On July 12, 1979, a crateful of disco records was blown up in the middle of Comiskey Park, fans victoriously stormed the field, and the world was forever changed. Disco, an inescapable pop-music phenomenon, was finally quashed. Teenagers took back the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll they cherished so dearly. And it was all thanks to the greatest promotional stunt in the history of FM radio.
When he gets the chance, Hoekstra does try to make Disco Demolition a more rounded, less one-sided account. The main issue of Disco Demolition Night, he states early on, wasn’t one of race or sexual preference or gender—it was class. Many of the attendees—including photographer Diane Alexander White, whose exhibition of shots from the event was the subject of a Reader story in 2009—have pointed out that the crowd mostly consisted of blue-collar teens from the south side. They viewed disco as music that was played in fancy clubs that required expensive outfits in order to gain entrance; worse, they saw formerly hard-rocking idols such as Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones putting out disco songs that catered to a more elite, glamorous audience.
By Steve Dahl with Dave Hoekstra and Paul Natkin (Curbside Splendor) Signing and photography show Fri 7/8, 7 PM Co-Prosperity Spherecurbsidesplendor.com/events
