Newsletter
Former Daily Show Movie Critic's New Book Explains Why Disco Can Never Die
Author Frank DeCaro steps into the vibrant '70s subculture
After Frank DeCaro explored the history of drag in 2019’s Drag: Combing Through the Big Wigs of Show Business, he began mulling subjects for his next book, with an eye toward covering pop culture phenomena that he had lived through, participated in and had something to say about. “Disco became the obvious choice,” DeCaro, a journalist, pop culture pundit and former Daily Show movie critic, tells Muse.
Beyond his own passion for the ’70s mega-hit genre, “Disco is back in a big way again, very much part of the zeitgeist for the last few years,” he says. “Dance music got us through the Covid quarantine the same way it got us through the unrest of the ‘70s and the AIDS crisis of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Disco has been very good to its fans, and I wanted to give it some props.”
DeCaro does just that in Disco: Music, Movies and Mania Under the Disco Ball, a thoroughly researched and lovingly-written tome published by Rizzoli that joyfully celebrates a style and subculture that still influences everything from music to fashion to interior design. (Available for pre-order, the book goes on sale Oct. 15.)
Here, the author talks to Muse by Clios about his latest passion project:
How big of a fan are you of disco? I personally fall into the extreme/I have multiple disco balls in my home category.
I have loved disco music since I was 11 years-old and first heard “Rock the Boat” by the Hues Corporation. I went to meet Musique at the mall and get my copy of “In the Bush” signed in 1978. I saw the Bee Gees at Madison Square Garden in 1979. And I proudly wore Jordache jeans and patterned Qiana shirts to the Strawberry Patch teen disco on Sunday afternoons. When I got to Northwestern University in 1980, my buddies and I went dancing at The Bistro every Thursday. It was a gay bar but sort of the Studio 54 of Chicago. I was always a big disco fan. Now, I love it even more!
I assume you must have immersed yourself in all things disco to write this book.
I went down more rabbit holes than Bugs Bunny. I was listening to disco music, watching disco movies, binging disco TV shows, reading disco books from back in the day, combing through vintage newspapers and magazines—and loving every minute of it. How can anybody say “Disco Sucks” when there are so many classic disco songs and movies and more? And I got to talk to some of the greatest performers of the era. That was really a thrill. The best thing may be that I unearthed an interview I did with Donna Summer in 1999. The Q&A with her that appears in the book has never been seen before. I’m so happy to finally share it.
Where are we now in terms of how appreciated or loathed disco is? And why does disco deserve our love and respect?
Disco has never gotten the mainstream respect it deserves, and that’s because of who created the genre and who always loved it—women, people of color and the queer community.
White straight men felt left out of disco and, honestly, except for the Bee Gees and a few others, it wasn’t about them or for them. They genuinely felt threatened. No wonder they had to try to stamp it out with the “Disco Sucks” movement. That awful “Disco Demolition Night” in Chicago in 1979 was like a MAGA rally. But they didn’t succeed in the long run.
Disco became house music and laid the foundation for hip-hop and EDM, the two biggest musical genres of the 21st century. It’s important to note that the kind of diversity and inclusion that are hallmarks of disco are very much in line with our hopes for our contemporary world.
You interview legendary “I Will Survive” singer Gloria Gaynor. Did you learn anything from her that surprised you? And why has that song had such staying power?
Gloria Gaynor was truly one of the architects of the classic disco anthem—that start-slow-build-and-then-explode kind of song. I admire her because she’s still singing with the same skill and passion and enthusiasm.
The woman didn’t just sing “I Will Survive,” she lived it. She has survived and thrived. The best disco songs are songs of empowerment, and “I Will Survive” is the greatest of those songs. Who can’t relate to the words, “Did you think I’d crumble? Did you think I’d lay down and die? Oh, no, not I!”
I wish I had lived in NYC during the ’70s and been old enough to visit Studio 54. What made that club so iconic, and what kind of impact did it have on nightlife?
Andy Warhol said it best: “Studio 54 was a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor.” Once you made it past the velvet ropes—no easy feat!—you were able to mingle with everyone whether you were famous or merely fabulous. It was one of first places where gays and straights could play together, and—from what I’ve heard—they did.
I was thrilled to see that you wrote about Roller Boogie. Hardly anyone knows about this film that has characters played by Linda Blair and Jim Bray on a quest to save a roller disco.
Roller disco was a big part of the era, and Roller Boogie is like Saturday Night Fever on wheels. It’s part of a trilogy of roller disco films, which includes Skatetown U.S.A. and Xanadu. I love them all for different reasons. I will say, as I said to my husband after watching a roller disco double feature, I liked Skatetown U.S.A. better than Roller Boogie—because it’s worse. If Roller Boogie was worse it would have been better. He thought I was nuts, but anyone who loves bad movies will understand what I mean.
You also write about Saturday Night Live, one of the best films of the disco era. Did you learn anything about the movie that you didn’t already know?
There’s a story that the director [John Badham] was shooting the dance scenes with a lot of closeups and planning a lot of quick cuts. Travolta pointed out that he had learned the dances and the power of his dancing needed to be seen in full-body shots. He said, “Shoot it that way or I’m walking.” We owe him a debt for that. Those dance scenes are some of the greatest ever put on film, and they’re one of the key reasons that movie is a classic. Not just a disco classic, but a classic classic.
What do you consider to be the top three films of the disco era?
In the book, I say that only three disco movies really matter—the brilliant Saturday Night Fever, which made disco a national pastime; Thank God It’s Friday, which is interesting because it features Donna Summer and a cast of future superstars; and the Village People origin story Can’t Stop the Music. That one is a so-weird-it’s-genius camp classic.
Solid Gold is, of course, one of the most iconic TV series of the era. Do you have a favorite Solid Gold dancer?
I don’t have a favorite, but I do have a favorite Dance Fever host—Deney Terrio. He is the king of disco television in my book, and I say that figuratively and literally. He’s the guy who taught John Travolta to disco dance. It doesn’t get more legendary than that.
Where are we seeing the influence of disco in music today?
Classic disco is in the DNA of so many dance-pop hits. Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” is the grandchild of Chic. Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” is Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” for a new generation. Dua Lipa is practically the new Donna Summer with “Houdini” and other hits.
What are your three favorite disco songs?
“I Feel Love” by Donna Summer because it has sounded like the future since it was first released in 1977, and it still does.
“Dancer” by Gino Soccio because I have never been able to resist dancing to it. It has an infectious groove and almost no words, which is perfect. When I’m getting dressed for anything important, I always say, “Alexa, play ‘Dancer’ by Gino Soccio.” You really do look better if you get dressed to a great song like this one.
“Cherchez la Femme” by Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band. Because it’s timeless fusion music, and lead singer Cory Daye is one of my favorite people of the disco era. They say she was the inspiration for “Native New Yorker,” and I believe it!
