Music Journalist Barry Walters Looks Back At Manhattan's Legendary Saint Disco

Veteran music journalist Barry Walters has penned a fascinating look back at Manhattan's much-storied Saint nightclub. It begins:

From September 1980 to May 1988, The Saint defined gay nightlife in New York during its most tumultuous and literally plagued decade. Conceived by off-Broadway impresario Mailman, who had just scored a runaway success with The New St. Marks Baths, The Saint set such high standards that it soon rendered its competition redundant.

“When it opened, it just sucked the life out of all the other clubs,” says Robbie Leslie, the most popular of the disco’s surviving DJs. “Everyone abandoned these clubs they professed loyalty to. It only took a week or two, and they just flocked over to The Saint.”

Housed in the three-story former site of the psychedelic rock concert hall Fillmore East, The Saint offered multi-sensory pleasure like no other venue before or since. It featured a circular, 4,800 square foot dancefloor topped by an aluminum dome 76 ft. by 38 ft. under which much of the club’s 1,500 lights would shine, as well as constellations from a Spitz Space System projector ten times brighter than one in a typical planetarium. Designed by architect Charles Terrell, The Saint pointedly directed one’s attention skyward. Its experience was clearly meant to be uplifting – visually and otherwise.

The perforated dome hid the last and largest of the revered Graebar sound systems: Powered by 630 drivers and 32 amplifiers, nearly 500 speakers generated 26,000 watts – a figure touted in The Saint’s publicity materials as being “probably the most powerful per square foot for entertainment purposes in existence.” All this splendor ultimately cost $4.6 million in 1980 dollars – well over $13 million in today’s currency.

You don't have to be an eldergay to enjoy the full piece.

AUDIO: There are many recordings of Saint DJ sets floating around. In the above-linked piece Walters includes this set from closing night DJ Jim Burgess.

Singer Jimmy Ruffin Dies At 78

Motown legend Jimmy Ruffin, whose 1980 smash Hold On To My Love helped usher out an era of gay nightlife, has died at the age of 78. Via the Detroit Free Press:

Ruffin, whose poignant "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is regarded by many as one of Motown's greatest works, died Monday afternoon in a Las Vegas hospital. A Mississippi native and the older brother of the late Temptations singer David Ruffin, Jimmy Ruffin did backup work with Motown in the early '60s before being drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed in Germany. Upon returning to Motown in 1964, he cut material with little success before striking it big in 1966 with "Brokenhearted," which took him to No. 7 on Billboard's pop chart. The two brothers collaborated on the 1970 album "I Am My Brother's Keeper," and while Jimmy Ruffin ultimately notched eight solo songs on Billboard's R&B chart, his biggest success came in England, where he lived for a stretch and continued to perform frequently in later years.

Hold On To My Love, which reached #10 on the pop chart, was the final song played at the 1988 closing party of New York City's legendary Saint, perhaps the most storied gay nightclub of all time. The track had become a beloved Saint staple, largely due to the extended remix created by Saint DJ Robbie Leslie, who in that pre-computer era took Ruffin's 45rpm single and used "a reel/reel tape deck, a few razor blades, and editing tape" to create the eight-minute version of the song that continues to be a highlight of disco classics events. Shortly after the Saint shuttered its doors that day, an anonymous graffiti artist painted the song's title and Ruffin's name above the club's main entrance in what Leslie calls an "evocative tribute." You can read more about how Leslie created his version here. Hold On To My Love was written and produced by Robin Gibb.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the Saint At Large, this week's Swag Tuesday prize is a ticket to this Saturday's 33rd annual Black Party, the longest-running and most famous leather dance party in the world, which this year stars DJ Satashi Tomie and DJs Chus + Ceballos, and which once again takes place at the legendary Roseland Ballroom in Times Square.

We also have two tickets to giveaway for the special $50 early morning after-hours set by DJ Hector Romero, which begins admitting new Roseland patrons at 9am on Sunday. Advance tickets are on sale here. Also on sale are tickets for the two Saint events that bookend the Black Party, Friday and Saturday's Black Party Expo and Sunday night's closing event at Santos Party House.

Enter to win tickets by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. Entries close at midnight on Wednesday, west coast time. If you cannot be in NYC on the day of the event, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite leather man or gal. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Weekend Mix - DJ Michael Fierman

Get your weekend jumping with this hot happy vocal house mix from legendary Saint DJ Michael Fierman. Website. Facebook. Event Page.

UPCOMING GIGS: This Sunday, February 19th join DJ Michael Fierman, DJ Susan Morabito, and DJ John Ceglia at Evolution Of A Dancer, an epic 10-hour journey through the history of gay club music. Doors open at Le Poisson Rouge in the West Village at 6pm. Advance tickets.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: DJ Sin Morera. DJ Herbie James. DJ Paul Ferrer. DJ Dave Huge.

NOTE: This is the fifth in the revived JMG Weekend Mix series in which we highlight major national and up-and-coming DJ talent. This series ran for 28 installments in 2010 with entries from such well-known names as Susan Morabito, Corey Craig, David Knapp, Paul Goodyear, Ted Eiel, and many others. Lots of great names coming in 2012!

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin' On The Moon, the next installment of the reunion of the members and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. The party takes place on Sunday, January 22nd at Cielo in the Meatpacking District. Starring DJs Robbie Leslie and Mark Thomas, the evening will feature a special performance by Tony winner and disco/R&B star, Melba Moore. [JMG: Squee!]

ADMISSION: $30 by presenting your SAINT membership card to the cashier (this price is only available night of event at the club) $50 advanced "will call" tickets via PayPay available until Friday January 20th, 2012 at 11:59pm (note: "will call" means your name will be with the cashier as paid. You will not receive a ticket in the mail. Please bring proper ID. $60 night of event if available.

Enter to win by commenting on this post. Only comment once and please leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC for Trippin' On The Moon, your winning entry is transferable to another party. Entries close on Thursday at midnight, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

VIDEOS: Moore's 1976 smash Lean On Me challenged many a drag queen in the late 70s. Because it's HARD to hold your mouth open long enough for that final note.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoter, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to this Sunday's installment of Trippin' On The Moon, a reunion of the patrons and performers of New York City's legendary Saint disco. (And one of the consistently best parties in town!) Doors open at 6PM at Santos Party House in lower Manhattan. Enter to win by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in your entry. If you cannot be in the city for Sunday's party, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite disco oldies fan.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the Saint At Large (NSFW) this week's Swag Tuesday prizes are two tickets each to the major events that bookend next week's Black Party Weekend (NSFW), Friday and Saturday's Black Party Expo and Sunday night's closing party, After Black: Asylum.

Black Party Expo
Friday, March 18th - 5pm - 1am
Saturday, March 19th - 12pm - 7pm

Billed as "Behind The Scenes At The World's Sexiest Party," this 2 day- exposition at Roseland Ballroom is the ultimate gay adult play and entertainment shopping experience. A rare opportunity for visitors to pull back the leather curtain and step into the netherworld behind the biggest and most notorious gay dance party in the world.. Over 50 fetish and fashion vendors, dozens of adult film stars, strange live acts and more. On Friday night, RENTBOY.COM in association with BPX: THE BLACK PARTY EXPO presents The Hookies: The 5th Annual International Escort Awards hosted by Leslie Jordon. Red Carpet 10:00pm. Show 11:00pm.

After Black: Asylum
Amnesia: 609 West 29th Street
Sunday March 20 - 7pm until 2am

Music by 80R15 of Berlin & Paulo. Lights by Darren Kawa. THE SAINT AT LARGE in association with NO EXIT productions present international superstar DJs 80R15 of Berlin & Paulo at the official BPX after party. $30 through day of event; $40 at door if available.

Advance tickets to both events are now available (NSFW). Enter to win tickets by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. If you cannot be in NYC on the days of the events, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite leather man or gal. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

TRAILER: Black Party 2011

The 32nd annual Black Party (NSFW) rolls into Manhattan's Roseland Ballroom on March 19th. Here's the trailer (NSFW) for this year's party, where the theme appears to be human cloning. Sexy human cloning.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoter, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to this Saturday's installment of Trippin' On The Moon, the reunion of the performers and patrons of NYC's legendary Saint disco. Original Saint DJs Warren Gluck and Robbie Leslie will perform. Doors open at Manhattan's Santos Party House at 9pm and the dancing continues until 4am. Advance tickets here. Discounted admission will be available at the door to those presenting an original Saint membership card.

Enter to win by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your entry. If you cannot be in Manhattan on Saturday, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite disco lover. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, today's Swag Tuesday booty is a ticket to this Sunday's 30th anniversary reunion of the patrons and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. Trippin' On The Moon: Dancing Under The Dome begins at 4pm at Santos Party House in Soho. Facebook event page.

Seven DJ’s, all who graced the turntables at one of the most spectacular clubs in the world will come together for one very special evening. Not since the closing party in 1988 have they all been under one roof. Please join us for what will sure to be a monumental event as we celebrate 30 years of music, dancing, friendship and memories. Music of (in alphabetical order): Michael Cavallone, Michael Fierman, Warren Gluck, Robbie Leslie, Terry Sherman, Mark Thomas, Sharon White. Lights: Richard Tucker. Special guest performer!

Advance tickets $60, tickets at the door (if available) $75. Get a special discounted admission of $40 by presenting your original Saint membership card. Advance tickets here. Enter to win a ticket by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the the text of your comment. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. If you cannot be in Manhattan on Sunday, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite Saint fan.

October 24th In NYC: Trippin' On The Moon's Saint 30th Anniversary Party

"Seven DJ’s, all who graced the turntables at one of the most spectacular clubs in the world will come together for one very special evening. Not since the closing party in 1988 have they all been under one roof. Please join us for what will sure to be a monumental event as we celebrate 30 years of music, dancing, friendship and memories." Advance tickets will go on sale shortly.

The Saint Opened 30 Years Ago Today

Thirty years ago today the most legendary gay nightclub in the history of the world opened in New York City. In recognition of the anniversary, the Saint-At-Large is releasing a series of videos about the club, starting with this accounting of opening night from Saint DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, this week's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin' On The Moon 4, the fourth installment of the reunion of the members and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. The party takes place Saturday, April 10th at Santos Party House in Manhattan's Tribeca. (This is the very first Saturday night event for Trippin'!) Original Saint DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie will perform, spinning the classics of the most vaunted gay nightclub in history. Tickets are $45 at the door. Bring your original Saint membership card for a discounted admission of $20. Facebook event page here. My review of the first Trippin' party, including a photo slideshow and videos, is here. My review of the most recent party is here.

Enter to win two tickets by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC on the day of the event, your winning entry is transferable to another person. Entries close at midnight on Wednesday, west coast time. Publicists, if you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

VIDEO: Here's a clip from the January party.

Trippin' To The Oldies

Flags, fans, tambourines, claves, cowbells, and baby powder. Sunday's third installment of the Saint reunion party, Trippin' On The Moon, was an end-to-end delight. I walked in to Linda Clifford's sultry 1978 classic Runaway Love and left about seven hours later shortly after the Love Unlimited Orchestra's My Sweet Summer Suite. Perfection. The clip below has some seriously borked audio as I spun around the room too damn close to the speakers at times, so turn it down. But starting around the middle keep an eye out for some JMG regulars, including Charlie, who gives us a short dance floor castanet performance. Congrats to promoter Christine Visca and DJs Micheal Fierman and Robbie Leslie for another fantastic night. The next Trippin' will be in April. Can't wait.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, this week's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin' On The Moon III, the third installment of the reunion of the members and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. The party takes place this Sunday, President's Day eve, at Santos Party House in Manhattan's Tribeca. Original Saint DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie will perform, spinning the classics of the most vaunted gay nightclub in history, with a special appearance by Cut Glass vocalist Ortheia Barnes. Advance tickets are $35, tickets at the door, if available, are $50. Bring your original Saint membership card for a discounted admission of $20. Facebook event page here. My review of the first Trippin' party, including a photo slideshow and videos, is here.

Enter to win two tickets by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC on the day of the event, your winning entry is transferable to another person. Entries close at midnight on Wednesday, west coast time. Publicists, if you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Trippin' III - January 17th!

The third installment of Trippin' On The Moon, a reunion of Saint members and performers, takes place in NYC on January 17th. Facebook event page here. Advance tickets $35, available here. The first one was amazing, one of my best nights of 2009. (I missed the second one because I was in SF for my birthday.) The coming party will feature a performance by Ortheia Barnes of Cut Glass disco fame. Here's a recent clip of Barnes performing the Cut Glass classic, Without Your Love. The 1980 original is here.

80's Flashback

Bucks Fizz, I Hear Talk, 1984. Named for the drink that Americans call a mimosa, the UK's Bucks Fizz burst onto the scene in 1981 when they won the Eurovision Song Contest with the deliriously silly Making Your Mind Up. But it wasn't until three #1's and 12 Top 40 singles later that the band came to U.S. attention when I Hear Talk became a beloved standard at many gay clubs, in particular at NYC's legendary Saint, where it became a linchpin of morning music sets, a status the track enjoys to this day. The band was involved in a terrible tour bus accident just as the single was released, severely injuring several members. With little promotion, I Hear Talk languished on the UK charts, reaching only #34, although a stateside release of an extended 12" mix brought them their only U.S. success. The performance video is here, below is the club mix. It takes a few minutes to really get rolling, but it's a lovely wait. One of my all time 80's favorites, by far. Pure joy.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin' On The Moon 2, the second installment of the reunion of the members and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco.

Trippin' On The Moon takes place Sunday, October 11th at Soho's Santos House Party. Original Saint DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie will spin a night of Saint classics, with lights by original Saint lighting technician Richard Tucker. Advance tickets $35, $50 at the door (if available.) $20 admission to those with an original Saint membership card. The evening benefits Gay Men's Health Crisis, LifeBEAT and Equality Across America - the organization behind the National Equality March.

Back in June, I raved that the first Trippin' party was "my best night out in a least a year, maybe two."

DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie gave us the full Saint journey - a soulful build-up, a joyous high-energy peak, and a lovely, lovely extended downtrip, complete with just about every Saint classic an old disco dog like me could think of. The sound system was pitch-perfect, clear, strong - but not too loud.

Go here for setlists (in the comments) and videos that I took that night. And yes, it KILLS me that Remember The Party AND Trippin' AND the NEM are all on the same motherfrickin' night.

Enter to win by commenting on this post. Only comment once and please leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC this on the day of the event, your winning entry is transferable to another party. Entries close on Wednesday at midnight, Pacific time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Review: Trippin' On The Moon

Sunday night's Trippin' On The Moon - Saint reunion party was quite simply the best fucking night out I have had in at least a year. Maybe two. Maybe three. Dr. Jeff and I arrived at 8pm to find the venue already crowded and the steam never let up until we shut the place down at 3:30am. DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie gave us the full Saint journey - a soulful build-up, a joyous high-energy peak, and a lovely, lovely extended downtrip, complete with just about every Saint classic an old disco dog like me could think of. The sound system was pitch-perfect, clear, strong - but not too loud.

Dr. Jeff initially felt out of place in a sea of graying temples, but I reminded him how I feel dealing with the emo kids at the bars he takes me to. And our 23 year-old mascot Little Nick was a delight to watch as he furiously typed song titles into his phone for future downloads. Those who were there, please enter your set lists in the comments, I'll do the same when I get a moment. BIG thanks to event producer Christina Visca for a completely perfect evening. Christina promises another Saint reunion "within a few months." Judging by the response to Sunday's party, it will be an immediate sell-out. Full-screen versions of the above photos are here. Below are two short clips of the scene on the dance floor. I've annotated the songs being played.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the event's producers, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin' On The Moon: Remembering Dancing Under The Dome, a reunion of the members and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco, which closed 21 years ago this month.

Trippin' On The Moon takes place this Sunday, May 31st at Soho's Santos House Party. Original Saint DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie will spin a night of Saint classics, with lights by original Saint lighting technician Richard Tucker. Advance tickets $30, $40 at the door (if available.) $20 admission to those with an original Saint membership card. The evening benefits Gay Men's Health Crisis and LifeBEAT.

Enter to win by commenting on this post. Only comment once and please leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC this Sunday, your winning entry is transferable to another party. Entries close on Wednesday at midnight, Pacific time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.