Love is the Message: Dance, Music and Counterculture

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LITM Extra - The 1975 Schizo-Culture Conference, pt.2 [excerpt] Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

This is a patrons episode. To become a patron, visit www.patreon.com/LoveMessagePod

In this patrons-only episode, Tim and Jeremy continue our mini-series on the 1975 Schizo-Culture Conference. They discuss the demographic makeup of the two thousand attendees - from philosophers and writers to theatre makers, Black Panthers, radicals and prisoners - and consider what this interdisciplinary assemblage represented. We hear about the intellectual scenes of France and America, ask what they each had that the other lacked, and consider what the unexpected outcomes of Continental Philosophy eventually were.

Tim and Jeremy also discuss the potency of an irreducible multiplicity, S&M, the opportunities and limits of anti-psychology, and ask how much repression is too much repression?

Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.

Tracklist:

Dominatrix - The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight

Declaration of Intent: The Loft moves to Prince Steet Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

In this episode we return to our home turf of the Loft, as David Mancuso moves his venue (and his home) from 647 Broadway to Prince Street. Tim and Jeremy detail the shutdown of the first Loft space, how David found the new location, and the battle he had with the art scene residents of Soho to stay there. The Prince Street Loft was a much larger space, set over two floors, so we hear about the different configuration of the sound system, and how across all Loft settings a collection of principles helped guide and maintain the setup.

Jeremy and Tim talk more broadly about audiophile aesthetics, the introduction of 'the prelude' to David's musical journey, and the slippery concept of 'jazziness'. Plus, a deep dive on the Dark Side of the Moon.

Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.

Tune in, Turn on, Get Down!

And check out our new website: https://www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk/

Tracklist:

Johnny Hammond - Los Conquistadores Chocolates

D.C. LaRue - Cathedrals

Lonnie Liston Smith - Expansions

Pink Floyd - Speak to Me / Breathe

Sandy Bull - Blend II

Chuck Mangione - Land of Make Belief

Ozo - Anambra

LITM Extra - The 1975 Schizo-Culture Conference, pt.1 [excerpt] Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

This is an excerpt from a patrons-only episode of LITM. Become a patron for just £3 at Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod

In this patrons-only episode, Jeremy and Tim begin the first of a mini-series on the 1975 Schizo-Culture Conference, held at Columbia University in NYC and convened by the writer and editor Sylvere Lotringer. Lotringer wanted to bring the ideas of Continental Philosophy to the US, so we hear about the intellectual culture and key thinkers of post-'68 France, including Derrida, Foucault, and Deleuze and Guattari.

Tim and Jeremy consider the position of madness, sanity and freedom to these thinkers, how these ideas influenced the 'schizoanalysis' from which the conference took its name, and how they contrasted with Freudian thoughts and methods of analysis. Plus, free jazz, the Floyd, Bowie and beyond.

Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.

Tracklist:

Mahjun - Nous Ouvrirons Les Casernes
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Ornette Coleman - Free JazzOrnette Coleman - The Circle With A Hole In The Middle
Television - Little Johnny Jewel part 1 & 2

Books:
Michel Foucault - Discipline and Punish
Deleuze & Guattari - Anti-Oedipus
Deleuze & Guattari - A Thousand Plateaus

[UNLOCKED] LITM Extra - Interview with Nicky Siano Mar 23, 2023

Show notes

We've unlocked this patrons-only episode of Love is the Message Extra, on which we welcome the legendary Nicky Siano to the show. Nicky is a central character in the story of the NYC underground party scene and disco, as well as a frequent interviewee for Tim's books.
Nicky discusses his recent book, 'I, DJ: Stonewall to Studio 54', which tells the story of his life behind the decks in New York in the early 70s. We talk about Nicky's early life, how he got his first DJing break, what New York City was like in the 70s, and how he started the Gallery.

Nicky also shares stories about his friends Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan, his work with Alex Rosner on building the perfect sound system, the various early turntablist techniques of his crew of DJs at that time, and his experiences away from the dance floor working with people with HIV/AIDS.

We're very grateful to Nicky for generously giving his time, humour and endless stories. You can read his book in serialised form by visiting Patreon.com/nickysiano.

love lasts forever, glitter - they sweep it up every night...
Produced by Matt Huxley.

Tracklist:
The O'Jays - Love Train

LITM Extra - Night and Day: Early Evening Partying [excerpt] Mar 16, 2023

Show notes

This is an excerpt from a patrons-only episode. To become a patron, head to Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod.
In this patrons-only episode, Jeremy and Tim respond to an article in the New York Times about early evening partying for which Tim was interviewed - and misrepresented!
This precipitates a wider conversation about the history of daytime partying and how partying at night became normalised. Tim and Jeremy recount their experiences of dancing in the day at Lazy Dog and Body and Soul, explore the reasons why throwing an intense daytime party is hard, and make the case for an early bedtime.

Jeremy and Tim also cover the Northern Soul 'weekender', drag balls, rent parties, nascent Acid culture, amphetamines, rave, and - for the first time on the show - the Bee Gees.

Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.

Tracklist:
Wilson Pickett - In The Midnight Hour
The Beatles - Day Tripper
Bohannon - Have A Good Day
Dobie Gray - Out on the Floor
Bee Gees - Night Fever
Eddie Grant - Time Warp

The Gallery Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

In this episode Jeremy and Tim are checking in to Nicky Siano’s downtown spot The Gallery, a legendary party space often uttered in the same breath as the Loft, the Paradise Garage and the Warehouse. Nicky was a highly influential and original DJ who had as much as influence on Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles as David Mancuso. We hear a history of the Gallery, setting it within the complex web of 70s Soho, including the temporary closure of the space and its triumphant reopening. The show covers how party spaces were regulated, the regulatory regimes of dancing more generally across time, and the tension that the requirement to promote oneself as a freelancer DJ put on the emergent ethos of the scene.

Tim and Jeremy also talk about Studio 54, drugs, the role of lighting in a party setting, and the place of women - and especially women DJs - in downtown party culture. Finally, all this is contrasted repeatedly with what David Mancuso was doing simultaneously as his Loft night moved venues.

Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.

Tune in, Turn on, Get Down!

You can get Nicky Siano's book 'I, DJ', serialised, through his Patreon. Visit https://www.patreon.com/nickysiano.

Become a patron from £3pcm at Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod

And check out our new website: https://www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk/

Tracklist:

MFSB - Love is the Message
LaBelle - What Can I Do For You
Grace Jones - That’s the Trouble
Diana Ross - Love Hangover
Silver Convention - Fly Robin Fly
Vicki Sue Robinson - Turn the Beat Around

Books:
Barbara Ehrenreich - Dancing in the Streets
Tim Lawrence - Love Saves the Day

LITM Extra - Interview with Nicky Siano [excerpt] Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

This is a patrons episode. To hear the full thing, become a patron at Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod.

On this patrons-only episode of Love is the Message we are excited to welcome the legendary Nicky Siano onto the show. Nicky is a central character in story of the NYC underground party scene and disco, as well as a frequent interviewee for Tim's books.
Nicky discusses his recent book, 'I, DJ: Stonewall to Studio 54', which tells the story of his life behind the decks in New York in the early 70s. We talk about Nicky's early life, how he got his first DJing break, what New York City was like in the 70s, and how he started the Gallery.

We're very grateful to Nicky for generously giving his time, humour and endless stories. You can read his book in serialised form by visiting Patreon.com/nickysiano.

love lasts forever, glitter - they sweep it up every night...

Tracklist:

The O'Jays - Love Train

10th Floor, 12 West, The Flamingo: Queering the New York Dance Floor pt.4 Feb 23, 2023

Show notes

We conclude our mini-series on the Downtown gay scene by taking a visit to three important parties of mid-70s New York: the 10th Floor, the Flamingo and 12 West. Jeremy and Tim explore the different musics, DJ styles and demographics found in each venue, along with the issues of race, exclusivity, consumer culture and sex that to different extents inform them. Naturally, they also contrast all of these spaces to the Loft, from which they are all drawing in one way or another.

In addition, Tim and Jeremy discuss the seminal novel of this story, Dancer From the Dance, which documents both the joy and the melancholy of this clubbing culture; introduce us to a variety of 'themed nights'; and close the episode by spending a bit of time on the 'trash aestetics' of filmmaker John Waters.

Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.
Tune in, Turn on, Get Down!
Become a patron by visiting Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod
And check out our new website: https://www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk/

Tracklist:
Area Code 615 - Stone Fox Chase
The Glass House - I Can't Be You (You Can't Be Me)
Zulema - Giving Up
The Temptations - Happy People
Melba Moore - Standing Right Here
Dionne Warwick - Take It From Me
The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird

Books and Films:
Andrew Holleran - Dancer From the Dance
Irving Welsh - Trainspotting
Leo Bersani - Is The Rectum a Grave?
Pink Flamingos

LITM Extra - What We're Listening To, Feb '23 [excerpt] Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

This is an excerpt from a patrons-only episode. To become a patron, visit Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod
In this patrons-only bonus episode, Jeremy and Tim have a conversation about what music has been on their turntables recently.
True to form, Jeremy brings psychedelic jazz and ambient selections both modern and classic. The legacy of Alice Coltrane is discussed around two excellent releases from the Spiritmuse label alongside some beguiling flute playing from Tenderlonious.

Tim asks: where have all the live dance bands gone? Answering his own question, he brings a number of high quality Afrobeat cuts from Tokyo to Zurich. The guys discuss the role of live musicianship in a computer age, why were we all getting into cumbia, and close on an end-of-the-night Bobby Womack classic.
This is part of a rough series of more conversational, unplanned episodes reflecting on what's been on our record players recently and what we've been up to that we'll be releasing to patrons to say thank you for your support.
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.

Tracklist:
Surya Botofasina - Sun of Keshava
Tenderlonious - Shahla Bagh
Wau Wau Collectif - Xale (Toubab Dialaw Kids Rhyme)
Konkolo Orchestra - Blue G.
Jaribu Afrobeat Arkestra - Rock Steady
Ed Longo & Applied Arts Ensemble - Love On the Line
Grupo Jejeje - Kumbia de la Rober
Bosq & Kaleta - Ipade
Bobby Womack - Daylight

The Bathhouse: Queering The New York Dance Floor pt.3 Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

Our mini-series on the Downtown gay scene continues in earnest, so grab your towel because we're visiting the iconic Continental Baths. Tim and Jeremy give the history of this seminal space, charting the various forms of bathhouse culture since Antiquity, and exploring the role of promiscuous, anonymous and/or public gay sex through time.

They also discuss 'queerness' as a radical act, heternormativity, the decriminalisation of gay sex and the utopian aspirations for radical changes to ways of living that characterised New York in the early 70s.
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.
Tune in, Turn on, Get Down!
Become a patron at Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod
And check out our new website: https://www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk/

Tracklist:
Bette Midler - Do You Want To Dance?
Bobby Byrd - Hot Pants (I'm Coming, I'm Coming)
The Equals - Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys
The Staple Singers - I'll Take You There

Books:
Guy Hocquenghem - Homosexual Desire
Deleuze and Guattari - Anti-Oedipus

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