Sunday, May 07, 2006
Disco Duck
By Jinggoy Salvador
THE bug has bitten and we can't seem to get it out of our systems. Well, at least for those who where caught in the era of disco. This is why each and every time "disco party" is hollered, the generation past comes a running to the dance floor. The lure of the mirrored ball must have been hypnotic, then and now.
Somehow reminiscing the past always put a smile on our faces. Memories, good or bad, pop up and most are attached to a music title, slow or fast. But somehow the disco beat will always make those lips curl upward, especially to those who had the privilege of tripping the light fantastic on the days of disco.
The discotheque is the scene of the most interesting events, and I am talking of about any disco. The most memorable brawls, tables and chairs taking flight, beer bottles breaking, glasses shattering and other company assets going down the drain, name it, it happened. Of course, this doesn't pass unchecked. The culprits are banned from the place and the damages incurred put on their tab. Costly night.
However, this does not happen too often. Other interesting things happen as well. The scandals! The good ol' sex, drugs and, let me change the last word to disco. The 70's and 80's version hold no competition to the scandals of today.
Then it was just all talk and a few eyewitnesses on the 'disgraceful' deed. The dark corners of the disco are the sites of pecking and petting. Some are content with that. Whatever happens next occurs in another venue. Drugs of course, is as prevalent as today, they just changed some of the preferred substance.
I can't imagine what the mobile phone videos may hold if it was invented in the era where betamax was the video format and owning a VHS was a big deal, not to forget the Laser Disc Player with discs as huge as the vinyl.
Let's turn mushy now. I have been witness to a lot of relationships forged and broken while the strobe lights are flashing. It never came to a surprise that these people ended up together. Now they are singing to the tune of Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" with kids of their own. Good thing retro music became popular so the R&B and Hip Hop music loving kids can somehow relate.
With the unwavering effort of clubs to produce the undying theme of disco, expect these people to be in the guest list. A night away from the kids and go out on a date 'just like before' and dance to their theme song until morning and by morning it means 2AM. So sorry, city regulation. If it was cool to see the Sunday market come to life, hear the Church bells ring for the first Mass, and meet Mom or Dad at the breakfast table and hear their litany, now 2 is the maximum drinking hour and cool to be home by 4 perhaps. God I miss those days.
So let's make do with what we have: the music and the booze all in a few hours. Cinderella is not alone in this city if we consider 2AM as midnight nowadays.
Here's a disco trivia for you. The 'real' "Disco Inferno" was when the N.Y. club Infinity burnt down...
And for a shocker: Chic's 1978 hit "Le Freak" was originally called "Fuck off!!!" And answer this for me -- I'll give you free entrance tickets to One Down Disco. In the 1970s, who had a one-hit-wonder with "The Disco Duck"? a. Bobby "Boris" Pickett, b. John Travolta, c. Rick Dees, d. Wilson Pickett, e. Donna Summers.
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