The war on disco

DVD - 2023

In the 1970s, disco dominated American pop music. Originating in nightclubs that featured record players instead of live bands, disco was a major stylistic departure from rock, and its rise to the top of the music charts signaled a cultural shift that some found threatening. Disco's roots lay in a gay urban subculture, and the artists who created it were largely African American and Latino. In the gay dance clubs where it flourished, disco was much more than music it was an expression of gay pride and a lifestyle statement. To many outside this community, disco was anathema. Chicago DJ Steve Dahl, who lost his job when the rock radio station he worked for changed to an all-disco format, gave voice to disco-haters by holding "Death... To Disco" rallies at local nightclubs. On July 12, 1979, the Chicago White Sox featured Dahl at a "Disco Demolition" event that turned violent as 5,000 people stormed the ballfield, setting fires and ripping up turf; Chicago police in riot gear were needed to restore the peace. It was the first of many anti-disco events around the country that year. WAR ON DISCO explores the cultural movement that gave rise to disco music, and the backlash that tried to destroy it. more