Feeling nostalgic to talk about '90s Detroit Techno.

[G-DDT]

I got to sound off here and I really need some folks to read this: I just recently got into a debate with a manic drug user who tried to state that the drug "[[special) K" or Ketamine [[a chemical I'm glad I'm very unfamiliar with) doesn't cause deaths. I immediately told them about a rich kid I knew who loved the stuff, got his own house, threw a big party, was last seen blitzed on that stuff in his pool, and then folks found him laying face down in the water.

This guy then defended by saying "no, K just makes you like a baby." At which point, I shot back with "Yeah, and babies drown in pools!" Granted, I don't know what the rule of actual deaths caused by that drug alone was, but after working at the Theater, I've seen folks fall flat on their bloody face and head on hardwood flooring and tilework. It's one of the many reasons I called the Theater "the House of the Happy Headwound".

Long ago, I was a sparse drinker and heavy marijuana smoker. I hung out with Rastafarians [[the kind who only order Cranberry juice at bars) and low-orbit weirdos. We never [[and there were others who were cowardly passive-aggressive coke-users hiding their drive and interest for the Devil's Dandruff from others) had a desire to go beyond that. What was best is that there was a prominent strait-edge presence in Indie and Techno scenes. Wasn't my crowd at the time, but I abhor homogeny, and I desire to be in crowds that contains a diverse mix of elements.

I have, however, found a profoundly an ill dominance of drugs in the techno, club, soul music, afterhours [[yes, there are/were some afterhours that don't cater to coke and nitrous), art, and bar scenes that leaves me rather rattled. I just like to occasionally go out and have a drink or two [[maybe once or twice every month or two), stay out late, boogie, and meet some girls. Yeah, still crazy after all these years. Yet, there is the hideous conformist "Us vs. Them" mentality that druggies have to the rest of the scene.

I've been in three different situations where Ganja [[if that is what folks think it is, nowadays-I think someone secretly replaced the formula with Folgers-style genetically-altered topiary-governmentally approved, of course) or far worse was partaken, and someone got a real unabiding bug between their buttocks that I wasn't doing it with them. Their questioning of me on the matter was done in a highly imposing and contentious manner. One guy I think just wanted to throw off my game with any ladies-still an annoyance to be continuously hounded like that at a party I was invited to. I never was like that to the many diverse folks I knew who didn't smoke with me back when [[many of them kept a cool manner with me, likewise-musicians, activists, radio D.J's, techno D.J.s, etc.).

Yet, this last time, the manic druggie got flipped that I wouldn't do coke with him and a D.J. I knew [[a bright, and talented girl from Detroit-been through stuff like I've been through-who's getting with worse and worse company-she's one of those "truth & soul" internet celebrity types, but she's using folks and cozying up to others like a slavish doggie, which to me isn't truth or soul-just a big lie). I was really uncomfortable, feeling like I was lured in to see if he needed a ride to his new car [[trying to be a nice guy), then went in on some beers [[well, I'm now going to stick around and tip my share), but by the time I'm getting this ugly "are we all going to 'get freaky'" together" kind of vibe hinted at me [[yeah, I guess I'm just a socially/emotionally underdeveloped buttoned-down retard who just never went along with giving in to that sublime bisexual "orgy-porgy" [[Brave New World) pocket that pops up once in a while to haunt me-creeps me out something very uncomfortable like-goes all the way back to the "Wiccan-chaos magician kids" [[one of which was the porn star who stole my yo-yo-Gawd! how weird this all sounds!). It just seems like some kind of gross conformist expectation hoisted at me, or I will get shunned away into the cold mainstream hinterlands of non-activity for not participating.

God as my witness, I hate it all with a passion.

I think this heavy abandonment towards hedonism is going to catch up with everyone real soon. When folks get burned-out, decimated, washed-up aground on the beach of desperation or sobriety [[as Crumb depicted with the "rolling wave" of the sixties), I think folks will desperately run and cling to anything to give them structure. It could be psycho-pharmeceutical-control or anything that appears like "religion" [[like hypocritical right-wing popularist Evangelicalism-sweeping in socio-politically like a heavy shockwave of control). Now, that bothers me!

If you've read this long rant, I could use a little support here, folks. I need some folks to "feel me", cosign me. I need a witness, here! Some words to encourage me in my sad, single state, who won't chide me about "not getting with the program" of bisexuality or drugs. Sad that I'm doing this even.

Besides, part of me wanted to break Christian character and slug this druggie for beating his fifteen-year old dog. Go crazy on his hide Ace Ventura style....

[G-DDT]

Oooo-kay....allow me to break the tension from my previous vulnerable diatribe about folks accusing me of being a "hater", by posting this video. It's how I first ever heard about break dancing, a few months later and neighborhood kids with fat-laced shoes are "doing the worm" on my front lawn. Take it away, Penny---

[G-DDT]

Was hoping more and more folks would chime on breakdancing. Until that happens, I'll just keep scouring up old break videos.

[G-DDT]

Oh, almost forgot.

[G-DDT]

Stumbled across this guy's personal narrative. https://sayanythingblog.com/entry/i_used_to_be_a_raver/The fact that he uses "rave" makes me smirk and shake my head [[that and he probably went to shows where trance was played), but I actually like his style of remembering and laying things out. I started going to "parties" in 1995 [[with an upswing in 1997), so I was really late to the scene, but I preceded this guy by a few inches.

I actually remember seeing this guy a number of times at functions. He names all the places I was working at [[most of them after my company left though-as with the Theater or the Butcherhouse on Joseph Campau and Hunt), including the Motor, and the details he provides are quite accurate [[especially when he describes "Crack & Smellevue/Smack & Hellevue" where the major promoter would even call the cops on his own parties to shut them down if he knew he couldn't deliver on the acts he promised-classic take the money and run.). The photos seem like many I've seen elsewhere on other sites.

The real heart-breaker is that he actually got some photos of Joseph Campau and Hunt. http://smg.photobucket.com/user/luna...se002.jpg.htmlYeah, I kissed my one Grosse Pointe girlfriend for the first time right in the room beyond the way with the bright red brick. All this physical evidence for these many memories being systematically erased.

[G-DDT]

Oh yeah, I forgot to maintain my installment of these videos.

[hogz]

G-DDT, I just want to say that I love these recollections. Please keep them coming. I don't have a ton to add as I was too young to be involved with nightlife during this era, but I'm a fan of dance music, and love hearing these stories. Thank you so much for sharing, and I hope you continue to give us a slice of history in this thread.

[G-DDT]

Found this odd archived Detroit DEMF weekend event listing breakdown http://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/af...nt?oid=2171174from 16 years ago. I remember that situation quite well, as the whole festivities were rained out, and I was stretched a little thin doing event set-ups [[mainly working for free admission, pizza, and grass) for at least three different locations [[including an afterhours in Eastern market). One of them was at the 7th City Records party with Dan Bell at the Serengeti Ballroom, where my blood sugar started taking a few dives.

What sticks out is I believe there was a Shotokan master who worked at the ballroom and also at the now extinct Cass Corridor Food Co-op who was in cahoots with the cops. This is very important to know considering all the bad stuff he was connected to [[along with those participants at the afterhours and who set up/promoted these functions) that caused me to leave the scene, and how my neighbor and I weren't able to put a restraining order on him when he was coming around to harass us two years later.

Interesting to see what response I get for this....

[G-DDT]

One cute thing about what I posted in #55 is how this kid has all these flyer images posted [[some with parties titled/themed with cute Valentine's Sentiments-so enjoy, folks!). I've seen the functions that go down now. Unless they are some stupid huge EDM event at the Masonic, Works, TV Lounge, or Magic Stick, there isn't the large turn-out they used to draw.

I honestly do not think consulting websites has the same affect that flyers and word-of-mouth once had. Networking was better back then. It was less obscured, and it helped bind folks together. I don't see this nowadays. This selfish withdrawal into our own gizmos and failure to have the ambition to do the legwork kills every scene.

[G-DDT]

I got lax on this thread.

So here is a FB site addressing the latter "rave" scene in Detroit https://www.facebook.com/detroitrave...27N1IU&fref=nf -the personal input and comments regarding certain spots, those who ran it, and behavior of certain law enforcement [[or Fox News) are incredibly accurate to what transpired.

I loved the leader image, for it is timestamped August 1998, which was probably around the time I started work at the Easttown Theatre.

[JBMcB]

So here is a FB site addressing the latter "rave" scene in Detroit https://www.facebook.com/detroitrave...27N1IU&fref=nf -the personal input and comments regarding certain spots, those who ran it, and behavior of certain law enforcement [[or Fox News) are incredibly accurate to what transpired.\

Hah awesome! My friend made the "Freaks" party flier on my PowerMac. I still have some of his flyers knocking around, including the most expensive party flyer ever produced at the time [[multi-page, multi-layer foil printing, parchment insert, die-cut) that I should scan in and upload.

[Zacha341]

It's a cool thread. I was looking at those old Metrotimes links and one noted the Serengeti Ballroom. Used to like that place.

I got lax on this thread.

So here is a FB site addressing the latter "rave" scene in Detroit https://www.facebook.com/detroitrave...27N1IU&fref=nf -the personal input and comments regarding certain spots, those who ran it, and behavior of certain law enforcement [[or Fox News) are incredibly accurate to what transpired.

I loved the leader image, for it is timestamped August 1998, which was probably around the time I started work at the Easttown Theatre.