Through the 70s, gay men championed the uniform of the working class -- t-shirts and denim -- as fashion aesthetic. In part because they were affordable, and in part because it projected an appealing hypermasculinity associated with the working class. Gays in the post-Stonewall era were consciously rebelling against the effete stereotypes associated with the manicured, sweater-wearing, tea-drinking gays of the Fire Island set. Real men wore t-shirts and drank beer. Gay men still had afternoon/early evening dances -- usually on Sundays, in order to make the most of one's weekend while still being able to get up for Monday morning's work.

The downtown gays rejected the term tea dance as being too effete and opted for the supposedly butcher t-dance, and promoted "t-shirts and denim" as the costume of choice. By the mid 70s, the "Christopher Street Clone" look (short cropped hair, mustache, plaid shirt over a tight white t-shirt, faded denim jeans that showed off your ass) had made the trans-continental trip from New York City to Los Angeles (gays in Hollywood) and, of course, to San Francisco (follow the Yellow Brick Road and it leads to Castro). It brought with it the t-dance phenomenon, which survives to this day with events like Gus Bean's long-running "Mass", held monthly on Sunday afternoons in San Francisco.(www.clock.org)

Gay tea dances are also a prevalent featured event at circuit party festivals, where they are usually held outdoors and typically precede the indoor Sunday night 'closing party' of the festival. Gay tea dances have also become a major featured entertainment component on-board many gay-oriented cruises. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_dance)

TEA DANCE TRIBUTE     (t-dance, tea dance, t dance)       [Not Mixed]

Hope's Matters - Please (OceanFunk Version)

Priceless disco era jam! Brainstorm in the house.

Loving Is Really My Game / Brainstorm


MY EDIT OF A STONE COLD PARTY ANTHEM
PLAYED THIS AT THE FIRST PARADISE LOST NIGHT I RUN AND IT TOTALLY WENT OFF.


SCOTT

VERNON BURCH - GET UP (SCOTT M PARTY ANTHEM EDIT)

It's Freestyle tonight with resident DJ Sam Redmore playing the full five hours. Get yourself in the mood with a masterful reworking by Dimitro From Paris of Sylvester's disco classic, "I Need You".

Sylvester - I Need You (Dim's Maxi Disco Blend)

Artists: Jeff Glick, Suzi Lane, Giorgio Moroder
Genre: Hi-NRG
Giorgio Moroder on Facebook: http://goo.gl/q5IX2

TEA DANCE TRIBUTE (t-dance, tea dance, t dance) [Not Mixed]

Ted Rust