The Night Disco Died - July 12, 1979
by tailgater on Jul 12, 2009 12:42 AM CDT
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PrintI was a mere lad of 16 back in the summer of 1979, rockin' out to Cheap Trick's "At Budokan" live album and enjoying another summer of White Sox baseball. Going into a scheduled doubleheader with the Tigers on July 12, the Sox were struggling at 40-46, despite a somewhat talented roster that included pitchers Ken Kravec, Steve Trout, Ross Baumgarten, Richard Dotson (Dotson Saves!), and current radio voice of the Sox, Ed Farmer; infielders Alan Bannister, Greg Pryor, Lamar Johnson, Mike Squires, and even Don Kessinger in limited service. And who can forget the wee one, Harry Chappas. The outfielders included Claudell Washington, Chet "The Jet" Lemon, Ralph Garr, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the one and only, Rusty Kuntz. Catching duties were split between Milt May and Bill Nohorodny, and last but not least, Jorge Orta had most of the DH-ing duties. Times were quite a bit tougher in those days, as there were only two divisions and you had the pleasure of playing every AL team 12 or 13 times per season.
While I didn't have the pleasure of attending the games in person, I do recall watching game 1 on our family's "spare" black and white TV (only dad had ultimate control over the color TV, and he's a Cubs fan). I was especially excited about watching the double header because WLUP radio personality and fellow disco hater (and current Scout Seats owner), Steve Dahl, was going to blow up a gigantic crate of disco records in centerfield between games as part of a "Disco Demolition" promotion.
The anti-disco rally promotion was the brainchild of Mike Veeck, son of owner Bill Veeck. The concept was simple - pay .98 (in reference to WLUP's frequency - 97.9 FM) and bring a disco record, and you're in! What was suppose to draw an extra 5,000 fans to the stadium ended up in chaos and mayhem, when an estimated 75,000 people descended upon Comiskey I. Once the records blew, so did any sense of decent public behavior as a mob of boozed and buzzed youngsters took over the field, ripping up the turf, starting fires and acting in what most of the true baseball community would consider unconscionable. The damage to the field rendered it unplayable and the Sox were forced to forfeit game 2.
Being the rather conservative, old school guy that he is - at least that's the way he conveys himself on radio broadcasts - I'm surprised a 29-year old Ed Farmer didn't jump in there and take down a couple of those "long hairs" who were wrecking the park.
Anyway, there are others who can paint the picture better than I (see links below) and apparently the Sox aren't going to acknowledge it - although Dahl owns the rights to the name "Disco Demolition," which might have something to do with it - so I just wanted to give a shout out to the 30th anniversary of Disco Demolition...as I rekindle my own great memories of all the sights and smells of the old park.
More info on Disco Demolition:
Meet your 1979 White Sox (afterwards, you will kiss the feet of Kenny Williams next time you see him)
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you can see highlights
just go to you tube and type disco demolition its wild to see the news casts from that night. what i liked was the highlights from game one and I will tell you those players moved alot faster getting to the ball especially in the outfiled than did todays players on both sides of town
take it easy
pretty sure that was the point of the post
I just accidentally the Fleshlight.
Accidentally what?
THE WHOLE THING!!
Hee. Though since this is on the front page it'll never be seen by those that need the history lesson.
The “outrage” over this obscured the fact that this was Veeck’s greatest ever promotion. To turn away 15-20,000 people is the stuff of wet dreams.
Though to forfeit the second game WAS a bigger deal back then. They only had a 162 game schedule, unlike this modern era of 163.
Nice job.
"Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand."
— Leo Durocher
A segment of the game broadcast can be found here:
Jimmy Piersall talks to Bill Gleason, a portion of which can be found on Steve and Garry’s “A Decade of Service” tape.
Jimmy is clearly pissed off.
Gleason was privately "amused" by it.
Though publicly he was “disgusted” too.
"Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand."
— Leo Durocher
by Chiburb on Jul 12, 2009 7:35 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
As for Dahl - I think he copyrighted the term after the Rays tried to do a 20th Anniversary deal in '99.
According to Steve – the White Sox did approach him about some kind of anniversary observance – but he said nothing can top the shot of the exploding records in the team history video.
First
Must have been tough growing up with a braindamaged father.
Second,
Roger and Gene Bossard got even with a lot of those long hairs…many got personal visits from the young sodfather.
"Jenks, who was never afraid to say "no" to a hamburger..."
Anyone going to Grinder Bash today?
"Jenks, who was never afraid to say "no" to a hamburger..."
was there and without Dahl there would
Have been about 8000 in attendance. Veeck should have used him as a weekly promotion
With all the pot being smoked the concessions revenue was off the charts.
After the ’77 hitmen those following years were awful. The highlight for me was trying to translate a Ralph Garr interview. Garr made Ozzie sound like Winston Churchill.
by Duck99 on Jul 12, 2009 10:53 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I was not there
In fact, it was about 9 months before I was born…wait a minute
by Scotty Ballgame on Jul 12, 2009 10:58 AM CDT reply actions
I was in my mothers womb when this act of defiance occurred
thank god. because If some douchebags tried to pull this off today I would either be in jail or dead. Fucking weirdo’s destroying comiskey? fuck that i would have tossed someone off the upper deck
Kenwo4life=ratings
Based on the condition of most who were there
it is amazing nobody stumbled out of the upper deck.
It is also my understanding that, while the ruffians did a number on the field, it wasn’t in the best shape to begin with. Veeck increased revenues by allowing summer concerts at Comiskey I, so the outfield was in pretty bad shape already.
"To play for me you have to have some balls." - Ozzie Guillen (6/30/09)
The bonfire in CF didn't help,
but concerts (Aerosmith was one, IIRC) turned the OF into a mixture of sand/mush, IIRC.
Sure wish I had posted on this topic. ;)
We’re a pack of a-holes.
by rhythm on Apr 14, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
The whole park had a bit of a "dilapidated" feel to it...
…but I loved it.
The weekend biker fights in the centerfield bleachers were simply awesome.
"To play for me you have to have some balls." - Ozzie Guillen (6/30/09)
I dug the ESPN take on it last night,
if only to show the shower in CF, Bill Veeck, Steve Dahl interview, etc. Great times. Jesus, did we look like goofballs with that long hair.
We’re a pack of a-holes.
by rhythm on Apr 14, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
by winningugly on Jul 13, 2009 12:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Nah...it was the style...everyone was a "dude"
"To play for me you have to have some balls." - Ozzie Guillen (6/30/09)
Maybe someone can explain to me, but was this really that big of a deal?
Was the backlash against disco that large, because I never really understood why people hated it so much.
The Chicago Bulls.....the more profitable Los Angeles Clippers.
i loooooove that duck,
Cashing checks and having sex.
by MarketMaker on Jul 12, 2009 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions
i'd say this really drives home your point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc5d01_riBo&feature=related
Cashing checks and having sex.
by MarketMaker on Jul 12, 2009 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions
The first clip was ok, this one scared me
The Chicago Bulls.....the more profitable Los Angeles Clippers.
by Ozzie Montana on Jul 12, 2009 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions
KW is a closed doors kind of guy
6. Kenny Williams, GM, White Sox – There’s a good chance Williams is looking into Halladay, though in an e-mail he wrote, "I don’t kiss and tell.’’ Williams recently traded for Arizona reliever Tony Pena, and it might be he can trim payroll by dealing closer Bobby Jenks, who makes $5.6 million and appears to be in demand. Williams made a deal for Jake Peavy, who nixed it, and gave up power-hitting prospect Brandon Allen for Pena. So, with Pena, Scott Linebrink, Matt Thornton, Octavio Dotel, D.J. Carrasco, and rookie lefthander Aaron Poreda in place, Jenks could bring a lot in return. The White Sox simply haven’t drawn as well as expected.
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2009/07/12/who8217s_in_the_halladay_spirit/?page=5
twas another 8 years and 2 months before this kid came to earth.
I just accidentally the Fleshlight.
Accidentally what?
THE WHOLE THING!!
After listening to Dahl/Meier giving their retrospective
I remembered why I loved those guys. What a great team.
We’re a pack of a-holes.
by rhythm on Apr 14, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
I didn't get into S and G until after they broke up.
I know people who spent the entire 80’s taping Steve and Garry’s shows. Every day.
What set them apart (especially in 1979, I guess) is that they were probably the first FM jocks in Chicago who weren’t music snobs (XRT), rambling ex-hippies, or acid casualties. Plus, they ripped on the competition.
Larry Lujack was considered outrageous, and that’s because he sounded kinda pissed off all the time. Fred Winston told fart jokes (which he was very good at, by the way). But Steve and Garry called people out by name – especially Wally Phillips and WGN.
What a great time to be in the business. Garry Deeb in the Tribune covered local radio like it was the sports page – million dollar contracts and gigantic personalities.
Finally – Steve talks about DD on the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder a couple of months later:
One time "Uncle Lar" got so pissed off at S & G
that he stormed into their studio and threatened bodily harm on them. Garry had a busted leg at the time at Larry told him he planned to break the other one. S & G decided to leave and Larry took over the rest of their shift.
Classic radio.
"To play for me you have to have some balls." - Ozzie Guillen (6/30/09)
The aircheck is available online.
Les Grobstein was on the air when it happened. It was the day after the Bears’ MNF loss in Miami in December of ’85.
Went to a radio lowlife seminar last November, at which Larry Lujack was the featured speaker. He said he genuinely wanted to harm Dahl.
i listened to Steve's first show
When he was a solo act(’77 or ’78?) and followed him closely. Howard Stern actually copied several of his bits including the black guy doing traffic from the helicopter and the calls to the Bijou theatre. Who remembers how he used to sign off every morning?
by Duck99 on Jul 13, 2009 2:53 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Stern was Bill Gates to Dahl's Steve Jobs.
Ripped him off big when they were both in Detroit. Lots of comedy bits Stern “sampled” from Dahl.
And I’ll be dipped if I remember his sign-off.
We’re a pack of a-holes.
by rhythm on Apr 14, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
Sounds like some solid advice to me ;)
...take your hobbit circle jerk to another thread
by larry on May 18, 2009 8:58 PM PDT
pretty good segment on espn tonight to "celebrate" the night disco died.
I just accidentally the Fleshlight.
Accidentally what?
THE WHOLE THING!!
I saw this on ESPN this morning and cracked up when I heard Harry say:
you could have made a fortune if you had the pot concession. That was about identical to what I said earlier here. There was a pot cloud over the entire field. Man, Comiskey was fun. I spent a good portion of my high school summers sitting in the CF bleachers on Sunday afternoons drinking ice cold beer and having a smoke. Never had a problem getting a beer or being hassled for the weed. Not sure that could happen in 2009 to a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds.
Funniest moment was when we were at Wrigley and my friend passed a joint to the guy next to us – who was an Andy Frain usher in full uniform! He declined, but didn’t do anythng else. Ahhh, the 70’s.
Anyone got a fresh link to the ESPN segment?
I’d like to see it but had no luck searching on their website or through google.
Did Dahl have that august disco dynamite thing in August with Journey and Santana like he mentioned
I am sure veech canceled dahl’s next appearence that was sheduled in those you tube video of him promoting another DD
take it easy
Was anyone at the Point East rally prior to DD?
Remember when "Cuban Pride" meant something...
link
that link used to go directly to it. looks like it is off the site – at least the free portion
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