Reckoning

 The Foo Fighters are set to release a disco album, a love letter to a bygone era. Not to be confused with trendsetters, the Fighters of Foo and their leader, Dave Grohl, are not shy about hiding their loves under a shade of unnecessary cool. Which might explain how they got the gig to induct Rush into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

I always liked Rush. Even when I was told it wasn't cool to do just that. As for the Bee Gees? Well, let's just say that I was more easily swayed back then. I was plopped myself squarely on the Disco Sucks bandwagon and was not willing to be moved, even when no one continued to pull that wagon. At the time, it was clear to me that so-called "dance music" was the enemy, and loud guitars and real drums were the only chance for survival. 

I cheered the Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park back in 1979 when Chicago radio station WLUP (The Loop) promoted an event between the games of a double header between the White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. Disc jockey Steve Dahl exhorted his fans to bring a disco record to add to the pile he planned to blow up, and you could get in for just ninety-eight cents. If you're wondering, even back then, the price of that record was roughly six times the price of admission. And once the stack of vinyl was blown up, those who were unable to get theirs on the pile sailed theirs from the upper decks, and then things got ugly. They rushed the field. They threw beer and firecrackers. They tore the place up. The White Sox ended up having to forfeit the second game because riot police had to be brought in to restore order to the chaos that ensued. 

At this point, I should mention that I owned a copy of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. I listened to it. I did not tell many of my friends about this, for fear of appearing as some kind of traitor. Some kind of traitor to exactly what, I cannot now explain. The truth was, there were plenty of catchy tunes on that record, and the disco era had its share of great musicians. I could cite Nile Rogers among them. You might not immediately recognize the name, but you can hear his influence in music by Duran Duran, INXS, David Bowie, and Daft Punk. 

Or I could just as soon say that maybe the Bee Gees were really good at what they did, and they were busy making good music before, during, and after Disco Demolition. 

And Rush? They were always cool.