Disco Demolition T-Shirt Night

[WBWSF]

I'm going to the game tonight and they're giving out a Disco Demolition 40th anniversary T-shirt. I was at that game 40 years ago and it was a nightmare. This seems to be a odd promotion. There was nothing fun  about that night. It was another public relations disaster for Bill Veeck and  a low point in his 2nd ownerrship. At this past Soxfest one of the fans asked Hahn if there would be a Joe Jackson bobblehead giveaway which would commerate the 100th anniversary of the Black Sox scandal. Hahn didn't answer the question. I would of rather had the Joe Jackson bobblehead than the Disco demolition T-shirt.

[Texsox]

What else from the 70s are Sox fans still talking about? 

It was one of the greatest spectacles in sports promotions. As a franchise don't hide it, don't be embarrassed, grab it and promote it. I like the promo.

I'm assuming this is the closest t shirt night to the actual anniversary. 

[OneDog847]

I'll be there tonight as well. Will be sitting out in the new Goose Island section with a bunch of dudes. 

I wasn't alive for Disco Demolition but my old man was there. I've seen the youtube videos though and it looked like quite the party. Hopefully that one kid who climbed halfway up the foul pole turned his skills into a useful career as a stuntman or something. 

[Texsox]

I read somewhere that about a million people claim to have been there. Another testimony to the power of the event. 

I missed out. Even though I was a big Steve Dahl fan I didn't want to fight the crowds. Of course now I wish I went.

[Lip Man 1]

Two people of note who were at the game that night were future Sox pitcher Donn Pall and future actor Michael Clarke Duncan.

DP: "I was. I had seats in the lower deck, third base side, about halfway up. As I walked around the park that night it was packed, but I thought I was at a Grateful Dead concert instead of a ball game. I literally saw a cloud of smoke hanging over the field. It’s funny, I remember wondering if the record that I took with me to get in was going to be accepted as a disco record. I thought that the ticket takers wouldn’t let me get in because it wasn’t disco! (laughing) Remember you had to bring a disco record with you and if you did, you could get in for .98 cents."

"Between games after they blew up the records, people started running on the field. They weren’t just trying to run the bases; they were ripping up the grass, trying to tear out the bases. I remember seeing some guy climbing down the foul pole! I saw a lot of people with gashes on their heads because people were throwing records around like Frisbees. It reminded me of a concert where for a while a baseball game broke out. When that second game was declared a forfeit, I was pissed off! The Sox were pretty bad and they couldn’t afford forfeiting a game! I was probably the only person who left the park that night upset over that loss

[OneDog847]

4 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Two people of note who were at the game that night were future Sox pitcher Donn Pall and future actor Michael Clarke Duncan.

DP: "I was. I had seats in the lower deck, third base side, about halfway up. As I walked around the park that night it was packed, but I thought I was at a Grateful Dead concert instead of a ball game. I literally saw a cloud of smoke hanging over the field. It’s funny, I remember wondering if the record that I took with me to get in was going to be accepted as a disco record. I thought that the ticket takers wouldn’t let me get in because it wasn’t disco! (laughing) Remember you had to bring a disco record with you and if you did, you could get in for .98 cents."

"Between games after they blew up the records, people started running on the field. They weren’t just trying to run the bases; they were ripping up the grass, trying to tear out the bases. I remember seeing some guy climbing down the foul pole! I saw a lot of people with gashes on their heads because people were throwing records around like Frisbees. It reminded me of a concert where for a while a baseball game broke out. When that second game was declared a forfeit, I was pissed off! The Sox were pretty bad and they couldn’t afford forfeiting a game! I was probably the only person who left the park that night upset over that loss

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing. 

Such different times. An event like that could never happen today. Physical music products are dead and everyone would be staring at their phones instead of storming the field. 

[Melton1972]

Just curious. Is Steve Dahl throwing out the first pitch?

[NWINFan]

It is a stupid promotion. If fans want to wear a shirt to remember one of the most embarrassing moments in franchise history, that's up to them. I may use it to wash my car, but that's about it.

The Tribune had a large photo and story on the event today. That's the most coverage the White Sox have received from the paper all season. And why it is being remembered in June? I thought Disco Demolition happened in July not June. Regardless it has been talked about way too much, and it is the same old thing. 

 

[mqr]

I thought it was super weird when I first saw it as well. That being said, the shirt is pretty sweet. 

[Boopa1219]

Disco Demolition isn’t something to celebrate, especially in a diverse city like Chicago during Pride Month of all months. 

Disco Demolition was a fearful response to the growing popularity of artist who were either black, hispanic, gay or female. That’s nothing to proud of. It’s rather shameful. 

[Thad Bosley]

51 minutes ago, Melton1972 said:

Just curious. Is Steve Dahl throwing out the first pitch?

He is, and I think one of the unique aspects of that particular night is that you had three well-known Chicago icons in the house at the same time - Dahl, Bill Veeck, and of course, Harry Caray.  Well, four, if you include Nancy Faust, and why not!

[Thad Bosley]

16 minutes ago, Joshua Strong said:

Disco Demolition isn’t something to celebrate, especially in a diverse city like Chicago during Pride Month of all months. 

Disco Demolition was a fearful response to the growing popularity of artist who were either black, hispanic, gay or female. That’s nothing to proud of. It’s rather shameful. 

Ugh - no, it was not a "fearful response" to any of that.  Don't overthink what this was all about.  It was a gimmick promotion thought up by Mike Veeck, Bill's son, as yet one of many other promotions they came up with to try and draw people into Comiskey Park at a time when the team really stunk.  They had a wild promotion almost every single night back in those days. 

The disco fad was coming to an end anyway, and so that combined with this new, young, popular DJ in town in Steve Dahl, who had recently gotten fired by a station that turned from rock to disco, provided the perfect storm for this particular promotion.  And that was it - the gimmick-driven Veeck partnered with a rock-driven DJ whose only beef with disco was that it led to a recent firing.  Nothing more, nothing less.  

[OneDog847]

27 minutes ago, Fan O'Faust said:

Ugh - no, it was not a "fearful response" to any of that.  Don't overthink what this was all about.  It was a gimmick promotion thought up by Mike Veeck, Bill's son, as yet one of many other promotions they came up with to try and draw people into Comiskey Park at a time when the team really stunk.  They had a wild promotion almost every single night back in those days. 

The disco fad was coming to an end anyway, and so that combined with this new, young, popular DJ in town in Steve Dahl, who had recently gotten fired by a station that turned from rock to disco, provided the perfect storm for this particular promotion.  And that was it - the gimmick-driven Veeck partnered with a rock-driven DJ whose only beef with disco was that it led to a recent firing.  Nothing more, nothing less.  

Nice response to the SJW revisionist historians out there. One of your quotes was even from an African American who was actually at Disco Demolition. Mr. Duncan didn't seem upset because people were smashing disco records or fearful to be at the event. He was upset that the Sox had to forfeit and lost. That sounds like a die-hard Sox fan to me. 

[Boopa1219]

35 minutes ago, Fan O'Faust said:

Ugh - no, it was not a "fearful response" to any of that.  Don't overthink what this was all about.  It was a gimmick promotion thought up by Mike Veeck, Bill's son, as yet one of many other promotions they came up with to try and draw people into Comiskey Park at a time when the team really stunk.  They had a wild promotion almost every single night back in those days. 

The disco fad was coming to an end anyway, and so that combined with this new, young, popular DJ in town in Steve Dahl, who had recently gotten fired by a station that turned from rock to disco, provided the perfect storm for this particular promotion.  And that was it - the gimmick-driven Veeck partnered with a rock-driven DJ whose only beef with disco was that it led to a recent firing.  Nothing more, nothing less.  

Wait you’re saying that there’s nothing racist about a group of white people banding together to celebration the destruction of work by black, Hispanic and queer artist? What? People coming together to destroy art and culture, is literally a sign of oppression  

I know Dahl has defended himself from being called a racist and a homophobe but as Vice put it, he’s using the same defense as many alt-right/white nationalist and men’s right supporters. “We were just letting off a little steam. We were just having fun.”

Here’s an section from that Vice article: Vince Lawrence, a then-teenaged usher at the event told NPR he was uncomfortable being one of the only Black people at the stadium, and remembered that fans were just bringing LPs by black artists: “[There were] Tyrone Davis records, friggin' Curtis Mayfield records and Otis Clay records. Records that were clearly not disco.” All those artists are black artists. Whatever the the intent, this was obviously not just about disco but also about simmering racial resentment.

What planet do you live on?

Edited June 13, 2019 by Joshua Strong

[OneDog847]

21 minutes ago, Joshua Strong said:

Wait you’re saying that there’s nothing racist about a group of white people banding together to celebration the destruction of work by black, Hispanic and queer artist? What? People coming together to destroy art and culture, is literally a sign of oppression  

I know Dahl has defended himself from being called a racist and a homophobe but as Vice put it, he’s using the same defense as many alt-right/white nationalist and men’s right supporters. “We were just letting off a little steam. We were just having fun.”

Here’s an section from that Vice article: Vince Lawrence, a then-teenaged usher at the event told NPR he was uncomfortable being one of the only Black people at the stadium, and remembered that fans were just bringing LPs by black artists: “[There were] Tyrone Davis records, friggin' Curtis Mayfield records and Otis Clay records. Records that were clearly not disco.” All those artists are black artists. Whatever the the intent, this was obviously not just about disco but also about simmering racial resentment.

What planet do you live on?

What about the Bee Gees? Those white straight males appropriated disco music and brought into the mainstream. My dad brought one of their records to the event ( that he swiped from his sister). Should my dad be ashamed of his racist actions that day? 

[Dick Allen]

1 hour ago, Fan O'Faust said:

He is, and I think one of the unique aspects of that particular night is that you had three well-known Chicago icons in the house at the same time - Dahl, Bill Veeck, and of course, Harry Caray.  Well, four, if you include Nancy Faust, and why not!

Wayne Nordhagen also was in the house.

[Thad Bosley]

1 hour ago, Joshua Strong said:

Wait you’re saying that there’s nothing racist about a group of white people banding together to celebration the destruction of work by black, Hispanic and queer artist? What? People coming together to destroy art and culture, is literally a sign of oppression  

I know Dahl has defended himself from being called a racist and a homophobe but as Vice put it, he’s using the same defense as many alt-right/white nationalist and men’s right supporters. “We were just letting off a little steam. We were just having fun.”

Here’s an section from that Vice article: Vince Lawrence, a then-teenaged usher at the event told NPR he was uncomfortable being one of the only Black people at the stadium, and remembered that fans were just bringing LPs by black artists: “[There were] Tyrone Davis records, friggin' Curtis Mayfield records and Otis Clay records. Records that were clearly not disco.” All those artists are black artists. Whatever the the intent, this was obviously not just about disco but also about simmering racial resentment.

What planet do you live on?

So one teen-aged African American at the time, in a stadium of 50,000 plus people, is able to definitively declare that all "LPs" being thrown out on the field were from "black artists?  That the gazillion records being thrown "were clearly not disco"?  One teenager says this and you are able to reach this conclusion about "simmering racial resentment"?  And you are able to declare Dahl some sort of alt-right/white nationalist and men's right supporters just because he said "We were just letting off a little steam.  We were just having fun"?  Really?  Wow. 

I'd be interested in hearing what planet you live on if you reach these types of conclusions with so little evidence to back them up.   

[chitown87]

1 hour ago, Joshua Strong said:

Wait you’re saying that there’s nothing racist about a group of white people banding together to celebration the destruction of work by black, Hispanic and queer artist? What? People coming together to destroy art and culture, is literally a sign of oppression  

I know Dahl has defended himself from being called a racist and a homophobe but as Vice put it, he’s using the same defense as many alt-right/white nationalist and men’s right supporters. “We were just letting off a little steam. We were just having fun.”

Here’s an section from that Vice article: Vince Lawrence, a then-teenaged usher at the event told NPR he was uncomfortable being one of the only Black people at the stadium, and remembered that fans were just bringing LPs by black artists: “[There were] Tyrone Davis records, friggin' Curtis Mayfield records and Otis Clay records. Records that were clearly not disco.” All those artists are black artists. Whatever the the intent, this was obviously not just about disco but also about simmering racial resentment.

What planet do you live on?

The hell is a "men's right supporter"? 

[ptatc]

2 minutes ago, chitown87 said:

The hell is a "men's right supporter"? 

It's like the straight pride parade. People rebelling against the popular rebellions.

[raBBit]

I am just waiting for all the schools named after Thomas "Me Too" Jefferson and Abe "3/5" Lincoln to be renamed. We need to expunge all references to history that doesn't align with modern day sensitivities. 

In before thread is closed!

[gusguyman]

56 minutes ago, raBBit said:

I am just waiting for all the schools named after Thomas "Me Too" Jefferson and Abe "3/5" Lincoln to be renamed. We need to expunge all references to history that doesn't align with modern day sensitivities. 

In before thread is closed!

I'm not commenting on those names in particular, but removing honorary things like school names and park statues is not even close to removing a person from history.

[soulfly]

Wow there's some dumb shit in this thread.

[Boopa1219]

2 hours ago, Fan O'Faust said:

So one teen-aged African American at the time, in a stadium of 50,000 plus people, is able to definitively declare that all "LPs" being thrown out on the field were from "black artists?  That the gazillion records being thrown "were clearly not disco"?  One teenager says this and you are able to reach this conclusion about "simmering racial resentment"?  And you are able to declare Dahl some sort of alt-right/white nationalist and men's right supporters just because he said "We were just letting off a little steam.  We were just having fun"?  Really?  Wow. 

I'd be interested in hearing what planet you live on if you reach these types of conclusions with so little evidence to back them up.   

I never said Dahl was a white nationalist/men’s rights supporter. I said he used the same excuse (or some variation of that) that those people use you press them and ask them to defend their actions. 

If you can’t see the obvious racist and homophobic tones of the Disco Sucks movement and Disco Demolition Night, thats on you. I’m going to take a shot in the dark and assume you’re white and if that’s the case, I don’t want to hear you or any other white person tell me whether something is racist (or homophobic) or not. I just had a non white person tell me that it’s okay for non blacks to use the n word as an term of endearment. That’s something you and them don’t get to decide. And pleas don’t bring up Dahl’s intent, intent doesn’t always matter, what matters is the result and that movement and night is nothing to celebrate. 

Edited June 13, 2019 by Joshua Strong

[vilehoopster]

26 minutes ago, Joshua Strong said:

I never said Dahl was a white nationalist/men’s rights supporter. I said he used the same excuse (or some variation of that) that those people use you press them and ask them to defend their actions. 

If you can’t see the obvious racist and homophobic tones of the Disco Sucks movement and Disco Demolition Night, thats on you. I’m going to take a shot in the dark and assume you’re white and if that’s the case, I don’t want to hear you or any other white person tell me whether something is racist (or homophobic) or not. I just had a non white person tell me that it’s okay for non blacks to use the n word as an term of endearment. That’s something you and them don’t get to decide. And pleas don’t bring up Dahl’s intent, intent doesn’t always matter, what matters is the result and that movement and night is nothing to celebrate. 

This is the words of someone who is too young and wasn't around at that time. You have no idea what the popularity of disco was like back then, 1979. First of all, if you had an older car, like me and my poor college friends, you only had an AM radio (No FM, ugh!!) and your tape deck, whether 8-track or cassette to listen to. (In fact, I bet you don't even know what an 8-track tape looks like and you're commenting on events from that time.)  Anyway, when the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack came out, it took over the radio completely, especially AM radio. AM radio only pretty much played Top-40, and at that time, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack had 3 of the top 5 songs in the country, and something like 8 of the top 10. It was Bee Gee song with that horrible falsetoo singing after Bee Gee song, followed by a disco song. You could change stations and it would be another Bee Gee song of some disco song. You couldn't escape it. It was total oversaturation, total oversaturation. Plus the rock stars were selling out to it to sell records. The Stones had disco records, the Kinks had a disco song. Of course there was gonna be backlash to that type of overkill and overplay. And this strong backlash had nothing to do with being anti-black or anti-gay. In all honesty, I don't think I knew there was a gay element to disco and dance clubs until Madonna brought that out in the 80's. You're commenting on history that you did not experience. 

This is "Do You Think I'm Disco" by Steve Dahl. It's a parody of a Rod Steward song for God's sake (In case you don't know, Rod Stewart is white). How is that racist? Listen to it, nothing racist all. It makes fun of white posers trying to be hip through disco. 

You are correct that racism and anti-gay attacks are a real problem in our country, right now and back then. But when you falsely pigeionhole an event you know nothing about, all you are doing is crying wolf and taking away from pointing out real examples of racism and attacks on our LBGT community. 

 

 

[pcq]

8 hours ago, WBWSF said:

I'm going to the game tonight and they're giving out a Disco Demolition 40th anniversary T-shirt. I was at that game 40 years ago and it was a nightmare. This seems to be a odd promotion. There was nothing fun  about that night. It was another public relations disaster for Bill Veeck and  a low point in his 2nd ownerrship. At this past Soxfest one of the fans asked Hahn if there would be a Joe Jackson bobblehead giveaway which would commerate the 100th anniversary of the Black Sox scandal. Hahn didn't answer the question. I would of rather had the Joe Jackson bobblehead than the Disco demolition T-shirt.

It was a Mike Veeck fiasco. Jimmie Piersall was looking for Steve Dahl to kick his azz. We always went to Detroit games so my brother bought tickets. I declined because I already knew what would happen. The players were dodging frisbee records game one and it got worse from there. RF was ruined and they later poured sand all around. Claudell Washington refused to run after balls which inspired the best-ever banner Washington Slept Here. Sorry I missed the political message but music began a long period of devolution thereby.