Tuesday, March 19, 2024

There "Is" Life After Death

November 17, 2014


Disco Sucks! Disco Demolition Night took place on July 12, 1979

In the summer of '79, Disco Sucks killed my band CHIC. But our song "Good Times," went to #1 in spite of this tumultuous event called Disco Demolition... where they dynamited our records, along with a host of other funk and dance artist's music.

Though "Good Times" shot to the top of the charts and had a huge influence on music in general, the band who'd composed and performed it would never have another hit record as CHIC.

Only our love of music kept us going. All we'd ever wanted was to be part of the pop music community, which despite the factionalism, it's basically all rock and roll - the music that gives a voice to the voiceless - and power to the powerless.

Rock and roll is a mindset - a collective of artists who dream anything is possible.

At the end of the 70's every kind of negativism started growing, most likely as a backlash of the perceived victories of underground movements flaunting their triumphs: women's lib, racial equality, the anti-war and gay rights movements, etc. The one thing that seemed to bring everybody together was discotheques.

Some of the most extreme right and left wingers rubbed elbows nightly at clubs like Studio 54... and Studio 54 wannabees around the country. We had a damn good time together and genuinely liked each other as people. We respected each others differing political, religious and sexual points of view.

Our country, and dare I say our world, is very different today. When I was a kid, I hung with any and everybody because we were all together.

Over the years, many wonderful things in my life have been lost. Loss is just a part of the beautiful gift called life.

Not only did I lose my band after Disco Sucks, I lost many of my band mates... and I physically lost our recordings when the studio we'd worked in for years was sold. This felt worse than death. This music was proof that a dance band had existed, and developed their art in this place before and after Disco Sucks.

On June 20, 2010, a number of boxes showed up at my house filled with tapes I'd thought were lost forever. I felt my original CHIC band had one more chance to live. A few months later I was stricken with extremely severe cancer and I said, "Before I die I'm going to do so much music that CHIC won't ever be lost again."

In the last four years I've done more concerts and records than any period of my life. I'm currently cancer free and started to work on the lost CHIC tapes, which includes: analog multi-tracks, two-tracks, cassettes and hand-written scores and lyrics.

Thirty-five years ago the original CHIC Organization LTD commercially and spiritually died. The last original surviving members, along with some of my current band mates, performed a vocal session on a song that was a CHIC Organization out-take, one of the rare few that exists. The session was perfect.

The track has everybody from the 1st CHIC recording session on it, even Luther Vandross. There was more love in that room than I've felt in a long time.

Maybe, There "Is" Life After Death?

 


CHIC "Good Times" Single


Diana Ross "Upside Down"


The Power Station


2-Track stereo analog CHIC tapes - part of a huge box that showed up at my house on June 20, 2010


Rock and roll is a mindset - a collective of artists who dream anything is possible - Here's some I organized for a Bowie session


In the last four years I've done more concerts and records than any period of my life


Before I die I'm going to do so much music that CHIC won't ever be lost again


Me and Prince - more live gigs than ever - New Orleans


Me, Jimmy Napes, Disclosure, & Sam Smith - more records than ever - London


The last original surviving members, along with some of my current band mates


Adam Lambert, me & Avicii - more records than ever - The Hamptons


The last original surviving members, along with some of my current band mates


Gimmie a C, Gimmie an H, Gimmie an I, Gimmie a C. There was more love in that room than I've felt in a long time


More shows than ever - Christine and the Queens - Paris