i was going to post this in reply to confuscius' reply to woebot's stated desire to invest clubbing w/ meaning
however, i decided to make this its own thread b/c i'm not sure if anything on this list relates to the question of "meaning" -- and b/c it'd take the discussion of the "drive to be seen" way off point
so here's a partial list of what good nightclubs do or should do . . . .
(1) shift to more intimate venues = this is a 10-year-old trend = but was made necessary by the rise of superclubs = problem w/ intimate spaces is that they don't allow enough of a platform for the stars of the night to shine, nor do they allow for much unpredictability or chaos on the dancefloor
(2) no cover or nominal cover charge ($5 max) = can't have a space potentially open to all if you charge too much on the door = plus if you charge too much on the door then you end up having all kinds of materialistic bastards in the space
(3) no door policy = if people are lining up to get in, then you're obviously not ahead of the curve! = or else you're trying to create the appearance that you're fashionable and in demand, which is even worse = and yet the place can't be dead either = very delicate balance = best scenario is the steady flow of people hop-scotching through the door
(4) exception to the no door policy = never ever let a group of guys w/o any girls into the place = guys w/o girl companions should do the honorable thing and play the neurotic loner part = neurotic loners are always welcome at any good club, but not guys who travel in packs
(5) best way to inject excitement is to have live performers = bands or burlesque or clowns (but no laptop performers, no graffiti artists and no poets!) -- and then have the dj play before, after, and in b/w the performances -- the rise of burlesque and clownish entertainment is obviously a way to compensate for the disappearance of real-deal freaks of the night = it's a second-best solution = but it at least addresses the problem
(6) crowd dynamics -- can't really choose your crowd, the crowd chooses the place -- but you have to have a good mix of people and should be leery of one constituency taking over the place, i.e., can't be too hipster, too crusty boho, too european (if in new york), too straight or cocaine yuppy, too gangsta, too grad schoolish or journalisto, etc ------ needless to say, getting the right crowd dynamics is the $10,000 question, and a lot of it comes down to luck
(7) if you run the place, you need to have serious loyalty ("love") to the people who work there -- as this directly translates into vibe -- same policy should extend to bands and djs who play there -- moreover, if you have a "revolving door" policy, then people have no reason to keep coming back, i.e., you get rootless cosmpolitanism in extremis
(8) crowd dynamics part 2 = to really take things to the next level, you need to mix in gay people & fashion people w/o it being some kind of ironic electroclash or commercial scene or more of an art than music scene = in fact one of the major reasons for the decline and fall of clubbing is the split b/w queer and hetero scenes -- back in the 80s and early 90s things were really mixed, especially in the usa -- in london there was trade and "sex" w/ jon pleased wimmin at the cafe de paris, where music wasn't all that great, but crowd dynamics were strong -- *i'd be interested in hearing theories on why nightlife became so segregated in terms of sexual orientation in late 90s*
(9) make sure all staff, djs and performers live on the same onion ring -- i.e., that they're all people who'd cross each other's path even if not working at same establishment -- which does not mean that they have to be into the same kind of music or already be acquaintances/friends -- indeed, that'd be bad as each night should have its own musical identity, and a place where everyone is everyone else's friend would be way too limiting and claustrophobic -- and yet if you don't have people from the same onion ring, you'll have a club that has no overall orientation or which falls prey to the latest trends willy nilly
(10) the physical space -- decoration and design -- in general you want to keep things a bit rough w/o it being a dive or self-consciously "squat" -- and, errrr, apart from this rule you can't conform to formula for decorating the place, so i can't state a formula as such -- and in new york you either need to be very lax about enforcing the smoking ban or else have a back room or patio w/ seating and tables
(11) provide fruit and other such refreshing freebies -- if you can afford to do this w/o having to charge too much on the door or adding to price of drinks
(12) try not to have tables and booths that a private group of people can make their own for the evening -- this kills social interaction -- although tables are okay if on the periphery of the room w/ banquette seating -- but definitely no booths or too many chairs -- and no huts a la subtonic
(13) need to have space for dancing = but can't have too big of a space, b/c then people are all too aware of how "empty" the dancefloor is -- also helps to have random depressions in the floor or a slight slant to the floor, as this will make things a bit more freaky should people actually dance
(14) try to have a bar that wraps around as much as possible -- b/c some people like to watch (just as others like to be seen)
(15) always have some kind of really cheap beer on hand -- though try to avoid pabst or anything else trendy -- and always have cheap well drinks -- w/o making this into any kind of gimmick -- so you still serve quality beer and quality alcohol as well
(16) have only one floor, w/ only one dj playing at a time, etc -- make no attempt to please different people or cater to different moods -- it's always strictly about what you're providing right here right now
however, i decided to make this its own thread b/c i'm not sure if anything on this list relates to the question of "meaning" -- and b/c it'd take the discussion of the "drive to be seen" way off point
so here's a partial list of what good nightclubs do or should do . . . .
(1) shift to more intimate venues = this is a 10-year-old trend = but was made necessary by the rise of superclubs = problem w/ intimate spaces is that they don't allow enough of a platform for the stars of the night to shine, nor do they allow for much unpredictability or chaos on the dancefloor
(2) no cover or nominal cover charge ($5 max) = can't have a space potentially open to all if you charge too much on the door = plus if you charge too much on the door then you end up having all kinds of materialistic bastards in the space
(3) no door policy = if people are lining up to get in, then you're obviously not ahead of the curve! = or else you're trying to create the appearance that you're fashionable and in demand, which is even worse = and yet the place can't be dead either = very delicate balance = best scenario is the steady flow of people hop-scotching through the door
(4) exception to the no door policy = never ever let a group of guys w/o any girls into the place = guys w/o girl companions should do the honorable thing and play the neurotic loner part = neurotic loners are always welcome at any good club, but not guys who travel in packs
(5) best way to inject excitement is to have live performers = bands or burlesque or clowns (but no laptop performers, no graffiti artists and no poets!) -- and then have the dj play before, after, and in b/w the performances -- the rise of burlesque and clownish entertainment is obviously a way to compensate for the disappearance of real-deal freaks of the night = it's a second-best solution = but it at least addresses the problem
(6) crowd dynamics -- can't really choose your crowd, the crowd chooses the place -- but you have to have a good mix of people and should be leery of one constituency taking over the place, i.e., can't be too hipster, too crusty boho, too european (if in new york), too straight or cocaine yuppy, too gangsta, too grad schoolish or journalisto, etc ------ needless to say, getting the right crowd dynamics is the $10,000 question, and a lot of it comes down to luck
(7) if you run the place, you need to have serious loyalty ("love") to the people who work there -- as this directly translates into vibe -- same policy should extend to bands and djs who play there -- moreover, if you have a "revolving door" policy, then people have no reason to keep coming back, i.e., you get rootless cosmpolitanism in extremis
(8) crowd dynamics part 2 = to really take things to the next level, you need to mix in gay people & fashion people w/o it being some kind of ironic electroclash or commercial scene or more of an art than music scene = in fact one of the major reasons for the decline and fall of clubbing is the split b/w queer and hetero scenes -- back in the 80s and early 90s things were really mixed, especially in the usa -- in london there was trade and "sex" w/ jon pleased wimmin at the cafe de paris, where music wasn't all that great, but crowd dynamics were strong -- *i'd be interested in hearing theories on why nightlife became so segregated in terms of sexual orientation in late 90s*
(9) make sure all staff, djs and performers live on the same onion ring -- i.e., that they're all people who'd cross each other's path even if not working at same establishment -- which does not mean that they have to be into the same kind of music or already be acquaintances/friends -- indeed, that'd be bad as each night should have its own musical identity, and a place where everyone is everyone else's friend would be way too limiting and claustrophobic -- and yet if you don't have people from the same onion ring, you'll have a club that has no overall orientation or which falls prey to the latest trends willy nilly
(10) the physical space -- decoration and design -- in general you want to keep things a bit rough w/o it being a dive or self-consciously "squat" -- and, errrr, apart from this rule you can't conform to formula for decorating the place, so i can't state a formula as such -- and in new york you either need to be very lax about enforcing the smoking ban or else have a back room or patio w/ seating and tables
(11) provide fruit and other such refreshing freebies -- if you can afford to do this w/o having to charge too much on the door or adding to price of drinks
(12) try not to have tables and booths that a private group of people can make their own for the evening -- this kills social interaction -- although tables are okay if on the periphery of the room w/ banquette seating -- but definitely no booths or too many chairs -- and no huts a la subtonic
(13) need to have space for dancing = but can't have too big of a space, b/c then people are all too aware of how "empty" the dancefloor is -- also helps to have random depressions in the floor or a slight slant to the floor, as this will make things a bit more freaky should people actually dance
(14) try to have a bar that wraps around as much as possible -- b/c some people like to watch (just as others like to be seen)
(15) always have some kind of really cheap beer on hand -- though try to avoid pabst or anything else trendy -- and always have cheap well drinks -- w/o making this into any kind of gimmick -- so you still serve quality beer and quality alcohol as well
(16) have only one floor, w/ only one dj playing at a time, etc -- make no attempt to please different people or cater to different moods -- it's always strictly about what you're providing right here right now