QUEER NIGHTSPOTS and the SOUNDING of UTOPIA Aldwyn
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QUEER NIGHTSPOTS AND THE SOUNDING OF UTOPIA Aldwyn Hogg Jr A thesis submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Music. Chapel Hill 2019 Approved by: Mark Katz Chérie Ndaliko Michael Figueroa © 2019 Aldwyn Hogg Jr ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Aldwyn Hogg Jr: Queer Nightspots and the Sounding of Utopia (Under the direction of Mark Katz) I argue in this thesis that music and sound act upon queer patrons in nightspots (primarily clubs and bars) in ways that generate moments of what Jill Dolan calls utopian performatives. In this thesis I interweave theory with ethnographic fieldwork I conducted in local queer nightspots in Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina, and interviews with local DJs and individuals who frequent these spaces. This thesis illuminates the merits that the utopian performative has for the broader field of ethnomusicology, and proposes a new, sonic way of thinking of these moments. In my conclusion, I gesture towards some of the political implications of this sonic utopian thinking about queerness in contemporary society. Several years after the horrific shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016, imagining better futures for queer folk remains as vital as ever. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend deep thanks to my advisor, Dr. Mark Katz for his inimitable humor, wit, and erudition. Working with him on this project was a both a pleasure and a highly edifying and instructive exercise in the arts of academic writing and mentorship. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Chérie Ndaliko and Dr. Michael Figueroa for their affirming and constructive feedback. Special thanks goes to my interlocutors—the DJs and nightspot patrons that I interviewed as part of my ethnography—for being willing to dive deeply into their own understandings and experiences of music and queer nightspots. And last but not least— and in fact, probably the biggest thanks of all goes to the innumerable unnamed nightspot patrons, Uber, Lyft, and taxi drivers, club goers, DJs, bartenders, go-go dancers, drag queens, club promoters, and bouncers, that have all populated and enriched the various nightspots in which I have found myself over the years. These are very special spaces; and they would not exist or function without the continued passion and investment from all the aforementioned groups of people. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 Theories in the Mind ....................................................................................................................5 Theories in the Flesh ....................................................................................................................6 “Do You Have Your I.D.?” ........................................................................................................11 “Heading Out:” Queers, Clubs, Spots ........................................................................................12 CHAPTER 2: “WHERE’RE WE GOING TONIGHT?” – FIELD SITES ...................................14 Legends Nightclub Complex ......................................................................................................15 The Bar .......................................................................................................................................21 The Pinhook ...............................................................................................................................23 Ruby Deluxe ...............................................................................................................................25 CHAPTER 3: “FEELING IT!” – THE UTOPIAN PERFORMATIVE ........................................26 The DJ and the Crowd ................................................................................................................28 Soundscape as Performance .......................................................................................................36 CHAPTER 4: “THIS IS MY SONG!” – SONIC COMMUNITAS ..............................................38 Sonic Communitas .....................................................................................................................43 The Sonic Utopian Performative ................................................................................................47 v How Do You Dance as a (Queer) Body Without Organs? ........................................................48 CHAPTER 5: SOUDING COMMUNITAS; SOUNDING UTOPIA ...........................................56 28 March 2018 ...........................................................................................................................56 2 March 2019 .............................................................................................................................59 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION – “A QUEER HOPE” ..................................................................63 APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW TEMPLATE FOR DJS ..................................................................66 APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW AND QUESTIONNAIRE TEMPLATE FOR NIGHTSPOT PATRONS .....................................................................................................................................67 APPENDIX 3: NIGHTSPOT PLAYLISTS ..................................................................................68 APPENDIX 4: NIGHTSPOT PATRONS’ PLAYLISTS ..............................................................69 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................................................71 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 – The Logo of Legends Nightclub Complex ................................................................16 Figure 1.2 – Floor-layout of Legends Nightclub Complex............................................................17 Figure 1.3 – Digital display outside of Spotlight Theater ..............................................................19 Figure 1.4 – Drag-show in Spotlight Theater, Performer’s Face Obscured ..................................20 Figure 1.5 – Logo of the Bar, Durham...........................................................................................22 Figure 1.6 – DJ Pedestal in the Bar................................................................................................22 Figure 1.7 – Logo for the Pinhook .................................................................................................24 Figure 1.8 – Logo for Ruby Deluxe ...............................................................................................26 vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION A drag queen hurriedly pushes her way past my friend and I as she rushes to the stage in Club Lavish in London, Ontario.1 Having gotten caught up in a ribald conversation at the bar with a gaggle of admiring fans, she is late to her performance—a fact that the blaring voice of the emcee on the loudspeaker makes noisily apparent. As she carves her way through the sweaty writhing mass of people on the dancefloor, my friend and I cease our private dance and attempt to follow her to get closer to the stage. The crowd tonight is markedly larger and more animated than the one that the club usually attracts on a Friday night. But while this is exciting for me, a frequent and familiar club patron, it is intimidating for my friend; this is his first time at both a queer club and at a drag show. As the drag queen finally manages to reach the stage—an elevated platform upon which the DJ’s booth sits in the center like a throne—the music fades to silence. And over the raucous din of speech, movement, and hooting and hollering from the club patrons, the queen intones in a deep voice, “Good night London, Ontario. I am your queen and tonight I demand your everything.”2 1 Club Lavish is a queer nightclub in London, Ontario. It does not promote itself explicitly as such; its self- branding on social media completely omits/de-emphasizes the majority queer patronage the space [attracts/caters to], instead only claiming that it seeks to “Evok[e] diversity and unity,” “provide a comfortable atmosphere for all people,” and “reflect a commitment to providing a diverse environment.” On Lavish’s self-branding, See: “About Us: Lavish Nightclub,” Lavish Nightclub, accessed April 30, 2018, http://www.clublavish.ca/about-us 2 Although this performance occurred over three years ago, my memory of it is reinforced by social media, namely saved Snapchat stories. I also consulted with the friend. 1 The crowd erupts in cheers. Elbows rub, and feet are stepped on as more bodies rush to swell the dancefloor. The drag-queen, seemingly pleased by our sonic and kinetic response, then begins her performance: an incredible display of dance, jumps, and other acrobatic feats. I stand transfixed by the sight and enveloped by the loud pop-music to which the queen is dancing. Although I rock, sway, and undulate with the pulsating beat of the music, I remain rooted in my spot. I am charged and excited by the energy I feel radiating from the club patrons around me who have similarly been captured by the queen’s performance. Once her soundtrack changes songs, I manage to briefly escape and look at my friend. His eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly agape. His face was an index of awe. ****** Moments of intensely felt intersubjective