I received this e-mail from Bert Thompson about some of the obscure gay bars I recently wrote about:
'I went to the Riverside Club just once, with an acquaintance. It was truly a membership club; I still have my key. I'm number 675, so there must have been at least that many men who paid to join. It was basically a warehouse floor that was turned into an after-hours club for gay men who still wanted to dance after 4 a.m. On drugs, perhaps, though I didn't see any obvious drug activity on my one visit. The 'décor' was non-existent; a card table selling soda pop, a dj on a slightly raised platform, a coat closet, a toilet, and perhaps a few old sofas. The rest of the space was available to dance, on the bare wooden floors, without even a designated 'dance floor' marked off from the rest of the club space. There must have been some tracer lights and a mirror globe, too, but I wouldn't swear to it. It was an OK experience, but nothing compelling enough to make me want to go all the way down there, to a spooky, deserted commercial district, in the hours before dawn.
'I don't know if the Ritz Manhattan was ever really a gay bar. It's near where I live, and attached to the back side of a liquor store. I saw the listing, too, and went over there. It never seemed to be crowded, and the few people in there didn't look particularly gay—but they might have been. It had—and I think still has—a long bar along the inner wall and some basic tables and chairs in the rest of the space; no dancing. The customers, the few times I wandered by, were 100% Black … maybe this was an attempt by the owner(s) to drum up some business by appealing to a gay market; I don't know.
'Now you have met someone who went to the Showcase One. Actually I went quite a few times, usually on Sunday night, I think, to see the shows. I can't tell you now who any of the performers were, although they were talented and enjoyable. It was in the 2nd floor space that has also been a hair salon and a tanning salon. You entered from the staircase which goes right up to the rear of the space. The main (showroom) bar, to the west, had a small stage, raised only about one step, on the inner (south) wall, with a tinseled backdrop but no arch or curtain. The fairly modest bar proper was in the northeast corner of the room, and most of the space was taken up with table seating: bar stools and high tables a step or two up, along the windows on the north (street) side, and regular chairs and tables on the floor. I usually stood up, since I was there alone and had no money to buy a lot of drinks (they had a waiter or two). They did charge a modest cover. The crowd was the usual Newtown crowd, mostly gay white men under 40, but with a scattering of everybody else, too. There was also another, smaller, bar room, sort of a lounge, in the space to the east of the stairs from the street.
'You've mentioned Ozone. If you need a physical description, I could tell you, although there should be others who could, since it was one of Dr. Steve Rempas' places. I was a member, and I enjoyed it as the only place we've ever had with leather men who danced. It would be very crowded indeed, sometimes, in the first year it was open (and it was only open about 2 years, maybe less). What I most clearly remember is seeing Sylvester in live performance—yes, THE Sylvester (James), the disco god, not long before he died. He had a lot of energy, sang for a pretty long set, and even reached down and sucked the fingers of those in the front row who were standing and waving their arms. Rather wild, actually. This was in the long, main dance room, and he simply stood on the bar at the far end and danced and sang there (to backup tapes, of course). This was the only major event they ever had. There was a Gloria Gaynor concert promoted, but she didn't show up—I don't know why. All this was in 1982 or 1983.'
If you have memories to share, contact Sukie de la Croix at Windy City Times. You can leave a message on his voicemail at 773-871-7610. He collects memories and interviews over the phone, in person, or via e-mail sukiedelacroix@ozhasspoken.com