APHC: Saturday, January 27, 2001

Disco
Saturday, January 27, 2001
Listen

(GK: Garrison Keillor, TR: Tim Russell, SS: Sue Scott, TK: Tom Keith)

GK: It's coming to public radio in February. A 13-week documentary from the man who brought you the Civil War, baseball, the American West ----now a new Ken Burns documentary entitled "Disco"

(STAYING ALIVE QUOTE, THEN INSTANT TRANSITION TO QUIET FOLK PIANO UNDER….)

TR: This is Ken Burns. The Civil War and baseball and jazz are all part of America, but for me personally, America is about freedom and I never feel so free as when I'm on the dance floor letting go. That's the way I like it.

(THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT QUOTE, THEN QUIET FOLK PIANO)

TR: A metaphor for freedom……for the bright lights of urban America and the idea that every night is special. America is a culture of puritan intellectuals, and in disco there is a synergy of light and sound that is so new and that if we'd had it in 1861 I don't think there would've been a Civil War

(I WILL SURVIVE QUOTE, THEN FOLK PIANO)

TR: I adored the Civil War but it was a major downer and the music that brings me back up is the music of ABBA. I first heard them in 1976 and I thought to myself, "What Lewis & Clark felt when they got to the mouth of the Columbia, I'm feeling right now about their music," I always wanted to be just like Anna or Frida. Sing like them and do their moves

(DANCING QUEEN, THEN FOLK PIANO)

TR: That was ABBA's first No. 1 hit, in 1976, and for me it was like the green light at the end of the dock was to Gatsby, the whole club scene, the idea of tripping, the mirror balls, Donna Summer and Earth Wind & Fire and Kool & The Gang ----My friends were old folkies, the sort of people you wouldn't dare mention the name Barry Manilow to or the Village People and secretly that was the music that resonated for me.

(Y.M.C.A. QUOTE, THEN FOLK PIANO)

TR: Disco stood for rejoicing and freedom but freedom is a fragile thing and disco died out in the Eighties, replaced by the regimentation of Western line dancing, but for me, disco can never die. ---- somewhere there's a dance floor and an incredible DJ and it's 4 a.m., and the music is playing and you go out and lose yourself in the music. And that's why I'm bringing it to public radio. So you can get lost. Okay?

GK: Ken Burns "Disco" coming to public radio in February….

(STAYING ALIVE)