Keep on Dancin': My Life and the Paradise Garage: Amazon.co.uk: Mel Cheren: Books

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Book Description

As one of the innovators of the disco era and founders of the Paradise Garage, Mel Cheren rekindles the dance-till-you-drop days of the late seventies and pays sombre respect to those who have since passed away. Disco, the dark, early days of AIDS, gay liberation, NYC and everything in between is all found in this book.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FASCINATING!!, 15 Aug 2003

By

man06 (uk) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keep on Dancin': My Life and the Paradise Garage (Paperback)

A must-read for any disco/house/garage/MUSIC fan,or any gay man for that matter!
This book is a personal account of the Garage,through the sad times and the (very) happy!It is also an extremely sad account of the devastating effect that AIDS had on 'Gay' New York.
A truly amazing book

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Amazon.com: 4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Life witnessing cultural history unfold, 29 Aug 2003

By Anthony Blasini "cineaste, historian, arbiter... - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Keep on Dancin': My Life and the Paradise Garage (Paperback)

Mr. Cheren's book has brought the much-needed meaning to a period in my life that others had snootily regarded as an insignificant episode in an aberrant 'moment' in our cultural history. As Mel Cheren's book describes it was indeed a glorious albeit decadent time whose carefree spirit came crashing down with the onset of the AIDS epidemic. The decade which ran from mid to late Seventies to the Mid to late Eighties saw the flowering of the seemingly shortlived Disco culture. It sprouted first among the Gays and Blacks and slowly gained popularity and mainstream exposure. The music of those years will live on in our memories and especially in the fond nurture of those that survived it. Throughout much of that memorable time my most vivid recollections hark back to my ultimate favorite hangout and in my mind the best of the dance emporiums: The Paradise Garage. As a participant and "observer" of many Saturday nights there, I often wax nostalgic about it and wish that I could even now go to such a place. That's metaphysically impossible as it is a different time altogether. I try to tell youngsters of the place and how there isn't and has never been anything like it since. I feel like an ancient describing a mythical place, a legendary time. Mr. Cheren's book is a God-send, for in its pages at last is immortalized the place, its members and its zeitgeist.
It is an engaging tale, fondly nostalgic and sometimes tragic. My initial attraction to the book was its depiction of the era that I feel has heretofore not been properly represented. Not only was I enthralled on that account, but I was fascinated by Mr. Cheren's personal life story and his involvement in the popular music industry. It also traces the history of the Rock and Roll era all the way up to the demise of the Disco Era just after the sad swan song of the inimitable Larry Levan's innovative House Music mixes, born there at the Paradise Garage! The story about the owner's ultimately lonely and sad destiny and the treacherous chicanery of those that surrounded him as sycophants and leeches kept me turning the pages (shocked to learn what went on behind the scenes!) I only saw them occasionally and even so as acquaintances of acquaintances. I feel it is the stuff of thrilling screenplays and the intrigues are retold by one who was present and in the mix. As an account of the AIDS epidemic it is a heartwrenching work. I too have sadly lost many of the friends and acquaintances that populated that time in my life. But they're still very much there, very much alive at that place in time and that was reassuring to know. Please have Mr. Cheren know how grateful I am for his work and that the anecdote about the fate of the hanging sign over the King Street entrance with it's fabulous logo brought a tear to my eye.
I hope all who partook of the New York Gay scene, The House Music explosion and the After Hours Dance Club craze of that time treat themselves to this unforgettable revisit to a time they will be reconvinced was indeed more important than they recall.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable timeline of early disco music, 18 Aug 2006

By disco75 "disco75" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Keep on Dancin': My Life and the Paradise Garage (Paperback)

Cheren has written an autobiography and therefore readers looking for a carefully researched or well-polished volume need to adjust their expectations. The book reads like a transcription of a taped interview or reminiscence. It contains all sorts of memories, anecdotes, and reflections from a man who has reason to look back with truly mixed, powerful emotions.

The assertive ego on display here is part and parcel of the story. Cheren's involvement in the record and nightclub industries all but promise self-promotion will be prominent. He deserves some of his self-accolades, I'd say. He did join into the record industry at a time when shifts in lifestyle and musical tastes were emerging. He did shape the signings and releases that forged the genre that would be called disco. He did participate in the nightclub and social world that exploded outwards following the Stonewall transition. He did rally in response to the health crisis that exploded in the 80s. He did survive HIV to tell the tale.

Regardless of authorial shortcomings, this book is invaluable in its first-hand portrayal of the NY gay scene post-Stonewall. It stands as a companion to the other, much-cited document The Dancer From The Dance, which we must remember is fiction. Cheren's autobiography gives the places, players, and events with all the details anyone could hope for. He paints the picture vividly, bringing it all back to those of us who took part and depicting it clearly for those who weren't there.

Even more valuable to me, and what makes me keep referring back to the book time and again, is the timeline of emerging music. Cheren's part in the music industry allows him to discuss early disco releases in authoritative ways that scholars have not been able to. He was there, he can discuss the newness of the music and the responses of the audiences he danced with. He worked alongside many of the notable DJs, remixers, and producers and watched with pride as his chosen musical motif developed throughout the 70s, 80s, and beyond. He is one of the few writers who not only detail the important, magnetic musical releases of the early 70s, but also the pre-disco records of the 60s that dancers had to settle for in the early clubs.

This book has many merits; for me, it is most revered for its musical insights into social dance soundtracks. For fans of real disco, this is a must-have. For people wanting to understand social dancing patterns in the US, it is essential.

› Go to Amazon U.S. to see both reviews 4.5 out of 5 stars

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