PUNK DISCO BOHEMIAN, DISCO and HISTORICAL FICTION

In writing Punk Disco Bohemian, I hoped to reawaken an interest in the varied, rich and transgressive culture, literature and music of the 1970s, when disco took over the bar scene, especially the gay bar scene. 

Disco featured four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines and exciting, sometimes symphonic arrangements (as in the case of Barry White) using electric piano, electric guitar and synthesizers. It spread a carefree and joyously raucous mood across the country that epitomized the gay lifestyle as well as colorful Provincetown, which was a miniature cosmos of the scene in the 70s.

The following excerpt from Punk Disco Bohemian takes place in the Back Room, a prominent, mostly gay male club on Commercial Street, and highlights the music and styles of the era:

"One Saturday night, shortly before New Orleans, Maggie and I ran into one of her exes in the Back Room. Tall, lean Jess with jet curly hair danced with his hips like a female, but his glance fell with equal ease on men and women. One of the owners had ordered champagne on the house for everyone for his birthday. The fireplace snapped, colored lights blinked, and disco balls flashed along the ceiling as guys bopped body-to-body, peeling away tops to show off tans and sexy, perspiring abs. Plastic glasses were hoisted as a mass of bee-stung lips and half-closed eyes made pretend love to songs. Jess, Maggie, and I got into a huddle, encircled by the scent of Maggie's patchouli and Jess's warm body odor, before Jess cracked open poppers and I took a fast elevator ride up and down inside. Why did we even need to go to New Orleans when Mardi Gras was here?

"Dancers getting down to Kool and the Gang's 'Jungle Boogie' modeled diverse and colorful styles. No longer funky or casual, guys now wore wide-flared bell-bottoms, flashy belts, and bright silk shirts and experimented with new moves, agile in platform shoes and clogs on the throbbing, tacky fiberglass floor..."

Punk Disco Bohemian is available through NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/punk-disco-bohemian/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Punk-Disco-Bohemian-Arya-Jenkins/dp/1648903797/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12X2T9B46T9KI&keywords=punk+disco+bohemian+and+arya+f+jenkins&qid=1644621675&sprefix=punk+disco+bohemian+and+arya+f+jenki%2Caps%2C625&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/punk-disco-bohemian-arya-f-jenkins/1140124074?ean=2940165658990

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         (Photo by Karen Schubert)





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