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Episode 2

Episode 2 of 2

Candi Staton recalls the bizarre evening in 1979 when a Chicago DJ led an anti-disco crowd to burn disco records and chant 'disco sucks!'.

In 1979 the disco industry was worth an estimated $4 billion - more than movies, television or professional sport - and accounted for up to 40 per cent of the singles chart. The same year in Chicago, Steve Dahl, a disgruntled rock DJ left his WDAI radio show in protest at its switch to an all-disco play list. He really hated disco. A switch to rival station, which shared the same owners as the Chicago White Sox baseball team, resulted in an audacious publicity stunt that signalled the death knell of disco.
The promotion was simple: For a mere 98 cents listeners could bring all their unwanted disco records to the White Sox's Comiskey Stadium and watch them being blown up by Dahl and his chums, who called themselves "The insane Coho Lips Anti-Disco Army." Over 70,000 people turned up to offload their disco records and chant, "Disco sucks! Disco sucks!" Thousands were locked out and the riot police were called in to quell pitch invasions.
Recalling the event, Dahl has said: "Disco was a fad probably on its way out but the event hastened its demise." Presenter Candi Staton sets out to uncover if there was a true anti-disco sentiment while legendary DJ Frankie Knuckles charts disco's revenge and metamorphosis into house a decade later. We track down some of the pitch invaders and baseball players to find out how strongly they felt about disco then, and how they view the events of that July evening.

30 minutes

Last on

Sat 8 Oct 2016 04:00
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 6 Music

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Music Played

  • The Trammps

    DISCO INFERNO

    • SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.
    • POLYDOR.
    • 825-389-2.

  • Manu Dibango

    Soul Makossa

    • The Very Best of Africa.
    • NASCENTE.
    • CD02-SUNSET.

  • Labelle

    Lady Marmalade

    • THE SOUL YEARS 1974-'75.
    • CONNOISSEUR.
    • BASY-004.

  • Gloria Gaynor

    NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE

    • DISCO FEVER.
    • TELSTAR.
    • TCD-2519.

  • Van McCoy

    The Hustle

    • The Soul Years 1975 (Disc 2).
    • Mercury Records Limited.
    • GBF087500039.

  • Esther Phillips

    WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MADE

    • WHAT A DIFF'RENCE A DAY MAKES.
    • EPIC.
    • 40565-2.

  • Bee Gees

    Night Fever

    • SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.
    • POLYDOR.
    • LC-039.

  • Bee Gees

    YOU SHOULD BE DANCING

    • SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER OST.
    • RSO.
    • 800-068-2.

  • Grace Jones

    La Vie En Rose

    • Grace Jones - Island Life.
    • Island.
    • IMCD-16.

  • Rod Stewart

    Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?

    • BLONDES HAVE MORE FUN.
    • RIVA.
    • RVLP-8.

  • Gloria Gaynor

    I Will Survive

    • THE VERY BEST OF GLORIA GAYNOR.
    • POLYDOR.
    • 519-665-2.

  • Cheap Trick

    I WANT YOU TO WANT ME

    • 25 YEARS OF ROCK AND ROLL - VOL 2 - 1979.
    • CONNOISSEUR.
    • RRTCD-79.

  • Steve Dahl

    DO YA THINK I'M DISCO

    • SINGLE.
    • Ovation Records ?- OV-1132, Ovation Records.
    • OV 1132.

  • Bruce Springsteen

    Badlands

    • Darkness On The Edge Of Town.
    • CBS.
    • CDCBS-86061.

  • The Trammps

    DISCO INFERNO

    • SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.
    • POLYDOR.
    • 825-389-2.

  • Bee Gees

    SPIRITS (HAVING FLOWN)

    • SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN.
    • POLYDOR.
    • 827-335-2.

  • KC and the Sunshine Band

    GET DOWN TONIGHT

    • The Best of KC & The Sunshine Band.
    • EMI.
    • CDP-7948792.

  • Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand

    No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)

  • Candi Staton

    YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE

    • OH! WHAT A NIGHT.
    • COLUMBIA.
    • SONYTV-38CD.

  • Gloria Gaynor

    I Will Survive

    • THE VERY BEST OF GLORIA GAYNOR.
    • POLYDOR.
    • 519-665-2.

  • Parliament

    Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)

    • DEBUTANTE.

  • Cheap Trick

    I Want You To Want Me

    • Epic.

  • Bruce Springsteen

    Badlands

    • CBS.

  • dEUS

    Little Arithmetics

    • ISLAND.

Broadcasts

  • Sat 11 Jul 2009 22:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 2
  • Thu 21 Aug 2014 01:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 6 Music
  • Sat 8 Oct 2016 04:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 6 Music