Tag Archives: disco

Teddy Pendergrass Dies At 59

Former Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes lead singer and R&B/disco icon Teddy Pendergrass died in Philadelphia tonight at the age of 59. The singer’s son, Teddy Pendergrass II, says his father died Wednesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Pendergrass’ son says his father underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had “a difficult recovery.” The elder Pendergrass was injured …

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Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, this week’s Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin’ On The Moon III, the third installment of the reunion of the members and performers of NYC’s legendary Saint disco. The party takes place this Sunday, President’s Day eve, at Santos Party House in Manhattan’s Tribeca. Original Saint DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie will perform, …

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An Oral History Of Disco

Vanity Fair has published a lengthy series of quotes from people who were around during the early years of disco, including Judy Weinstein, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Ian Schrager, Gloria Gaynor, Nile Rodgers, and Fran Lebowitz. The piece by Lisa Robinson opens: It became known, and ultimately reviled, as Disco. But the music that surged out of gay underground New …

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Trippin’ III – January 17th!

The third installment of Trippin’ On The Moon, a reunion of Saint members and performers, takes place in NYC on January 17th. Facebook event page here. Advance tickets $35, available here. The first one was amazing, one of my best nights of 2009. (I missed the second one because I was in SF for my birthday.) The coming party will …

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80’s Flashback

Sheila B. Devotion, Spacer, 1980. French pop singer Anne Chancel took this Chic production to the top five of most European countries and the top of the American dance charts, selling five million copies along the way. Most of you tender kittens will know Spacer as the basis for Alcazar’s 2000 smash, Crying At The Discotheque. It was a great …

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80’s Flashback

Roni Griffith, (The Best Part Of) Breakin’ Up, 1982. OK, so it’s summer of ’82 and I’m at T-dance at Backstreet, Fort Lauderdale, watching the fabulous Sharon Redd. At the end of her set, DJ Bob Miro booms out in his unmistakable game show host voice, “Neeeeeeext Sunday! Rrrrrrroni Griffith will be here with her coconuts!” And the following weekend …

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Limelight Mini-Mall Almost Ready

As I mentioned here many months ago, NYC’s notorious Limelight nightclub, the disco that brought the world club kids and the occasional decapitated drug dealer, is being transformed into an “upscale” mini-mall. Yesterday the Daily News updated us on the process. Even Jesus is for sale at the new Limelight Marketplace. The former Chelsea church that became one of the …

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Remember The Party 2009

Today I was finally able to sit down and sort through a few hundred photos and put together a slideshow and upload a couple of videos from Sunday’s epic Remember The Party event in San Francisco, where as you can see above, the event’s promoters even tipped my birthday on a banner over the dance floor. What an incredible night! …

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80’s Flashback

Luther Vandross, Never Too Much, 1981. Vandross wrote and produced this first single from his debut solo album of the same name, after spending much of the 70’s as a backup vocalist for the likes of Roberta Flack, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, and many others. Never Too Much reached #1 on the R&B chart and #33 …

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80’s Flashback

ABBA, The Visitors, 1981. The final single from their eighth and final studio album of the same name, ABBA’s The Visitors has become one of the most beloved and enduring dance classics of gay clubs worldwide. A radical departure from their trademarked style, The Visitors did not chart in the UK, but reached #62 on the U.S. pop chart and …

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Shena – Nasty Little Rumour

Back in March I posted Can’t Stop The Rain by Shena Winchester, the breakout star of London’s nu-disco movement. With her latest single, Nasty Little Rumour, comes the exciting news that Shena will be appearing at San Francisco’s Remember The Party event on October 11th, which some of you may know I’m grandly calling “my birthday party.” Very, very cool. …

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80’s Flashback

Village People, Sex Over The Phone, 1985. After a four album downward spiral that began with 1980’s Can’t Stop The Music, Village People’s ninth and final album scored a moderate hit with this tribute to two new phenomenons, commercial phone sex lines and safe sex. Ray Stephens made his only appearance as lead singer on this album, replacing Ray Simpson …

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Could It Be Magic? Yes, Yes It Could.

Last night DC blogger Jimbo, Dr. Jeff and I made the 90-minute haul out to Coney Island to watch Donna Summer’s free concert at Seaside Park. And holy crap, what an enormous crowd. Easily the largest outdoor show I’ve ever been to. We couldn’t get within a half-mile of the stage and watched much of the show from a sidewalk …

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80’s Flashback

Sylvester, Someone Like You, 1986. Not my favorite Sylvester track and definitely not one of his better live vocal performances, but this clip is worthwhile for the post-song chat he has with Joan Rivers, who was subbing for Johnny Carson on New Year’s Eve. Rivers fawns over Sylvester’s jewelry and he drops the bomb (on national TV! In 1986!) that …

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80’s Flashback

New Order, Confusion, 1983. After the global success of Blue Monday, some New Order fans were dismayed by this foray into hip-hop/electro, but I loved it. In this clip, legendary producer Arthur Baker takes the band to Chelsea’s notorious Funhouse Disco so they can watch the b-boys react to his mix. (The Funhouse was two blocks from where the Eagle …

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80’s Flashback

Vanessa, Upside Down (Dizzy Does It Make Me), 1982. Cheese! Camp! Cheesy camp! This clip by Dutch disco queen Vanessa, whose makers obviously watched ONJ’s Physical a few times, was quite popular in gay video bars thanks to all the beefcake. I remember being told that one of the bodybuilders was a gay U.S. porn star, but one of you …

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Remember The Party – October 11th

Remember The Party, the annual reunion of San Francisco’s legendary Trocadero Transfer disco, takes place October 11th. The Mothership S.S. Trocadero Transfer is ready to transport all earthlings on an interplanetary, most extraordinary trip across the universe and back! In this incarnation of Remember The Party, all passengers will be experiencing Close Encounters Of The Disco Kind! Commencing countdown. Engines …

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Review: Trippin’ On The Moon

Sunday night’s Trippin’ On The Moon – Saint reunion party was quite simply the best fucking night out I have had in at least a year. Maybe two. Maybe three. Dr. Jeff and I arrived at 8pm to find the venue already crowded and the steam never let up until we shut the place down at 3:30am. DJs Michael Fierman …

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Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the event’s producers, today’s Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin’ On The Moon: Remembering Dancing Under The Dome, a reunion of the members and performers of NYC’s legendary Saint disco, which closed 21 years ago this month. Trippin’ On The Moon takes place this Sunday, May 31st at Soho’s Santos House Party. Original Saint DJs Michael …

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Disco Legend Viola Wills Dies At 69

A sad day for disco lovers. Legendary gay icon Viola Wills has died at age 69. From her site: It is with great sadness that Vi’s family report Viola passed peacefully away after a long illness, May 6th 8.27am Pacific Time. Viola leaves behind six children – Vincent, Christopher, Regina, La Donna, David and Rejal, 21 grandchildren and eight great …

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