Disco... The Sleaze Turbo Engine

We've spent quite a bit of time over the last few months discussing how Disco was the beginning "...And in the beginning, the Nation had Disco, and it spread the Sleaze of Decadence (promiscuity, drunkenness, drug use, the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases--have I left anything out, Tobias?)--it spread the Sleaze of Decadence across the Land and the World..."

But it's not so simple. The speakeasies of the 1920s, for instance, were defined by their own sleaze, you could say--illegal drunken parties. Hip-shaking Elvis was considered the devil himself in the 1950s by those embracing a strict sexual morality. And of course the Sixties were defined, at least in the mythology of the hippies, the drug culture, the acid-rock music, Woodstock--the Sixties may have seen more Sleaze than we've seen since Madonna's historic crotch-grab stage heroics. (see this Web site's home page for a sampling.)

But Disco...we say Disco possessed a brand of Sleaze that opened up the culture to a rampage of sexual-rat-racing and narcissism and drug use--mindless self-indulgence (yes,we know, this is the name of a contemporary band). After John Travolta created the Saturday Night Fever frenzy, America was hooked on Disco, and millions of people bought the Disco albums--screeching Bee-Gees vocals notwithstanding. (How many millions of people have fond memories ignited when "How Deep is Your Love" or "Stayin Alive" comes on the oldies radio station?) We admit that KC and the Sunshine band had some irresistable dance songs that transcended Disco, whatever you might say about the lyrics--"Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight..." You could actually say this lyric is simply honest--that's what it was all about, male and female, straight, bi, gay. "Do a little dance"...and if it happened to be The Hustle, well, that was pretty wholesome compared to some of the wild dances (could we please have 5-second clip of Hustle here, Tobias?).

So as we work on the History of American Sleaze segment of "Sleaze Nation," we will move rapidly from Colonial Sleaze (this will require some research), through the Roaring Twenties and the Sixties directly to the early 1970s under the glimmering, spinning Disco ball, as the people started to do a little a dance...

Shooting update: We plan to be shooting in Los Angeles and the vacinity from approximately Sunday July 18 through July 23. We are working now on details of the footage we hope to get. If you have any suggestions on subjects, please let us know on this blog or by emailing Tobias (see contact tab at home page). And as always, we welcome nominations for our Sleaze Hall of Shame.