When they write the story of my life, and get to the chapter “When Joe Stopped Going to Clubs”: That chapter will be about when the clubs switched from house (which I already didn’t like) to techno (which I despise). That’s when Joe stopped going to clubs.
Electronic/Dance
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are so ridiculously over the top, they are in their own category of awesome. Their music is the fluffiest kind of dance-pop, their singer can’t sing … but their lyrics are so sad, and angry, and true. “She’s made you/Some kind of laughingstock/Because you dance to disco/And you don’t like rock” pretty much sums up my life ages 11-14.
Jungle
Jungle is also known as drum ‘n bass, which a) is a very unimaginative name for a musical style, and b) must be ironic, given that the music is based 100% on synthesizers—not a drum or a bass to be found anywhere. Of course, synthesizers aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a jungle, either. Those wacky Brits.
Joy Division/New Order
When my cool coworker Lori made me a “new wave” mixtape in the early 80s, my favorite song on it by far was “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” I guess it makes sense that years later I was rocking out in the clubs to “Bizarre Love Triangle.” (OK, gay boys don’t rock out … but you get the idea.)
House
Here’s where I really lost my gay membership card. When my friends and I used to go out regularly (roughly a million years ago), the clubs all played hip-hop and funk. Loved it. After a couple of years, they all switched to house. Hated it. Which is a bit ironic, given my teen love of disco and how closely the two styles are related. On the other hand, I never said I was consistent.
Bjork/Sugarcubes
You know what’s fun? Sitting on the green at college with your friends singing along to “Birthday” (“singing” = humming during the verses and then screaming out the chorus, which is basically screaming). Also: swan dress. Go Bjork.
Playlist of the Day 