Night clubs, intro clubs and sex clubs – from the ’80s to now!
By Rubin van Niekerk
The eighties saw one of the most divine decades in terms of human bonding with virtually no inhibition. Clubs and parties were pumping almost everywhere with cutting edge technology that did not exist in two equally wild decades previously.
During this period I came of age and being popular on the social circuit in Johannesburg and Cape Town, got around by train with my Yamaha 125 scrambler that travelled as baggage. Being mobile in the big cities was very exciting and I managed to gain access to the hottest gay venues which existed illegally underground. The fact that we were an endangered species in an extremely homophobic country where gay lifestyle “choices “ made it so much more exciting. Male bonding became very strong the more threatened we were legally just as in other countries, but our networks grew strong, and I usually managed to land part time work during my university vacations. In Port Elizabeth I had a part time job at a psychiatric ward during at least one vacation annually over four years.
The danger element flooded our bodies with dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitters sent by our brains providing intense feelings of satisfaction. Serotonin which is like domine creates a long-lasting feeling of happiness and wellbeing no matter that common sense did its best to stop us from entering the danger zone. Ironically, being a teetotaller then who did not take drugs or even smoke cancer sticks, means I could vouch that these powerful neurotransmitters triggered by music and dancing was a natural high. Men only clubs flourished alongside mixed gay clubs that also attracted lesbians and a variety of maybe not so straight adventure seekers who thrived on the thrills at our party places. In South Africa Zipps and Heaven ruled supreme with thousands of shirtless dancing guys and alcohol was on the house to bypass liquor laws. Years later I met Stan Herson the owner of Heaven who told me the fascinating story about all the magical lighting and sound effects in Heaven that could accommodate a thousand people. We saw the introduction of laser lights and Zipps also boasted a leather corner, chill spaces, and a dark room. If you did not own any leather but curiosity drove you to explore the hangout of mean looking guys who tried to emulate characters from “Tom of Finland” you needed to lose your shirt, have a good body and maybe some accessories like a pair of handcuffs. New masters and slaves were in demand, but youngsters usually would have to serve an “apprenticeship” as slaves first. I was never brave enough to find out and usually fled back to the safety of the gyrating shirtless dancers on the floor if I felt vulnerable. Some of these guys were not that dishy! The music, laser shows, and sheer sensuality were intoxicating, never to be matched since and enlightened me with the intensity of male bonding and being true to yourself and your loved ones. I loved classical music and while singing Beethoven’s Chorale Fantaisie with a full orchestra at UPE in a fancy outfit entertaining a starched audience I grinned and thought back of my shirtless days dancing for hours at Zipps to my favourite gay anthems.
Bruce Walker
Before ‘94 clubs were a place of escapism, a place to go to be who you are. No fear of being attacked or arrested for kissing a person of the same sex. The club was a safe place to meet someone. A relaxed fun-filled place where one could meet people and form friendships. One could also see people in real life and not meet their photo-shopped versions. There were no or very few straight men in the club.
Gary van Riet
Patric van Blerk and Charles Coetzee opened Zipps in December 1983. Zipps was the old Ciro’s which existed in the 1940s. It was a beautiful space with a sweeping staircase and the most superb acoustics which meant the music sounded incredible, the best sound system surrounded the wooden dance floor ensuring that dancing to the music was awesome. Good lighting enhanced the experience. The first DJs were Steve Harris and Peter Richie. Paul Crossley then replaced them. When Paul went on holiday, I was supposed to be a fill in around May 1984. However, I was then asked to replace Paul. I literally went from a bedroom DJ to DJing in the hottest gay club in Johannesburg.
Due to the reputation of gay clubs playing the best music in town, I honoured this tradition by making sure I sourced the tracks every other DJ and clubber wanted. This alone was a full-time job, from going to every record shop in Johannesburg, to going to all the record companies in the search of white labels which is the holy grail of all DJs. It was then I was asked to do the High Energy Double Dance series. I basically took the best floor fillers I played at Zipps and placed them on a compilation. This blew up and the whole of South Africa was getting down to the gay sound of High Energy. The series ended up selling over a million units. Amazing that a small gay club in Johannesburg could have such an impact on South Africa.
I’m sure very few straights would know that they were dancing to the biggest gayest hits played at Zipps. People like Steven Cohen, Lukas from Via Afrika and David Penny were regulars like many others who had a far-reaching impact on South Africa and the world. Paul Crossley personally thanked me for replacing him, as had that not happened, he would not have formed People Like Us who had many international hits, many of them first played at Zipps. Even Divine performed at Zipps as well as Café Society. It was also in 1985 that I was asked to do the Eurobeat series which also blew up. I used the same strategy by placing the Zipps big floor hits on Eurobeat. All that a DJ is, in my opinion, is the conduit between the people on the dance floor and the people who make it. For without either, the DJ has nothing. Zipps then closed and was bought by Shane Leith who renamed it Zanzibar. It was there that I played the first house record in South Africa. House replaced the High Energy sound, but House was still rooted in gay culture as House, at that time, was being made by the gay community in Chicago USA. I then took myself off to Europe to learn the craft of sound engineering and music production. On returning in 1990 Zanzibar was now Mrs Henderson’s with Stuart Hillary on the decks.
The Zipps dance floor was the training ground for me to see what works on the floor. I still use that base today in my productions. In a way it gave me my career as it made me want to do more than just DJ. I wanted to learn how to get that sound that was so magnificent on all the records I played there, and to learn about how to produce these magnificent records. To me, Zipps was never about the sex and drugs so connected to club culture, it was about the music. That’s all and nothing more.
I learnt early in my career that to last in this business I had to be together and steer my ship. I had my own drug and alcohol issues that I overcame to deliver the best product I could make. I am so grateful to Zipps as it was my launch pad to finding my passion and I know that Zipps did that for many many people. Zipps influenced so much, and it still influences to this day in quiet and deep ways. The power of gay dance floor culture is yet to be fully understood which in a way is a good thing as there is still so much to find out about what really happens on gay dance floor around the world. On a superficial level it’s about dancing and just having fun. But what is behind all of that is a question few ask.
Stuart Hillary
I never got to see the legendary Zipps. I was a “chicken” still in Matric, when I hit the scene properly in ‘88. Instantly popular and due to my edible bubble butt was always fast tracked to the front of the queue by Bruce Walker. The impact of Mrs Hendersons (the follow-on club at the same venue as Zipps) was literally life changing. Soon as barman, I was making a small fortune, took my first LSD, assisting me in how I defined and selected the people in my life and the music I wanted to share, dropped out of my marketing degree, and literally had 32 years of blurred partially documented but supremely enjoyable fun DJing and promoting various events around the world since. It honestly was the start of my personal life THERAPY.
Men only saunas and steam baths like Le Bain and London’s Health Club were also extremely popular, but then Aunty Aida struck in the eighties and decimated gay men globally but especially in San Francisco.
Suddenly it changed the social dynamics in the gay community almost overnight and people who travelled a lot internationally were considered a high-risk group, but it was too late as HIV/AIDS was everywhere and affected everyone and almost overnight people changed their lifestyle from one night stands to seeking relationships with white picket fences. I think everybody knew someone who lost a friend, relative or partner in this true epidemic that made Covid look like a stroll in the park. Aids still affects millions of people in South Africa irrespective of improved medication.
I became a serial monogamist and in January 1992 I founded Africa’s first gay business association with five members which we named rather tongue in cheek “The Family Business”. It was still illegal to be gay, but we were very open which generated extensive news coverage which made us the target of many homophobes who did want to share the planet with us. The association decided from word go to host gatherings and shows and we spent a few years doing spectacular fancy dress shows at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre. The group desperately wanted to network and at the same time hoped to meet Mr right, but we failed to convince any of the well-established intro clubs to join, which left us with no alternative, but to start our own. As a non-profit organisation, all the members received free memberships from the newly established BOYZ introduction club with the rather ambitious slogan, “For a Match made in Heaven”.
Being amidst the AIDS epidemic certainly inspired new life into a white picket fence fantasy shared with a confidant, friend and lover for a much longer haul than a one-night stand. Naturally motivation can be a wonderful guarantee of success and many Boyz members got hitched pretty soon, as our timing was right, and we were all referring best friends and even ex-lovers to join. It felt weird to introduce my own ex to his new partner at the time, but twenty-eight years later they are still together, and we have all progressed to a solid four-man friendship across continents. The emotional reward of helping someone in their quest for love was enormously addictive even without remuneration and drove the club forward for twenty-five years before I realised, I had to quit as my daily workload was way taking its toll. Most people who joined had tried various options from matchmaking friends to social media, where the misrepresentation factor was high. I would see every new member face to face and spend about an hour with them listening to their wishes and fears. Primarily both parties feared control, manipulation and financial abuse or dependence.
After a few years I realised that people fell mostly into two categories, namely hunters and cocoonists. Hunters could become cocoonists if they meet the right guy they trust, but cocoonists usually were serial monogamists who hated being single or hanging out at clubs or cruising the Internet. Over time statistical successes and failures confirmed this basic logic. The most important factor was their coming out age, which if it exceeded thirty-five, they appeared to really miss not having had teenage romances. Consequently, they usually preferred much younger guys where the bigger age gaps increased the likelihood of shorter relationships. Guys who came out young were more likely to date in a smaller age range to their own and had much more in common, therefore stuck it out longer or indefinitely. This insight was also strange to share with guys much older and wiser than myself. Another interesting factor was that so many professionals liked to box their emotions and expectations which proved another hurdle in finding a good match as much as they appeared to be a good catch in many respects.
My best success range lied with people who came out in their teens or twenties and aged somewhere between twenty-five and sixty. Oh, and smokers were unpopular. The theory that opposites attract showed little success, so people searched for people who were more like themselves except when it came to body hair, where hairy guys often liked smooth guys and vice versa.
Creatively minded entrepreneurs and artistically minded guys generally enjoyed a healthy success rate as they were less likely to demand predicting exact outcomes. Sadly, we now operate in an era when finding a long term partner is complex as the old fashioned dating concept has lost popularity in the rush to the finishing line.
Growing old alone is not for sissies and I highly recommend that you explore your options and choices well. Good old platonic friendships are important and well worth the maintenance. Moving far away from familiar territory if you are older and are planning retirement can be very challenging as people are less likely to make friends with grumpy old guys full of aches and pains. Bear in mind that even if you have been happily involved for decades death usually separates partners at different times which is a massive shock emotionally and financially.
Live every stage of your life with joy so that you will never forget the greatness of your life and the vibrance of clubbing, parties, and love. Living with friends and people that you care about is infinitely better than some old age home where you are usually forced back into the closet. Planning is important and the sooner you start the better you become empowered.
Source: Gay Pages Edition 3 of 4, 2023
