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joemuggs · 5 years

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PERCEPTION OF DOORS

Was reminded by a conversation yesterday about the art of the club door person, and dug this out, which I wrote for the Amsterdam Dance Event annual back in 2014.

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If you want a clear view of how clubland operates, why not ask its guardians? The men and women who stand at the doors – whether to take money, pick and choose who gets in, or act as enforcers of rules – are the first and last people clubbers will see in their night out, and are uniquely placed to assess what makes the clubbers themselves tick. They are the interface between club, clubber and promoter, and able to provide a (more-or-less) sober overview of what goes on. But frequently, too, they are the filter: they are the one person more than anyone whom by their choices, defines the nature of the crowd on a given night. As such, they are not just list-tickers, cash-till operators or hired muscle, but are a vital cog in the club's cultural machine, a part of the club's personality. And plenty of them are as big a music lovers as the promoters or DJs too. So from London to New York, Glasgow to Pretoria to L.A., we present the past, present and future of these essential sentinels and unsung heroes of the night.

BIG FRANK

Big Frank, aka Faafaga Samuelu, is a true Los Angeles legend. The imposing Samoan-American was a school friend of underground hip hop DJ/producer Kevin “Daddy Kev” Moo, and they threw parties together from Junior High onwards (“I was the muscle, he was the brain,” laughs Frank; “a perfect combination”). But Frank was also a hardcore gangbanger in his late 1980s / early 90s adolescence: “I remember him showing me a sawed-off shotgun in 8th grade while we were riding the bus to school,” says Kev, nonchalantly. Frank served serious jail time in the late 90s, but when he came out, Kev was there, happy to team up again.

Kev founded the legendary Low End Theory – hub of the psychedelic, electronic “L.A. beat scene” that spawned artists like Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer and co – in 2006, but by 2011 it had become so popular, hosting the likes of Thom York and Erykah Badu, that their host venue's bouncers were shaking down clubbers for bribes to get in. This was the moment when Frank's demeanour, reputation and willingness to turn up with an AR-15 assault rifle came into their own, and perhaps unsurprisingly the previous security stepped aside without any trouble to make way for him to take over on LET's Wednesday nights.

Since then, LET's reputation as a friendly spot has only grown. “Being the familiar face of the club,” says Frank, “is great fun and oftentimes just lots of funny. And if you're coming to us, you'll be more comfortable if you feel like you know the guy at the door – and a cool farewell at the end of the night helps as well!” Now in his 40s, he is happy to be a cool head, mainly in the background: “I have different reasons for being in the scene still,” he says; “What's still there is the love for music, but now my desire to be in the crowd is gone. The times of getting fucked up and bumping rap at a back yard party is long gone. What makes me happy, though, is the presence of the forty-somethings and even older folks that attend our club. It helps me feel like our push to progress the music is appreciated. As if all this time in the scene produced something that my generation can be proud of – not just slangin' and gang bangin'.”

In South Africa, house music means more to people than almost anywhere else on earth. And Tebogo “JR” Modiba knows this more than most – his laid-back House 22 parties in Pretoria are an oasis of sophistication and unity in a society still riven with violence and harsh divisions. He ended up working the door there by default: “House 22 started an purely by-invite-only underground deep house joint,” he explains; “so as the founder, I had to work the door in order to overlook the invitations myself. Over time, we have opened up to the general public, but we still keep a close eye on disruptive elements who might not understand and appreciate the underground deep house culture.”

Like all the best doormen, though, he's not just there to filter people out. “The door is the most important part of the business,” he insists. “That's where punters, especially first timers, should start experiencing what the atmosphere of the club is like. All of that depends on how the doorman welcomes them and treat them.” In fact, his biggest problems are cops (“those fellas have serious anger issues, especially when they see people having fun while they are working – and they're the biggest tax collectors too, [taking money] to allow you to operate without interrupting your business with constant inspections, or to protect your patrons from being harassed”) and the weather. One time the mainly-outdoor House 22 venue was hit by tennis ball-sized hailstones, causing a near stampede for cover, which JR was able to only just keep from becoming mass panic.

All his efforts lead to a club where passion for music rules – and so it should, when JR's own love for house still drives everything. At the drop of a hat, he will reel off favourite DJs' names– Vinny Da Vinci, Christos, Glen Lewis, Jimpster, Atjazz, Ralf Gum, Andre Lodemann, Andy Compton & The Rurals, Lars Behrenroth, and Louie Vega – and those of beloved festivals that inspire him like Sónar, ADE and Southport Weekender. And you just know there's no bullshit when he says: “I don't think I am ready to live without my house music, the club life and the people I have met and we became one house music family. Not any time soon.”

JAY CLOTH

London gay scene institution Duckie is more than just a club – as “Purveyors of Progressive Working Class Entertainment”, its team have created a multi-headed beast with art events, talks and exhibitions worldwide. But Duckie's soul resides in its bacchanals every Saturday night at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, still presided over by the same team that founded it 19 years ago: producer Simon Casson, radically eclectic DJ duo The London Readers Wifes, compere Amy Lamé and “box office artistes” Father Cloth and Jay Cloth. Jay is extraordinarily proud to be on the door - “Duckie is unlike any other London Club and IS gay culture to me,” he says, though cites inspiration from a motley lineage of misfit clubs past like The Bell, Marvellous, Daisy Chain, Lippy and anything involving cabaret monster David Hoyle (née The Divine David).

“I am very proud that Duckie is a very friendly club,” says Jay, “and the team of 'Cloths' that work the door set the tone by being as welcoming as possible to all.” As anyone who's been to the club knows, though, they may be welcoming, but you have to step up to the mark and contribute to the wild energy. Jay will turn away “stag and hen parties, anyone too obviously drunk, too obviously high, anyone rude, anyone wearing fur” and only welcome celebrity guests “as long as they are willing to pay the same as everyone else – we are very egalitarian.” “What makes me really happy,” he says, “is when the mix of people is so extreme I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on earth.” His only fear is that “around 1am some nights when the Wifes announce they are about to play their favourite record of all time, I worry the floor might give in!”

ANGELO FABARA

Anyone who thinks that garish clubwear and superstar DJ culture started with EDM should look back to early 90s New York – which truly was the best of times, and the worst of times. Clubbing was a performance then, with the self-proclaimed Club Kids creating atmospheres so decadent and sights so eye-popping that it could feel like the last days of Rome. The Limelight was the heart of all of this, and bringing some kind of order to the chaos was Angelo Fabara. Angelo was an out-of-towner, drawn as a teenager to NYC's clubs like moth to flame by the “idea of community foremost, but then the escapism it offers to young people to safely experiment with.”

He was soon part of that community. In high school he went to the Limelight every weekend, but after getting into NYU, this quickly switched to going nightly. As a face on the scene, he says, “eventually was asked to promote some nights which led to my being hired as a junior door / guestlist person under the guidance of the more veteran door people at the Limelight. I worked there for about a year and a half after which I worked at Twilo for another year at the height of rave / club music coming to NYC.” New York can be a scary city, and Angelo had to learn fast how to turn away the crazies who might later follow or lay in wait for someone who had offended them: “I worked out I needed to give them a bigger reason they couldn't come in,” he says, “like 'the venue's at capacity', rather than quipping slights at their character which I may have done when I first started.”

As a doorman, though, he didn't just have to keep the badasses out: he had to help create atmosphere. “I let in anyone I knew was a great dancer,” he says, “or had a great look: people who made the dancefloor flourish or were nice eye candy. You also had to educate people who came to the clubs to make an effort because everyone else was taking the time to look impeccably chic or coming up with a look that just added to the design and visual language of the scene at that time. If you were a suit, I wouldn't let you in, if you came as a group of guys I wouldn't let you in, if you didn't look the part you would have a harder time at the door. Much later in life, I compare it to Walt Disney who always started his stories off by making his characters literally step through a door into a fantasy world, transported to another place. I wanted to be that person that showed you through that door.”

The scene famously turned bad. “A lot of people died from drugs,” recalls Angelo sadly. “Heroin became big in the 90s, and Michael Alig murdered his club kid friend Angel, which ended the reign of Peter Gatien's clubs like USA, Palladium, Limelight, Tunnel which were the best clubs in NYC history, places with a creativity you just don't see nowadays.” Angelo stepped away from the scene, moving into culture reporting with Microsoft's 'Sidewalk' site – but he never lost his love for what had first inspired him as a kid. “I still think about how easily I made friends on the dancefloor and how so many of us are still friends today 22 years later.”

BOB WONG

Glasgow is one of the most beloved, yet notorious, clubbing centres of the world, known for the utter lunacy, in both the good and bad senses, of its crowds. So it's nice to know that its scene has a calm centre in the affable and unflappable Bob Wong, the head of security (“I prefer 'doorman' or 'steward' but that confuses people, so I usually end up saying 'bouncer',” he laughs) at the Glasgow School Of Art – a venue that has hosted everything from the most manaical techno to the heaviest dub to avant garde noise events.

Bob is a true lover of and participant in Glasgow's underground scene – indeed, in researching this article, his was the first name mentioned by every Glaswegian we spoke to. “Scots know how to party!” he says simply as explanation of why he loves the scene. “You can't beat seeing likeminded people – people of all ages, race, colour, sexuality, social background etc etc etc – switch off from their daily grind of the working week and completely lose themselves, intoxicated with their poison of choice, in the music they love and really go for it on the dancefloor.”

This no-nonsense attitude and affection for the crowds runs through everything he does. “I, and the rest of my team are there to ensure the punters have a great night, and more importantly a safe one: safe from themselves and each other when they inevitably get carried away.” And to do this he insists on a friendly culture: “I hated working with macho 'bouncers',” he continues, “who could only brag about how many fights they'd won or how many girls they've slept with – so when I finally became head steward, I made a point of having only people with a similar mindset to mine on the team, and it makes a difference to everyone.”

Has he ever been scared, surrounded by punters when they “inevitably get carried away”? “You're probably expecting a mad story here,” he smiles, “about some kinda riot or a scenario where I've been stabbed or shot at – but no... if I ever get into a situation where I'm in a fight where my life is being seriously threatened then I can honestly say I'll have failed at my job. My scariest moments have to be the occasions where drunken punters have thought it was a great idea to slide down the banister of the stairs from the cloakroom on the top floor of the Artschool – a 4 level building – and have fallen over the edge and down between the flights of stairs... Thankfully no-one ever fell past the next floor but, all the same, hearing the thud and seeing them hit the floor you automatically assume the worst when they go limp and unresponsive! Thankfully and surprisingly there have never been any fatalities in my time (don't jinx it Bob haha!), just a few fractured vertebrae...”

#clubs #doorpersons #los angeles #new york #club kids #glasgow #ravers #low end theory #gay clubs #hip hop #johannesburg #house music

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g-on-ef · 7 years

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If it's ok, could I ask for a JonDami marriage proposal?

Of course it’s okay love ^^

Jon deserved the best, he was nothing but puresunshine, with a smile that can turn the grey skies to blue; he was an angelsent from the heavens to bless this world with his kind heart and gentle soul.

Which is why Damian Wayne was having trouble findingways to ask Jon the most important question in his life.

“Jon, you are the most important person in my life,yes even more important than my father so I have to ask will you do me thehonors of marrying me?”

“Meow,” Alfred the Cat said as he licked Damian’s nose.

“Woof,” Titus responded with a ‘moo,’ from Batcow.

“UGH! I know, I know that was the stupidest thing I’veever said! More important than my father? What kind of idiocy was that? Why notadd my mother to that list as well? Seriously I’m asking Jonathan Kent, love ofmy life to marry me and I make it about my father? What the hell is wrong withme?!”

“You want that list alphabetically orchronologically?”

Damian was startled by the voice that he let out ascream-he will forever deny it sounded like a small child’s-and turned to seehis brothers leaning against the rails of the batcave.

“What the bloody hell are you guys doing here?”

“You’ve been down here a while, Alfred was beginning tothink you fell asleep down here,” Dick answered him.

“Andyour boyfriend keeps calling us wanting to know if you’re alive and that you’retaking care of yourself,” Jason replied.

Damianblushed red at the mention of Jon calling his family to check up on him. Hisbeloved was always worrying about him finding ways to check up on him andmaking sure that he is properly taken care of.

“So,are you gonna call him or do we have to pass the message that you’re ignoringhis calls because you’re planning ask him the biggest question of his life?”Tim asked trying hard not to laugh at Damian’s reaction.

Damian’slight pink face turn into a scarlet red before he picked up Alfred and told Titusto follow him while he ordered Batcow to stay were he’s at before he headed upthe stairs ignoring his brothers teasing.

“Ifit makes you feel better baby bat I thought that was the sweetest thing you’veever said!” Jason called out, making Damian walk faster than he’s ever walk inhis entire life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Damianarrived home after a long and painful talk from his mother. After biddingfarewell to his father, grandfather, and idiotic brothers he headed to hismother’s house to have a talk with her.

Whenhe told his mother about his plans to marry Jon she was…ecstatic, hell thewoman was already planning on making a clone baby from his DNA and Jon’s,Damian had to tell her twenty times that he had to propose first.

Shesaid there was no one better to be his husband than the son of Super-Man, andno deserved his heart more than him. While he was happy for his mother’sapproval her ideas of a proposal were a little hectic.

Hewas not going to kill Luthor as well as all of Jon’s suitors and have theirheads implanted on a pole for him to see that he was worthy of Jon’s affectionsand no one else’s.

Aftercountless arguments Talia finally agreed to back off after, he agreed to showher the ring.

Hereyes gleam in happiness as she nodded her head in approval at the ring.

Asimple, yet elegant ringthat was worthy of Jonathan Kent. Talia could see that her boy put a lot ofthought into this ring, from the smallest detail to the engravement on theinside.

“YourSmile Will Always Be A Part Mine,”

Damian had to do everything to make sure thatshe didn’t cry, hell he already had to calm his father down when he asked himto walk him down the aisle when he asked Jon to marry him.

“Mother please don’t cry, if you do peoplewill think we are capable of doing it,” he used the same words on his fatherwhich calmed him down, his mother…not so much as she broke down and cried.

It took Damian half an hour to stop her fromcrying which is why he arrived so late at home.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed Alfred andgot out of the car, he opened the door for Titus to be free as he took bothpets to the house that he and Jon were currently living.

Opening the door Damian released Alfred whowondered off while Titus headed to where Kyrpto was.

“Jon, Beloved, where are you?”

“Kitchen,” Damian walked over to the kitchenand saw his Jon cooking dinner, smiling at the beautiful angel he walked overto him and wrapped his arms around his waist, he then placed a kiss on hischeek making the boy giggle as he leaned into his touch.

“Hello my Love, how are you?” he asked as heturned his attention back to the food.

“All is well Beloved, I went to visit Mother,”

“How did that go? How is Talia?”

“She is doing well, in fact she wishes tospeak to you soon,”

“Okay, I’ve miss talking to her,”

It warmed Damian’s heart that Jon and hismother got along exceptionally well, the two surprisingly had a lot in common especiallywhen it came to appreciating the simple things in life.

“So, I made some sweet potato quesadillas,something simple since I am pretty sure you ate when you went to visit bothyour father and mother,”

Damian just smiled sheepish at his beloved’sstatement.

“And some of Ma’s blueberry pie,”

“Thank you beloved,”

Jon placed the plate in front of him and satdown next to him, the two ate silently, enjoying each other’s presence.

Damian stared at Jon, the man who loved himfor him. Saw him at his weakest moments and became the strength he needed. Sawhim break into shattered pieces only to have Jon slowly put him back togetherand cherishing ever part of Damian that he hated. Saved him from diving deepinto the darkest pit of his mind and help him find his way back into the light.Knew his doubts and the dangerous thoughts that plague his mind and Jon alwaysfound a way to silence his demons and released the chains that had held him toa past he believed he could never escape.

Jon knew everything about him, saw somethinginside him that knew deserved to be loved and cared for, and not once did heever leave Damian, even when Damian told him he’d be better off without him Jonshowed him he wasn’t going anywhere and he loved him to much to let him.

Jon loved Damian, and Damian will forever loveJon.

Damian reached for Jon’s hand and gave it asqueezed, one Jon was happy to return.

“I love you,” Damian whispered.

Jon smiled.

“I love you too,”

Damian lean forward and kissed him softly, akiss that expressed his love, his desire, and how much he appreciated Jon, hepulled back to see his beloved in a daze and eyes shining so bright it warmedDamian’s heart.

“I’m not good with words, you know that betterthan anyone hell you probably figured it out after our first meeting. Whether itwas me saying the wrong thing at the wrong time or me refusing to speak how Ifelt I was always afraid to share my thoughts and feelings. But then, you camealong. This bright ball of sunshine that came out of nowhere and you…youchanged me Jonathan Kent, for the better. All the little things you did for me;making sure I got enough rest to function properly, made sure I ate something,or helping me out of situations I couldn’t get myself out of you were there forme to make sure I was okay both physically and emotionally.

I know that I loved you since the first dateand I will continue to love you till my dying breath maybe even after that. Your fire to my soul, bringingwarmth and love to it when it believed it was unworthy of such trivial things.I use to hate you, thought you were an idiot but then we got to know each otherand see there was more to each other than we thought, now…now I see that youand me, really could grow old, andI promise you Jonathan Kent that I will treat you right so I ask,”

Damiangot down on one knee and whipped the tears that were falling from his beloved’seyes before he pulled out the ring.

“Yoursmile was and always will be a part of mine so I have to ask, Jonathan Kent,will you make me the happiest man on the planet and marry me?”

Jonsmiled before he wrapped his arms around Damian and kissed him all over hisface making the youngest Wayne laugh. As he pulled back he nodded his head at arapid pace.

“Yesmy love, yes, yes! A thousand times yes!”

Damiansmiled as he slipped the ring into Jon’s right ring finger.

“Happy to hear that,” Damian said as hekissed Jon’s hand and then in a totally out of character moment jumped up andshouted,

“I’m getting married!”

Jon laughed at his fiancé’s excitement and atboth his father and brothers shouting what at hearing Damian’s news. No doubtthey’re gonna be hearing from them soon.

#damijon prompts #damijon #damian wayne #jonathan kent #jon kent #writing prompts #prompts #proposal au #super sons #answers asked #writing #my writing #fic let

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biteblue81-blog · 5 years

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Goodbye Mochi Elliott

This post is dedicated to Mochi Elliott, beloved family member who passed away at 2:52am Tuesday 19th February, 2019.

Dearest Mochi,

It's mummy here. And for once, I am lost for words. Two years ago, you were the most gentle soul to come into our lives. You were my first dog so I asked your daddy all sorts of questions about you. "Can Mochi defend herself? Can she fight if another dog or a person attacks her?"

I had heard dogs were strong but he shook his head. "She couldn't hurt a fly," he said. Then from that day onwards I vowed to protect you. Little did I know that you have made the same vow to protect me. Whenever anyone or another dog approached me that you didn't like, you warned me. You were the tiniest, fluffiest most adorable guard dog in the world. I slumbered better every night because you slept beside me.

I am still confused about what happened on Monday night. One minute you were lying on your blanket next to me in bed. I called your daddy over because I saw that you wasn't able to get comfortable and wouldn't rest easy which was unusual because you always sleep so soundly. Something just didn't feel right.

Then you started panting heavily and suddenly your legs wouldn't hold you up. You still looked at me with the calm, trusting, inquisitive look as you always did but we knew something was very wrong and took you straight to the emergency vet. I thought that you might have paralysis and we would get you wheels like the doggy we saw at Clovelly beach on Sunday. Remember that day?

But you had hemangiosarcoma tumours in your liver and spleen and the doctors wouldn't operate on that. I keep thinking what we could have done, could we have seen this growth? They were just tiny dots in the ultrasound done three months ago. But what if? What if? Why? Why?

Even as your vitals dipped and you should have slipped into a twilight, when we came in you raised your head excited to see us and greet us with that sweet pink nosed face and bright, inquisitive eyes. "But she's ok! Look at her!!" I said to the vets and nurses who gave me a sympathetic smile before looking away.

I still wasn't ready to let you go.

I had silly dreams - of taking you on planes and holidaying around the world with you. You had had 8 years of a rotten life before us and I wanted to give you 8 years of a joyful existence with plenty of Peking Duck and chicken. You taught me so much, especially to never give up. If you fell or stumbled, you just tried again.

Everyone that met you remarked on what an extraordinary dog you were. Calm, observant, patient and just about the sweetest thing under the sun. We were lucky to get just 2 years with you. I wish we had had you your whole life.

Reluctantly, with great big heaving sobs we made the decision to let you go when your breathing was too ragged.

I think you found my singing soothing so I sang, "You are my Sunshine". Did you hear me when I told you how much I loved you? I know you could understand me when I talked to you. You passed in my arms in a matter of seconds.

Even after you passed you looked like you were still there, your black button eyes shining bright. Below is one of my favourite photos of you as I loved your floppy ears and button eyes. To me your face says, "Where will we go on our next adventure mummy?".

Even thought everything in me feels broken I'm still grateful. So grateful to have your gentle little soul in my life. Grateful I wasn’t travelling when this happened and grateful that I got to say goodbye to you and tell you that I loved you so much. I've never seen your daddy cry ever but he hasn't been able to stop.

For now this small apartment is shaking, wracked by the sobs of two people that loved you so much Mochi. The sky is grey, the curtains are drawn and it feels like my heart will never feel whole again. You were the best doggy I could have ever dreamt up and I was so lucky to have met you. I love you Miss Moo.

Mummy

xxx

Source: https://www.notquitenigella.com/2019/02/20/mochi-elliott-farewell/

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