Y.M.C.A. and my Uncle Neil
For many, the classic song Y.M.C.A by the Village People immediately prompts excitement and fun. It is a song that people hear and enjoy in a sheer mindless manner of fun. Hands fly up into the air. Hips wiggle uncontrollably. It is the quintessential anthem for fun. For me, the song means much more.
My Uncle Neil (Neil Scott Bogart) released that record and many of the Village People's albums until his end at Casablanca Records (the 'disco' label he started). He was anointed the "Disco King" by Time Magazine. I also wrote his biography which got published last year. That brings me back to Y.M.C.A.
When I was young and through my 20s, it was just a fun song; just like it is for everyone else in the world. Some people complain because it's played ALL THE TIME. Go to a sporting event, it's playing. Go to an outdoor fair and it's playing. Go to a club and at some point, the DJ will spin the old tune. It is so classic and so timeless, small children erupt in excitement when they hear it. Eight year olds dance and sing the lyrics as if it were a song they heard on the radio just moments before.
I was at a fair this evening (6/13/15). It is a beautiful pre-summer night and my kids were playing amongst a thousand others. And from the loud speakers where someone had started playing music, it happened; Y.M.C.A.. Kids began dancing and singing all around me. They were infected with pure fun. They couldn't help themselves. Everyone started to smile and so did I. For me, it was personal; it was different.
I interviewed Karen Willis who spoke on lead singer Victor Willis' behalf for my Uncle Neil's biography (Going Platinum: KISS, Donna Summer and How Neil Bogart Built Casablanca Records). I retraced his footsteps from before birth to after his death, interviewing countless family members and colleagues. One of the most telling quotes my uncle gave was back in the late 1960s when he helmed the Bubblegum musical craze. He said he wanted to create music where people had fun. He wanted to give kids something to smile about. As everyone was into rock music and anti-war sentiment, he wanted pure fun for kids.
It is amazing to me, that still today, my uncle is a part of making millions of people smile. He loved the Village People and loved Y.M.C.A even more. He loved anthems that made people happy. He also new that when you had a musical anthem an artist could become timeless. He did that numerous times (KISS: Rock And Roll All Night, Donna Summer: Last Dance, Village People: Y.M.C.A, and Joan Jett: I love Rock N' Roll).
So when I hear the Village People soar through a crowd and that crazy catchy song Y.M.C.A, the smile on my face isn't about the song itself. I smile because I'm thinking about my Uncle Neil. I'm thinking about what he did and I am thankful I got a little taste by retracing his footsteps. I smile because it is damn cool what my uncle accomplished and I am the only one in the crowd that knows it. This one's for you, Uncle Neil.
My Uncle Neil (Neil Scott Bogart) released that record and many of the Village People's albums until his end at Casablanca Records (the 'disco' label he started). He was anointed the "Disco King" by Time Magazine. I also wrote his biography which got published last year. That brings me back to Y.M.C.A.
When I was young and through my 20s, it was just a fun song; just like it is for everyone else in the world. Some people complain because it's played ALL THE TIME. Go to a sporting event, it's playing. Go to an outdoor fair and it's playing. Go to a club and at some point, the DJ will spin the old tune. It is so classic and so timeless, small children erupt in excitement when they hear it. Eight year olds dance and sing the lyrics as if it were a song they heard on the radio just moments before.
I was at a fair this evening (6/13/15). It is a beautiful pre-summer night and my kids were playing amongst a thousand others. And from the loud speakers where someone had started playing music, it happened; Y.M.C.A.. Kids began dancing and singing all around me. They were infected with pure fun. They couldn't help themselves. Everyone started to smile and so did I. For me, it was personal; it was different.
I interviewed Karen Willis who spoke on lead singer Victor Willis' behalf for my Uncle Neil's biography (Going Platinum: KISS, Donna Summer and How Neil Bogart Built Casablanca Records). I retraced his footsteps from before birth to after his death, interviewing countless family members and colleagues. One of the most telling quotes my uncle gave was back in the late 1960s when he helmed the Bubblegum musical craze. He said he wanted to create music where people had fun. He wanted to give kids something to smile about. As everyone was into rock music and anti-war sentiment, he wanted pure fun for kids.
It is amazing to me, that still today, my uncle is a part of making millions of people smile. He loved the Village People and loved Y.M.C.A even more. He loved anthems that made people happy. He also new that when you had a musical anthem an artist could become timeless. He did that numerous times (KISS: Rock And Roll All Night, Donna Summer: Last Dance, Village People: Y.M.C.A, and Joan Jett: I love Rock N' Roll).
So when I hear the Village People soar through a crowd and that crazy catchy song Y.M.C.A, the smile on my face isn't about the song itself. I smile because I'm thinking about my Uncle Neil. I'm thinking about what he did and I am thankful I got a little taste by retracing his footsteps. I smile because it is damn cool what my uncle accomplished and I am the only one in the crowd that knows it. This one's for you, Uncle Neil.
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