Mike tells Sarah how a silly sports promotion galvanized a reactionary movement. Digressions include “Charlotte’s Web,” Jane Fonda and German-language musicals. Songs are dissected; the honor of David Bowie and late-night salad bars are defended.

Huge thanks to historians Tavia Nyong'o, Eric Gonzaba, Luis-Manuel Garcia and Gillian Frank for helping Mike with this episode!

Support us:
Subscribe on Patreon
Donate on Paypal
Buy cute merch

Where else to find us:
Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads
Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase

Links!

Tavia Nyong'o's "I Feel Love: Disco and Its Discontents"
Gillian Frank's excellent article on disco and his delightful podcast
Luis-Manuel Garcia's alternate history of club culture and dissection of the gay left's opposition to disco
Alice Echols' "Hot Stuff"
Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton's "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey"
Tim Lawrence's "Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979"
Peter Shapiro's "Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco"
Undone did a great episode on Disco Demolition Night
“The Flip Sides of 1979”
“Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night,” the (fabricated) New York Magazine story that inspired “Saturday Night Fever”
Tony Smith interview
"Disco and The Queering of the Dance Floor"

Support the show

Cam Mitchell: Athletics NZ chief executive on Geordie Beamish making history in 3000m steeplechase