''Disco Sucks!''..... ''Disco Demolition''

I had one of those small TV's, you know, the black and white kind that was bought at Sears. For 1979, it was top of the line. I was going around the dial--- twisting the knob, for there was no remote-control--- and I came across a strange sight. I was on Channel 44 looking for the White Sox game. Now, I am a Cubs fan, but, I will watch the Sox if there is nothing else on. But, on this July night in 1979, the image that was greeting me was not the ballplayers playing ball. Rather, it was of a slightly overweight young man, in army fatigues, with a megaphone, imploring the crowd to follow his simple command. He wanted them to say in unison, ''Disco sucks!''...... Disco music had been around for many years in the underground clubs. Especially, the gay clubs. There has always been this type of music out there. It consists of using the same easy chords over and over again. It is music for people to dance to. Electronic mixed with studio engineering. Easy to produce, and, definitely, no great shakes to play if you are a real musician. So, this music bubbled under the surface in the late 60's and early 70's as rock was in its heyday. Suddenly, around 1974, Disco became mainstream. Rock giants from the previous decade were dying off, creatively and literally. As the harsh times of the Sixties receded, the world seemed to be in the mood to just dance, with no hidden agenda attached. Now, disco's were up and running, as many people embraced the need to shake their booties. And, then, in 1977, you finally had the Big Bang Of The Disco Revolution, with the release of ''Saturday Night Fever''. This film told the story of a dunce who had no ambition in life and didn't care. His life only came alive on Saturday nights, where he reigned supreme on the dance floor. It didn't matter that the movie was simplistic and downright hateful towards women, the public embraced it, and it became a cultural benchmark for its time. And, the music, supplied by The Bee Gees, ignited a firestorm of musical revolution. Overnight, everywhere you looked, people had white polyester suits, platform shoes, and boogied down to the nearest club to shake, shake, shake, their bodies. Disco was the music for the latter half of the 1970's...... As in any popular trend comes the opposite side: the backlash. As millions embraced Disco, so, did the fact that millions hated it. It ran the gamut from professional musicians, who saw their livelihood disappear, because with electronic dance music they weren't needed anymore to play, to teenagers [ mostly boys] who carried the banner for rock and roll. This was not a quiet crowd, as they let their displeasure be known. Now, the music stars of the day split the difference. Some stayed true to their roots and did not alter their musical form. But, some did go over to the ''dark side',' as Alice Cooper put it, and started to Disco their music up. Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones were the best examples. Ethel Merman was the bottle of the barrel. Many die-hard fans felt betrayed by their favorite acts selling out to the market. It must be said that when Stewart and the Stones did go Disco, sales went through the roof. Rod Stewart had ''Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?'' and the Stones had ''Miss You.'' Both songs went right to the top of the charts and became signature songs for these artists. Still, many fans felt sick by the sell-out. Disco was threatening to wipe out all other types of music. What Disco really needed was someone to come in, and, like a General in battle, drive away the enemy forever..... Steve Dahl was trying to still find his bearings in the Chicago market. By the summer of 1979, Dahl had been in this marketplace for over a year, with mixed results. He had been a radio star in Detroit in the mid-70's, with his wacky voices and real-life storytelling. When he was lured to Chicago in early 1978, he was primed to take over the city. This was the days of Wally Phillips and Larry Lujack. Safe, easy, and, non-interesting radio. It was radio you had on in the background while you cleaned your house or drove the kids to school in the morning. Steve Dahl, at the ripe age of 23, represented the street humor that was all over popular culture, but, had yet to break through on radio. His first year in Chicago, at radio station WDAI, was not impressive. While he showed the signs of the rebel he was to become, he wasn't clicking with the public, at least in terms of ratings. By December of 1978, he was just another deejay in town, playing the game. Then, right around Christmas, Steve was called into the office of his boss. He was informed that the station was changing formats immediately and wanted to start playing the current hits of the day. Dahl refused to go along with the changes and quit on the spot. There was no way that Steve Dahl was gonnna play Disco music...... In the spring of 1979, Steve Dahl found another radio job, as morning man for WLUP radio [ ''the Loop'']. This was more his audience. Rock and roll teenagers and young adults, with a sneer on their lips and contempt for authority. And, contempt for the dreaded Disco music. Steve tapped into this rebellion and soon started to organize anti-Disco events at local clubs. With his new partner in crime, Garry Meier, by his side, Dahl rallied his young fans to blow up Disco records at these appearances. There was nothing dirty or vicious about these gatherings. I have heard critics say that these events were homophobic and racially offensive because Disco music had been born in those gay clubs and was embraced by a wide black audience. This is nonsense. Dahl was just imbibing in teenage energy mixed with his contempt for the status quo. It was harmless, even when Disco records were blown up every which way. While Steve Dahl did these showcases, he was quietly putting together a cult of popularity for himself..... Mike Veeck was the son of legendary White Sox owner and master showman, Bill Veeck. Any event to promote the ballclub was much welcome. In the summer on 1979, the White Sox were mired in another losing season. Their attendance numbers were next to nothing. Mostly, the organization needed a boost from the public and to bring people into the ballpark again, especially, young people. Mike Veeck was tuned into the rising popularity of ''the Loop'', particularly its rascal morning deejay, Steve Dahl. Veeck was impressed by the number of fans Dahl was gathering in clubs for these anti-Disco rallies. The penny dropped on Mike Veeck: have Steve Dahl and his ''Anti-Disco Coho Lips Army'' do an appearance in Comiskey Park and blow up Disco records in a big way. Dynamite them in a big box in center field. That should bring in some extra fans. The deal was soon made by the ballclub and the radio station. Steve Dahl would blow up Disco records between games of a twilight double-header on July 12, 1979...... Before the first game started, they were only about ten thousand fans in the ballpark. The price of admission had been dropped to 99 cents because that was the frequency of ''the Loop.'' In a stadium that holds around seventy thousand people, the ten that showed depressed Steve Dahl. It looked puny and unsuccessful. He feared failure at this event. Dahl thought the place was too big to fill for his fans. The first game soon started and Dahl, with his army hat and army fatigues on, sat glumly with his wife, Janet, and his partner Garry Meier. Steve Dahl was not expecting this to go well...... Then, around the middle of the first game, something strange started to happen. The fans showed up. Not just a couple hundred fans, but, tens of thousands of fans. Some were there for baseball, but, the majority were there for Dahl. Soon, as the game ended, every seat in the ballpark was taken and they were standing in the aisles. Many others were turned away from the gates for lack of room to place them. But, that didn't stop some from climbing the walls outside of the ballpark trying to get in. By the time that Steve was ready to take the field for the rally, estimates had around eighty thousand people watching his every move and ready to follow his every command....... Steve Dahl entered the ballpark like a Roman Emperor. He was being driven in a jeep around the field while thousands of his fans roared their approval. With him in the jeep were Meier, and ''Lorelei'' the ''Loop Girl''. Steve took his position near the infield while a huge box of Disco records were placed in center field. Fans had been encouraged to bring these records with them to the game so they could be blown up. Dynamite, three sticks, was placed around and in the box. Steve said some words to the crowd and soon gave the signal for the records to be blown up ''real good.'' Surprisingly, it went off without a hitch. The records blew high and wide and the crowd was delirious. Steve then sang a few words from his parody song ''Do Ya Think I'm Disco?'' a slam against the Rod Stewart song. Despite all the mess [ the blast blew a big hole in centerfield] the actual event of blowing up the records was a success. Soon, the cries of ''Disco Sucks!'' filled the air. Steve then took a much deserved victory lap around the field one last time and was then driven off to the cheers from his fans. Now, with a little clean up from the grounds crew, the second game would soon start....... Then, it all went crazy. Some fans, tanked up on cheap beer and cheap joints, rushed the playing field. As what always happens in a riot, it all happened very fast. Soon, thousands of people were running all over the diamond, knocking down the batting cage and stealing the bases. Some fans were sliding into the bases [ one of which was the future movie star Michael Clarke Duncan] and basically, destroying the surface of the field. The security on the field was helpless against this onslaught. Dozens cannot control thousands. Pleas from the broadcast booth from Harry Caray fell on deaf ears. Steve Dahl, fresh from the triumph on the field, at first did not know what was going on. Contrary to popular opinion, he did not tell anyone to go on the field. These actions were by a few, and, Dahl, logically, stated that maybe he should say something over the loudspeakers. If they were going to listen to anyone, he reasoned, it would be him. The White Sox brass flatly told him no, so, Dahl was helplessly watching all that was happening on the field....... The rioters were on the field for less than fifteen minutes. The police riot squad was called, and sure as you can say ''Disco Sucks''!, the crowd disbursed immediately. When the last of the rioters were gone, the field was assessed by the umpires and both ballclubs. The field was unplayable and the White Sox were forced to forfeit the second game. In time, the crowds slowly left Comsikey Park, not realizing that they had seen baseball, and, Chicago history that night. Over the next day, Steve Dahl's anti-Disco rally was being discussed in Europe..... After the dust had settled, what remained were two things.... 1. Disco died that night because there was such negative feelings directed towards the music, it showed the powers that be that there was an even stronger, more loyal audience out there that thought that Disco was uncool and old hat. The music industry, like all of society, likes to follow trends. And, with this fierce anti-Disco feeling coming out of a major ballpark, maybe, just maybe, Disco was through. Disco stars like ''K.C.'' of ''K.C. And The Sunshine Band'', and Donna Summer, later stated that ''Disco Demolition'' was the final nail in the coffin of Disco...... 2. Steve Dahl. With this infamous night, Steve Dahl became the pioneer of rebellious, anti-authority radio. Steve invented free-form radio, where the deejays no longer played just music, but, also expressed their own thoughts and personalities. Steve blazed the trail from everyone like Howard Stern to whatever favorite morning radio show you currently listen to. Steve, and his partner, Garry Meier, were the lightening rod of personality radio. If ''Saturday Night Fever'' was the Big Bang Of Disco, then ''Disco Demolition'' was the Big Bang Of Free Form Radio. Like all pioneers, Steve became a controversial figure around town. You either loved his openness or you hated his frank talk. I always loved it. No performer is more important for the direction of radio for the past 35 years than Steve Dahl........ Here we are now, 34 years later after that crazy night. Disco music never truly has gone away. It just morphed into ''Dance Music'', with even more electronic sounds and less musicians to play them. Steve Dahl, after revolutionizing radio for two decades, retired from mainstream radio and now does his podcast from his home everyday. He is a survivor, after having battled alcohol and the slings and arrows of a fickle public. No longer is he the youthful rebel...... When I hear the current state of music out there, with its vile hip-hop and techno dance mix, I'm thinking Steve might want to put the army uniform on one more time.........