A sheer blouse didn't do much to hide this lovely young dancer's torso in this 1969 photo from inside an early Montreal disco, where Plexiglas ruled with, 150 modular sixties seats.The Plexi discotheque, which opened in the Iroquois Hotel on the west side of Place Jacques Cartier in 1969 would go on to have some crazy and very violent as I detail in my book Montreal 375 Tales.
These photos, shot by Jacques Varry for Architecture-Concept Magazine July 1969, offer a tiny glimpse into that little photographed world of dancefloor glory inside Montreal's early-era discos (ie: pre cocaine, pre-wall-shaking speakers).
2: In this second photo a man in a turtleneck and relatively long hair (barber seats went empty starting 1968) is seen dueling for the affections of a silky-haired woman in a long black dress, as a competitor attempts to cut in, emboldened by his snappy white Nehru jacket that we're pretty sure he wore to the Yellow Submarine screening. She's not tipping her hat to her choice of disco dancing suitor.
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3-The third pic shows the DJ setting up his next time, which we are guessing is not The Doors, or Mashmakhan. Montrealers are acclaimed for conserving space on dance floors by keeping their elbows tight and resisting the temptation to to grab too much dance floor real estate. Dance clubs in other cities invariably see the occasional Tony Manero, who think that others must stand aside and give them a wide berth. The dancers seen here, including one with short hair and a white leotard might be under the effects of LSD as they are stretching out phantasmagorically to touch the music.
4 - Photo four shows the lounge lizards who have preferred drinking at the bar over the terpischore pleasures of hip-rotating and arm twirling preferred by many of the fairer sex. They stand like peacocks with hair combed and ties done tight. Passively hoping to attract female company. The Plexi bar was made of glass and had mercury flowing underneath for the pleasures of optical stimulation.
8-Suit and ties were required for men in clubs during those years but as we can see some rebels managed to pull off of higher status by being dressed more shabbily, namely the man with his eyes closed on the bottom right.If anybody looking at these photos has any insight into these people or that place, or even that time, please share them in the comments section and we'll be happy to get your input.
Well, you won't find MY face in any of these photos, because for the most part I would avoid these clubs like the plague; some of them blasting their music so loud that you couldn't hear yourself think, let alone converse with your date (I assume such places preferred that you kept buying drinks and not squander potential revenue intake by chatting).
ReplyDeleteOther than dropping into the Playboy Club once during its short existence and a couple of smoke-filled, reeking-with-booze establishments, the only actual disco club that I visited back in the late '70s, early '80s was on the north side of Sherbrooke Street somewhere near Peel, the name of which escapes me now. I believe it was part of a hotel.
Anyway, what sticks in my mind about that place was that whenever I showed up there (each time with a different, knockout co-worker or business contact) the same waitress would come to our table and stare as if to say, "Who IS this guy?!". Other patrons openly gawked at us as well, making me feel self-conscious and perhaps even a little guilty.
The thing was, though, that my dates all suggested upfront that we go there, and who wants to argue with a pretty girl?
In reality, such presumed "womanizing" on my part was the perception of others and completely untrue of course, but in any event these visits didn't last much longer as the loud music made my head ring, which finally discouraged me from returning ever again.
I switched over to restaurants instead. ;-)
What music did people dance to before "real" disco hit in the mid-'70s?
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Would "go-go" bar be synonymous with "pre-disco" discothèques?
did not have go go bar only gogo topless bar for dancing it was real Band with electric guitar drums...and people will dance gogo.1968 ...until disco music came
DeleteI am so bummed that I can't find pictures of the French Nightclub/discothèque, Whiskey a Go Go! I was there in 1968 and all the french clubbers were dressed to the nines, sporting these magnificent lion mane shag haircuts! Why are there no pictures of this????!!! It is still as vivid in mind today as it was when I first walked into the nightclub. And yes, it was all disco music.
ReplyDeletePicture of Maureen Jackson
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