Bill Stamets Collection > SERIES I: Films by Bill Stamets > Subseries I: Completed Works

Rock Sox Disco Sux (2024 Preservation Print)

We have a remarkable radio station.

Kind of like being in a film, however I felt like I was...

I didn't feel like I was being a part of it.

I had a very, very hard time staying in the present.

The sound, it was resounding in my ears and I was getting caught up in the emotion.

I don't know, it's wild.

Getting in touch with where I was at is impossible.

Because I would have to sit down and think, you know, it was a phenomenon.

I won't forget it for a long, long time.

There you go.

There you go.

Come on, now wait a second.

I want to dance with you.

I'm Tony, white three -piece suit.

I'm happening.

Come on.

What's the deal here? I never meet any women in these places.

You're supposed to attend to them in all the magazines.

I love to dance with girls in steamy dresses, slips...

Woo! Go, go! As far as I know, this is a ball game and everybody is here to have a good time, be crazy, and absolutely demolish disco forever.

But where you come from, is there this sort of reaction to disco or is this unique to Chicago? As far as I know, this is very, very unique to the city.

Can you explain it? I know.

Disco sucks! Disco sucks! Disco sucks! Disco sucks! Disco sucks! turned on really after that on what was called Disco.

You know this? Start, for the first game, you know there's a lot of business -bound stuff that are still downtown.

You know what I mean? Here's to disco! Woo! Hey, gotcha! Why Sire Park sucks? To Woodstock Six.

Dan Ryan is closed, man.

Stay off the scoreboard, it's getting real nuts.

We're going in now.

Oh, oh, oh! Oh, oh, oh! I'm not here to have a wonderful evening on my channel.

Don't even think of dancing.

I've spent a lot of time in the world doing that.

Do you like it? Don't even think of disco.

I've got a lot of dance steps.

Don't even think of disco.

Am I shooting a disco? You're getting it, Sire.

Don't even think of disco.

You're getting it, Sire.

Come on! He's really close to being what the Nats are causing now.

Here we go! This is our last game as a bunch of men from all over the country.

Let's go, Nats! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! I never thought I'd end up inothes.

Thank you.

Good job! We're in the field now, and I'm getting some batting practice here.

That's Steve, and he's pitching me a few.

Yeah, we wish we had color for this, but they couldn't afford it today.

See, I smile when I'm getting ready to bat.

That's me in my younger days, and I went on to make some coffee makers.

You may have seen them.

That's Steve's dad.

He always comes out to the park when Steve's appearing.

Here we are at the autograph table.

This is, yeah, there's a crowd.

Very nice.

The roachers story.

They're not showing any of it on the food.

Not really.

Show a little of it every once in a while.

Instant replays of the explosion.

They're showing you.

Woo! Woo! That's a beautiful sight.

I don't know what to tell you.

I didn't, like I said, I didn't see it when they came out.

I didn't see that many bottles or that many records flying, so I don't know.

There were some people that got a little carried away.

But you're not taking responsibility for what happened.

I don't think I have to.

I haven't done anything.

I packed Bilbeck's baseball stadium for them.

Made them a lot of money last night.

Did my job.

Everybody liked it.

I left.

People wanted to come on the field.

And their security people couldn't keep them in the stands.

You do it all over again.

I'm not a security guard.

Would you do it all over again? Yeah, with more security guards.

Police are at a loss in trying to explain what happened last night.

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Identifier
F.2005-08-0341
Date Of Production
1979
Abstract
Super 8mm film documenting "Disco Demolition Night," which took place after game one of a July 12, 1979 doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood.

The anti-disco promotion was spearheaded by White Sox owner Bill Veeck along with shock jock Steve Dahl of 97.9 FM WLUP "The Loop," a Chicago rock station. Attendees were able to attend the games for only 98 cents and a disco record; between the doubleheader’s games, all the donated records would be blown up in center field. The White Sox were forced to forfeit the second game when the promotion went off the rails, when some 7000 anti-disco demonstrators rioted on the field and caused significant damage to the park. The riot resulted in at least nine injuries and 39 arrests.
Description
The film begins with a shot of WLUP spokesmodel Lorelei Shark shot off of a television set. The film then turns to Comiskey Park, as a larger-than-expected crowd of anti-discoers wait outside in t-shirts printed with statements such as "Disco Destruction Army" and "Fuck the Bee Gees." Shark is then interviewed on the baseball field before throwing out the first pitch. Radio personality Steve Dahl shakes hands with shaggy-haired teenage boys in the crowd. Leisure-suited Alan Cassman expressively sings the National Anthem in front of over 48,000 guests (the White Sox had been drawing fewer than 10,000 on an average game day).
 
Meanwhile, outside the stadium, a counter-demonstration of disco fans dance next to a WDAI 94.7 FM Disco Radio banner. One WDAI sign has been vandalized with the word "SUCKS."
 
A huge overflow crowd is now gathered outside Comiskey Park. Some people throw records at the side of the stadium, and broken discs can be seen on the ground. A man drives a cart with two cardboard boxes full of disco records into the stadium. Dahl's broadcast partner Garry Meier, wearing a "Disco SUCKS!" pin on his hat, is interviewed from the passenger seat of a Jeep, which then drives Dahl, dressed in army fatigues and a helmet, into the stadium. Shark, Meier, and Dahl (Village People record in-hand) walk to the pitcher's mound as night falls. A crowd of photographers and journalists swarm them as they lead the crowd in chants of "Disco sucks!" Filmmaker Bill Stamets is well-positioned and films Dahl and co. from a close, low angle as they sing for the crowd.
 
A fuse is ignited and fire moves towards the crate of vinyl records, which eventually bursts into flames and explodes. Dahl and the rest of the WLUP gang speed out the centerfield gate in a Jeep.
 
Next, black-and-white footage of a baseball game is filmed off of a TV set. Now shooting from the announcers booth, Stamets captures Harry Caray trying to restore order to the stadium as thousands of rioters run onto the field. Chicago police try to clear the field as a small fire grows.
 
Next is a shot of an interview with Dahl filmed off of a television. The film ends with footage of Dahl playing in a Loop-sponsored softball game versus the rock band Journey in May 1980.
Format
16mm
Extent
400 feet
Color
Color
Sound
Optical
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Notes
This 16mm preservation print was made from the Super-8 original in 2024, thanks to a Basic Preservation Grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation.
Language Of Materials
English
Element
Preservation print
Genre
Documentary
Form
Short
Amateur
Subject
Popular Music
Chicago White Sox (Baseball team)
Riots
Baseball
Entertainers
Explosions
Teenagers
Disco music
Preservation Sponsor

Related Collections
Subseries I: Completed Works

Related Places
North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Chicago

Main Credits
Stamets, Bill (is filmmaker)

Participants And Performers
Dahl, Steve (is participant)
Shark, Lorelei (is participant)
Meier, Garry (is participant)
Caray, Harry (is participant)

 
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