Nitzer Ebb vs. Wiggles

(Nitzer Ebb - Join In The Chant (Live At Technoclub Belive Tour 1989) video put up by jrollet)

Last night Nitzer Ebb played at the Double Door, a short walk up the road for me. When I saw the ad for it I had a flashback to dancing under the strobe lights with a gimlet in my hand at Todd's Sway Lounge. Todd's was located on Seven Mile in Detroit, right by my Grandma's old house and in a "bad" neighborhood. In 1986 and 1987, I had a fake ID (Thank you Amy Elizabeth Burrows!) and convinced my mom that I had a friend named Todd who lived in the suburbs. Trying to come up with lies to go out on Thursday nights was a challenge and having to be home by 11pm or so was a major barrier in trying to run with the cool kids. Every now and again there would be the glorious Thursday where someone had parents out of town or the stars had aligned and we could stay out really late.

Todd's Sway Lounge was incredibly grungy: the bathroom floors were always flooded and often puked on. You were also never quite sure who or how many people you were going to find in a stall. The basement bar seemed to have disgusting European porn on a constant loop. But you could rely on Todd's to serve you strong drinks even if you were only 16 and didn't look much like the girl in the photo, to be playing music that wasn't played on the radio, and to be a safe haven for guys who wanted to wear eyeliner. In the grand spirit of coincidence, I've come across a flyer for a Reunion Party that was also last night. Especially useful, since my youthful brain was pickled with gimlets and my memories are hazy, is the convenient historical overview.



"Travel back in time to the decade of decadence- the‘80s-this holiday season to revisit a Detroit dance club that was the epitome of ‘80s glory. Todd’s, formally known as Todd’s Sway Lounge, was a gay nightclub on Detroit’s far eastside that was on the cutting edge of the new wave of eighties music and lifestyle.

Detroit club impresario- Stirling, first approached the owners of the venue in 1983 and convinced them to try out a dance music night on Monday evenings to cater to a growing subculture of club kids. The owners welcomed this idea, and a new dance party was launched. Stirling hired the eclectic DJ Charles English to spin the latest in dance music, Euro-pop, new wave and even some punk classics and funk gems thrown into the explosive mix of music that had the patrons up and dancing the night away. When Monday nights became thee popular weekly destination, they expanded to Thursday nights as well. The nightclub was one-of-a-kind as it featured more than just a dance floor. A basement theater was dubbed “the video coffin” that showed cult films and videos courtesy of host Kory Clarke (later of the band Warrior Soul), upstairs featured Benson’s couture clothing boutique called “Transvestia Dementia” (and later turned into a record store run by Michael Fiscus) and the vintage clothing/record store/ art gallery called “Chaos,” run by promoter Sue Static. The Todd’s dance parties became a main component of ‘80s subculture here in the city. The party lasted for almost a decade, up until the club changed ownership in the early ‘90s."

Alas, I did not relive the 80s with the crowd from Todd's Sway Bar or with Nitzer Ebb. I had family visiting from out of town and right about the time Nitzer Ebb roadies were probably unloading their arsenal of synthesizers, my 5 (and 3/4s) year old niece and I were watching The Wiggles Go Bananas with special guest Kylie Minogue. Having seen a bit of both, I can honestly say that The Wiggles are way weirder than anything cooked up by the subculture of Detroit club kids.