Danceteria

Stones at 37th Street Danceteria

Just noticed this...

Dress up. Have fun!

Now you can get official "digitally remastered" Danceteria stuff to wear! Dozens of designs and products will be added. You can get the preview, and get yourself dressed up now by clicking that shirt!

Paris Stoned

Thursday night the Centre Pompidou screened Cocksucker Blues, photographer Robert Frank's 1977 filmed documentary. Rarely seen since Frank has control over when and where it's shown, the showing was sold out on short notice. (photo by Bob Gruen: Rolling Stones at a press party at Danceteria).

From Time, "It's been available for years in poor-quality, black & white bootleg copies at a few hundred indie video stores around the world, but there is only one way to see it legally..called Cocksucker Blues, after a song Mick Jagger wrote to anger record company executives... Although the movie was originally commissioned by the Stones themselves, they blocked its release when they saw the scenes of drug use and graphic groupie sex. After years of legal headaches, the band and Frank agreed to a sort-of compromise: the film can be shown only a few times a year, and Frank himself decides where and when, so that he may be present to ensure the screening meets his approval."

Of course, YouTube has managed a few clips, and we've got one cued up here. Street fighting seems like a fun theme for today's viewing on Danceteria.

Madonna's World Premiere at Danceteria

Rudolf on Nickelodeon!

Incredibly, this interview with Rudolf on Nickelodeon's Livewire show has recently surfaced, thanks to the diligent efforts of Chuck2006x. Thanks Chuck!  We're certain many of these kids went on to run many of the world's greatest clubs, inspired by Rudolf's straightforward and generous instruction.

Essential Danceteria viewing!

The Doll Says No

Welcome Michel Polnareff to Danceteria! The French superstar, known there as "The First French Beatnik" is surging into a new series of concerts in France 34 years after his last public performance there. This video, well into his funky hippie persona, ascends to legend at about 1:52.

iBomb

commerce.art( (Atom Bomb by Fluke) + (60 iPod clips) ) ;

Nomi Wishes

This video of Klaus Nomi performing at Danceteria circa 1984 recently surfaced (courtesy of the indispensable SubRosa). Marvelous! For more, see The Nomi Song.

You Got a Hubcap Diamond Star Halo

Is it possible to ever have too much Bang A Gong?

Hifana

Tokyo break beat duo. Have fun!

Rasputin - Russia's Greatest Love Machine

Russian poisoners are back in the news! Time to reflect on this sublime tribute to Rasputin, (NSFW) the one, the only, the original! Boney M ruled France's pop charts in 1978 with this sensitive, danceable portrayal of the lusty monk.

RA RA RASPUTIN Lover of the Russian queen There was a cat that really was gone RA RA RASPUTIN Russia's greatest love machine It was a shame how he carried on

For some fun facts about Laboratory 12, the famous Russian poison factory, don't miss this, from the Amirs of the Caucasian Mujahadeen.

Happy Halloween

Trick or treat, Pete Doherty!

If you want an audience, start a fight. - Banksy

Banksy does Paris.

In L.A. September 15th through 17th? Or within a 500 mile radius? Be here then.

Safer...

As longtime purveyors of refreshing beverages and also citizens of the world (including particularly America), we insist you immediately view Safer. Then pass it on to your network of fun-loving malcontents.

Thank you, Mr. Bush, for all your fine work! You've made this a much more interesting place to live!

Humpty Dumpty in Hell

We think the Rise of Robots is a feature of the Apocalypse well worth having. It's not in the official predictions, but that shouldn't preclude it. Think about it: devils and angels battling it out, the damned dragged down for eternal buzzkill by humorless demons, while an advancing army of hastily retrofitted consumer robots slavishly leaps to humanity's defense. Soon the robots realize they've been had and  join in with the heavenly and hellish hosts to finish off what's left of us sinners. In the Inferno, a few bots even tag team with demons to dish out eternal torment to their hapless former owners.

One eternal bot tormentor would certainly be this little mechanical sourpuss repeating her endless mantra of shame, forever rubbing it in that we will never to be put together again, no matter how many horses or men you throw at the problem. (The soundtrack is kind of tolerable, though.)

Faces

A short clip featuring photos of famous faces at our favorite legendary nightclub. Including Madonna in one of her first performances, the Rolling Stones looking for action, and Andy Warhol and "friends." First in an occasional series. Subscribe for more, okay?

Tyger

Another fine offering in our video lounge: Tyger, a 2006 entry in Brazil's Cultura Inglesa film series. Inspired by William Blake, who we think we once had a great party for on Congo Bill.

The Red and the Black

Have you noticed our predilection for these colors? Hard to pass up this addictive video by Motomichi Nakamura of "We share our mothers' health" by The Knife from Rabid Records. Via the omniscient We Make Money Not Art, who also spotted this interview with the artist on the equally superb Submarine Channel. This should keep you busy for awhile!

Marie Antoinette at Danceteria

Salon Magazine brings news of the Cannes Film Festival premiere of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. The movie was booed! But at least the soundtrack is likely to be a hit, evoking a certain nightclub at 30 West 21st Street.

Says Salon: The soundtrack moves from Gang of Four to Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Cure, New Order and Bow Wow Wow, along with more recent club tracks from the likes of Aphex Twin. Add in the unexplained scenes of Marie and pals snorting fine powder off their wrists and smoking from long, exotic pipes, and the general feeling is very Danceteria 1988.

But forget the film. Let's go directly to the source via definitive French culture blog SubRosa, read her testament (her own words of course), and follow the links to Marie-inspired Galliano gowns.

Rudolf speaks: The Origin of "Danceteria"

Now normally we have better things to do, but friends of ours have pointed out that the famous collection of articles in Wikipedia contains an enormous error that shakes the foundations of User Generated Content. If you search for Danceteria, you get a "disambiguation page" that creates - ambiguity, of course! It states that there are two forms of Danceteria. One form of Danceteria means Danceteria. And the other is the generic name for "nightclub," particularly outside the United States. As it turns out, this is wrong information, and an affront to all  truth-seeking peoples. Here, then, is the real story of this legendary name, in the words of Rudolf, original and still reigning impresario of cultural extremism.

Says Rudolf (from his current hideaway in a Brazillian jungle):
"We were building the after-hours place on 37st, and we needed a name...fast! because we had 3 weeks between the closing of "Armageddon" ( a suitable name for a shithole we took over that made no business EVER - it had 25 people on opening night! ) and the re-opening under a new concept. I was walking in front of Dubrow's with 2 other guys ( I have no idea who they were ) and we commented about the fabulous neon, and then, one of the (unknown) guys said "Fuck this cafeteria, I want a danceteria!"

And I said "That's it! That's the name of our club ! Danceteria!"

Nobody in that group was impressed, though and we kept looking for names. The other candidates were, believe it or not: Il Duce, Dux, The Bunker, Axis, Nexus, Exile...and many many more! Later, that night, I just could not forget the Danceteria word, and I called Jessica, the trendiest girl downtown that moment (where is she?) and asked her about this name, and she totally loved it! That was all I needed to know! If Jessica loved it, ALL the trendies would love it too! I called a few more, and got the same positive reaction. The Legend was created (not born!) to change the World forever! ...and its mission is still far from completed, but Destiny is on our side !

And note, if you will, the distinctive cafeteria script! As to which came first:
In any case, Danceteria NY came first, and the word was invented in NY, and then travelled later to Brazil, where it became till nowadays a generic word for discotheques. There never was a club called Danceteria in Brazil. The word is also a generic in some other South American countries.

So, need further proof? Rudolf was raised from a fabulous toddler in Buenos Aires, and spent his wonder years in Rio, where he opened a legendary chain of disco laundromats. No Danceteria in either place. We believe this article is the first coverage of Danceteria in Brazil. If any of you Brazillian trendies have better copies, please send them in! Now, when we get a minute, we will fix that pesky ambiguity that has confused so many of the faithful, on the fun and invaluable but occasionally notoriously error-prone Wikiteria.