Showing posts sorted by relevance for query disco demolition. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query disco demolition. Sort by date Show all posts

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Thursday This And That

Wow, is it Thursday already?!?!?   

Sweet Sixteen:
Interesting ... since I am now loading the truck for a six week road trip, and will be on the road within an hour!
Brad 
So you had to open my email notice this morning thinking, "Just what kinda voodoo magic is going on here?!?!  How the hell does HE know what I'm doing right now!!!"  lol 
Have a good trip ... heading into the Chicago area at all on this jaunt?  (kk)  
Two weeks in Phoenix, one week in Las Vegas, one week close to Zion Nat'l Park, and one week on Lake Powell, close to north rim of the Grand Canyon.  Not close to Chicago. 
In Roswell, New Mexico tonight after 504 miles on the road.
Brad
Too bad ... would have been good to see you again.  Enjoy your travels!  (kk)

Hey Kent:  
I’ll list one from the Hometown ... “What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has made a Loser Out Of Me)” by Jerry Lee Lewis.
Ken
It's fun putting these Sweet 16's together ... on this one I challenged myself a little bit by only using state names rather than cities ... although I will admit that I probably cheated a little bit with "Virginia" ... but I've just always liked that song!  (lol)  kk

This And That
Kent ...
I bow to your superior radio knowledge.  
Scott Shannon spends two years thanking listeners for following him to WCBS-FM.  Now he's flashing back to his old station.  Maybe you can explain it to me.
http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/2016/03/09/scott-shannon-morning-zoo-reunion/
Frank B.
The Morning Zoo concept heralded in a whole new age of radio programming ... so I see this as more a salute to what Scott helped to launch in the early '80's than anything else ... and hey, who doesn't love a reunion???  With the #1 Show in town in today's current mark, I'd say Shannon can certainly afford to turn the clock back and remember a huge stepping stone in his career ... they had zillions of listeners who probably feel exactly the same thing.  It all boils down to good entertainment ... and my guess is this get-together will more than fill the bill.  (kk)

Speaking of Scott Shannon ...

Have you noticed lately that the pictures Scott Shannon runs of himself are almost "Zoolander" in nature?  Just age gracefully like the rest of us.  Many of us have been listening to your voice coming out of the radio for three or four decades now ... your track record speaks for itself.  There is absolutely NO reason that you have to try and be anything other than what you already are ... which is a rock and roll radio legend.
Trudy
LOL ... oh he's gonna LOVE this one!  (lol)  I try and listen to America's Greatest Hit on the weekends if I'm up early enough and in the car ... and I swear he sounds like Casey Kasem reincarnated.  The voice of Scott Shannon alone is powerful enough for me ... and millions of others ... so to that extend I have to agree ... just be who you are ... one of the greatest, most successful and most immediately recognizable voices on the radio.  It's all of THAT that got you where you are today ... and we love ya!  (kk)

Thank you, Kent, for the beautiful tribute to the Beach Boys!  I loved it.  It reminded why they are and always will be "America's Band."  Their music is timeless and classic.  Even George Martin had a deep appreciation for their music!
Blossmwrld

Kent:
I read your blog daily and today's was wonderful (as they all are). I enjoy the music news but I also learn something each and every time. Today I was reminded of how terrific the Beach Boys' harmonies really were thanks to you and that tribute you posted to Ron and Nancy Reagan. Those five sure sounded good when they sang a cappella. Many thanks sir. 
Santi in Miami

Kent ...
I recently got Joel Whitburn's latest chart book, "America's Greatest Hits".  That's weekly charts we're dealing with.  
My plan is to play the Top 10 each week in the Pub jukebox.
Today, 3/13/2016, I played the top 10 from March 13, 1954 and March 13, 1961.
Let me see ... that's 76 years ... 52 weeks in a year.
76 x 52 = 3952 weekly top 10 lists.  
If you talk to Joel Whitburn, tell him to wait awhile before he put out his next book.  
It's going to take me some time to get through these top 10 lists at the Pub!
Frank B.
I got my copy last week, too ... it's great, isn't it?  EVERY Top Ten Pop Chart from January, 1940 through December of 2015 ... incredible!
You can still order copies through Joel's website (with a five dollar discount) here:
And, cooler still, Joel sent us a copy to give away to a Forgotten Hits Reader!  (I'm trying to decide if we should just do a random drawing or turn it into some kind of a trivia contest!)
If you're interested in this great new book, drop me a line ... just put "America's Greatest Hits" in the subject line and we'll enter your name in the drawing.  (Then, if we DO decide to do a trivia contest, we'll email the questions to everybody who registered ... which means you can't win a copy if you don't email me in advance!)  kk

We've been telling you about a new book coming out documenting the whole Steve Dahl Disco Demolition Fiasco from 1979 ...
We'll Chicagoland Radio and Media has ALL the details here ... including how you can preorder a copy for yourself today!

Nearly 37 years ago, the most famous (or infamous, depending on one's point of view) radio stunt of all time took place in Chicago. It was the WLUP-FM promotion "Disco Demolition Night" at Comiskey Park -- a promotion that was simultaneously a massive success and a massive failure. Soon, the definitive book on that historic event will be released, co-written by the man who was at the center of that firestorm: Chicago radio legend Steve Dahl.
"Disco Demolition" took place on July 12, 1979. The Chicago White Sox, then owned by Chicago native Bill Veeck, were doing poorly with attendance and were using gimmicks and theme nights to help draw people into their empty stands. Bill Veeck placed his son Mike in charge of coming up with promotions for the ballpark that year. Mike Veeck reached out to the then-fairly new and quickly popular rock and roll station, WLUP-FM/The Loop, to see if they wanted to do a promotion with him. Since the ballpark had previously had a "Disco Night," WLUP-FM Sales Manager Jeffrey Schwartz and WLUP-FM Promotions Director Dave Logan thought it would be a fun idea to have an "Anti-Disco Night" promotion.
At that time, WLUP-FM had recently hired up and coming radio personality Dahl for mornings. Dahl had been unemployed for a few months after his last station, WDAI-FM, flipped from a rock format to the dance format known as "Disco DAI." Thanks largely to that situation, he was championing an anti-Disco movement on his WLUP-FM morning show. Dahl would play a few seconds of a popular Disco song and then play the sound effect of the record player needle rapidly dragging across the record, followed by an explosion sound effect. Dahl even cut his own anti-Disco novelty song "Do You Think I'm Disco," which became a minor hit nationwide. Schwartz and Logan thought a promotion starring Dahl at Comiskey Park would be a great publicity stunt for the radio station, its new morning show host, and the Chicago White Sox. Mike Veeck wholeheartedly agreed.
The promotion let anybody into the July 12th double-header for the low price of only 98 cents (at the time, the Loop was branded as "FM 98") and a used Disco record, which would be collected and blown up. "Disco Demolition Night" was promoted heavily by WLUP-FM and the White Sox. It worked so well that Comiskey Park was completely sold out to its full capacity of a little over 44,000 seats. More that that, approximately 20,000 fans showed up who could not get in Comiskey, which did not sit too well with them. Those stuck on the outside did whatever they could to get inside the stadium, including breaking through locked gates and scaling the ballpark's outer walls. Comiskey Park was filled well beyond capacity and far beyond what the ballpark's security could handle.
Not all of the Disco records brought by attendees were collected. This left unwanted albums in the hands of rowdy fans, many of which were under the influence of alcohol and / or drugs. The albums slowly became flying weapons as the first game went on. By the time WLUP-FM's Dahl, morning co-host Garry Meier, and spokesmodel Lorelei took the field at the intermission between games, the crowd was already in a frenzy. Dahl's pyrotechnics of blowing up albums in crates on the field also lit a figurative fuse in the stands. The Loop fans came over the field's barricades and flooded the field. Between the too-powerful explosions and the rowdy fans ripping up bases and turf, Comiskey Park's field was unusable. The Chicago Police Department was called in to attempt to restore order and the Chicago White Sox had little choice but to forfeit the second game -- the last time that any American League team has been forced to forfeit a game. The stunning incident made news all across the country.
While "Disco Demolition Night" upset some die-hard White Sox fans, forced the team to forfeit a game, and caused a riot, it also served its purpose of drawing attention to the White Sox, growing Comiskey Park ticket sales, and drawing attention to WLUP-FM. The radio station and its morning stars, Steve Dahl and Garry Meier, were already popular, but this stunt helped raise The Loop's presence and popularity for years to come, while catapulting Dahl and Meier to super-stardom.
Over three and a half decades later, that fateful night is still firmly rooted in the memories of Chicagoans. Most everybody knows somebody who was there, was there themselves, or knows where they were when they heard about what was happening on Chicago's South Side on July 12, 1979.
Since that night, Dahl has been repeatedly asked about the event. He has finally decided to create a book that will be the definitive, inside story of this historic radio and baseball stunt.
Although he has done plenty of writing before -- from columns in the Chicago Tribune to blogs -- Dahl chose to enlist one of Chicago's best authors, Dave Hoekstra, to help write the new "Disco Demolition" book.
Hoekstra had been a Chicago Sun-Times staff writer/columnist from 1985 through March 2014, when he was forced out by one of the newspaper's many cost-cutting layoffs. He has also authored/co-authored numerous books and has been a contributing writer for such publications as Playboy magazine, Chicago magazine, and the Chicago Reader. He currently writes for his own website, DaveHoekstra.com, and hosts a weekend evening radio show for WGN-AM.

For this new book, Hoekstra and Dahl conducted nearly three dozen interviews of those involved with "Disco Demolition," to properly gain a complete insight to the historic 1979 stunt. This was in addition to Dahl's own recollections.
Among those interviewed include Mike Veeck, current White Sox radio play-by-play announcer Ed Farmer, former and current White Sox players, Grammy Award-winning disco musician/producer Nile Rodgers (who talks about that night's impact on Disco music), and many others.
The result from those interviews and recollections, along with Hoekstra's award-winning ability to craft stories, is the new book entitled "Disco Demolition: The Night Disco Died."
Along with the words from Dahl, Hoekstra, and other contributors, the book features plenty of incredible photographs from top Chicago photographer Paul Natkin, who was at this event and documented it via his camera lens.
Suburban Chicago native and famed comedian/actor Bob Odenkirk contributes a foreward to the book. Odenkirk had previously co-written a screenplay about "Disco Demolition" for a movie that was never made.
"Disco Demolition: The Night Disco Died" is being published by Chicago-based Curbside Splendor Publishing, which was once named "Best Chicago Indie Publisher" by Chicago magazine.
The hardcover book runs 250 pages, with a list price of $34.95.
"Disco Demolition: The Night Disco Died" was originally scheduled to be released on April 12th. However, that release date was recently pushed back to July 12th, which not-so-coincidentally coincides with the 37th anniversary of the actual "Disco Demolition" event.
Pre-orders for the book can be placed with
Curbside Splendor Publishing or many online book sellers, including Amazon.com (where pre-orders currently get the discounted price of just over $25).
Dahl continues to be a top Chicago radio talent, working two jobs each day for his fans. He does a weekday midday show for his many die-hard followers via his paid subscription podcast site Dahl.com, as well as a live weekday afternoon show on WLS-AM. Dahl (along with his former radio partner Meier) were inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2013.



(All photos by Paul Natkin)

Kent,
I know you probably already know this, but I read online that singer Gogi Grant passed away a few days ago at the age of 91.  
She's best known, of course, for her 1956 recording of THE WAYWARD WIND.
You mentioned a few FH's back that rock and roll has lost quite a few performers just now into some three months of the year. Kent, don't be surprised that as the year goes go by, more artists, as the group Queen said in a record, ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST. Artists like Chuck Berry and Fats Domino are in their eighties. I am reminded of the song Johnny Cymbal recorded back in 1963, his follow-up to MR BASS MAN, that being TEENAGE HEAVEN.
Larry
I always liked "The Wayward Wind", a #1 Hit in 1956.  Let's spin it again in Gogi's honor this morning.  (kk)


Superstar Classic Rock Duo Pat Travers and Carmine Appice Reissue
Their Ball-Busting Full-Length Collaboration, Release New Video!
Los Angeles, CA - Guitarist / vocalist Pat Travers and legendary drummer Carmine Appice, of the mighty Vanilla Fudge and formerly with Rod Stewart’s band, have joined forces a number of times over the years, and the end result has never been anything less than outstanding. When these two giants of classic rock meet, sparks fly, the earth shakes, and the audience definitely gets ROCKED! Recently, the boys have decided to revisit their first full-length collaboration, 2004’s It Takes A Lot Of Balls, a supercharged, full throttle piece of real deal rock and roll majesty, giving it a new face, a wider audience, and some additional bells and whistles. On March 4, Deadline Music will release The Balls Album, a reissue of the 2004 album with all new artwork and two bonus tracks including a monster cover of Barry White’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” The album contains some of the bluesiest ball busters of all-time including “Taken,” as well as the fist-pumping anthem “Rock Me!”
Appice offers this praise for his co-conspirator, “I love playing with Pat. He is a great artist, and this was one of the best albums I have made, especially in such a short time - three weeks to make! Great songs, great playing, lots of energy, and each track has a lot of BALLS!” Travers likewise enthuses about his partner, saying “I have been a fan of Carmine since 1967. I followed his career over the years and was very pleased to meet him when he was playing drums for Ted Nugent in 1981. We did a lot of shows together and got to know and like each other along the way. I would bump into Carmine at this and that affair over the years and then in 2003 we had a blowout jam at the Dean Markley Strings booth at NAMM. We decided that we should record an album together. That led to me going to LA and recording this amazing album. Hope you got ‘Balls’!”
Check out this legendary duo in a brand new video for their Barry White cover “Never Gonna Give You Up”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yriBJ1_-DWc

Keith Emerson may have been known as a master of the synthesizer.  However, people seem to overlook the fact that he was quite a refined and professional all-around keyboardist. 
The magnificent piano virtuoso on tracks like TRILOGY and TAKE A PEBBLE. 
Or the concertina lead on the instrumental verse of C'EST LA VIE, giving the Greg Lake-penned vocal track that "Parisian" feel. 
Tal Hartsfeld

Kent ...
Carl Palmer is trying to put together a June tribute concert for Keith Emerson.
http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/2016/03/14/carl-palmer-to-organize-keith-emerson-tribute-concert/
Frank B.

Hey Kent:  
It’s a Cryin’ Shame by Gayle McCormick also was a chart 45 here in Milwaukee. Appr. A #20 hit in the early Fall of ’71. Nice Tune, Beautiful Girl!
Ken

Man, I can't think about how many times I looked at Gayle McCormick's phone number and still didn't pick up the phone and call her for fear she'd take it as an intrusion.  
Stay the course. FH is the best. Ever. 
David

Please put me on your mailing list so I can receive your information, which is very informative.
Thank you,
Andrea Siegel
If you're not already a Forgotten Hits subscriber, you're going to want to become one soon.  Right now we mainly use the list to update readers about special features and series on the site ... but very soon what comes via email will be different than what the rest of the world sees on the web page ... so you may want to get on the list NOW so that you don't miss anything in the months to come.
Just drop me an email with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line and we'll put you on the list!  (kk)

Some Great Shows Coming Up
Check this out ...

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces The Weight, comprised of members and collaborators for The Band. Tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday, March 17, at noon at citywinery.com/chicago. 
Friday, June 10, 7:30 pm and 10:00 pm   
$36/$40/$44/$48
A passing wish of Levon Helm was for the music and spirit of The Band to live on. To that end, surviving members of The Band - guitarist, singer-songwriter Jim Weider and dual drummer, singer-songwriter Randy Ciarlante - have formed The Weight, a quintet dedicated to furthering the essence, music and vibe of The Band through intimate live concerts and selected festival appearances. Remaining authentic in its sound and legitimate in its heritage, the brotherhood-based lineup includes Marty Grebb, who wrote and recorded with The Band, plus Byron Isaacs and Brian Mitchell, both members of Levon’s Ramble Band. Fans and critics alike have reviewed The Weight’s performances as truly soulful experiences enhanced by passionate deliveries and masterful musicianship.
So good to hear that Marty is out there playing music ... Dennis Tufano told me these guys sound great ... so check 'em out if you get the chance!  (kk)

Looking ahead through June, we've got a GREAT line-up of artists coming into the Chicagoland area ...

Also coming to City Winery Chicago ...
Graham Nash - May 11th and 12th
JD Souther - May 25th
The Cathy Richardson Band - May 27th

At the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan ...
Vicki Lawrence and Mama, tomorrow night ...
And then Jerry Seinfeld on Saturday
April 1st - Jethro Tull - written and performed by Ian Anderson
April 6th - Meatloaf
April 7th - David Sanborn
April 16th - American with The Grass Roots
May 13th - Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo (an intimate and acoustic evening of music)
May 20th - Heart

Always something interesting and exciting going on at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles ...
Friday Night, March 18th - Rick Springfield
March 19th - The Cornerstones of Rock (featuring all of our Local Heroes from the '60's and '70's)
March 25th - Blue Oyster Cult
April 8th - a special '80's show featuring The Tubes, The Motels and The Smithereens
April 9th - Steven Wright
April 15th - Tax Day Blues with Robert Cray
April 16th - Randy Bachman
April 17th - John Waite
May 6th- Crystal Gayle
May 7th - The Alan Parsons Live Project
May 8th - Frankie Avalon
May 11th - John Anderson and Jean Luc Ponty
May 12th - Todd Rundgren
May 13th - The Orchestra (featuring former members of Electric Light Orchestra and ELO)
May 15th - Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.
May 19th - Paul Anka
May 20th - The Electric Strawbs
May 29th - The Zombies
June 4th - Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone

And don't forget Donny and Marie, performing at The Paramount Theater from May 25th thru May 29th

And, speaking of great shows ...

Tommy Roe
Wish I could have been with you at the Tommy Roe - Chris Montez concert Sunday night. According to your FH today, Chris didn't sing his 1963 tune SOME KINDA FUN, which was my favorite of his.
Larry Neal
No, Chris didn't do that one, a Top Ten Hit here in Chicago, but he sounded great.  Wish we could have had more Forgotten Hits Readers out for the show ... it was really quite good.  (Even The Beatles-guys were outstanding!)  kk 

Hi Kent,  
Looking at the cool poster you presented to accompany the great review of the Chris Montez - Tommy Roe - Beatlerama concert, there was at least one other performer who went on to achieve worldwide fame. The UK group, the Viscounts were a three man outfit of which Gordon Mills was a member. Mr. Mills later managed the careers of Engelbert Humperdinck and Tom Jones, and co-wrote (with Les Reed) Jones's signature song, "It's Not Unusual". 
Mike Edwards

Kent ...
You left this one off your Tommy Roe song list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4EJUE7O8l0
Frank B.
That's because it wasn't a hit - but Tommy and I did talk about it - you'll find it in our Forgotten Hits Interview coming up this weekend!  (Tommy feels certain it WOULD have been a hit had California Chrome won The Triple Crown ... and I'd have to say that at the very least it probably would have gotten a considerable amount of airplay!)  kk
I know it wasn't a Hit, but - I liked it.
Frank
I did, too ... and we played it quite a bit.  In fact Forgotten Hits got an exclusive "sneak peek" on this track before it was made available to the public!  (Now how cool is that?!?!?)  kk 

We told you about the GREAT Tommy Roe show we saw last weekend at The Arcada Theatre.  We also got the chance to visit with Tommy backstage for an hour before he went up to do his set.  Thanks to a pretty heavy workload out here in the real world, that interview has taken a little longer than expected to edit ... but this weekend you'll be able to enjoy the whole thing ... so be sure to check back for that!
Meanwhile, scroll back to Monday's posting (March 14th) to read our complete concert review.  (kk)

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Disco Demolition Night

We had an inquiry last week wondering if we remembered "Disco Demolition Night" at old Comiskey Park back in 1979.  
At the time, I mentioned that not only did I remember it, but I was supposed to go to the game!  Instead, I opted to watch it on TV ... and boy, was I glad I did!!!  Nothing short of complete pandemonium ensued ... here's a short recap along with a YouTube video clip as sent in to us last week by FH Reader Frank B:
They were talking about this on Ron Smith's Oldies.
Do you remember it ?
Frank B.
Disco Demolition - Thirty Years Ago!
Thursday, July 12th 1979. At around 8:30 ~ 9 pm.
Visit The Museum of Classic Chicago Television at http://www.FuzzyMemories.TV for more fun!
>>>Heck yeah, I remember it!  In fact, I was supposed to GO to that game!!! Decided to skip it thinking it would be jam-packed with crazies!!!  Ended up watching it at home on TV ... and it was complete insanity.  NOBODY in their WILDEST dreams could have predicted just how out of hand it would get.  And my beloved White Sox ended up forfeiting the game!  That was a first for me.  I can't believe it's been 30 years.  (Actually, 32!!! - kk)  I did a FH tribute to this several years ago ... maybe for the 20th anniversary???  (23rd - kk - see below!)  I can't remember exactly and I can't find it in the archives.  This dates back to the old pre-website, email days.  (But I just found a good-sized chunk of it!!! - kk)  Steve Dahl was the hottest thing on the radio at the time ... EVERYBODY listened to him back then!  Last week he announced that he was starting his own subscription network for his podcasts from home ... it'll be interesting to see just how many people are STILL listening.  (He even had his own TV show here in Chicago back then!)  kk

Meanwhile, I see that this has also turned into a pretty hot topic on Ron Smith's OldiesMusic.com webpage ... so I dug a little deeper ... and can now share this with you! 

So ... without further adieu ... here ... in all its glory ... out of the vintage '60's Shop / Forgotten Hits archives ... is MOST of that Disco Demolition piece from 2002 (along with some 2011 updated comments!)

'60's FLASHBACK:

STEVE DAHL pretty much made Chicago the "Disco-Sucks" capitol of the world back in 1979 when he staged the Disco Demolition at Comiskey Park that ended up with THOUSANDS of fans storming the field (and forcing our beloved WHITE SOX to forfeit the second half of a double header to the Detroit Tigers.)


DAHL was a HUGELY (no pun intended) popular Chicagoland DJ at the time ... and when hard-rock FM station WDAI switched their format to all-disco, DAHL bolted to THE LOOP (WLUP) and began blowing up disco records on the air!  When he decided to have listeners bring their disco records to the Sox game (with the intention of blowing them up between games of a double-header), his fans filled the ballpark (something that RARELY happens at Comiskey...even when the Sox are winning!)
EDITOR'S NOTE:  Back then, Steve Dahl WAS huge ... as famous for his bulky build as he was for his wacky radio show!  And it's true that back in 1979 The Sox couldn't draw ANYBODY out to the old ballpark ... which is probably why Bill Veeck's son Mike was eager to stage such a promotion, knowing full well that Dahl could help to pack the park with disco-hating fans.  Since this piece ran, The Chicago White Sox have put together a number of winning seasons ... including a World Series Win in 2005!  (kk)


To say that things got a little out of hand would be a TREMENDOUS under-statement!  Thousands of fans stormed the playing field and tore the place up ... the second game couldn't even be played ... and the Sox ended up forfeiting the game ... earning yet another famous black-mark in Major League Baseball History!  Believe it or not, that all happened 23 years ago today!!!
(EDITOR'S NOTE:  This piece first ran in Forgotten Hits back in 2002 - kk)





DAHL cut an anti-disco anthem called DO YOU THINK I'M DISCO?, a parody of the ROD STEWART hit DO YOU THINK I'M SEXY?, which went all the way to #5 here in Chicago on rival radio station WLS.  (Ironically, WLS and Dahl's old station, WDAI, were BOTH owned by parent company ABC Broadcasting at the time!)  
(EDITOR'S NOTE:  WDAI ultimately became WLS-FM, which then became The True Oldies Channel and now is back to being simply WLS-FM again. - kk)

While WLS refused to play Dahl's hit on the air ...  he was, after all, a competitor on a different station ... I've got to give them credit for accurately reporting his record sales on their weekly chart (although they listed the artist as TEENAGE RADIATION, the name of DAHL's back-up band, rather than throw ANY free press STEVE DAHL's way!)


I remember one particular evening when JOHN "RECORDS" LANDECKER was playing the most-requested songs of the day and Dahl's record topped the chart ... instead of PLAYING the record on the air, he simply BLEW UP the record on the air ... again, a very fitting tribute to one of Chicagoland's most popular DJs.
(EDITOR'S NOTE:  And TWO Chicagoland radio legends, I might add! - kk)


As a special Forgotten Hit (as well as an anniversary tribute) , we're featuring Dahl's novelty hit today ... which went on to make the National Charts as well, peaking at #58 in Billboard and #61 in Cashbox.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Disco Demolition

This Saturday, July 12th, marks the 35th Anniversary of the debacle forever to be known as "Disco Demolition Night" at Comiskey Park.   

I knew it was coming up soon ... and was reminded again when I received this email link from Robert Feder:  http://www.robertfeder.com/2014/07/03/disco-demolitions-35th-is-up-in-the-air/  

I hadn't really planned on doing anything special this year (we saluted the 25th Year Anniversary of this travesty ... yet historic event) and I figured there wasn't much need to rehash it all again.  

But since that was back in the old newsletter / pre-website days ... and since there DID seem to be a bit of a buzz surrounding the 35th Anniversary of the Events on 35th Street, I figured, why not ...

Personally, I remember watching the whole thing unfold on tv.  Typically, the cameras didn't stay focused on the "half-time entertainment" going on at the ballpark during the time between two games of a double header ... this "down time" was usually reserved for an interview or two and an update of the other scores from around the league and not centered upon what may be happening on the field ... but on this particular night there was absolutely NO way to ignore what was going on down below the broadcast booth.

It was complete and utter out-of-control chaos ... the fans literally destroyed the field, rendering it unplayable for the second half of the scheduled double-header.  In all my years of watching baseball, I have NEVER seen a major league team have to forfeit a game ... this was the type of thing that happened in Little League from time to time when one team showed up too many players short of a squad ... or an umpire enforced "the slaughter rule" ... but this was Major League Baseball, for God's sake ... and our beloved Chicago White Sox were once again embarrassed before the entire nation.  (Not that this was in any way their fault ... but it was, after all, their promotion ... which got ridiculously out of hand.)

I've talked to fans who were there that night who said they feared for their lives, describing it as a "near riot" ... or worse ... it truly was that out of control.  One told me that they saw Sox Owner Bill Veeck (who scheduled and approved this promotion and was known for his unorthodox ways of drawing fans out to the ol' ball park) wielding a bat at home plate, trying to protect his field ... as fans tore up huge pieces of sod.  Others said he may have been waving his wooden leg in the air, trying to keep the crazies at bay ... who really knows!!!   (Actually, it was Veeck's son Mike who booked Dahl for this "explosive" night of entertainment!)   

I asked Chet Coppock (who was there that night as both a fan and a journalist) and sometime Forgotten Hits contributor Mark Baker (who was also there that night, caught up in the chaos ... at his very first Sox game!) if they would each write something about their memories of that nothing-short-of-crazy evening ... and they both agreed. 

Our original, now ten-years-old piece, seems to be lost to the annals of time (not to mention half a dozen computer crashes since then!!!)  Meanwhile, we came up with this little recap of our own: 

Steve Dahl pretty much made Chicago the "Disco-Sucks" capitol of the world back in 1979 when he staged the Disco Demolition at Comiskey Park that ended up with THOUSANDS of fans storming the field (and forcing our beloved White Sox to forfeit the second half of a double header to the Detroit Tigers.)    

Dahl was a HUGELY (no pun intended) popular Chicagoland DJ at the time ... and when hard-rock FM station WDAI switched their format to all-disco, Dahl bolted to The Loop (WLUP) and began blowing up disco records on the air!  When he invited his listeners bring their disco records to the Sox game (with the intention of blowing them up between games of a double-header), his fans filled the ballpark (something that RARELY happened back then at Comiskey ... even when the Sox were winning!)  

Reportedly, close to 60,000 fans showed up, most of whom only paid 98-cents per ticket in honor of The Loop's 97.9 spot on the FM Radio Dial.  (At the time, the Sox were lucky to draw six or seven thousand fans out to the ball park ... but early word-of-mouth speculated that as many as 15,000 - 20,000 might show up for this crazy promotion, indicating this wacky stunt was a rousing success.)  That moment of patting themselves on the back was short-lived however!  Sox park filled to capacity with at least another 15,000 - 20,000 fans out in the street, unable to get in to the now sold-out spectacle.  

To say that things got a little out of hand would be a TREMENDOUS under-statement!  Thousands of fans stormed the playing field and tore the place up, rendering the field unplayable ... the second game of the double-header had to be cancelled after some sense of order was restored ... and the Sox ultimately ended up forfeiting the game ... earning yet another famous black-mark in Major League Baseball History!  Believe it or not, all of this happened 35 years ago this weekend!!!

Dahl cut an anti-disco anthem called "Do You Think I'm Disco?", a parody of the Rod Stewart #1 Hit at the time, "Do You Think I'm Sexy?", which went all the way to #5 here in Chicago on rival radio station WLS.  (Ironically, WLS and Dahl's old station, WDAI, were BOTH owned by parent company ABC Broadcasting at the time!)  While WLS refused to play Dahl's hit on the air, I've got to give them credit for accurately reporting his record sales on their weekly chart (although they listed the artist as Teenage Radiation, which was the name of Dahl's back-up band ... they weren't about to give any on-air credit to one of their main sources of competition!)    

I remember one particular evening when John Records Landecker was playing the most-requested songs of the day and Dahl's record was SUPPOSED to top the chart ... instead of PLAYING the record on the air, he simply BLEW UP the record on the air ... again, a very fitting tribute to one of Chicagoland's most popular DJs ever.

As a special Forgotten Hits (as well as an anniversary) tribute, we're featuring Dahl's novelty hit today ... which went on to make the National Charts as well, peaking at #58 in Billboard and #61 in Cashbox.   (kk)



My God, did "Disco Demolition" really take place 35 years and five Presidents ago? Were we "so much older then we're younger then that now?" No dice.  Father Time doesn't take prisoners.  

The fact is, Dahl gave Bill Veeck, baseball's answer to P.T. Barnum, exactly what he wanted - a full house.  

Now, much like Woodstock, think about this ... 85 percent of the people in the ballpark had to be kids under the age of 25. Just imagine if you would have had "Dean Martin" night with adults 40 and over. They would have been so damn drunk, so unruly, that the right field foul pole might have ended up on the Dan Ryan.  

The whole scenario in pro wrestling terminology, "Put Dahl over." It gave him elevated celebrity status that has lasted nearly four decades.  

I was at the ballpark for the "Fireworks" and really never felt I was in harm's way. There may have been a few fights, but really this was just a bunch of kids telling middle America that Pink Floyd and Yes mattered, while disco was musical death.  

I've always wondered ... did the Stever really hate the throbbing bass and club sound of Disco or did he just see a glorious, one shot opportunity to heighten the brand of "Steve Dahl."  

Frankly, I love the guy. We worked together at the Loop from '87 to '94. Steve Dahl was and is a radio genius.  

Chet Coppock
Host: Notre Dame Football on WLS
Host: Chicago Blackhawks Heritage Series



I, like many, was a Loop listener and was following Steve Dahl and his radio show.  This was the first talk / comedy radio show I had ever heard ... and I had never heard anything like it before.  Dahl was rebellious and funny and they played good rock music when he wasn't on. I remember the promotion going on at the Loop and thinking it was funny but I had no intention of going until that day. 

A friend of mine (Stacy Levine), a very cool chick who knew a lot of people who got tickets to rock concerts, called me up last minute and asked me to go with her.  She had first row seats next to the dugout right on the wall closer to the home plate side. All her other friends didn't want to go and  I think I was one of her last resorts, which was good for me because I was more of a baseball fan and I wanted to go to Comiskey Park, as it would be my first time there.   

We were in a crowd of mostly Sox fans, but I could see the big crowd from my seat as we were walking in. The first game went on as planned ... I couldn't even tell you anything about the game but I do remember some of what happened after the fist game was over. 

First they started moving this crate onto the field and we could also see some kind of fireworks set up next to it.  Then a bunch of people came out on the field with Dahl wearing a army helmet with camouflage on it telling us he's going to "Blow Up The Disco Records real good!"     

Then the explosion.  Now I've watched this on tape as a close up and I know the people in the right field bleachers thought it was a big explosion but Comiskey was a big park and all the way over where I was sitting it looked about like about a 15 or 20 foot blast and it went on for a little bit and then it was over.  There was a lull in the action for a second and then Dahl goes around the park and was gone. I felt like, Is that all? Kind of anticlimactic ... shouldn't there be more of a celebration? Apparently I wasn't alone in that thinking ... all of a sudden people came over the left field wall and started sliding into second base and then more started coming on to the field and then more and more.  

It wasn't but a few seconds and Stacy was over the wall and gone and the Sox fans we were sitting next to were pissed off.  The guy had a souvenir bat and he was hitting people over the wall with it and screaming at them to get off the field, but soon enough it was a free for all. I wouldn't leave my seat ... I'm just not that crazy and I like baseball. I watched people tear out the bases, ripping up the sod.  One guy had a big piece of sod on like a poncho and he was running around the bases.  Then Stacy shows up out of nowhere and is standing on the baseline yelling for me to come in and I yell back, "No way ... you come out", and then she ran into the crowds and was gone again.    

Then they started ripping up home plate.  I can't remember if they got it but that was when Bill Veeck and four of his body guards came out and took over home plate.  I saw for the first time that he had a peg leg and he was hobbling around home plate with what looked like a cop and some big guys from the ball club and they took over home plate and were going to hold that ground. Then he got a microphone, and in the midst of a complete riot, he tried to get everyone off the field ... but the outfield was on fire with disco records, an upper deck balcony was on fire, and the sod was ripped up in places. Then the cops and horses started coming, clearing the field and moving everyone off.   
Stacy finally came back to her seat and we even waited a little to see if they would play baseball again.  I don't remember much more ... it was 1979 and all of this was quite unexpected, to say the least. I never got to go to any more concerts with Stacy even though we were still friends for many years afterwards.  

I will never forget the day she called me and asked me to go my first Sox game!
-- Mark Baker




35 years later, Steve Dahl is still broadcasting here in Chicago ... although these days it's via a by-subscription-only podcast that airs several times a week.  (I imagine the days of big-bucks broadcasting are now long behind him ... although at least this way he's in control of any money that does come his way via paid subscriptions.)  The real "positive" in all of this is that he now seems to be doing it simply for the love of broadcasting.  (Then again he always DID love the sound of his own voice!!! lol)  Dahl is ... and will forever be ... a part of Chicagoland history and folklore. 

Interested parties can get more information here:  
Click here: Steve Dahl, Comedy Podcasts, Chicago Legend | The Steve Dahl Podcast Network 
(It'll cost you about a hundred bucks a year to listen!) 
You'll also notice a photo of "The Stever" in his "Disco Sucks" T-Shirt prominently displayed on the website, where vintage broadcasts from back in the day are also available.  (Hey, it's his biggest claim to fame ... I say "Go With It!!!")



And, 35 years later, The Loop is still going strong, too ... it continues to rank as one of the premier Classic Rock Radio Stations in the country (and they've been sticking with that format now for nearly 40 years!)  
You'll find more station information (and a "Listen Live" Link here:  Click here: 97.9 The Loop   
(In fact, you'll find them doing a little "Disco Demolition reminiscing" on their website this week, too!)

A pretty accurate description of the night's events can also be found here:  Click here: Disco Demolition Night - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia