushed. Far too many to be heard, let alone, get a DJ to add to their playlist.

Also, disco formats on the radio would be good for a while, but could not recreate the ambience of being at the disco itself. The absence of lights, superior sound systems, cocktails, dance space, club atmosphere and other people, would cause the average listener to lose interest faster.

Even the previously mentioned New York City radio station WKTU-FM, which was the most successful disco station on the air at the beginning of the year, was retreating from disco in December.

The on-air line up is changed, a new program director, Paul Zarcone is in place, and the word “disco” has been banned from the airwaves.

-Billboard 12/22/79



It is only looking back that we see what happened. And the events I have mentioned are not the only links in the chain.

The changing of the guard was not entirely earth shattering. It was like mixing: one era faded out while another era faded in.

In fact, the first Number One Disco Song for 1980 was The Second Time Around by Shalamar.

Same….and different.

Still, not too shabby for an encore.







YouTube - The Whispers Talk "The Beat Goes On" Valley Gold Show

YouTube - Fly Too High (Janis Ian/G. Moroder) Coornhert muziekavonden

YouTube - Patrice Rushen - I've been lookin for you (haven't you heard)

YouTube - Three Degrees-Jump The Gun (live royal albert hall,1979)


3 more posts to go......

[needlefingers]

December 15, 1979


I’m on a dance floor in New York City. I don’t know the name of the club, but it’s full of men, so it must be a gay disco. I have never been to The Big Apple….I just feel like I’m there now.

I have a sense that I am in the future. The DJ is playing a song from 1979, but it’s not the way I remember it.



I have an aura of euphoria. A sensation of elation. And success…..as if I accomplished many things in life and am now living it to the fullest.

I am dancing and drinking. Chatting and giggling. Enjoying the company of the men surrounding me.

Suddenly, the lights go down. The music is still thumping, but the group of bodies is coming closer together. When our skins touch, I realize we have no clothes on. The smell of amyl nitrate fills the air as everybody slowly slinks down to the floor.

I think we’re gonna have sex! All of us!! Right here in the club!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ……..


I reach over and hit the snooze alarm. I look at the time. 8:00PM.

I light a cigarette and lay there on my back, thinking about the night…..and my future.

It’s Friday night and I am going to The Copa later, but Sandy, the DJ at Tops, asked if I would open for her tonight. She and Lynn were going to see Joanie in Hello Dolly tonight and she was going to be late.

The show opened last night and is running through this weekend. Joanie got cast as chorus, but you have to start somewhere.

I attended the opening with Joanie’s family; her mother and three bothers. We stayed after the curtain went down and waited for Joanie to come from backstage to join us.

She walked down the steps of the stage with her director/teacher John Guillette to introduce us all.

Remember Mr. Guillette? He was the first guy I slept with when I came out a few months back. I have seen him in the clubs more than a few times after that, but we only nod, or just act like we don’t see each other.

He seems uncomfortable shaking my hand. It’s the first time we have talked since the hotel room.

But I don’t care. I get a kick out of coming here and putting him on the spot. Oh…and to see Joanie in her show too.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ……..

I turn the alarm off, put out my cigarette and get out of bed.

An hour later, after showering and dressing, I leave my room and head into the house. I can see the Christmas tree lights are on, and someone is playing my new Donna Summer album….



I walk in through the back door to find my older sister Louise sitting in my dad’s chair and drinking a glass of wine.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Oh yeah” she says. Her daughter Tanya is already in bed and my mother is at work. My father is already passed out in his room too.

I can tell Louise is a little drunk, but not belligerent or anything like that. Just relaxing from a long week.

“Have you been crying?”

“It’s this song” she replies. “It’s so beautiful. I can understand why you like her.”

“Thank you” I say. I sit down on the couch by the tree. We decorated it last night. It has the wooden ornaments I sent over from Germany. I watched Tanya hang them on the branches.

Louise and I talk about our futures; her moving out and my going to school. And how we will have to help mom find an apartment and move.

“It’s sad,” Louise goes on. “The final Christmas in this house.”

“Yeah, but my first one in a few years. And it’s great to have a tree.”

I walk over and give her a hug and a kiss. Then I walk out the door and drive to Tops.




The opportunity to DJ has been happening more often. Ever since Lynn brought me into Tops, I have been able to come in and DJ on off nights for Sandy. A few weeks ago, she asked me to fill in for a night for her. The women in the bar aren’t into “all disco, all the time” yet they do like to get up and dance.

I pay more attention to charts and club hits than Sandy. I keep up on the new releases and go through her promo boxes once or twice a week. It’s not that it’s really necessary in a lesbian bar, especially with the change in music tastes, and the ladies favoring other genres and radio hits. But it keeps me up to date.

When I arrive, I say my “hello’s” to Jay, the bar owner, and to the rest of the staff. A few of the regulars know me by now.

It’s almost 10 when I walk into the booth, and I see some new boxes of records on the floor, unopened. Sandy said she would come in around midnight, so this is going to be fun.




By the time Sandy and Lynn arrive, I have the floor filled. In between the dance sets, I gave the women their rock hits and ballads, including playing The Rose.

Lynn runs into the booth with some news.

“I got a new job” she shouts.

“Doing what?” I ask.

“My friend Richie (who is a cook) is opening his own Italian restaurant on the beach in about a month or two and he asked if I wanted to be a waitress.”

“That’s great! Congratulations!”

She continues. “And I told him about you and he says you can be a waiter.”

I gotta tell you this is good news. Even though I am starting school, I still needed to find a job. I was just going to wait till after Christmas. Now I don’t even have to look.

Lynn, Sandy and I have a celebratory drink. And Sandy gives me a handful of promos that she got “doubles” on.

After a while, I have had my fill of women, so I kiss everybody goodbye and head over to The Copa.




During my drive, I think about all the good luck I have been having lately. First, I have some good friends helping me. Lynn got me into Tops to get me Djing again, and, she was there when I wanted to come out.

Also Sean, my high school friend who turned me onto Miami-Dade, has also become important in my life. We got together earlier this week and walked around the campus looking for our classrooms. We both registered for the same piano class and there are days when we can carpool to school.

Then there’s been some work lately. Jay pays me ten bucks an hour for DJing, and this new job waiting on tables with Lynn.

I still have some money in the bank. Plus I will be getting a very good monthly allowance from the G.I. Bill when I start school next month.

And, I just received approval on my student loan this morning. The bank will send me the check when school begins.

At home, I have a much better connection with my mother than I ever had. I always loved her, but now with her being sober, we can have a proper relationship. It has been difficult establishing new boundaries, but by all means, it is worth it.

And I get to see my niece Tanya grow up and be a part of her life. I have other nephews and nieces, but she is my first. And she has no father, so I am happy to be there for her growing years.



I pull into a spot in the paid parking area of The Copa. I walk up to the steps right into the lobby. I show my membership card and stroll right in….just as if I owned the place.



I stroll to the outside bar and order a drink. I move to a corner, light a joint and return to thinking about my current situation again. Especially school.

I’m very excited about starting college. I look forward to throwing myself into my studies. I enrolled in 2 theater classes, oceanography, writing, and of course the “study skills” course that will help me with my homework.

And there is going to be some physical work too. I signed up for 3 different dance classes and gymnastics. When I was at the college with Sean this week, I showed him the gymnastics area. He was impressed that I wanted to do this.


After I finish the joint, I walk back into the disco and stand on the edge of the dance floor. Watching the shirtless men dance and enjoy the music mesmerizes me. I fall into a sense of déjà vu, oblivious to my New York City dream I had earlier in the evening.

All of a sudden, the feeling of a train coming into a station, pumps out of the speaker. As the crowd waits for the mix to complete, I get the feeling something big and new is coming. As I absorb the music, and without thinking, I am transported to Germany and The Red Balloon Disco…..




The song is so European. I can tell. And I know it would work at The Red Balloon….if there still was a “Red Balloon.”

I wonder what my life would have been if I did return to Germany? And if the Red Balloon hadn’t closed?

Would I have never comeback to America?

Would I have gone to college?

Would I have become the actor and dancer I want to be?

Would I have come out?

Would I have made a difference in my life? And in the life of others?

On this Friday night in December 1979, I don’t have the answers to whether I made the right decision. I can only say that I am happy about being where I am…..in Florida….starting college…..having a real Christmas…and standing in a gay bar.

To find out if I did make the right decision, I can only move forward and let time give me the answer. Say……maybe….thirty years?

I have chosen a path. Now I must begin to own it.



I leave The Copa before it closes. I’ll be back tomorrow night.

On the way home, I drive by The Hollywood Playhouse. I pass it often, as a reminder to myself that I must pursue my goals.

The marquee changed the first week of December. They are now running a Neil Simon comedy.

Come Blow Your Horn

If that isn’t a sign for a future actor, who is homosexual, I don’t know what is.

I get home and walk around the back to the entrance to my room.

After resetting the alarm, I strip down to my underwear, turn off the lights and get in bed.

I light a joint and lay there on my back, thinking about the night…..and my future.






Check back next week for the final Number One Disco Song of the year…and the decade.



Also, a look back at what else was hitting the disco charts for the last quarter of 1979.

:icon_confused:

And, Billboards year end charts including Top Artists, Top Albums, Top Singles and Top Disco Songs for 1979.….

:icon_razz:

The Best Year In Disco!

[needlefingers]

December 22, 1979


Thirty years ago this week, disco, and the 70’s culture that went with it, would get one more song squeezed in before the new decade takes over.

Oddly enough, it was the masterful work of a couple of guys who were somewhat “Lon Chaney-like “ during the disco era. They wore many disguises throughout their musical careers, and this time, took something old and made it new again.

The final Number One Disco Song of 1979.….

Don Armando’s 2nd Ave Rhumba Band…with…Deputy Of Love…




The “old” I spoke of was Dr. Buzzards’s Original Savannah Band. A hit a few years earlier, many of the members remained a tight-knit family and, as time moved on, would collaborate on other projects, always changing it up a little.

The multi-talents and teamwork of August Darnell and “Sugar-Coated” Andy Hernandez would have dance floors moving to their sound through the 1980’s, when they reincarnated into Kid Creole and The Coconuts.

As for Don Armando, really Don Armando Bonilla, he was the percussionist on the first Dr Buzzard’s record. By producing and/or arranging for this album, August and Andy pushed Don’s name into the title to create another zany, theatrical, musical act.

Part of the “new” would be Fonda Rae, who does the vocals here. She would go on to record other dance songs and create her own solo singing act.

The entire lp is a treasure trove of guilty pleasures. I’m An Indian Too, from the stage musical Annie Get Your Gun, would get some club play. Another show tune is How To Handle A Woman from Camelot. And the track cut Winter Love, would be used in the slasher film Maniac.

YouTube - DON ARMANDOS SECOND AVENUE RUMBA BAND -WINTER LOVE







Below are some charts covering the fourth quarter of the year; October, November and December.

As you can see, there is a lot from 1979 that will bleed into 1980. Some of the 1979 “leftovers” have not even charted yet.

Just to note, if you look at the December Disco chart, at position 76, it’s Yvonne Elliman with Love Pains. It was originally released in 1979,….

Yvonne Elliman Love Pains (Promo 12"): Vinyl Records @ DiscoMusic.com

…..but would find much bigger success a few years later on the Moby Dick Records label.

Sometimes that happens. There were a few songs from 1977 that had charted better in 1979. Do you know any of them?


Billboard’s End Of The Year Charts

Top Overall Artists (Based on Hot 100 Singles and Top LPs Combined)

Male

1. Billy Joel
2. Bee Gees
3. Cars
4. Earth, Wind & Fire
5. Doobie Brothers
6. Village People
7. Van Halen
8. Kenny Rogers
9. Supertramp
10. The Knack

Female

1. Donna Summer
2. Anne Murray
3. Olivia Newton-John
4. Sister Sledge
5. Barbra Streisand
6. Gloria Gaynor
7. Rickie Lee Jones
8. Pointer Sisters
9. Linda Ronstadt
10. Diana Ross

New Artists

1. The Knack
2. Dire Straits
3. Sister Sledge
4. GQ
5. Rickie Lee Jones
6. Joe Jackson
7. Amii Stewart
8. Anita Ward
9. Instant Funk
10. Police

Top Overall Pop Groups (Based on Hot 100 Singles and Top LPs Combined)

1. Bee Gees
2. Cars
3. Earth, Wind & Fire
4. Styx
5. Chic
6. Doobie Brothers
7. Village People
8. Van Halen
9. Supertramp
10. The Knack

Top Overall Pop Duos (Based on Hot 100 Singles and Top LPs Combined)

1. Peaches & Herb
2. Blues Brothers
3. Ashford & Simpson
4. Fogelberg & Weisberg
5. McFadden & Whitehead
6. Bell & James
7. England Dan & John Ford Coley
8. Willie & Leon
9. Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
10. Captain & Tenille

Top Overall Soul Artists (Based on Singles and Top LPs Combined)

1. Chic
2. Peaches & Herb
3. Donna Summer
4. Teddy Pendergrass
5. Sister Sledge
6. Rick James
7. Switch
8. Earth, Wind & Fire
9. Barry White
10. Funkadelic

Top Singles

1. My Sharona - The Knack
2. Bad Girls - Donna Summer
3. Le Freak - Chic
4. Do Ya Think I’m Sexy - Rod Stewart
5. Reunited - Peaches & Herb
6. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
7. Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
8. Y.M.C.A. - Village People
9. Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
10. Sad Eyes - Robert John

Top Albums

1. 52nd Street - Billy Joel
2. Spirits Having Flown - Bee Gees
3. Minute By Minute - Doobie Brothers
4. Cars - Cars
5. Breakfast In America - Supertramp
6. Live And More - Donna Summer
7. Pieces Of Eight - Styx
8. Bad Girls - Donna Summer
9. Parallel Lines - Blondie
10. Blondes Have More Fun - Rod Stewart

Top Singles Artists (Artists Selling The Most Combined Singles)

1. Donna Summer
2. Chic
3. Bee Gees
4. Peaches & Herb
5. The Knack
6. Earth, Wind & Fire
7. Rod Stewart
8. Dr. Hook
9. Village People
10. Doobie Bothers

Top Album Artists (Artists Selling The Most Combined Albums)

1. Billy Joel
2. Donna Summer
3. Village People
4. Cars
5. Van Halen
6. Styx
7. Bee Gees
8. Earth, Wind & Fire
9. Doobie Brothers
10. Supertramp

Top Disco Artists (Full Chart Below)

1. Donna Summer
2. Chic
3. Gino Soccio
4. Gloria Gaynor
5. Edwin Starr
6. Sister Sledge
7. Village People
8. Patrick Hernandez
9. Diana Ross
10. Rod Stewart

And finally

Top Disco Audience Response Singles/LPs (Full Chart Below)

1. Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
2. Le Freak - Chic
3. Dance To Dance/Dancer - Gino Soccio
4. MacArthur Park - Donna Summer
5. I Will Survive/Substitute - Gloria Gaynor
6. He’s The Greatest Dancer/We Are Family - Sister Sledge
7. Born to Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez
8. The Boss - Diana Ross
9. Cruisin’ (All Cuts) - Village People
10. Do Ya Think I’m Sexy - Rod Stewart

From Billboard magazine…..


1979 was a year of change in popular music and that evolutionary process is reflected in Billboard’s year end charts. Rock’s strong resurgence after a lengthy disco cycle is reflected in the posting of Dire Straits, Joe Jackson and Rickie Lee Jones as the top new album group, male and female performers of the year, replacing 1978 newcomer champs the Village People, Peter Brown and Evelyn “Champagne” King.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The preponderance of disco in the first half of the year is reflected in that seven of the year’s top 10 singles have a strong dance hook, up from three of the top 10 last year.



You can find more information, and the full chart analysis article, in the December 22, 1979 edition of Billboard.






There’s one song that was originally released in 1977 that got bigger and better in 1979.


The television show Solid Gold was born out of a T.V. special broadcasted in early January ‘80. It’s principle basis was for the counting down of the top hits of 1979 with the original artists and/or with the dancers.

You can click on the following three URL’s to catch most, but not all, of the original Solid Gold 79.

YouTube - Solid Gold '79 Original Pilot - Part 1 of 3

YouTube - Solid Gold '79 Original Pilot- Part 2 of 3

YouTube - Solid Gold '79 Original Pilot - Part 3 of 3





This week concludes the chart action for disco in 1979.

I know throughout this thread, that I only touched on a portion of the music played or heard in the clubs and on the radio and television. It was never my intention to present every song, but to relay that disco, as a whole, had it’s biggest and best impact in 1979.

And to also put it in a biographical and somewhat contiguous order so that you the reader might feel it’s impact more. And maybe relate to the timeline if you were around.

There’s plenty of room for arguing the “Best Year In Disco” and the reasons behind each individuals choice for which year that would be. But I did build this thread on my opinion and please remember that is just what it is….my opinion.

I’ll talk a little more on this next week when I present my last post on this thread….

The Epilogue: Why I Did It?.…and ….Was It All True?

It will be a sort of New Year’s Eve party with a final celebration of the music of 1979 as we race against the clock to finish off another decade and welcome in 1980.….or 2010 for you people on real time.



YouTube - Sparks Beat the Clock Extended Mix

YouTube - sparks - beat the clock - Forum London 21/3/09


Merry Christmas!

[SandraDee]

Sometimes that happens. There were a few songs from 1977 that had charted better in 1979. Do you know any of them?

'Have a Cigar' by Rosebud came out in '77 but was big in '79.

[needlefingers]

December 29, 1979





From Bad Girls to Good Times….

From Get Down to Rise….

From Dschinghis Kahn to Rasputin….

From the World Series to the Academy Awards….

From the UN to Nijmegen….

From “the outskirts of Frisco” to a Moskow Diskow….

From The Red Balloon in West Germany to The Copa in South Florida….

And from the top of the Billboard Disco Action Charts to the bottom of your Boogie Woogie Dancin’ Shoes….

In 1979, ….make no mistake,….disco ruled the world!

And, we quite literally went from A to Z: the year started with Le Freak and I Want Your Love by Chic, on Atlantic Records….

….and ended with Deputy Of Love by Don Armando’s 2nd Avenue Rhumba Band, on Ze Records.

How’s that for a perfect year in music?

But the party’s just beginning and as we used to say back in the day….

“GET OFF YOUR ASS AND DANCE!!!”




I will begin with why I did this. Firstly, and to be honest, it was a test for myself to push me back to writing.

I have always been a writer. Even as a teen I wrote poetry, stories and plays. In school, I was a member of the student newspapers and creative writing magazines. It was one of the area’s I did well in while growing up. And it was a very creative outlet for me.

I had wanted to write professionally for years. I dreamed of writing Broadway musicals. In the 90’s, I began writing songs and attending workshops. Soon, I was writing children’s and family musicals. All of them were produced and some went out on tour. Many I got to direct myself.

A writing partner and I separated and I sort of let it fall off from my “to do” list. In the last few years I started taking some writing courses and workshops to force me to write more.

This thread is part of that re-discovering of my writing talents. By taking on the task of reviewing the year, I was made to sit down every week and find something to write about.

A writer does better when he writes what he knows. That is another reason why I did this: I know disco. My favorite year is 1979. I have always wanted to tell this story to someone and possibly map it out for some future project. I admit that I am not a music critic…but I am a storyteller.

I had the right audience in you, the readers and fans of this thread. I knew which direction I wanted to take this at the beginning of the year 2009. I also knew it was different from the type of threads and posts we put up here, and that was another attraction for me to move forward with it. And with the availability of today’s technology and “video implantation” world we live in, I could tell the story with words and music. A sort of “musical blog”.

But this “coming-of-age” tale became a true a labor of love. My “disco memoir” was at times harder for me than I thought. It stirred up many emotions and there were moments where I had to stop and cry. Or edit what I didn’t want to reveal.

Sometimes, the stirring of those memories of 1979 would haunt me throughout my day or week. You don’t know how many times this year that I dated my regular everyday correspondence with 1979.….and was asked repeatedly about it.

Could I have done better? Oh yes! I can see all the mistakes I made. I could have used an editor to help me with word phrasing or other grammatical errors. It always takes two or more hours to load in the post, and even though I have re-read and edited, it seems I missed something here and there.

I may not have always gotten it right, but I had fun getting it wrong.

I have to admit, I loved telling the story. I got to relive it for myself, to acknowledge some things I had forgotten or buried, and to reflect on some of the best times of my life with some of the tough struggles I went through. Mind you, 1979 was not the worst year of my life. But it was the turning point.

Looking back on what I wrote and what happened, I can see myself and laugh. I went from being the hottest dancer in the disco to just being a cool guy in a gay bar.




Now, was it all true? Again, I have to tell you yes. I tried to keep to timelines as much as possible, but there was some nudging on when things did happen, or who was performing at The Copa that night. And some name changes.

Still 95% or more of the story is dead on….

I was a long-haired, chipped tooth runt when I went into the army. And I did join to run away from home and the taunts of “queer’ and “homo”.

I was sent to Germany. I did serve as a medic in an infantry outfit. I was posted at the Ray Barracks in Friedberg, Germany.

I was still teased while in the army, but I did rise above it and worked on being a model soldier.

Rick and I were the only two to earn the Expert Field Medical Badge. I did join the march teams and participated in Nijmegen. I did grow and become more athletic. I was an excellent poker player and well liked by my peers.

I did assist with the evacuation of Westerners out of Iran. I did attend to other soldiers wounds and illness that occurred during both training accidents or off-duty hours.

And Reggie, a fellow medic, did overdose and die, due to heroin.

There was a Red Balloon Disco. And there was a one-armed DJ named Timo. I was the “greatest dancer” in the club and did elevate to being a DJ there.

I did make plans to live in Germany. The Red Balloon did close. I did pack all my belongings and put them in the attic of battalion headquarters, including my high school yearbook. My last days in Germany had me in turmoil with my plans up in the air and my true sexual identity beginning to surface.

I did return to America and struggled with my thoughts, sexuality and future for the first couple of months. Old friends Lynn and Joanie became great friends.

I found my way to The Copa. I did come out. I slept with Joanie’s teacher.

I made up with my now sober mother. I reconnected with my sister and niece. And we did have a wonderful Christmas that year.

Probably the most important thing was the return to my original dreams of being an actor and dancer. Seeing the Hollywood Playhouse and the old Busby Berkeley films reminded me of what I had wanted to be. The giving up on returning to Germany, mixed with the opportunity to go to college, was the best decision I ever made in my life.





That’s me as a child, standing in the middle with a bevy of young beauties from our dance recital.


What became of everyone?

Well, The Lady, my mother, did divorce my father and moved out on her own. She continued being a nurse treating alcoholics and those with drug addiction. She returned to church and was very independent for some years. Just as she was about to retire in 1988, they found cancer all through her body. She died two weeks later, after turning 65. Her final wish was to die with her children around her and we gave it to her. I was grateful to have her and miss her. I know she did her best.

R.I.P. Lady.

As for my father, I was able to build a relationship with him. After I moved out of the house, he was alone. Still drinking, he couldn’t drive to get errands done. I would visit him 2 or 3 times a week and take him grocery shopping or to the laundromat. Sometimes, even out to eat or drink.

He was harmless now, and almost pathetic in the way the house was falling down around him. Though I never discussed with him the pain he caused, I learned to be friends with the man. It was the best either one of us could get out of this.

I had to tell him of my mother’s passing, as we didn’t want him at the hospital. I last saw him at my mother’s funeral. He developed Alzheimer’s and went to live in a nursing home in Atlanta, close to my younger sister. He died in 1992.

He was a decorated war hero and big man in his hometown in Pennsylvania. I have to give him that.

He just couldn’t make his dreams of being a jazz drummer come true.

My closest brother Jake, whom I mentioned briefly, was also a drummer and wanted success. Unfortunately, like myself, he grew up harboring feelings of suicide as a teen. He was reckless, an alcoholic and always felt unloved.

He returned to Hollywood to live with my father in 1982. After a few weeks, he found my father’s gun and put a bullet in his head. He suffered for two months before dying at the age of 26.

Another brother and my younger sister are both alcoholics. My brother quit drinking years ago, but lost his family because of it. My younger sister and I don’t talk, though I tried to help her for years.

My other brother married and moved on. I saw him about 10 years ago in Tampa, but he makes no effort to communicate with any of us.

My older sister Louise and I are very close and talk every week and see each other often. After Florida, she moved to Philadelphia with her daughter Tanya and worked for years as a legal secretary. After Tanya married in the mid 1990’s, Louise moved to Las Vegas and went on to head one of the biggest special events company’s out there. She is retiring this spring and returning to the East coast to be closer to her daughter and me.

My niece Tanya did the biggest change. She had no father and wanted to be a mother and have a family. She converted to Catholic and became Republican in her political views. She is now married with two precious daughters and lives in Delaware. We visit each other once or twice a year. They came for the Fourth of July this year. Next year everyone is coming to New York for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. And every year, they decorate their Christmas tree with the wooden ornaments I sent her from Germany.


Lynn went on to get a doctorate in Industrial Psychology and has worked in Human Resources for the medical industry. She has a partner for years now and they have lived in many parts of the country. Right now, they live on South Beach. Lynn is still my soul partner and we talk frequently. We see each other every year or so.

Joanie moved to New York City to become an actress. Instead, she became a junkie and died of a drug overdose in a slum apartment in the East Village. R.I.P. Honey.

Sean, my high school friend who got me to college, did go to work at Criteria Studios and did work with the Bee Gees and some of their partner projects including Diana Ross. Sean was not at the last reunion in 2006. I tried to email him but got no response.

The only army buddy I have had contact with is Jack, the guy who brought me to the Red Balloon in 1977. He found my name on classmates.com and we spoke on the phone about 5 years ago, though we have never caught up with each other in person.

And I never saw or heard from anyone from The Red Balloon Disco again.






So what happened to me?

Well, to begin with, it was around this time 30 years ago that the famous Limelight Disco in Hollywood, Florida burned down to the ground. Myself and the gang at Tops watched it burn from across the street. We kept playing Disco Inferno that night. What a way to start the new year and decade.

In January, I began college. I told you I signed up for a Study Skills class to help teach me how to study….something I never learned before. It was a smart choice. Two years later, I graduated at the top of my class and was awarded the Board of Trustee’s Scholarship, their highest honor. I gave the commencement speech in front of 5000 people.

I joined the gymnastics team and became a college state champion. My coach had a private gym off campus which had an apartment attached to it. He let me live there for free, if I would teach some classes and watch his house when he was out of town.

I excelled in dance classes and joined the dance company. I met up with a girl named Theresa and we became dance partners out in the clubs. We auditioned for Dance Fever and won to get into the finals, but were not one of the top 3 chosen for the show.

In the theatre department, I took off real fast. I was chorus in my first show, but started doing character actor work after that.

Within a year, I walked into an audition at The Hollywood Playhouse and got cast as chorus in Guys And Dolls. By the next year, I was choreographing Anything Goes.

“I go in a chorus boy and come out the director” would become my motto.

While I did work as a waiter for a while, aerobics came in fashion, and I could mix my own tapes to have one of the hottest dance classes in the area.

In the summer, I would run inner-city youth gymnastics programs. I taught all levels and then we would put on a show, always closing with The Break from Kat Mandu.

While I did continue to play at Tops, it dwindled down as I became more active in college. I did spin a few nights at The Loft, and there was a place called Traxx, though they were more country western and had no light system.

I even did lights on weekends at Backstreet for two weeks. But they wanted someone full-time who knew electrics and I didn’t want to live in a bar any more.

However, I did spend many of my nights at The Copa. I seldom danced there…I just went to relax and hear the great music. And cruise. In fact, my personality at The Copa was so reserved, it would surprise people when they saw me onstage or out of the club.

In December of ‘82, Jay sold Tops and her and Liz and I moved to Los Angeles so that Liz and I could finish school.

I worked as a bartender at Circus Disco for 3 months, and hung out at the DJ’s booth. But I wouldn’t dress up in drag for some gay-themed night and got fired. I had to be who I was. Besides, they settled on a job discrimination suit.

So while going to college, and doing theatre and dance, I mostly taught gymnastics and worked in high-end retail stores, selling crystal or “sheets to the stars”.

I hung out at Venice Beach and Santa Monica and learned breakdancing. After Flashdance came out, I approached the college about teaching a breakdance class. They went for it. We had one class that filled so fast, we added 3 more. And I became the first person to teach break dancing for college credit.

After getting my degree in theatre, I continued working on a Master’s, but also started doing theatre in Hollywood (California) and amusement park work. Eventually, I got in a road show of A Chorus Line playing Mike. He sings the I Can Do That number and tumbles and tap dances. That led to some work in commercials.

I saved enough money to move to New York. After settling down with a place and job, I started auditioning and taking classes again. I did off-Broadway and off-off Broadway. A friend would get me a job tumbling at the Metropolitan Opera when they needed circus acts in their shows.

Soon I was doing print ad’s, commercials, Broadway auditions, etc. I started going out on the road again doing bus and truck tours, summer stock or regional theatre.

As I progressed, my motto would come true: “In a chorus boy, out the director”.

By the early 90’s, I was directing and choreographing tours and stage musicals around the country. I worked with a firm out of Philadelphia who paid me for original staging, so that every time a new cast went out, the show would still have my work.

I was also a highly paid gymnastics instructor to other dancers, actors and the children of celebrities.

I toured and worked across this country, playing in major houses and theatres, including the Grand Ole Opry.

Unfortunately, at my peak, I became very sick in the mid-90’s and had to leave the business for a while. While I found work in the city and continued to do shows for a few more years, I could not travel anymore. It wasn’t the same. The work disappeared as did my friends. Eventually I was so weak, I took a disability and fell into a depression.

I used to say “My parents had their problems and I have mine.” After a couple of years of wasting my life away, I woke up one day and realized that my parent’s problems ended up inside of me.

I wasn’t an alcoholic, but I was reckless in other ways. And I had never learned to love anyone…because I was never taught.

So I learned to love myself. I accepted that I needed help and sought it out. Through support groups and use of anti-depressants, I found that I needed a path. I had to find something I liked doing and begin there.

I needed to find what makes my heart sing and dance.

And the answer was disco.



By now, computers were all the rage, but I knew nothing about them. My union sent me to computer training school and I spent a year catching up.

After that, I enrolled in a well-established audio engineer school that had a nine-month full time program. My teachers were engineers with such acts like Dr. Buzzard’s and Kool and the Gang or rock acts like Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler. I knew I was doing something right.

I was 44 when I went to that school, and all my classmates were in the 19-24 range. I won’t say I am the best in a technical sense. But I came out number one in the class because I knew how to study, and how a project should sound.

Since then, I have worked in recording studios, or with cable and major networks. I have designed sound for theatre and corporate shows, and have even worked with former disco stars. And, I went back to DJing, working in special events.

I freelance, so the work isn’t always there. When there is no work, I work on my writing.

What am I writing? Among other things, disco musicals.

Still, I got to be everything dreamed of being as a child. I got to be the actor and dancer. I got to be the director and choreographer. I even got to be the writer.

I dreamed of living in New York City, especially after watching all those Busby Berkeley musicals like 42nd Street. Today, my balcony overlooks the real 42nd Street.

Outside of love for myself, I never found a partner. I never had a loving relationship with another. But then again, I never dreamed about that as a kid. And oddly, I don’t miss it.

But hey, life’s over yet.

I have to say it again; I may not have always gotten it right, but I had fun getting it wrong.




Who said they didn’t make great Philly songs in 1979? This has to be one of the best.

Getting back to music, was that all it was? Was 1979 the end?

No, not at all. There was still more disco to come. It would be different but just as exciting as before. We still had more Sylvester, Grace Jones, Loletta Holloway and some of the regular gang for a few more years. And we would gain Patrick Cowley, Lime, D Train along with the synth bands and Italo Disco and everything else that went with it.

Although things haven’t changed that much in thirty years. Iran and Afghanistan are still the major news topics. We still debate about energy resources and the ecology. People still argue about abortion and gay rights.

Sadly, thirty years ago we lost Van McCoy, who wrote a song called This Is It.

This year, This Is It is the film epitaph for Michael Jackson. Ironic.

But when we look at the disco music from 1979, it is still here. Through the use of samples or complete remakes, much of the music today has the stamp of 30 years ago. One example is This Time Baby being a recent club hit, both as a sample and a remake.






Ahhhhhhhhh, that disco sound from 1979. It saved me many a night then, as it still does today. I can’t tell you how lucky I was to be living on two continents during that year. The perspective I gained from the difference in music, along with the changes in my life, have remained with me all this time.

You may laugh at my love for things like Boney M or Luv…I don’t care. The songs touch me in a way they may not touch you. What else is there left to argue?

I may be 51 today, but I can feel like 21 anytime I want. That’s a real gift.






I do miss those times. Those people. Those places. As I write this now, I have discovered more love than I thought I had. Love can show up in many ways.

I miss my army pals. I miss you all from The Red Balloon. And I miss you Joanie.

I miss my parents and my brother. I hope I learned from their mistakes.

I miss my high school friends and even middle school when I used to dance to Jackson 5 records in the girls gym.

I miss the stage and all those I worked with, especially the ones who always wanted me to come back.

I miss those I knew who didn’t live a longer life, and never had the opportunity to come full circle.

But I am thankful to myself, for the constant examination of my life.

I am thankful for my sister and her daughter allowing me to be a part of their family.

I am grateful to Bernie and discomusic.com for being a supportive community about this music. And for allowing me to do this thread my way.

And thank you to the readers and fans who shared this year with me.







Finally, remember that pocket I talked about on my last night in Germany? You know the one I reach into when I’m sad? It’s filled with all my accomplishments and good deeds.

It’s very full today. As are my walls with playbills of shows I have done. I have crates and book cases filled with my disco records. My closets are stacked with boxes of reviews and pictures and videos and CD’s of my work.

And just by chance, earlier this year, a stranger was selling a 1976 senior year high school yearbook, from my school on eBay. It’s the same one I left in Germany.

It had no signatures, but in a figurative sense, it had my name written all over it. I was glad to receive it.




If you're young, go for it. If you feel old or beaten up, never give up. There are plenty of great songs to inspire and lift your spirits and you can find a lot of them in 1979.…

The Best Year In Disco!





This is me, on stage, dressed as a soldier, tap dancing and doing cartwheels with a mop.







Happy New Year!

This transmission will end in 5...4...3...2...1

[Tim Tam]

Hi Needlefingers,

just thought I would let you know I have really enjoyed your memoirs of 1979. It has been a very interesting read (and listen) and I have looked forward to each week's installment.

Cheers,
Tim Tam

[needlefingers]

Thanks for following the thread.

By the way, weren't you the one looking for disco dance classes in your area? Hope you found some.

[Tim Tam]

Yep that was me. I remember you gave me some help with that.

I was still looking for classes closer to me when a drastic change in circumstances (family stuff) meant I was no longer able to spare the time for dance classes or anything else much. I did however get an instructional DVD and picked up a bit from that. I also found some clips on youtube of an old TV show called "Dancing Disco" which had some Hustle tutorials which were pretty good.

Cheers,
Tim Tam

[remicks]

******

Stoney ,


and I will now forever think of you as such ....as I think that IS your disco name !


Your year in-the-life-of (disco 1979) was most enthralling and gave the Mondays of 2009 something to look forward to here .
Disco year 1979 seemed especially pivotal for you and chock-full of memorable events .:icon_cool:
Thank you for being so forthcoming and generous .


Just as I can't decide which exact ten disco songs are my favorite ...
I likewise can't decide which disco year was "the best".

I also certainly enjoyed an eventful 1979 --- a year which was probably my most disco centric year .

'79 ---the best year ?
Your review of it brings back much of the way it was and makes a strong case for it:
it definitely was one of the best to be sure ..... .
And yours ,while far different from mine ...
your memories resonated with experiences of my own from throughout that year . (athough admittedly I never had to treat anyone wounded from the back blast of an artillery shell ).
We each experienced our own personal tales in ' 79 to make it seem the best , each of them within the framework of something making them universally special amongst us : the miraculously magical disco music that played into it.

That music ...... & the clubs we went to to experience it ... the Red Balloons .....no matter our additional stories (and yours were particularly riveting) .... all that amazing music from January's LE FREAK to December's DEPUTY OF LOVE swirling above and into our welcoming heads ....


hell yes then ....when one takes the time to review it as you did

all (((that))) certainly qualifies 1979 as:

The Best Year In Disco


So thanks for the memories Stoney ! :icon_cool:

& Happy (1980) New Year to you !!! :icon_biggrin:

remicks

*****

( p.s .

for the screen play -

we're reinserting the omitted barracks sex scenes )

[needlefingers]

Thank you for your kind review. Truth be told, it is writing such as yours (and markydefad's) that I admire most on here; varied and fluid.

I only have a Top 3 and find it difficult to think of a Top 10 also. But I must admit that most would probably come from 1979.

Actually, I would want a television deal to cover all 3 years in Germany. Then we could include the disco music of 1977 and '78. If we start at Basic Training, we can add the music of '76.

And if we include those years, we can add the other sex tales such as locked doors, flustered faces, dry humping in a sleeping bag....are you getting excited yet?

Once again, thanks for being a fan.

[markydefad]

Needlefingers--tried to send you a private message--but the system says you don't accept them! Quelle surprise!

I just read this:

Truth be told, it is writing such as yours (and markydefad's) that I admire most on here; varied and fluid.

and wanted to thank you for the mention.

I also have to apologize for not keeping up with your thread. I read it at first and then I got behind and when I would come back to it --I wasn't sure who was who :icon_confused:.... I always told myself I would catch up--but I never did. I was totally amazed that you remembered stuff in such detail from so long ago and that you always made your Monday deadline! Plus you write very well.

I plan to start at the beginning and read it all. It may take another year--but I will do it!

Mark

[andyy]

Thankyou needlefingers since you started your long memories of 1979 i could not believe how well you remembered everything. I have a good memory some say a photographic memory,but this is so fascinating and so wonderfully written. I must admit due to other things i skipped on parts but i will try to absorb more with reading through whenever i wish . Their was so much to take in, i was only a 15 year old coming up to 16 years old by December 1979. I have always loved the year 1979 so many many great records were produced its unbelievable you capture so much.
i dont know exactly without counting my vinyl how many 7 inch and 12 inch singles i have from 1979 but it must be the most .
I am so glad you could share this with us, it must have taken a good amount of your time given to recall all the past memories which i do believe you will cherish and good times too from some of the writing you have done.
thank you so much
love to you in all you doin your life
anndy

[needlefingers]

Thanks to both of you, Mark and Andy. It's great to know the reading of this thread still goes on.

Sadly, the youtube videos and other links are disappearing more and more.

Luckily, I still have the memories and the records to go with it. And I kept notes on what songs I used.