tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post4983534391043722447..comments2023-04-15T05:28:28.956-07:00Comments on <center>SFScene</center>: Event Review: The Rod at DecoThe Jaded Gay DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07060432181378149931noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-51329656678847043272008-04-11T12:17:00.000-07:002008-04-11T12:17:00.000-07:00Ah, but that's the problem with having a grad scho...Ah, but that's the problem with having a grad school education, over-analysis becomes a way of life!The Jaded Gay DJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060432181378149931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-76279995745505845682008-02-25T15:20:00.000-08:002008-02-25T15:20:00.000-08:00Well, here's the thing: I think BSJ does have a so...Well, here's the thing: I think BSJ does have a social vision that he's promulgating through his events, and I think this is borne out by things he's said in the articles that have been linked in my post and in the first comment. For example:<BR/><BR/>"My nights are audiovisual tributes to the old-school gay demimonde, when our culture was at its creative, aesthetic, and sexual peak. There was a short but amazing window of time when incredibly imaginative, engaging, and sometimes crazy electronic music was coming out of New York, San Francisco, Europe, and even Montreal, made principally by and for gay men." (http://www.sfbg.com/39/38<BR/>/cover_bus_station_john.html)<BR/><BR/>Where I have a problem is with that assertion that the pre-AIDS era was when "our culture was at its creative, aesthetic, and sexual peak." Saying that downplays the things that all of us who participated in the post-AIDS gay civil rights movement did, and it ignores the really amazing things that are being done every day by faggots everywhere - as well as the imaginative, engaging, and often crazy electronic music that's being created now. I'm very sympathetic to the critique of mainstream gay culture that I think BSJ is raising, but I disagree with what he is offering as solution, which is a return to the past. If we want to have a vibrant, exciting, gay demimonde, then we need to create it out of contemporary culture, in my opinion.<BR/><BR/>In that same article he says:<BR/><BR/>"In a sense I think I'm providing a musical bridge between two distinct queer generations, an emotionally important connection that was decimated both by AIDS and the lust to harness our "demographic" 's spending power to the popular market. By restoring this connection, I'm hoping to inform and empower us to make our sexuality our own again. I hope for a world where freaks can be freaks – and can proudly walk the streets of San Francisco again without feeling any pressure to fit into the latest fashionable "scene" shoved down our throats by whatever liquor or "lifestyle" ads are currently barraging our community.<BR/><BR/>I think it's important to make this historical connection as a way of getting back to our roots, and I too want a world where freaks can be freaks, but I don't want it to have to take place within a time portal. I like the idea of what disco represented, on a spiritual level, even if I don't care much for the music itself (and the idea that I would have to turn in my gay card for admitting that, as if gay identity and disco are inextricably linked, is also something I'm critical of), but I think we, as a community, need to focus on how we can do that without turning our parties into a history lesson. <BR/><BR/>I can't fault anyone for enjoying the music that moves them; we're all wired in a different way, and what I enjoy is always going to be a little different, at least, from what someone else enjoys. For that reason alone we need a diverse scene where you can go out and find the thing you're looking for. You're right that there's room for every kind of artistic vision, and I would hope that every vision finds a community to support it, as BSJ has. But, I would also hope that every now and then people would step back and look at the foundation of that vision. I think it's great that BSJ does have this vision that others want to participate in; but, I have issues with what I see as the foundation of that vision, as expressed by the man himself, and I think it's legimate to critique that. This doesn't mean that he should change to suit me, or that his parties aren't a fun time for those who are into that music and scene, it just means that I disagree with him.The Jaded Gay DJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060432181378149931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-80928120220583940932008-02-25T14:04:00.000-08:002008-02-25T14:04:00.000-08:00I agree that all art has a social function. If an...I agree that all art has a social function. If an artist puts something into the world, people are going to respond. And one might say that the best artists--or, at very least, the best DJs and club promoters--have cohesive visions they wish to share with others. <BR/><BR/>When I said that no artist has a social responsibility, I meant that an artist's singular charge is creative self-expression. To propose that Bus Station John's artistic vision is flawed because it does too little in the way of advancing gay culture; to judge art didactically, as a means to an end; to assert that an artist should sacrifice even a modicum of his/her vision to promote a social and political agenda, feels, well, slimy. <BR/><BR/>It's okay if you don't like disco (though you may have to hand in your gay membership card for an admission like that). But why discourage musical and thematic variety? Almost every club out there is spinning modern stuff. Let The Endup and the 222 Club push the neo-disco/disco house envelope, and let nights like The Rod and Tubesteak Connection remain havens of nostalgia and classic beats. There's room enough for every artistic vision, social agenda notwithstanding.Karinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06858739797427214430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-78875155776622548072008-02-25T10:28:00.000-08:002008-02-25T10:28:00.000-08:00Karin, thanks for the comment!I have to disagree w...Karin, thanks for the comment!<BR/><BR/>I have to disagree with this:<BR/><BR/>" . . . I think nightlife is ultimately more about art than politics. Bus Station John does not have a social responsibility; no artist does, and to suggest otherwise, I think, demeans the very notion of art."<BR/><BR/>First, I don't think it demeans art to suggest that it has a social function (responsibility is a bit of a loaded term, but I'll come back to that); in fact, I think just the opposite. If art doesn't have a social function, if it doesn't engage us in a thoughtful way and make us think about our being-in-the-world, it's mere decoration. <BR/><BR/>When it comes to nightlife, I think this is especially the case, because club nights are overtly concerned with the social and political (in the broadest sense of that term). The nights I find most interesting, like The Rod, Bearracuda, Charlie Horse, Lucky Pierre, and Heat (to name just a couple) are those that, whether I agree with their vision or not, do have a vision of something that they're trying to create in that space, and a way in which they are trying to get people to relate to one another. In some cases, like Charlie Horse, I think there's also some very pointed political satire and parody. <BR/><BR/>Take away the idea, and what you have left in the nightlife scene is what you can experience on any Friday night in the Castro - commerce that is geared toward engaging the most prurient instincts of gay men. This is why, even though I don't agree with the specific way that BSJ approaches his idea of a "gay utopia," if you will, I admire him for having a total vision that he materializes every month, and that he can get others to take part in. I think that, from statements I've seen of his in the weeklies, as well as what I've experienced at his parties, he does have an social/political vision that he is trying to promote, and, in that way, he is taking on a social responsibility at the same time that he is putting forth an artistic vision. I don't think this demeans him, or his vision, or the music he plays, in any way; in fact, I think it elevates him to a much higher rank than parties where the greatest attraction is baby oil wrestling.The Jaded Gay DJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060432181378149931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-21702181083154148402008-02-24T00:38:00.000-08:002008-02-24T00:38:00.000-08:001977-1983 may or may not have seen the height of g...1977-1983 may or may not have seen the height of gay culture; probably not. A culture so large and mercurial as one built around sexuality, as opposed to one grounded in a specific aesthetic (the latter, of course, inherently possessing a finite lifespan), is bound to enjoy a neverending tide of highs and lows. <BR/><BR/>1977-1983 (give or take a few years, depending on how much leeway you grant funk and house) does, however, most definitely qualify as the height of the disco era. Like you, I've heard the newbies: everyone from Lindstrom to Escort to Sally Shapiro and back again. Some of them are pretty good. But I think most disco lovers will agree that the new shit doesn't hold a candle to half of BSJ's record collection.<BR/><BR/>People go to clubs for different reasons. Plenty of gay men certainly hope to hook up and couldn't care less about what's being blasted over the system. The primary draw for me is good music...specifically, good, hard-to-find disco, and Bus Station John has that in spades. The records in that man's crates are indimidating in number, inspiring in quality, and, furthermore, representative of a time when dance music was doing all the right things. <BR/><BR/>So, while your argument is interesting, I find it irrelevant; not because I'm the type who just wants to drink, dance, and fuck, but because I think nightlife is ultimately more about art than politics. Bus Station John does not have a social responsibility; no artist does, and to suggest otherwise, I think, demeans the very notion of art. He consistently plays great music, some of the best in San Francisco, and I see nothing wrong with the fact that most of it was made about 30 years ago.Karinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06858739797427214430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-88760417899976473172008-01-15T20:36:00.000-08:002008-01-15T20:36:00.000-08:00Oh jeez, I'm not sure I would wish a sourpuss like...Oh jeez, I'm not sure I would wish a sourpuss like Adorno on anybody, but if you're feeling inspired The Dielectic of Englightenment by Adorno and Horkheimer is a good place to start.The Jaded Gay DJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060432181378149931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-69547300628408918952008-01-15T17:53:00.000-08:002008-01-15T17:53:00.000-08:00"the simple consumption of the familiar, when what..."the simple consumption of the familiar, when what we need is something that takes us into unfamiliar territory and asks us to interact with that, and each other in that environment, for a while" -- you said it, must more succinctly. And this is what is uninspiring about most dance-houses (the consumption of what is familiar) and what therefore remains uninspired in club-goers (for what is already familiar does not open us towards the tremendous energies and ideas being explored in contemporary music). You've inspired me to read Adorno. Gotta go now! This will be quite a treat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-9334870313190212632008-01-15T17:27:00.000-08:002008-01-15T17:27:00.000-08:00Yay for existential Altoids! And oblique reference...Yay for existential Altoids! And oblique references to Descartes as well!<BR/><BR/>Yes, I agree, I want to be moved physically, emotionally, and mentally when I go to a party or club, and while I am down with anybody who can bring about the first movement in my or anybody else, it's those other two movements that are what I see as the legitimate objects of critique. I guess the easy way to say it is that I feel like retro nights don't move me forward as an individual in those respects, and I don't believe they move people forward as a group either. I think retro becomes about a the simple consumption of the familiar, when what we need is something that takes us into unfamiliar territory and asks us to interact with that, and each other in that environment, for a while. This is how new ideas and concepts are brought to mind, and this is what I'd like to see more of in the club scene, events that aren't just about consumption, but in some way might move us in a new direction.The Jaded Gay DJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060432181378149931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-66482646229369010912008-01-15T17:12:00.000-08:002008-01-15T17:12:00.000-08:00Thanks for writing such a thoughtful article! "Ado...Thanks for writing such a thoughtful article! "Adorno" and "bad faith" used in a club review! Shocking and refreshing at the same time. Like a sort of existential altoid. I too come from a similar critical perspective, and I have been alternatingly disappointed and surprised when I bring my reflective skills to the dance floor. I'm here to dance, to discover new music, to hang out with friends, and hand over my sensory inputs to a master craftsman (the DJ). Thus, I often find myself feeling let down when I find that the DJ is playing something I could just as well find on a myspace or imeem or radio station for free. I want to hear the craft, I want to think along with the DJ: why this song, why this sequence, what's happening now that we respond in this certain way musically. And that's probably why I gravitate to the smaller venues and events. Because I'm looking for something (anything?) that stimulates. And not just biologically or chemically, but aesthetically as well. In fact it is this subtle distinction between something that stimulates and anything that stimulates that club promoters are hoping we'll ignore. But for myself, I am unwilling to accept anything that stimulates, and instead am hoping to find something of substantial value in exchange for my party-going efforts. The reactionary aesthetic should not be dismissed entirely, seanf commented. We are living in the midst of a reactionary culture (witness the popularity of conservative and evangelical cultures across the globe). The problem, as you eloquently point out, is that for every reaction there must be action, and between the two a synthetic move forward (or higher, or to a different plane of values). And so the virtue we are seeking is not to be found in the particulars of the aesthetic (its musical taste or visual taste or fashion sense) but to be located in its substance or meaning. What does it mean to dance at a circuit party vs. what does it mean to participate in a retro-themed party vs. what sort of values are you hoping to communicate...... Speaking for myself, I am attracted to music that causes me to think (smart lyrics), causes me to dance (even, perhaps, uncontrollably), causes me to connect that cogitating-dancing-event to the events of our present circumstance (whether political or spiritual or economic). In other words, a party is just a collection of people who come to unwind and relax or escape or have fun.... but to unwind (etc.) from ---. To unwind from the pressures of the world, from the dreariness of pop music, from.... To party, it seems to me, is a movement away from and also towards. And the craftsman ought to be able to suggest just what is being kept at a distance and what is being brought near. I say suggest; I am not expecting a clear philosophical analysis or cultural critique from our musical masters. I am saying that artists, poets, & musicians, are saying something true, and it is the task or function of the DJ to advance that truth, to pick out those artists that have something substantial to offer, and to mix that into a compelling and enjoyable package for our sensory indulgence. And that's what I love so much about contemporary music, whether indie or punk or metal or classical or .... so many artists are creating music art forms that speak to all aspects of our existence: our minds and hearts and legs and groins. But our existence is contingent. We could be elsewhere. We could be at the other party. We could be at home. We could be dead. But to dance, to feel the music and to feel. To feel is undeniably to be alive. And we might be deceived about the contents of our sensory indulgence (there could be an evil genie at work here)... nonetheless I cannot be deceived that I feel, and that I feel in this certain way, and that in large part this sensory experience is produced in joint collaboration with the DJ, the promoters, the venue, my friends, and the total environment. If I had one thing I would put on my wish list (admittedly quite subjective) would be to open up our ears. "Aperite portas," so to speak. To open the gateways of perception to new, different, or just unexpected musical-sensory inputs. I'm just talking off the top of my head here, but there could be an industrial transition, or a Sun Ra movement, or an glam indie dance song, or a juno reactor hymn. I mean, I am here to dance. I might as well dance for something I don't yet know but might just love simply because it moves me (literally).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-66955219047620224032008-01-14T19:06:00.000-08:002008-01-14T19:06:00.000-08:00I think it was about 1.30 when we left, and I reme...I think it was about 1.30 when we left, and I remember that when we passed through the dance area there were quite a few people present, though I don't recall how much dancing, as opposed to socializing, was going on. One of the great things about Deco is the fact that you can go at least a little "after hours," though I usually need a pretty substantial kick of energy early in the evening to convince me to stick around for the late show.The Jaded Gay DJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060432181378149931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-37437347026812429912008-01-14T17:57:00.000-08:002008-01-14T17:57:00.000-08:00We love Bus Station's parties, and had a blast at ...We love Bus Station's parties, and had a blast at the Rod's anniversary. The dance floor actually got packed as the night progressed, it just took a while to get going (people usually need to have a drink or three before they start loosening up.) Plus Bus Station attracts the "late crowd." Fortunately The Rod has after-hours!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-92045941066158620552008-01-14T13:38:00.000-08:002008-01-14T13:38:00.000-08:00Good question, and one I've struggled with myself....Good question, and one I've struggled with myself. I think that when BSJ kicked off his parties some three years ago, he was really responding to that present situation, and his response was as reasonable as any other - it did get people back in touch with a gay culture that wasn't predicated on money or being a Falcon model, and in that regard I think it did accomplish something along the lines of what I'm arguing for. But, in the three years or so that he's been doing this, it's not moved forward with with that, and I don't see BSJ really getting in touch with the positive things in gay culture, or just in dance culture, that have happened in that time. <BR/><BR/>Of course, the larger question that I do try to ponder here is whether it even makes sense to talk about something like a party night in the kind of terms that I'm proposing, since what most people have in mind is drinking and getting laid, so I might very well be putting a frame around these events that isn't appropriate. I think I rely on you all, to some extent, to tell me whether this line of inquiry is legit, or whether I should just stick to observing what I see in the moment and writing about that.The Jaded Gay DJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060432181378149931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-57478305825135463142008-01-14T13:31:00.000-08:002008-01-14T13:31:00.000-08:00purity versus innovation...the age old argument. I...purity versus innovation...the age old argument. I guess I wanna go to this event now to see how fun it really is. Seems to me that there are always those who want an authentic experience from the past. I think this kind of thing can be fun and informative, but agree it's probably less of a builder of new culture. But then, how much ever really is? <BR/><BR/>So I wonder if you are asking this event to accomplish something it's not trying to....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-89092857906677766822008-01-14T13:09:00.000-08:002008-01-14T13:09:00.000-08:00Thanks for the additional link! I remembered this ...Thanks for the additional link! I remembered this article was out there but couldn't find it. However, I think in this interview he's still putting forth some of the attitude about contemporary culture that I find problematic - it's all very reactionary and reaching back to the past. Sure, it's important to honor our past and keep in touch with it, but it's another to see it as the total solution to the problems of the present.The Jaded Gay DJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060432181378149931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008596573404392493.post-9695052803522181912008-01-14T12:14:00.000-08:002008-01-14T12:14:00.000-08:00Check out this other SFBG piece on BSJ. He actuall...Check out this other SFBG piece on BSJ. He actually included the link on one of his flyers...and we thought he was a Luddite! :) No date but based on the now-outdated info @ the end of the article, it looks to be around 3 years old. Gives a deeper picture of what this guy's really about.<BR/><BR/>http://www.sfbg.com/39/38/cover_bus_station_john.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com