Who do we charge for the murder of disco?
Whether you’re hearing it through a beaten-up record player at your grandad’s house, the loudspeakers at a dungeon-like nightclub, or whining through a friend’s headphones, we’ve all heard disco music at some point in our lives. Enjoyment of the genre is, of course, subjective, but artists like the Bee Gees, Diana Ross and Gloria Gaynor are widely known and appreciated by all.
So why is it that a genre that founded‘nights out’, was deemed as ‘overplayed’ and subsequently ‘old news’? And who can we blame for this murder?
We first saw the rise of disco in the boom of record sales in 1974, with the peak of the genre following swiftly after in 1978. Infectiously repetitive vocals and rhythmic beats dominated the aptly named ‘discotheques’ such as Studio 54 and Mudd Club, with the former having recently reopened to launch a new Valentino collection. In a joyous response to social issues,the dancefloor acted as an escape from rising socio-economic troubles, with soaring crime rates dissembled by funky sounds and the 1977 cult classic Saturday Night Fever that put John Travolta back on the map.
But naturally, in the face of joy, wonder and creation, societal leeches burrow their way into these spaces and drain them of positivity, and in this case, one of the only creative safe spaces that members of the LGBTQ+ and POC communities had in the early to late 1970s. Thank you societal leeches, say nobody.
Tragically, the catalyst for the downfall of our beloved disco came in the summer of ‘79 with the infamous “Disco sucks!” movement, arguably the worst movement with the laziest slogan known to man, but I digress. 59,000 disco haters stormed Comiskey Park, a baseball stadium where bitter rock radio DJ Steve Dahl had promised that all those in possession of a disco record would receive cheap entry to the next White Sox home game – the blandest of all trades. Although Dahl has denied any bigotry against racial minorities and the queer community, his anti-disco movement led to — or at least hastened — the death of disco, removing a magical and safe space for both minority groups.
In exchange for Dahl’s baseball bait, Village People and Donna Summer vinyl’s were smashed and burned by degenerates in Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath t-shirts, all bemoaning the obvious subtext of disco that they disliked so strongly. No, it was not the threat that it had on record sales for classic rock artists, nor was it President Carter’s ‘Crisis of Confidence’ Speech. It was the simple fact that a space had been created that not only kept people of colour and the queer community safe, but championed their individuality – something that the hard rocking white men of middle America physically couldn’t handle.
So why is it that what could have played out as a good-natured battle of the bands? That rock vs disco turned into an aggressive degradation of an entire genre of music? Systemic racism and homophobia paired with bigoted attitudes, take the lead of the blame, deservedly. At the time of the fall, music critics pointed the finger at the ‘over-saturation’ of disco throughout radio stations and the industry, dubbing disco as a ‘cash cow’.
Yes, famously a ‘cash cow’ that has inspired house music, EDM, the act of clubbing, impacted the then-emerging hip hop scene, and if we really think about it: today’s Glasgow. Named as the 1990 European capital of culture, it’s hard to picture a Glasgow without its music scene and being famously good for a night out, and many a brick on that yellow brick road from Woodstock to Subclub, was laid by disco legends. A pyrrhic victory for members of the ‘Disco sucks!’ campaign.
To sum up: homophobic and racist attitudes can be charged for the murder of disco. They are given a life sentence of dancing lessons, a sequined three-piece suit, ‘Boogie Shoes’, and I will personally kick them headfirst into Disco Inferno.
Image Credit: Rudolf Dethu
