Stories of the Saint - Chapter 4: The Era

[@SicilianStealth]

I'm originally from Rye New York and commuted to Grand Central to go to The Saint as I was a member. Ironically back then the block that I now live on where the original Eagle and Spike were around the corner was vacant, decadent and dangerous and we used to do things on it now it's all art galleries. I am forever grateful to F. Alan Pastore who I knew from Westchester County who introduced me to The Saint. I had interstellar space to dance in.

[@alfwarner]

The Saint was the most amazing creation of the Gay powered night club phenomenon it was the pinacle of dance, music, architectural design , technology design, art and entertainment it will forever be in my mind as one of the best times in my very young life! everardus bogardus

[@supermandisco]

I was born in mid 50s decade, I actually did experience this one of a kind era, but my fear of flying kept me from leaving the California coast. All I can say is, SF is as close as I will come to having touched that kind of gay freedom, and being a disc jockey kept me away from the action most of the time to where I was a little angry of not being a real part of the crowd, but I loved music, I loved playing it, and this stuff still fascinates me.

[@drumbunny]

I came out in 1984...and there was this feeling of arriving at a massive party that had just ended. You just missed something special. It was such a sad feeling - although I probably would not have survived. Instead, people like me, gay Gen-Xers, went through our 20s and 30s plagued by sadness, fear and anger...

[@ilike2watch151]

drumbunny so true. I came out that very year myself.

[@pwagner0176]

I was born in '76 and came out in '94. I don't recall spending my 20s and 30s living in fear, depression, or anger. I used condoms.

[@robertfoltz3260]

What’s the song playing in the background? It’s so good, but I’ve never heard it!

[@davidcattin7006]

Born to be Alive - Patrick Hernandez - 1979

[@sherman2077]

how can you bring back a time in history when we danced to music and not noise. And danced not just jumped up and down. A time when the culture was about US unlike today when its all about ME now

[@lefreak79]

+David Sherman WOW! You are so correct! Did we have a good time or what? ? The music that Gays now dance too is inferior to the 70's and early 80's in every way. The feeling of being Gay in the 60's and 70's was exciting because everything wasn't necessarily out in the open. It was more mysterious and more fun. Today, it's all in your face. The music, too -- all you can do is jump up and down like a Mexican jumping bean. Where's the time machine when you need one. . . . . . a. sanchez

[@Bala5]

44 years ago tonight......The Saint in NYC opened September 20 1980

[@damianmorrison209]

Cause we could we should and isn't it great... We didn't know there was a price to pay that just makes my heart wanna break we he says that.. A lost nirvana.. What an incredible decade the 70s were so free so freeing talking to my peers older ltbt people older gay men saying it was so much fun there was room to grow everything was new for us just a great time to live all those dreams the saint looked incredible along with studio what fun what a blast a magical time

[@mcmchugh99]

I was a fundamentalist and member of the Moral Majority at that time, so needless to say I was on the "other side", although I came to regret all this later. It was not a good time to be "coming out".

[@up2itru]

@dirtyedna Mostly auctiond off. Some of it, sound included, went to a club next door to old Eagle's Nest on 21st Street. The dome is in some barn/warehouse in PA last I heard. The building itself was razed and became an affordable apartment complex on 6th Street. The original entrance on Second Avenue (closed when liquor was introduced because of its proximity to Marble Collegiate Church) is still standing, as an Emmigrant Savings Bank!

[@ChrisSummerfield]

Wish that I was able to record World pride New York 2019.

[@Pat7629]

I am obsessed with this decade and am very jealous of gay men who got to experience it.

[@pwagner0176]

JPS the odds that you'd be alive today would have been stacked against you. Read And the Band Played on for some perspective. I have absolutely no doubt you (and I) would have had a blast, even while a silent killer circulated amongst us. I was born in '76. I can tell you that my generations parents were petrified by the fact that one of us would wind up needing a blood transfusion during the early to mid 80s. As soon as it was known that HIV was blood borne my parents literally kept us on a leash. People were infected by dentists accidentally due to less than perfect sterilization techniques on equipment.

[@Pat7629]

P w I was born in 1976 too. Our generation is the fear generation. I remember being in 8th grade health class and it was all about AIDS and contraception. From puberty we were instilled a fear associated with gay sex.

[@douglaserwinbrandt181]

I loved the Saint and every other Gay Disco Club in NYC in the early 80's. But I lost 56 friends between 1982 and 1990.

[@dirtyedna]

...just wondering,whatever happenned to the Saint's architecture...the building and the projector,etc. I know the story of the beginning to the end of the Garage,but not the Saint. What about the owners,and key players.

[@suberbia88]

love

[@pnello]

Looks like some footage was used from "Gay sex in the 70s"?

[@WalterJonesDJ]

I thought this was going to be about The Saint and not about 54...again!

[@MsNooneinparticular]

Wish lesbians were this fun.

[@davidcattin7006]

There were a handful who partied with us on the east coast, DC, Baltimore, and NYC. Miss you all so much!

[@Demetriusdionne]

Wow. I wonder how many of those men are alive today: or if hiv/aids claimed their lives. : /

[@lefreak79]

+kiama desmangles We all gotta die! Let me tell you, I'd rather have been a product of the 70's and had a great time, like them. Worry about your own live.

[@edharbur698]

Lots of us are - and the fun and freedom we experienced was nothing like you could ever possibly conceive of, being a product of a more oppressive and sanitized time.

[@tj5945]

All of their asses are gone or leaving. They get all defensive when someone calls them out on that shit

@@tj5945 ALL OF US, EINSTEIN?! You're about as sharp as a SPOON, AREN'T YA', YOU DUMB FUCK?!

[@fourjay2000]

Am alive, healthy, retired for 20 years and still have vivid memories of the GREATEST night club in the world! I never had HIV but lost some magnificent and beautiful NYC friends who I met at THE SAINT.

[@lynobird9197]

There wasn’t a price to pay? Really??

[@SalvatoreEscoti]

So, nothing changed, drugs, sex parties, drugs, sex, parties, drugs, sex.. it's the same today.